Do Not Fucking Touch Me // Reddie

Fourteen

(Richie's POV)

A month had passed.

The whole gang headed to hang out in the treehouse behind Bill's house. We never went over there because he was so traumatized about Georgie. We tried to be understanding and not bring it up or spend much time at his place. But once Pennywise disappeared, Bill sort of came to terms with how things were, and how he was never going to see his brother again.

One by one we climbed up into the treehouse. It was pretty big. Eddie was last up so I grabbed his hand and pulled him up to help. We all sat around the entrance and closed it.

Summer was coming to a close. Bill's family was moving. Who knew if we were all even going to still be friends next fall. Ben would spend all his time at the library, hopefully reading some more lighthearted material than he had shown us. Mike would probably spend most of his time at the farm, he wouldn't have time for us. Stan hated us, or so it seemed. We put him in a shitty situation that threatened his life. Looks like Eddie would be all I had. That was more than enough, but it still made me sad.

Eddie and I had always been close, especially after this summer. I always had a thing for him. He's cute, sue me! I never could tell him, though. I put on this facade that I made fun of him, that he was beneath me. I felt horrible about it, especially now. My heart shattered when he told me that the words I didn't mean really got to him. I was going to spend as long as it took to make it up to him. It might take forever. It didn't matter to me. I wouldn't mind that one bit.

Any one of the other boys, or even Beverly, they never saw me as someone good. Eddie did. He looked up to me, I think. We joked with each other so much it became a routine. I think we both cared for each other. I don't think either of us knew what to do with that. I'm glad we figured it out. I'm so glad he became my boyfriend. My first kiss. My first relationship of any kind. He made me feel important and funny, and brave. Everyone else just made it seem like I was nothing more than a nuisance, even my own parents.

Eddie sat on my right thigh and leaned back onto my chest. He was so tiny he fit in that notch perfectly. We were like puzzle pieces, that found the fit they needed.

I wrapped my arms around him. I didn't feel ashamed to be affectionate towards him in front of the losers anymore. He was wearing one of my sweatshirts. He stole them all the time from me, but he asked politely first every time, so I guess it wasn't really stealing after all. They didn't fit him at all. They were huge silhouettes on his small frame. The sleeves extended much farther than his arms. He got his cast off, so there wasn't an awkward bulge in the fabric at his wrist. He still looked bizarre in the oversized clothing, but I still thought it was utterly adorable. He looked so soft and cute. I kissed the top of his head several times. Little curls were beginning to grow from his scalp. He hadn't gotten a haircut since we got together. It wasn't that long, but a lot had changed.

He had a serious talk with his mom. He even threatened her. She threatened back, ended up leaving more bruises on my poor baby and I turned her in to the police. He begged me not to, so it was really difficult for me to execute that decision. Thankfully, he had an uncle in Derry, so he didn't have to go into a foster home or more far away. He was accepting of Eddie, and even our relationship. Everything was good. I was so happy.

"I move tomorrow," Bill reminded us.

The treehouse circle fell silent. It's not that we had forgotten, so much as we wanted to forget. Beverly was holding her hand on top of his. She rested her head on his shoulder and frowned. I didn't see Bev frown very much anymore. She was able to stay until Bill left, then she would move to Portland with her aunt. Both of them were leaving, neither to the same place. I felt bad for both of them. I could tell they really cared about each other and made each other happy. Eddie and I really hit a lucky strike with all that had happened in the past month.

"We're going to miss you a lot, Bill," Stan finally broke the silence. He had recently completed his Bar-Mitzvah. He was happier than we'd ever seen him before. He cared about things less. He had fun more. We were happy for him.

Bill gave Stan a half smile. They had always been good friends. It was sad that friendship had to come to a close.

"Promise you'll call?" Eddie said softly.

Bill looked down and nodded. He looked up and his eyes panned around the room. "I'll keep in touch with all of you. You all changed my life. Even Trashmouth," he laughed looking at me, grinning.

I pretended to be hurt. I gasped and said, "Wow. Even in your last hours in Derry you reduce me to a nickname."

He rolled his eyes. "Richie. You know I love you."

"Woah woah woah, mister," Eddie chimed in, "He's mine."

We all giggled. The laughs subsided and we took in the moment. This was it. This was possibly the last meeting of the losers club. Yeah, a lot had changed. That's kind of to be expected when a killer clown goes on a rampage and we're the ones who have to clean up the mess.

I looked down at my cute little boyfriend. He laid back in my arms. He was happy. This is all I had wanted for him since I met the damn kid. At least one good thing came out of all this chaos. Tomorrow Bill and Bev would both be gone. Maybe the rest of us would continue to hang out, maybe we wouldn't ever talk again. I still had Eddie. He was all I needed, and more than I could ever wish for.