"richie! holy shit, you're awake," eddie chanted, holding richie in a hug.
"wha..?" he mumbled. richie looked around to see all of the losers around him in a circle. "what happened..?"
"i don't know.. you passed out mid-game," beverly said. "are you okay?"
"i think.." he mumbled. eddie pulled out of the hug, and richie looked around. "what time is it?"
"12:30," mike answered. richie furrowed his eyebrows.
"oh.."
"are you sure you're okay?" beverly blurted out. richie nodded.
that was a weird dream. it was too real to be fake. weird.
"okay.. where were we?" richie asked, referring to the game.
"we're not ignoring the fact you just p-passed out, rich," bill said. richie looked down.
"you really haven't been eating.." eddie whispered. richie looked at him.
"what?"
"what you told beverly and i in the bathroom." beverly's eyes widened, and richie nodded slowly.
"richie!" she yelped quietly.
"huh?"
"what are you two talking about?" stanley asked.
eddie sighed. "richie hasn't—"
"eddie, stop it," richie demanded. eddie looked at him with sympathy.
"they need to know."
"no. they don't," richie mumbled. eddie sighed. beverly put her hand in richie's and squeezed.
"s-sorry.." eddie said to the losers.
"oh come on," stanley said. "you can't tell two of us something, dangle it in our faces, then just keep it from us. that's bullshit."
"stanley, it's serious shit," beverly said. she gave him a certain stare that he knew to just shut up and stop there.
"whatever," stanley said under his breath.
"let's just.. put that beside us and focus on the game," richie said with a sigh, leaving everyone nodding.
"rich, do you have any food? i'm hungry," eddie asked, not meaning himself. he meant it towards richie, but wasn't gonna expose him.
"umm.. i'll ask.. i guess," richie mumbled. "keep playing, i'll be back."
"alright.." bill sighed, gathering his cards and instructing everyone else to do so as richie got up and walked over to his parents' room.
he opened the door and took a deep breath.
"what," wentworth demanded.
"do we have any food..?" richie asked. wentworth turned to his table, grabbed a bottle of alcohol, and held it up to chuck it at richie. richie ran out of the room, closing the door and falling back from being unstable on his leg.
"richie?" mike said from the living room, causing everyone to look up at richie.
"oh- shi—" eddie whispered, and scrambled to his feet, trying to walk to richie casually. richie pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
"i'm fine, i fell," richie said, trying not to make it obvious his leg was aching.
eddie helped richie stand and somewhat guided him back to the living room. "what happened?" eddie whispered.
