"where are you going?" eddie jumped at the voice. he thought he was home alone. turns out, beverly hadn't been working as he thought she had been.
"uh, a party. columbia." eddie tried to sound nonchalant. he thought that if it didn't sound like a big deal, that maybe bev wouldn't think it was a big deal.
eddie thought wrong.
"columbia? who do you hang out with at columbia?" no one, bev knew that. which is what made eddie going to a party at columbia all the weirder.
fuck. eddie thought. to lie or tell the truth?
more like to speak or to die
maybe that was a bit dramatic.
eddie, once again, thought not a big deal. don't make it a big deal, bev won't either.
so he told the truth.
"um, richie. im going with richie." bev went quiet, but eddie continued to get ready, buttoning his shirt and running a hand through his hair.
"richie. richieee?" bevs tone of voice was faux confused. almost like she'd never heard of him in her life, and she was asking eddie for more information to help her put a face to the name of richie tozier.
"bev, you know richie." eddie narrowed his eyes, annoyed that bev was acting like this, even though he knew that their home had always been a richie tozier free household.
bev shook her head, her copper locks shaking feverishly as she did so.
"no, no i don't think i do. the name doesn't sound very familiar. hmm. richie, richie. oh! richie! richie tozier?." bev tried to stifle a laugh, her cheeks bright pink and smile wide.
"yes. richie tozier." eddie rolled his eyes, looking into the mirror to make sure that he looked okay. he decided that he looked okay enough.
"and why would you be going to a party with richie tozier." she said it more like a statement than like a question. eddie knew she wasn't really asking. she didn't care. she just wanted to make him feel silly for accepting an invite from richie tozier, after everything that richie had put him through.
"i didn't have any plans, he wanted to catch up so.."
"so you could get coffee, you could go to study somewhere, he could come over and watch a movie. but you're going to 'catch up' at a columbia frat party?" this time, instead of stifling her laugh, bev let it out. giggling to herself like a mischievous child.
"i don't know. he just said that he needed a plus one and i guess stan has a thing, i guess."
"a thing."
"that's what richie said."
"no context as to what this thing is?"
"not that i was given, no."
"hmm."
"hmm." eddie mirrored her.
"stanley's got a thing, i guess." beverly mocked. eddie took a very deep breath.
"yup." eddie was in the bathroom now, running a comb through his hair.
"and you're the next best thing for richie? since when?" bev rested her head on the door frame, eyes darting around eddie's body.
"i'm not sure." eddie's voice sounded off. bev felt that she'd hurt his feelings.
"i didn't mean that in a mean way. it's just-"
"no bev, i know"
"you and richie have really been, friendly since. you know."
"i know."
