Alone Again | Reddie (unfinished, but no longer writing)

Chapter 2

That morning was like each other. Richie and Eddie met up at the block connecting their two streets and then riding their bikes somewhere. Usually, it would be to school, but today they went to the Barrens with their two other friends.

They all dropped their bikes on the floor, besides Eddie and Stan who kicked up their stands, neatly parking them to avoid triggering their OCD. Stan then, being himself, began to annoy the Losers. "That's poison ivy. That's poison ivy. And that's poison ivy." He joked pointing around him.

"Where. Where's the poison ivy?" Eddie said out of fear as he walked in circles.

"Nowhere," Richie confirmed putting a hand on Eddie's shoulder. "Not every fucking plant is poison ivy Stanley."

Richie and Bill walked into the sewers, but Stan and Eddie stayed out. "Well I'm starting to get itchy now so this I -."

"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie asked cutting him off.

"Sometimes yeah." He replied hesitantly.

"Then you probably have crabs." Richie joked.

Eddie gave him a disgusted look. "That is so not funny."

"Aren't you guys coming in?" Richie finally asked realizing the two hadn't moved in the last minute.

"Fuck no, that's gray water," Eddie said looking at the water Richie was stepping in.

"What the hell is gray water?"

"It's basically piss and shit, so I'm just telling you, you guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee."

Richie then picked up a stitch and sniffed it. "Doesn't smell like caca the me señor."

"I- I can smell that from here."

"It's probably just your breath wafting back into your face."

Eddie let out a frustrated sigh. "Have you ever heard of a staph infection?"

"I'll give you a staff infection." Richie pointed the stick towards Eddie.

"That is so unsanitary. This is basically like swimming inside a giant toilet bowl right now I mean have you ever heard of-." Stan rolled his eyes and Richie used the stick to pick up a bag and he threw it at Eddie. The smaller one yelled and moved out of the way.

Richie then began splashing the water at them. "That's disgusting. You are the reason we are in this position right now because-."

"GUYS!" Bill yelled holding a shoe in the air.

"Shit don't tell me that's," Stan said as his voice cracked slightly. Richie ran over to Bill.

"How's sneaker is it?" Eddie asked.

"It's Betty Ripsoms," Richie answered and Eddie's mouth fell open.

"Oh god. Shit. Fuck. I don't like this."

"How do you think Betty feels." Bill gave him a warning look, but Richie wasn't paying attention. "Running around in these tunnels with only one fricking shoe."

Bill then gave him a death stare and Richies smile. disappeared. "What if she's still down here?" Stan asked. They were all silent and Bill and Richie began to walk in further.

"Eddie come on." Richie smiled looking back at the boy.

"My mom would have an aneurysm if she finds out we are playing down here. I'm serious... Bill."

"If I was Betty Ripsoms, I would want us to find them. G-G-G-Georgie too."

"What if I don't want to find them," Eddie started looking at the floor and they all directed their attention to him. "I mean... no offense, but I don't want to end up like G-." He stopped himself seeing Bill's hurt look. "I don't want to go missing."

"He has a point," Stan said.

"Y-y-you too." Bill frowned.

"It's summer! We are supposed to be having fun. This isn't fun. This is scary and disgusting."

Suddenly there was a splash of water and they all quickly turned over to see the new kid in their grade, Ben, with a bloody stomach and all dirty face and clothes. "Holy shit- what happened to you," Richie exclaimed.

Eddie and Stan then quickly ran over to help him. They all went to the drugstore to get stuff the fix-up, Ben. There they met Beverly Marsh, Bill's first and second-grade girlfriend. "It was nice s-seeing you again B-B-Beverly." Bill smiled as she was leaving.

"It was nice to see you too Bill. Bye Ben." She smiled.

"Bye Beverly." Ben smiled up at the girl.

—

When Richie got home he kicked off the old vans he was wearing and ran up to his room and pulled out his mixtape and slid on his headphones.

Like always, his sister, Ashley, came barging into his room. She kicked her feet up on his desk and lit a cigarette.

She looked like Richie, but not at the same time. She had a sharp collar bone, black curly hair that went down to her shoulders, freckles under her eyes and on her nose, and glasses. She also had the same style and music taste as her brother. "What do you want Ash?" He sighed slipping off his headphones.

"Nothing. I'm just being your annoying older sister and barging into your room. Where were you today?"

"Your only one year older and I was at the Barrens with the Losers and then we had to fix up this kid that Bowers fucked up."

"Ew, I remember when I dated him in 7th grade. I broke up with him in 8th grade because that's when he started beating people up and being a dick."

"He pisses me off. His bullying doesn't affect me, but it affects all my friends."

"How's Kaspbrak?" She asked handing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter to Richie.

"Good and handsome like always. He makes me question my whole damn life." Richie sighed lighting a cigarette and taking a drag of it.

"That's how I was last year. I'm unlabeled because I'm not a lesbian, but I'm not hetero. Stupid best friends am I right?"

Richie nodded, half frowning. "Do you think Eddie's gay?"

"Who? Kaspbrak? Hell yeah, that kid just radiates the gay kid in the back with mommy issues that are always concerned about something."

"That's kind of true I just.... I don't know. I could never tell my friends."

"And you don't have to. Look, if Eddie starts getting flirting don't hesitate and freak out, flirt back. You guys are cute and if I was you I would start getting bolder. One of you has to start something. You guys are painful to watch."

"I have better things to worry about than chasing Eddie Kaspbrak around."

"Sure Rich." She smirked raising an eyebrow. "And I swear to god if you say that you are looking for missing kids I'm going to kill you. Bill isn't the sanest right now with Georgie gone, he's in denial. All the kids are dead by now."

"I know, but I can't just leave him. I have to help and defeat whoever the fuck is doing this."

"Just... be careful. I prefer not to lose my brother."

"I'll be okay Ash."