✧alive✧ reddie

twenty

Mike POV

"Hey do you want to sit with me at lunch?" I asked Richie, as we were getting ready for school.

"Nope. No offense."

"None taken. But why though?" I asked, taking off my pyjama shirt to change into another one.

"Everyone hates m.." He trailed off, staring at me as I pull over one of my many striped shirts over my slim frame.

"Oh. I'll sit wherever you are if you want?" I offered, grabbing my backpack with me, us heading downstairs for breakfast.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to have to pull you out and away from your friends. I'm good on my own." He replies sitting beside me at the table.

"I insist."

"Fine.

----

"Hey." Stanley greeted, taking a seat next to me in science.

"Hey." I replied, getting my binder from my backpack.

"Where you you yesterday? You left at the beginning of lunch and didn't come back. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed some space that's all."

"From what?" He asked.

"Life. Everything." I admitted, turning to the front as the teacher, Mr. Clarke, begins to talk. Stanley motioned beside me and started to pay attention as well leaving the class in silence other than the echo of the teachers voice bounces through the room.

----

"Richie!" I exclaimed, running up to him once I spotted him walking in the halls.

"Mike." He mocks, us walking beside each other now.

"Are you still up for sitting with us at lunch?" I ask, turning towards him.

"Well.. I guess so." He shrugs.

"You know I'm not forcing you to do this, right?"

"Yeah, yeah! I know. It's just-" he starts. "It's going to be weird for me, for everyone, that's all. I just don't know if I'm mentally prepared for this."

"Oh, okay." I say. We continue walking, finally reaching the filled cafeteria. I make my way towards the table, Richie following close behind. I look behind me only to see him looking at his shoes.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." He nods slightly and I take a seat around the table. He hesitantly sits beside me, then earns remarks from the rest of the group.

"Why the fuh-fuck is he here?" Bill stutters, glaring at Richie.

"I invited him." I blurt, making him go wide eyed.

"But wuh-why?"

"Its kind of a long story." I say, taking out an orange from my bag.

"Why the fuck is he here?" Stanley storms in, plopping himself beside Bill, as usual. In which Bill explains it all to him , allowing me to take a breaks from explaining.

Stanley gave occasional glares towards Richie, I gave him a look of stop-doing-that in return. Not much later, Eddie and Will came to the table with their arms linked, then took a seat across from us.

"Okay, out of all of us, I'd expect you to have the most reaction." Stanley says, pointing a finger at Eddie. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Oh, it's a long story." Eddie says, turning back to his food that was placed in front of him.