Anaphylaxis [IT 2017]

23

A week later, Eddie meets up with losers in Bill's garage.

"Eddie spaghetti, nice to see you around for a change!" Richie cheers, swinging his arm around the younger boy.

Eddie rolls his eyes, "What're you talking about, Richie?"

"D-Don't get him s-s-started," Bill warns, although it is far too late.

"Well, now that you have a girlfriend, you've pretty much abandoned us! I get that you're with Wren Hutsbee but—"

"Bee," Eddie interrupts. "She likes to be called, Bee."

Richie rolls his eyes, "man, you sound just like her! You can't let her run your life, Eds. She's just a girl! We're your best friends."

"She isn't just a girl," Stan defends, jumping in for Eddie. Immediately, Eddie shoots him an appreciative look while Richie stares at him with annoyed shock.

"Have you even talked to her since she started dating Eddie, Stan?" Richie scoffs.

Stan nods, "Yeah, she gives me rides all the time. My parents invite her to dinner a lot, too—"

Richie expects Eddie to become jealous, but the asthmatic boy never does. That's because there are no secrets between him and Wren. He already knew she gave Stan rides, and went to dinner at his from time to time. They trust each other, so stupid things don't come between them.

"Richie, it's only been a week since I've talked to you guys. I'm sorry, okay?" He apologizes, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever, I guess," he mutters. "I just don't want her to walk all over you like your fat mom does."

"Beep beep, Richie. She wouldn't," Bev comments, and Mike nods in agreement.

Ben sits beside Bev on the floor, "Yeah, she wouldn't."

"G-Guys! P-Pay attention..." Bill demands, drawing their attention back to the map.

-

An hour after that, Wren sips her tea as Nona tells her the days of her first love and so on.

"I really believe that this boy is good for you!" Nona chirps. "I haven't seen you so happy in a while."

Wren snorts, "you haven't seen me at all."

Nona rolls her eyes, "I see your aura, brat."

Wren lets out a small laugh before bringing her cup back to her lips. The tea is sweet, and she's surprised at how skilled Nona is at making it despite being blind.

"How do you know if you love someone?" Wren questions softly.

"Love someone? Or in love with someone?" Nona hums.

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is that when you like someone, it means for now. When you love someone, it means for a while. When you're in love with someone, it's forever," the woman explains, stirring her tea.

Wren smiles at her wisdom.

"Okay, how do I know if I'm in love with someone?"

"I don't know," she admits. "I've never been in love. You tell me what it's like when you find out."

Wren laughs and shakes her head.

"Will do."

After finishing her tea she stands and walks to her room. There she lays back in her bed with a smile on her face, trying to figure how to tell Eddie she's in love with him.

She's really convinced she is, at least.

"Just say it, Wren," she mumbles to herself, staring at the ceiling above her.

Exhaling deeply, she opens her mouth to practice, "I love—"

"—BEE!" Eddie bursts through the door.

Wren sits up so fast that she accidentally falls off the bed. Her cheeks are coated in a deep shade of red. What is he even doing here? She doesn't care right now. She's convinced it's a sign to tell him now.

"E-Eddie! Jeez, have you ever heard of knocking?" She sputters, sitting up off the floor.

Eddie raises an eyebrow at how flustered she is, "Sorry...I didn't think you'd be doing anything."

Wrens allows her face to curve into a smile. Then, her eyes scan over the boy, widening when she finally notices the cast along his arm. She knows he must've acquired it today, and she wonders just how he came along getting it. Probably something to do with Richie.

"Baby, what happened to your arm?" She questions, standing and walking towards him.

Eddie frowns, "I-It was an accident..."

Wren shakes her head at him. With a small smile, she leans forward and kisses him softly. She fails to notice his lack of response.

Words the clown spoke to Eddie echo in his head:

"Eds, is your girlfriend giving you all this courage? Oh, she's lovely. Maybe I should have her float, too~"

When Wren pulls away, she's met with Eddie's nervous eyes.

"I need to tell you something, Bee," he mumbles, beginning to feel guilty about what he plans to say.

Wren smiles widely. She hopes he's planning to tell her what she's planning to tell him. Imagine how cliche that'd be? Both of them planning to say "I love you.."

"I need to tell you something, too. You go first," she says.

Eddie swallows hard, "o-okay.....I...I think we need to break up."

Wren's smile drops, and she feels her body suddenly get colder. This is not what she was expecting to hear, and she isn't quite sure of how to react. Her body seems to be ahead of her mind, stumbling back and heart beating fast.

"W-What? Why?" She mutters. "Did I do something?"

"No. It's a personal reason, and I can't tell you why," he responds, frowning guiltily.

Truthfully, he just wants her to be safe from Pennywise. He feels like the only way he can protect her is by staying far away from her. However, he feels like he's only making matters worse when he notices her begin to cry.

"I-I....should leave," he murmurs before walking out of the bedroom.

Wren just stands there crying because in this moment, even though he just broke up with her, she has decided something. Something completely out of her control.

She has decided that she is in love with Eddie Kaspbrak.

And now he's gone.