Arkangel: Reddie

Reboot

The clock struck eleven. Mrs. Kaspbrak had finally reached her breaking point. She had called Eddie right at ten with no answer. Then at ten fifteen, with no answer. She even called Bill Denbrough. However, it was bizarre. She could have sworn Stanley Uris had picked up the phone and told her not to worry, even though he claimed to be Bill.

"Fuck it." Mrs. Kaspbrak stood up from her recliner and marched up the stairs. In the attic, she kept the tablet for Arkangel. She hadn't done anything with it for nearly four years but her she was, rebooting it. It turned on relatively quick. "C'mon." She presses the button that had a thumbtack pictured, it showed her Eddie's exact location.

"The Tozier house?" She looked at the device puzzled. The concerned mother decided she should see what Eddie was seeing. Maybe it was just confused about his placement, it had been four years since it turned on.

"Eddie, answer me." Richie Tozier was all Mrs. K could see. He was distinctive. His thick glasses and freckles filled the screen. "Eddie!" She couldn't see Eddie since she was looking through his eyes, but the cut off of Richie's arm insinuated his hand was on Eddie's cheek.

"I fucking loved you." Eddie spoke slurring his words to the boy in front of him. His mother felt her heart fall to the floor. She watched Richie's face turn from a sense of urgency, to shock. They shared that expression for a moment.

"You're drunk Eddie. You don't mean that." Richie backed away a little from the boy on his bathroom floor.

It was one thing for Eddie to lie where he was going. Then be out too late. Then not answer her calls. And now expressing his love for a delinquent boy, drunk in his bathroom.

Mrs. Kaspbrak decided to call Eddie one more time before stepping in and picking him up for Richie's house. She heard the phone ring from the screen.

"Shit." Richie held Eddie's phone now, looking down at who was calling. "Eddie, your mom is calling. Fuck. I can't take you home like this." She watched in awe as Richie stood up and paced around the bathroom, tugging at his hair. "Shit!" Richie punched the wall. Eddie's vision was suddenly blurred. He couldn't make out what Richie was doing, let alone saying.

Mrs. K couldn't watch anymore. She felt tears being to hit her flaming cheeks. She shut the tablet off and grabbed her keys. Ready to pick her son up.

"Here's what we're going to do." Richie ran fingers through Eddie's hair before helping him to his feet. "We're gonna give you glasses of water like no tomorrow, spray you in some fancy cologne from my dad's room, and get you on your way home. Yeah?" Richie didn't know Eddie couldn't hear him, but Eddie nodded his head just in case. "Great. Fucking great."

"Mike!" Richie had his arm placed around Eddie's waist, Eddie's arm wrapped around Richie's neck. "I need your help right now." Mike was sat on the couch with his arm around a girl Richie had recognized from the cheerleading team. Mike looked at him reluctantly. "Now." That got Mike to his feet.

"What the fuck happened to him?" Mike filled up a glass of water and handed it to a drunk Eddie sat at the kitchen table.

"I have no idea. One minute I saw him in the kitchen, next he was drunk on the floor. His mom is going to kill us." Richie burrowed his face in his hands.

"It's all going to work out." Mike patted Richie on the back, then sprayed Eddie with some cologne. It's wasn't the most pleasant smell in the world, but it masked the burning alcohol sent.

After about thirteen glasses of water, Eddie was slowly come back to reality. As soon as Eddie could say 'star spangled banner' without slurring the words into on big one, Richie grabbed him by the hand and rushed him out of the house.

Back at the Kaspbrak home, Sonia paced back and forth. She gripped her keys but wasn't sure if she should go over to Richie's. If she did, Eddie would know she opened Arkangel again. But if she didn't, Eddie could get hurt. As she continued to pace, a knock was at her door. She ran as fast as she could to the chipping brown door. She peaked through the peephole and saw her son standing on the doorstep.

"Eddie!" She wrapped her arms around him and cried. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine mom." He didn't hug her back. Instead he just stared straight into the house. "I'm tired, can I go to bed." He felt her nod and let go of her boy.