coy ➳ Reddie

Ten

A/N Just so everyone knows, Beverly, Ben, and Bill were still friends even after the club split up. I'm not sure if I already mentioned that but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"So, what do you guys wanna do? We can watch a movie, or I probably have a few board games somewhere. I also bought pizza before you guys came here. It's in the kitchen whenever you want some." Beverly said.

"H-how about a movie?" Bill said.

"Okay! I have a few of my favorites from when I was kid. I have It's A Wonderful Life, I have Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and I probably have a few others. You can look through them, if you want. I have a shelf near the TV full of movies."

"I'm gonna go get some pizza. Anything you guys choose is fine." Richie said, walking over to the kitchen.

The other five boys went over to the small shelf Beverly had mentioned, which was filled with different VHS tapes. After a quick minute of browsing, Stan pulled out a movie, and smiled.

"Can we watch this one?" he asked.

"What is it?" Mike asked, looking over Stan's shoulder.

"Grease. I don't like horror and this movie's good."

Ben sighed, and Stan looked up at him.

"Oh, come on. Please? I swear, after I watch this, I'll let you guys choose all the other movies. Deal?" Stan said.

"Okay, fine. 

"Yay!" Stan said, and handed Beverly the VHS. She went over to the television, and put the tape in, rewinded it, and clicked play. 

Richie came back into the room with a slice of pizza on a paper plate. 

"What are we watching?" he asked, looking at the TV with interest on his face.

"Grease." said Beverly, her blue eyes not leaving the screen.

Richie walked over to the couch, and sat next to Eddie, who leaned into him. Mike smiled at them, glad that his friends were so happy. Beverly smiled, too.

  ♚  

The movie eventually ended, and Ben quickly picked out Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, which was the movie he had been wanting to watch. Eddie felt his heart speed up a bit, just like it had before he and Richie went into the theater to watch Psycho.

"This isn't going to be too scary for you?" Richie asked.

"Yeah. I might just go get Carrie if I get too scared."

"Does Carrie scare you?"

"No, not really. I find the story more sad, than anything else."

Richie nodded. "Makes sense. I've never found it that scary, either. It's definitely dark, though."

Ben clicked 'play', and the movie started. 

Eddie wasn't very scared while watching the film, he felt almost relaxed. He was with Richie, and when he was with Richie, he felt like nothing could hurt him. He felt like he was enclosed in a safe space where nothing bad could get in. He thought of his mother, and no sense of dread or guilt came to him. He knew she was not quite right in the head, and her negative opinions about everybody that just dares to be different are there solely because they are different. Eddie also knew that he was happy, and he would never let her change that. Richie felt happy, too, because though he was neglected and overlooked by his own flesh and blood, he knew that he wasn't, and never would be, rejected by his friends.

Everyone else felt safe, too. They all felt comfortable with each other, and seemed to ignore the fact that they had split up at one point. In fact, those years when they didn't have each other felt gloomy to all of them. And now that they were together again, the world suddenly seemed a bit more vibrant, and colorful. In that moment, they weren't scared of their bullies, their abusers, or their families. 

As Beverly laid her head in Ben's lap, and he played with her hair the same way Richie and Eddie had when they watched Peter Pan, Beverly's mind went to her father, and she felt no fear. The corners of her mouth curved up into a small smile, because she knew she was free of his non-stop worries, and abuse. 

Ben's mind went to his mother's, and he didn't feel any frustration, or sadness. He was losing weight and making himself happy, and though he knew his own mother was against that, he also knew she couldn't stop him. He was sixteen, and though he wasn't yet an adult, he had the freedom to make this choice for himself.

Stan and Mike were sitting next to each other, Stan's head resting on Mike's shoulder, and their minds both went to their bullies. Stan knew that his classmates who cracked jokes about Jewish people were just uneducated, and Mike knew that Christopher and James, who used to tease him about his dark skin, were also uneducated. They wouldn't let their untrue and unfunny words get to them.

And Bill, who had his bare feet kicked up on the coffee table, recalled the events after Georgie's death; all the monster-hunting, and laughter with the other Losers, and the somber silence and negativity when he went home. At home, Bill would be the only one to laugh whenever something funny happened on the television, and then he'd look around awkwardly, hoping for someone to laugh with him. And when he's recite the tongue twister, he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts, whilst barely stuttering, his mother wouldn't clap, and buy him an ice cream cone, and reward him with praise and hugs. Instead, she would say in a monotone voice, 'Oh, that's nice', and go back to reading, or washing the dishes, or whatever she was doing before. But Bill didn't care anymore. He had his friends, and he didn't need much else. They all didn't need much else, other than each other.

Eddie fell asleep, just like he had when they watched Peter Pan, and though he didn't know how or when, he knew things were going to get better for all seven of them.

A/N Okay, so I don't reply to every single comment, but I do read them all and you guys are so nice and you make me laugh :)