Arkangel: Reddie

New Beginnings

It was only two days until Eddie Kaspbrak had finished high school. He could almost cry happy tears.

The last two years of school was painful. He sat alone at lunch nearly everyday, sometimes Henry Bowers would sit and pester him. He felt his heart shatter and his body go numb every time he saw Richie Tozier pass in the hallways. It hurt even more when he saw him kissing a new girl every week against his locker.

But, the suffering was almost over. Only two more days until Eddie was finally graduating. Eddie wasn't the type of kid to graduate then move out immediately. He wanted to stay with his mom a while, she protected him. She would sometimes come home with a little gift or make him soup when she knew he was upset. How she knew he was upset always baffled him, he hadn't gotten really good at concealing everything.

Eddie still kept in contact with Mike Hanlon, the only one who even looked at him in the halls. Mike never told Eddie why they decided to walk away from the friendship one day, no matter how hard Eddie pestered. Mike knew why, he knew every detail of the day Richie was confronted. He just didn't have the heart to let Eddie know.

"Oedipus is kind of a mess and a badass." Eddie said one day that he and Mike had met up to read. "I mean he punishes himself for causing punishment. He married his mother, killed his father, then decided 'shit I'm a bad person' and blinded himself when he realized all the pain he caused." Eddie often rambled about Oedipus, he had an odd obsession with the plays.

"Yeah." Mike had heard his all before, he pretend he was listening.

"Mike." Eddie closed his book and looked at the boy across the room from him. "How is everyone?"

Mike was taken back by this question. He expected Eddie to ask him what happened with Richie and what not. But he didn't. "Good. Ben and Beverly finally became official. Sometimes Stan comes to me for advice on how to tell Bill he likes him without actually saying he likes him." Mike laughed a little before looking up from his book, seeing Eddie's eyes water.

"That's good." Eddie quickly sniffles and wiped a tear away.

"Ed," Mike closed his book and put out a hand to Eddie.

"No, no that's good. I'm good!" Eddie forced a smile. His lips shook as they fought to frown.

-

"You have to talk to him. Tell him the truth." Mike followed Richie across the basketball court.

"I can't fucking do that Mike." Richie dribbled the ball, trying to get Mike to back off.

"You should have seen how heart broken he was. After two years he still-"

"Exactly! Two fucking years. Tell him to move on." Richie stood on the three point line and shot the ball through the hoop.

"You can't even move on. How can Eddie?" Mike's words froze Richie. He never thought about it like that. Mike was right. If Richie still thought of Eddie as he fell asleep, Eddie probably thought of him as he laid awake.

"You're right. I'll find him tomorrow." Richie shot the ball again before Mike jumped in to start a scrimmage.

-

After playing basketball for nearly three hours, Richie took a shower and headed off to work. He sometimes got nervous driving there, remembering Mrs. Kaspbrak's face as she yelled. It sent chills down his spine.

As Richie worked away, scooping ice cream and such. A boy walked through the doors.

"Welcome to - Eds," Richie felt his heart fall to the floor.

"Can we just talk. Please?" Eddie's voice was dry. He sounded like he had spent hours screaming. Richie just nodded his head.

"Why?" Eddie and Richie stood out back. The road was bare and the outdoors reeked of garbage. "Why'd you cut me off?"

"I just -" Richie nervously picked at his nails. "I didn't love you anymore."

Eddie knew that was bullshit. Eddie had spent enough time with Richie Tozier to know when he was spreading lies.

"Stop lying. You and me are eighteen fucking years old, tell me." Eddie crossed his arms and had raised his voice slightly.

"Your mom came in a yelled at me once. It scared me straight. I realized she was right, I was a bad influence." Richie was mostly telling the truth.

"How would she know if you were a bad influence?" He put air quotes around 'bad influence' as he spoke.

"I guess she found out what happened that night at my house. I don't know Eds." Oh he knew. He knew how the boy's mother had reopened Arkangel. But he didn't want Eddie to know that. He wanted Eddie to keep being himself. Not be shaken with fear that his mother might be watching at anytime. "Let me make it up to you? All these years I've wasted and missed out because I was too scared to stand up for me, for you." He gently touched Eddie's elbow. Letting his fingers linger for a moment.

"Like what?" Eddie looked up at him. Richie had definitely grown, Eddie definitely hadn't.

"I get off of work in about an hour. Follow me to my house." Richie gave Eddie a hug before walking back into the ice cream shop. Leaving Eddie in the back alley to think over their conversation.