take me away (reddie)

sixteen

eddie had fallen asleep, sprawled out on the floor. he had been working on the beginning of his homeschooling, so he could get an early start. not to mention, it kept his mind off the fact that he was locked in his room like rapunzel. only if his prince were here.

eddie woke up around five in the evening by his mother who stuck her head into his room, calling his name.

"yes, mommy?" eddie sat up where he was, rubbing his eyes. he looks up at sonia who still had that piteous smile on her face. it made eddie sick.

"dinner is ready." sonia grinned, pausing before walking out.

eddie gets up from the warm spot on the floor that was more comfortable than usual. perhaps it was because he was crying before he had drifted off into peaceful unconsciousness. he made his way downstairs and into the dining room. he sat down at the table, keeping his focus only on the table.

a plate that had a baked potato, roasted carrots and a small cut of steak was sat in front of him in silence. his mother sat down in front of him and began to eat.

eddie didn't even want to touch his food, so he just sat there in silence. he felt too anxious to even open his mouth or move.

"eddie?" sonia looked at eddie.

eddie slowly raised his head. "yes ma'am?"

sonia visibly swallowed harshly, looking at the plate then up at eddie. "are you gay?"

the question made eddie's eyes widen, gasping a bit. it took him a moment to pick up his thoughts, and he tried to put them into words that could justify his actions. all he managed to choke out was, "yes."

sonia cleared her voice as if she was expecting that answer. she opened her mouth to say something before she looked at eddie's eyes and saw nothing but pain. she saw the world in eddie's point of view. for the first time in sixteen, almost seventeen, years, she put herself in eddie's shoes. she saw how hurt he was, and noticed the bruising on his face from henry.

she saw frank.

sonia dropped her fork, getting up from the table. she grabbed her coat as tears threatened her eyes. "i-i'm going to see your father's grave. don't l-leave this house." she said at eddie, not even being able to look at him.

eddie watched his mother shuffle out of the house and to her raggedy car. he got up from the table and grabbed the plates. he dumped the food into the trash forcefully, out of anger, before putting the plates into the sink.

eddie had already assumed what his mother saw in him. every family member he's seen on either parents'  side calls him a mini-frank.

eddie scrubbed the silver and glass dishes, putting them back into the cabinets when he was finished.

he was becoming a coward, just like his father.

-

stanley was looking out of his window with binoculars to see if he could find eddie. he usually used the binoculars to birdwatch, but today, he was eddie-watching.

richie told everyone at lunch what happened in third period which worried stanley. stanley hated sonia with a passion, and to know that she pulled eddie out of school without eddie knowing, not to mention being away from home for a few days, worried him.

"see anything?" beverly spoke up.

the five other teenagers stood behind stanley, trying to look out of his small bedroom window. stan had demanded that richie wasn't the one standing right behind his ass for obvious reasons.

"no...wait-" stanley readjusted the binoculars. "sonia just walked out. she's leaving. "

richie was biting on his nails, his mind racing back and forth. it scared richie to know that eddie had to go back home without any protection or someone to be there and face his mother who was ten times eddie's body mass. it didn't even have to be richie; maybe just stanley or bill.