Not Sure If You're A Boy or A Girl~ Reddie

A Little Less Pretty a Little More Fuck You

Emily looked at the reflection mimicking her every move, every breath. A shaking hand pulled at her dark brown locks. She hated everything she was. A petite figure with slender features and high cheek bones. A girl.
"Emily, Bev is on the phone for you sweetie."
She says nothing in return, placing her hair in a messed bun layering it with her favorite Yankees ball cap. Her attire is.. eh? A black shirt, tucked in but baggy enough as to hide her ever budding breasts, high waisted jeans that she begged her mom to keep when they 'accidentally' wore down to fray and expose her knees and her ratty old chucks that Mrs. Kaspbrak had thrown out a dozen times. She would just wait until her Mom fell asleep and dig them out of the trash can.
She dashed down the stairs lifting her hands in an attempt to grab the phone from her mom. Mrs K was quick to hide the device behind her back,an impish smile carved into her rosy cheeks as she stuck her cheek out. The coral pink cord to the phone hung around her neck and there was a small part of Emily that wished it would draw tighter. With a subtle eye roll she pecked her mother's cheek.
"Don't stay on too long Princess . I'm expecting a call from the Doctor."
Emily fought back the urge to groan feeling it stick in her throat.
~What new break through drug are they gonna force on me now?~
"Bev?"
"Hey! We still  on for tonight? After the barrens?"
"Probably?" Emily's voice rose an octave as she answered, looking to see her mother. She was in the next room staring at the TV like a zombie. Emily dropped her voice, "Let me just-
"Beg your Mom and tell her we're studying all night? Got it."
"I'll meet you in twenty."
••••
The cold November wind ripped through Richie's dark curls as he biked his way with the others. He'd decided to let his hair morph into a mop last winter and it now reached just below his chin. Bill, as always, lead the way down to the Barrens with Richie, Ben, Stan and Mike not far behind. The girls would meet them there as they both had to claw their way out of their Gestapo style homes.
The boys sat around their usual spot. Stan, Ben and Mike gathered wood for their weekly bonfire as the other two went over their haul for the night. Mike had managed some Trashcan Punch from his grandfathers liquor cabinet, Stan dully forked over some matches, Bill snatched some actual whiskey(from god knows where), Ben brought his mothers wine(for the ladies he insisted-a statement that made Ritchie smirk recalling Beverly's ability to drink whiskey like water) and finally Richie snagged two cigarettes per day from his passed out mother totaling just over half a pack.
"N-not our wor-worst haul."
"Good ol'Billy Boy always looking at the glass half full," Richie spoke more into the air than at his friend, "It's pretty pathetic."
"Ma-Maybe Bev got som-something better."
"Condoms?" A shit eating grin plastered itself onto the dark haired boys face as he wiggled his brow.
Mikes laughter boomed behind them as he strode by with a pile of twigs in his hands. While most of the boys still had the occasional high pitched squeak to their voice his had matured to a deep smooth tone.
"For who? Stan and Bill? Better watch out guys, you're not ready for kids yet."
Stan and Bill both turned crimson at the mention of their low profile relationship. They'd barely even kiss around the gang let alone openly discuss sex. Richie's eyes rolled, but couldn't help but get the feeling if Emily was here, in all her fannypacked glory, she'd bring up that even though pregnancy wasn't a concern STDs were another story. Though she'd grown out of most of her health related neuroticism both her asthma and instinctual paranoia of germs remained.  He let his mind wander to the thought of his friend. His best friend, really, even though in past months they'd sort of drifted. Richie assured himself it was normal seeing as she probably had more in common with Bev and he could feel attraction bloom in his chest every time he saw her.
"Seriously though, do you like Bev or something?" Ben pushed as he stacked the wood on their makeshift fire pit. He could hear the jealousy laced in Bens words, but honestly he had nothing to fear. One, Ms Ringwald was not his type. Two, Ben had taken the last few years to define his body. His chub was completely gone, replaced with a barrel chest and the hint of muscle to his arms. Compared to Rich, who managed to shoot up like a weed but stay for the most part lanky and sharp, he was a god.
"Nah, you can keep choking your chicken worry free to the thought of her. She's not really my type."
Ritchie chuckled to himself as everyone else sighed heavily.
"Boys more your type then?" Stan inquired as a roar of the gangs laughter enveloped the air. Richie remained silent as he couldn't quite suss out if Stan was being genuine or not. He, a gay dude, couldn't really be busting balls about being a homosexual right? That crossed Rich as counterintuitive.
"I dunno is your Mom a dude?" A smile creeping on his face with his solution of playing it safe. Mom jokes- classics are classic for a reason.
"S-so you like Em-E-Emily?"
A blush crept its way up Richie's cheeks. Thankfully the sun had set
leaving only a dim tinted light from the fire.
"I see it," Mike smiled, popping open the bottle of whiskey, "Throw her in some girl clothes and I'd go so far as the day she'd be outta your league."
Richie opened his mouth in an attempt to defend himself, or Emily because fuck she was outta his league in dudes clothes too, but before he could convince his voice not to crack the sound of crunching leaves and bike tires drew everyone's attention. Out of the woods stood Bev and Emily each carrying a 12 back of beer. Though it was to dark to see it, it could only be assumed Bev was beaming with pride and Em had that deer caught in the headlights, I just got away with murder look.