eddie
my pen scratched softly against the paper, the sound humming along with the steady beating of the rain. i smiled to myself as i wrote, finishing off the tail of a cursive 'u'. i picked up the paper, folding it carefully in half, and sliding it into a envelope. i let out a sigh, and slid on a raincoat. it's gonna be okay, eddie.
i flinched as the first drops of rain hit my raincoat, a deep echo flooding my ears. the walk to his house wasn't very far, but i found myself slowing myself down so as not to make it there as quickly. oh c'mon eddie, this may be the only brave thing you've ever done, don't screw it up now.
the rain started to become lighter, until the sun was peeking through the crowds and smiling down on me. Taking off the hood on my coat, i pulled the envelope out from the inside of my jacket and studied it as i continued to walk. was this a good idea? "hey-o!" i heard a sharp yell as a bike zoomed by me and snatched the envelope from my hands.
"h-hey!" i shot out a desperate plea. "give that-" my mouth slowly parted and i could feel myself physically freeze. it was henry bower's and his gang. "-t-that back..." the last part came out in a stuttered whisper as bower's threw his bike onto the ground and slowly stalked towards me, his two goons trailing behind him.
i stumbled back a little, nearly losing my balance. henry smirked and laughed at me, before holding up the envelope he snatched from my hands. "and what do we have here, loser?" he chuckled, turning to look back at the boys behind him who laughed in unison.
"g-give i-it back." i could feel myself on the verge of tears and i looked at him, my eyes begging for mercy. he only laughed harder. "oh, isn't that funny, boys? the baby's gonna cry." he unsealed the envelope and i could feel my entire body shaking with fear. please don't read it, please don't read it.
"why so scared, freak? what, is it a love letter?" he taunted and it was as if every essence of my being was breaking. i shut my eyes and started praying under my breath. i mean, i certainly wasn't stan and the only thing my mother ever taught me to believe in was my medicine and cleanliness, but i was praying for any type of salvation from the mess i was in.
"open your godamn eyes!" henry roared and they shot open to see him take the paper and slowly start to rip it in half. i could feel the tear slide down my cheek as every last ounce of bravery was ripped into pieces along with the paper. i whimpered as his harsh hands continued to shred and shred and shred, until he threw all the little pieces onto the wet ground.
i fell to my knees and henry stepped forward, kicking me and knocking me backwards. i fell onto my back and gasped for air. "good luck with your paper, dweeb." henry stepped on my chest with his foot and i looked up into the sky, my eyes wide and full of tears. he released his foot and i gasped again, my lungs burning and my breathing becoming scarce and unsteady. my inhaler, i need my inhaler. shit.
i reached for it in my pocket, but felt emptiness. shit. shit. shit. i looked up to see it flew out when i fell and landed sloppily next to the shards of paper. as bowers and his gang peddled off, i crawled across the ground to reach my inhaler and took a deep breath in as i hurriedly brought it to my mouth.
it fell out of my hand though as my entire body went weak at the sight of what i has worked so hard on now wet and mercilessly torn. i scrambled across the ground, trying to collect every piece, desperately clawing for the ones floating away. "no, no, no.." i sobbed as i bunched the piles into my hands.
"eds?" i heard a soft voice and i looked up to see familiar dark eyes now flooded with concern. i let out a sob, "richie.." he ran over to me and knelt down, pulling me into his chest. "shh, breathe. it's okay, I'm here." i continued to cry into his chest and i breathed in his familiar smell.
he leaned back, lifting up my chin and wiping a tear from my cheek. he gave me a warm smile and i felt my stomach flutter through the pain. "come with me, eds. i'll take you home." he helped me up carefully and put a protective arm around me, walking with me slowly.
he kissed the top of my head as we walked away and at a normal state, i would have blushed, but i felt numb. only a few steps behind us lay the remnants of a letter, the words "i'm in love with you, richie tozier" still etched deeply onto the shreds.
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hi, hoped you liked this chapter :) I'm excited to write this story !!
-bailey
