Meant To Be • Reddie

5.

- No POV -

Henry and the other boys turned around in unison.

"That's where you're wrong, four-eyes." Henry spat out, still keeping his grip on Eddie's arm as he stared down at Richie. "You're a brave little bastard, coming back for round two after last night."

Henry's colleagues started to crack their knuckles, giving Richie sinister glares that were accompanied by twisted grins of delight.

Richie snuck his hand into his front pocket, grabbing a sharpened wooden pencil into his palm, keeping it hidden. "Let him go." He demanded, his hand trembling around the only "weapon" he had.

"Or what?" Henry chuckled. "He's my bitch. Just like the rest of you losers."

Eddie was smothering as he panicked, but he still managed to shake his head multiple times towards Richie, wanting to prevent this dangerous fight from happening.

"You'll be sorry if you don't, you fucking prick." Richie threatened, moving the object out of his pocket slightly as he prepared for combat. "Let him go. Now."

Henry continued to laugh as he pulled Eddie into a chokehold position, wrapping his arm around his neck to hold him in place. "What now, Tozier? You're a bitch too. You won't do shit."

Richie had reached his breaking point.

He let out a heavy, angered breath as he whipped the pencil out of his pocket fully, stabbing it straight into Henry's arm.

"God damn it! You motherfucker!" Henry screamed out in agony as he immediately moved his now bloody, injured arm away from his victim to examine the nasty wound.

"Let's fucking go!" Richie cried out, grabbing Eddie's hand, practically dragging him across the schoolyard as he tried to retreat to the steps, where they would be safe near their friends and the school faculty. "Come on, Eddie!"

Eddie couldn't breathe, and was barely keeping up.

Ben's eyes were wide as he watched from afar. He was gradually accompanied by the rest of their friends over time, and they were all expecting a fight, but were relieved that Richie and Eddie were okay.

Luckily, Henry seemed to be in too much pain to chase after them, and his clueless buddies didn't move.

The two boys finally made it to the steps.

"Sit down." Richie instructed towards Eddie, helping his best friend lower himself down to the grass below.

"Here, give him some water. It should help." Beverly, the only female in the group, handed Richie her half-full bottle.

Richie's heart was aching as he watched Eddie struggle to breathe. "It's okay, Eds. Deep breaths in and out." He kept talking to him, kneeling down in front of his friend' body and opening up the water bottle, holding it towards his lips that were already parted. "Drink."

Eddie took a long sip before shifting around uncomfortably on the ground and coughing vigorously. "I'm going to have a rash from sitting on the grass." He panted out, allowing his other buddy Mike to pat the sweat off of his face with a few tissues that Beverly kept in her bag.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ben asked with concern.

"He has asthma, so he does this all the time. He should be fine once he catches his breath." Stan reassured him.

"T-They're gone." Bill pointed out, noticing the empty spot in the schoolyard where Henry and the other bullies one stood. "They d-d-disappeared."

Richie sat down beside of Eddie on the ground, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Can you breathe now?"