WHEEZY // an IT story

t w e n t y o n e

JUNE 12th, 1989

"what's going on?" richie asked. he and bill sat on richie's carpet. neither of the boys had bothered to talk about anything else on the ride home, except for the fact that bill was staying the night.
"it's just.." bill paused. he didn't quite know what was going on himself. all he knew was he couldn't lose another person in his life, or he might just break.
"it's just.. i can't lose another person, not right now. i think if one of you were to die i'd go crazy," he finished. a lump formed in his throat and suddenly he felt the familiar prick of tears in his eyes.
"home is cold.. really cold. i can't go home without seeing him, smelling him, hearing him, he was my brother, for god's sake! i'm still alive, but my parents don't even realize i'm here," bill spewed. he laughed, only because he was so close to tears.
"and then.. i try, i try so hard! to just talk to them! i want to be a family! i want georgie back, just so my parents will snap out of their cold spell. i can't go anywhere without constantly feeling icy. it's cold, richie. cold!" bill's speech became muffled with tears, and suddenly he couldn't get any words out, just shuddering breaths.
"calm down, bill. i get it," richie replied, patting bill on the back.
"what about you? what's wrong with you?" bill asked, sniffling.

richie pondered this. everything in his life seemed to be falling apart. thank god he wasn't in school, because he didn't think he would've had the heart to show up. he hadn't showered in days, he hadn't eaten. in fact, the only time richie got out of his bed was to change the records and the record player and to go to the bathroom.

"eddie is gone," he started. then, he paused. eddie wasn't just gone, as in a vacation, he was dead. or possessed by an evil clown.
"and i loved him." by then, richie could already feel a horrible tight feeling in his chest. it seemed anytime he, or anyone, mentioned eddie, his lungs contracted and he couldn't breathe. he sometimes wished he had eddie's inhaler.
no. that would make it worse. he thought.
"that's all?" bill asked.
no! richie thought.
"no. i mean i wish it was that simple. i can't stop thinking about him. he told me he loved me. and it's not like my parents tell me that! i don't think anyone's told me that in years! but it's not just that he said that, it's because it was eddie! he's perfect to me, and i know that i would never be good enough to hang around him, but he stayed! and now that he's gone, it feels like i'm gone, too." by then, tears had begun to roll down richie's face.
"we'll get him back," bill concluded.

and then a long silence came.
all that was heard was the quiet sniffles from both teens.

"we'll get him back tomorrow," bill re-stated.