Do Not Fucking Touch Me // Reddie

Forty One

(Richie's POV)

I finished my test in algebra and raced to hand it in. I put it on the stack on Mrs. Johnson's desk and walked out of the room. Eddie was all alone right now, but I was sure that he had found someone to hang out with. It was way too late for him to go home on the bus, but maybe he had left already. I wouldn't blame him. He probably went home to change before his uncle took us out to dinner for his birthday.

While walking down the hall in pursuit of the exit, Stan bumped my shoulder. "Oh hey," I said.

"Richie! Where's Eds, I got something to tell you guys!"

"It's his birthday, Stan. I'm meeting him for dinner," I replied. 

"Oh right! Well tell him Happy Birthday from me! Anyway, I kissed Lucy."

I smiled and pat his shoulder. "Ya sly dog, I knew ya had it in ya."

He smiled and looked at his feet as we walked. "Yeah, she's really pretty."

"Sure," I said. I didn't really know what exactly to say to that. I wasn't attracted to her. My eye was caught by another.

"You don't have to pretend to like girls anymore, we get it. You're full on gay," Stan said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I love Eddie. It's not about boys or girls. It's just him, a fucking angel, I don't deserve him."

"Yes you do. You both deserve each other, you do all these nice things and gestures, and you genuinely care about one another. That's love, I think," Stan said. I smiled shyly and he walked away. 

I suddenly felt sick, a nauseous sensation swept over me and I turned to the bathrooms at the end of the hall. I slammed my arm against the door on the way in and made my way into a stall. I had been doing so good too, I was disappointed in myself. I knew that my promises seemed cheap these days, but I wanted to stick true to the most recent one I made Eddie. I told him I would get help and try to fix my eating disorder. It was easier said than done, and my body had begun to reject anything I put in it. All I had eaten that day was a banana and some toast. Unfortunately, that was too much. The vomit filled the brim of the toilet and I felt like crying. 

I wanted to be normal. Eddie deserved that. I gave him my everything, and I was so afraid it wasn't enough. He deserved someone who ate meals with him and didn't have to run to the bathroom to have it go right back up his throat. My esophagus burned as I sat on the tile floor. I looked at the vomit- a layer of blood rest on top of the mess. I sighed. That hadn't happened before. 

I grabbed the seat and hoisted myself up into a standing position. I faced the stall door. There was a myriad of dick drawings on it. I zoned in on a scribble, writing 'Eddie Kapsbrack is a homo'. It wasn't wrong, but I didn't like their tone. I grabbed a sharpie. I turned the O to an E and blocked out the M with an R. He deserved that. Eddie was a hero.

Proud of my work, I opened the door. Waiting for me on the other side, was a boy by the name of Troy. 

"What you doing in there, girly-boy?" he taunted, shoving me against the door. "Blowing the whole basketball team?"

He spit at my feet. I looked down at it and shook my head. "How long did it take you to think of girly-boy?" 

He was taken aback and remained silent. "Whatever! You're a fag!"

I laughed and shoved him out of the way and walked out of the bathroom unbothered. Words didn't really get to me anymore. The only person I really cared what they thought about me was Eddie. The rest just faded into the background of it all.