Hold Me (Reddie)

Richella

They all went home that night, all knowing what was going to happen once daylight came. Eddie was the most nervous. He couldn't sleep. He kept just rolling around in his bed, all night, knowing that mama would never believe the stupid play. Still, they had to give it a shot. Richie was brave. Richie had always been careless, for better or for worse, but more than that he had always been a brave hero in Eddie's eyes. And they were together now, they were two of a kind, and so is Richie was brave that meant Eddie was brave too. They'd be brave together.

————

Before he knew it, Eddie was outside Richie's door again, his hand shaking steadily as he rang the doorbell. He rang it, and only a second passed before it bolted open. Was he waiting for me to get here? Eddie said he'd be at Richie's by nine. It was only eight thirty, or slightly after, and it seemed as though Richie had been waiting for his friend to arrive. Don't flatter yourself. "Hey Rich."

"Come on on, you idiot," Richie said, grabbing Eddie's hand and pulling him in. Eddie's mind and heart we racing. He grabbed my hand. He grabbed my fucking hand. And a bit of paranoia set in, as it almost always did. The kind of paranoia that existed for no exact reason, but it was still there. Richie slammed the door loudly and sat on his couch. Eddie followed.

"Stan's coming soon," Richie said. "So I'd figure I'd better kiss you now, right?" The kind of thing was small, but it still set Eddie on fire inside, and made him feel invincible. They were invincible together.

"Yeah, I guess you should."

"Oh shut up, Eds, it's so annoying when you act like that. You don't always have to agree with me. If you don't want me to kiss you, just say so. I won't."

"But I do," Eddie argued.

"Do you? Do you really?"

"Yes, yes I do!" Eddie yelled.

"Do what?"

"Yes I want you to kiss me!" He was yelling now, loud, gripping the seams of his jeans as he felt himself blushing. He didn't realize it was a joke until that moment, when Richie started laughing, and wouldn't stop, and just laughed and laughed as Eddie felt his cheeks start to burn. Then Richie stopped laughing, and looked his friend dead in the eyes.

"I want it, too," he said, leaning in and pressing their lips together. He held Eddie in an awkward sort of embrace, carefully, delicately, like he was holding onto a precious piece of himself. Or something he needed. Something he didn't want to live without. They stayed like that for only ten seconds about, but it seemed to last forever and only a second to Eddie. He wanted it to happen again, but Richie turned away as soon as it was finished.

"I think I like you," he whispered to his friend. "I mean, I'm thirteen, I'm in eighth grade for crying out loud, so what do I know? But I think I like you Eddie Spaghetti, my Eddiekid. So yeah...you're beautiful. Not just your face...you."

Eddie was just about to say something when he heard the loud obnoxious banging on the door. "RICHIE! EDDIE! ARE YOU IN THERE? IT'S STAN! WE NEED TO GET GOING SOON! LOSERS MEETING IN THE BARRENS!" Both boys burst into laughter. Richie kissed Eds one more time before they hopped outside, onto their bikes, and down into the Barrens.

————

"How does my wig look?" Richie asked Eddie. They had gone in the Barrens and read through the play one more time, and got their costumes on. And now they were walking to Eddie's house, their bikes by their sides. Richie had claimed that he couldn't bike in the dress, to which Beverly had laughed.

"It makes you look like a girl, Richie," was all Eddie said. He couldn't look at Richie with the dress without laughing. Even more than that, the way Richie tripped around in his high heels.

"And you don't think I'm pretty," Richie cried in his girly voice. "Oh Eddie, why can't I be pretty like Bevvy?"

"Girls don't need heels to be pretty, that's why," Beverly called from behind them. She was currently holding hands with Bill, and Mike and Stan were leading the caboose. "We're only doing this so you guys can still be friends. Don't you know that, Rich?"

"Oh fuck off," Richie called back. They had approached the door. Eddie was on fire. He took a gulp through his aspirator, and then breathed deeply. He had to do this. He opened the door, leaving his friends outside, and walked into his living room.

"Mama," he addressed her, shutting off the TV. "There was a...a misunderstanding. About Richie and the play."

"What play?"

"It's a play Billy wrote," Ed explained. "We're performing it to all of our parents. Richie and I kiss in the play, but that's only because he lost a bet and had to play the girl."

Sonia seemed skeptical, but nodded anyways. "And when will I see this play?"

"The cast is waiting outside. Are you ready to watch?" When Sonia nodded again, Eddie knew it was time. He ran outside and gathered them in, and then turned off all the lights as Richie's girly narrating began. He was the biggest 'actor' out of all of them, so he had the most lines.

"The story starts in Derry, Maine, where my sister Beverly and I moved. We were twins, not identical, as you can see by my beauty, and we were the love interest of the whole town." Eddie and Stan walked on into the living room.

"I have a crush on Richella," Eddie said, trying not to laugh.

"No, I do!"

"But I bet you I can get her first!"

————

It was only fifteen minutes later, but the end of the dreadful play was approaching, so Eddie was hanging on. It was now the scene where Stan kissed Bev. Bill was peering from the kitchen, a sort of anger rising under his skin. Eddie couldn't help but stare. But the reality of the next scene kept him on edge.

"Oh Stan, I love you!" Beverly cried, hooking her arms around him and kissing him. Even from the kitchen, Eddie could see Stan's eyes bulge out wide, and him back away uncomfortably. It was now Richie's turn to get kissed. They walked into the room together, holding hands like newlyweds, and stopped right in front of the TV. Richie had the first line.

"Thank you for going to prom with me," he said, shaking a little bit. Not as much as Eddie. Eddie reached up on his tippy toes and kissed the boy, his heart in it and his mind on it. He couldn't help but feel incredible as he leaned back down.

"I'm falling in love with you," Eddie said. Richie looked horrified. Of course he was, he had reasons to be.

That line wasn't in the script.