Eclipse ✧ Reddie

II. to not know

Eddie woke up, 9:00 am sharp, to the blaring alarm his mother had set for him the night before, just like always. And, like always, he went through the motions: brushing his teeth, changing into something clean and presentable, taking the medicine that he wished was in pills because it tasted like fake cherries. For as long as he could remember, he started and ended all of his summer dog days the same way. It was the in-between that had the real potential to be different. And that potential, was what kept him going. 

Today, in particular, the small boy was riding his bike out to the barrens, avoiding bumps and sewer drains. You see, it was four years ago now that Eddie had learned how to, in his words, "operate" a bike with the help of Bill Denbrough, but there was a little part of him that still insisted he would find a way to hurt himself once again. 

Bill was the only one who didn't laugh when Eddie had first confessed he didn't know how to ride a bike, so when Bill said he'd teach Eddie, he didn't take it for granted. Eddie's mother, after all, would never even think of doing such a horrendous thing, for of course, it was extraordinarily dangerous in her eyes. 

He fell. A lot. But the abundance of band-aids he packed in his fanny pack had finally come in handy. Let's just say he didn't take it very well at first, seemingly acting as if he was dying after every fall, except for him, that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part, as a matter of fact, were the pants. Those dreaded jeans. He forced himself to wear them in order to avoid his mother's hissy fits at the sight of his bruised knees. Maybe that's why he happened to pick up riding a bike so quickly after that. To go back to wearing the shorts that did a much better job of matching with the rest of his get-up. Especially the red ones. Those were his favorite. 

Anyway, the cards were placed apparently in Eddie's favor, as the barrens weren't too far away from the house that he was constantly trying to escape. But he was late. 

Eddie's P.O.V (Sorry if this is a weird transition. It's just easier to write this part like this.)

"Hey, E-E-Eddie," Bill greeted me, his familiar stutter somehow welcoming. 

"I told you he'd show," Bev added. She had elbowed Ben, who was now rubbing his arm and slightly blushing. 

"Why wouldn't I?" I said, parking my bike. We were all standing at the "entrance" of the barrens, the wide expanse of green shrubbery awaiting us. 

Ben shrugged. "I don't know. Just thought your mom might've gotten in the way of things again."

"Oh, come on. That was a one time...two time thing." 

"Why don't we all just appreciate that he's actually here?" Stan chimed in. 

"I'm gonna have to agree with this guy on that one." And there was Mike. 

"Thanks, Stan my man." I said, not thinking too much of it.

But Bill's eyebrows immediately furrowed and raised at me. "Y-your man?"

"I meant the man. Jeez. Why do you care so much?"

"N-n-no r-reason." His blue eyes now darted away from my own.

Out of my peripherals, I could see Stan's lightly flushed cheeks and Bev snickering in the background. 

"You sure about that?" I just wanted to butt out of the conversation, so I gladly let Ben take my place.

"Y-yes, I'm s-sure." 

"Alrighty, Big Bill." Ben proceeded to walk into the barrens, patting Bill on the back beforehand. 

There wasn't much left to do but follow, so soon enough we were all in a single-file line behind him. That is, until Ben stopped his walking and sent the rest of us tumbling down like a bunch of oddly-placed dominoes. 

"What the fuck!" I shouted up from my spot on the ground. 

I got no answer, as Ben was just standing there looking dumbfoundedly at a tree across the way. But then, I heard it. We all heard it. And I guess you could say we saw it too. Sitting against the tree, a scrawny boy with glasses that looked slightly like magnifying glasses for his eyes was playing some rock n' roll stuff I had never heard before on the radio placed in his lap. Not to mention, very loudly at that. 

The barrens have been ours for as long as I've been apart of whatever our group is. Therefore, seeing someone new in them was a foreign incident. So utterly foreign that none of us had a real clue of what to do. Well, excluding Bill because he's the one who can somehow figure everything out. For a minute, we all stood there, abstract thoughts running through each of our minds, trying to read the abstract expressions on each other's faces. And I couldn't help but continue to stare at this boy, wishing for a name to pair to his face, examining all his features with curious eyes. 

Because there was something different about him and I wanted to know what it was. 

Author's Note:

Hey. I guess you could call this the first real chapter. I've worked pretty hard on it for the past couple days, so I hope it's not too bad. Let me know if this writing style is okay or if I should try something else out.

Love and light

- Sophia <3