Life Is Short, Like Eddie (1990 Reddie)

Chapter 3

  Richie woke up with a quick gasp. He couldn't believe he was still having nightmares about... It.

   Richie sat up, looking around for his glasses, gone. He groaned, he'd find them in a minute. He then looked at his clothes and realized, he hadn't changed after last night. He sighed, a slight chuckle following it. How could he forget?

  Richie got up, walking towards the closet. He needed to find clothes for later. He sifted through the clothes, finding a white shirt and jeans. They'd work for the day. He threw them on the bed and started unbuttoning his shirt.

  Richie thought for a moment. What made him leave his clothes on? He wasn't out late and he- Richie then realized, he wasn't even at his house. He looked around the room again. He was in Bill's house. Richie would be shocked he knew the room, but he had all the loser's rooms memorized, and Bill didn't change his room much. Richie face palmed and laughed, he needed to find his glasses before he did anything else.

  He felt around the bed for a minute, no luck. " Bill! Bill you here?!" Richie called, sitting on the bed. He heard footsteps as a concerned Bill walked in. " Yeah R-richie?" He said, taking a look at the ginger.

  " You wouldn't happen to know where my glasses are, would you?" Richie asked with a smile. Bill made an almost squeak of worry. " Well, uh, we sorta..." A second voice broke in, " Broke them." Richie's eyes widen. " What? Can't you tape them?" He said in shock. Bill seemed to shrug.

  Richie groaned, stumbling to the door. " Could I have them-?" Richie asked sheepishly. The second person seemed to step back and down the hall. " Hey, did you get those clothes out?" Bill asked, shifting to Richie's side. Richie awkwardly nodded. " Autopilot of the old days." Richie laughed. This caused Bill to smile. " I still got some of everyone's old clothes if you need a change." Bill said, gesturing towards his closet. Richie nodded, " Yes please."

   The second figure returned, handing Richie his broken glasses. Richie held them up to his face, peering through them. " Well... These will have to do today." Richie groaned, putting on his glasses, the left lens cracked. Richie looked at Bill and the second figure, it being Stan. " Could I get that change of clothes now?" Richie asked, looking at Bill now. He nodded.

  " I'm also gonna tell the others." Bill said, stepping into the hall. Richie silently stood there with Stan. " So, what happened?" Richie askked, glancing at Stan. Stan shrugged. " We went to the movies, you made a dare with Eddie in the theater, you ended up sliding and bumping your head, and on the way back we broke your glasses. Everyone else is already awake." Stan sort of jumbled the words out.

  The two stood there, faint voices sounding. " Did I win the bet?" Richie asked. Stan couldn't help but chuckle. " Yeah, yeah you did." This made Richie smile. Bill walked next to Stan, Eddie and Bev behind him. " I've got some things from last time, so don't expect much." Bill said, pulling the three inside. Stan only walked down the hall.

  Bill opened a drawer in his closet revealing some spare clothes all the loser's had left. Bev found her clothes first and headed to the bathroom to change. Richie and Eddie soon found their stuff, Bill then leaving the two to change.

  " Is your head alright?" Eddie spoke as the door slid shut. Richie nodded, " Yeah, it's good." Eddie sighed in relief, putting a new shirt on. Richie smirked, Eddie cared about him, sweet. This made Eddie look at Richie with worrisome. " Don't- don't smirk. That's weird while-" " Oh god I'm sorry!" Richie said, not realizing he had been looking at Eddie.

  Richie quickly turned away from Eddie, quickly putting his own shirt on. " I'm- I'm sorry." Richie croaked, red creeping up his face. He heard Eddie let out a shakey laugh. " It's okay, it's just weird changing with other people around, y'know?" Eddie asked, almost stumbling putting his pants on. Richie could only nod, he knew that, truly he did.

  The two finished changing before heading to meet the others. Bev had beat them there and was talking with Ben, who, Richie had to admit had become kind of attracting recently. He shook his head, he couldn't think like that, no. Eddie glanced at him. " You all right Rich?" Eddie asked, looking up at him. " Course I'm alright Eds! Why wouldn't I be? Besides the cracked glasses that is-." Richie smiled, adjusting his glasses ever so slightly.

  Eddie nodded, heading farther into the group of losers. Richie's eyes followed Eddie for a minute before landing on the others. They all radiated a sense of joy when together like this, it always made Richie smile. He loved finally being able to be with them all again, it really had been awhile since they'd done this, hadn't it?

  Richie flopped on Bill's couch. " We gonna do something Billy, or am I gonna have to do stand up?" Richie smiled, leaning over the couch to see Bill. All he did was smile and shake his head. " Please don't-" Richie wasn't listening. " Fasen your seatbelts folks, or you might end up like the Buddy Holly." Bev snorted, covering her mouth while Ben gasped. Richie smirked. " Sorry, that joke probably went over some of your heads-" This time Bev squeaked in laughter, and Ben's eyes widened. Then, Eddie reacted next, he had been thinking when it finally hit him. " Richie! Oh my god no!" He got the joke.

  Richie slid back on the couch laughing, the others not understanding. He was done with his act, even if it was short. Still, it had affect on those three's day, Richie smiled to himself with that. He was on a roll. " Well, my mom got some new records recently, which do you wanna hear?" Bill said, sliding to a cabinet near him. Some murmurs passed and it was decided on Chuck Berry. Richie smiled, he loved Chuck Berry's music, god he just loved Rock N Roll in general. He hoped it would stick around.

( For those who don't get the Buddy Holly joke, he and two other musicians died in a plane crash-)