i need you • Stozier

Chapter four

As Richie laid in his bed that night, his mind buzzed of thoughts from the day. How Stan and Bill kissed in front of him. How Bev now knew how he felt about Stan. How great Stan looked. Stan, Stan, Stan. That's all his mind could think about. It was starting to piss Richie off. He sat up straight, back against his pillows. Richie couldn't sleep, he felt empty, alone, unwanted. Richie knew that if Stan were to find out that he had feelings for him he'd not want to talk to him anymore and that thought made him want to cry again. Richie caught himself crying a lot lately.

As the weekend passed slowly it became Monday and he found himself at his school gates. If he were honest everything from Saturday had become a huge blur. Richie would usually wait at the gates for Stan to arrive but today he decided to go on without his best friend.

When he got to class Eddie gave him a weird look.

"Where's Stan today?" Eddie asked at Richie approached.

"I don't know, am I always supposed to know? Do I look like I keep a tracker on Stan?" Richie caught himself snapping more and more at every mention of Stan's name.

"You okay, Rich? You've been kinda off since Saturday,"

"I'm fine, why would anything be wrong?" Richie hated to hide things from the losers but this was something he couldn't tell them about. Bev was the only one he felt as if he could trust with this secret.

"Rich, we worry about you, especially with your home life the way it is," Eddie was looking down at his feet and his voice was barely audible.

As Richie was opening his mouth to reply, he was shocked by someone placing their familiar hands over his eyes.

"Guess who," he heard a voice from behind him.

"Stan," Richie's mouth started to spread into a large smile as a slight blush covered the tip of his cheeks.

Stan walked to stand next to the bespectacled boy.

"Damn it, you knew it was me. You weren't at the gate this morning," stan looked slightly disappointed, but that could just be Richie's hopeful thinking.

"Do I always have to be at the gate?"

"No, it's just different, that's all,"

"Sorry, I'll be at the gates tomorrow, promise," Richie turned to Stan to see him smiling widely.

"Ew. Get a room you two," the boys turned to realise Eddie was still standing in front of them.

"Sorry, I'm not gay," Stan started to laugh as the words hit Richie right in the heart, it hurt.

"Really? You sure fooled me," Richie joked. He always found himself making jokes when he needed to cover his feelings.