Your dirty little secret - Reddie

-12-

The next morning Eddie woke up an hour at around 4:30. He felt like something was wrong. Sonia was getting ready for work by then and when Eddie came down stairs she worried he was sick or had a nightmare.

"Eddie-Bear? Are you okay? Does something hurt? Are you sick? Did you have a nightmare? An accident?" She lifted each of Eddie's arms and examined his face and body. Eddie pulled his arms away, "Mommy, I'm okay. I just had to use the bathroom. Then I came down for water."

Eddie's mom signed in relief. She always worried about Eddie. His biggest fear was germs because his mother had made him like that. He was scared of getting sick because he was always sick. The pills, the inhale, the constant check ups at the hospital. He was scared of getting sick because he was scared of dying.

Once the sun came up, and Sonia had gone to work, Eddie walked over to the phone and dialed Richie's house number. He waited on the phone as it rang. Maggie picked up, "Hello?" She was sober for once.

"Hi, it's Eddie. Is Richie still sleeping? I can call back later if he's asleep?" Maggie covered the speaker of the phone and called out for Richie. Richie opened his eyes and set up in his bed, patting the nightstand then realizing he was pretty much blind for the next few hours.

He walked down the stairs. Eddie waited for a response to patiently while tapping a foot. Richie took the phone from Maggie, "Hello?" Eddie smiled, "It's Eddie, I wanted to know if you were able to hang out today? I still have to call the others to see if they can."

Richie covered the speaker; the muffled voice was still was still decipherable, "Mom! When can you pick up my glasses?"
"When the pharmacy opens."
"When does it open?"
"11:00."
"God damn it! I can't see shit! What do I do till then? Sleep?"
The two bickered back and forth a bit before Richie uncovered the speaker, "After 12 I think."

Eddie didn't know what to ask. The thought that Richie broke his glasses and cut his eyes, like he had warned him crossed Eddie's mind. Eddie mustered up the courage then spoke softly, "What happened to your glasses?"

Richie hesitated, "I sat on them last night." He knew that lie wasn't going to last the whole day. If he was going to hang out with his friends they would ask questions about his face that he didn't want to answer. How do you tell your friends that you were 20 minutes late so your dad beat you to a pulp?

Eddie sighed, "So they weren't on your face then? How bad did they brake?" Richie didn't want to say they shattered. The frames snapped in half and the shards of the glass scattered the kitchen floor. He wanted to drown himself right then, "Just bad enough to be able to were them. My mom's gonna go get the backpack pair around 11:30 when the pharmacy opens."

"How bad is that? Is it the frames or the lenses?" Eddie gave a concerned tone. Richie sighed, "Both. It's fine I don't have a headache yet." Eddie shook his head, "Well if you just woke up then you shouldn't have one for a while. But if you get one then aspire works better then Tylonal most of the time-"

Richie scoffed jokingly, "Okay doctor Ed's! Why not come over and fix me up then? If you know so much?" Eddie was taken aback, "Fine! I'll be over in like 20 asshole!" He hung up the phone.

Richie waited for Maggie to leave the room before calling back. Eddie ran down to the phone and picked up, "Hello?" Richie whispered, "It's just me, do you think you could bring hydrogen peroxide?"

"What the Fuck do you need hydrogen peroxide for?" Eddie shot back. Richie closes his eyes tightly and presses a fist to his forehead, "Just bring some of you have it, Eds."