.: Friday I'm In Love :|: Reddie :.

The Simple Things

The rest of the losers did not seem to be on speaking terms with Eddie. He still sat at their lunch table and stood at the lockers with him, but if he tried to initiate conversation they would give short, one worded answers then turn their attention elsewhere. It was becoming increasingly obvious that they had no desire to be in his company lately, and it was making the small boy anxious. He watched the group walk away in silence, shrugging Richie's sweatshirt higher up on his shoulder even though he had a shirt on under it, because ever since Richie had gotten upset, it had become a habit.

If Richie hadn't been out sick because of his brilliant plan to sneak out of Eddie's house while it was pouring rain, Eddie would not have been left alone in the hallways of his school. If he hadn't been left along in the hallways, he wouldn't have heard the whispers. If he hadn't heard the whispers, he wouldn't have left school before he was supposed to, and if he hadn't left school before he was supposed to then he wouldn't have found Georgie.

The kid was staring at Eddie with wide eyes, and he seemed alert, but he relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Hi, Eddie. What are you doing out of school so early?" Georgie looked Eddie up and down, taking in his exhausted appearance. Eddie sighed, and practically deflated as he walked closer to the boy, falling into step beside him as they came to a silent agreement; they were going to talk this out.

"I could ask you the same question. But I have a feeling that the answer is the same for both of us." Eddie glanced over at the kid, who hesitated, frustration flashing across his face. Then he nodded grimly, and carefully lifted his injured arm to scratch the back of his neck. The muscles were beginning to work better, and he still had to be careful. It would never be completely right, but he could move it if he went slow and didn't stretch it too far. Bill had rather proudly told them of his younger brother's progress.

"The whispers and the rumors got to me," he admitted, and Eddie sighed heavily.

"Amen to that," he replied, which coaxed a short laugh out of Georgie. He was wearing his yellow slicker, since it was a gross and drizzly day. It had been ever since the weekend, when Richie had to leave on Sunday. He had caught some sort of bug that was killing his head and keeping him in bed. Granted, his immune system was bound to be rebooting itself from his offset bodily schedule. None of them had really been given time to recover, and going out in the storm had been a terrible idea of Richie's part, but Sonia would have flipped her shit if she broke Eddie's door down and found him shirtless in bed with another boy.

"Listen, Georgie.. I don't know if Bill's told you what happened, but I wanted to apologize to you, since he won't listen. We got into a bit of a fight, and it may or may not have been about you.." The moment the words left Eddie's mouth, Georgie was looking at him skeptically. They had been walking for a little while now, and they were nearing the park. The ice cream place where Bill and Stan had brought him was up ahead.

"I heard about it from Stan. Sometimes I think I talk to Bill's boyfriend more than Bill does. I get that he's my brother, and we're supposed to be best friends, but I'm worried about how his attachment to me is affecting Stan, as self-centered as that sounds." Georgie sighed, kicking a pebble. Eddie fidgeted with the straps of his backpack, nodding.

"That's why he's mad at me. I basically said the same thing, and that he needed to pay more attention to Stan. I get it, Georgie. You're a teenager, you're growing up. You need room to do that. God knows I needed that too, and I didn't get it, so a thirteen year old is nearly taller than me." Georgie laughed at that, and it was so pure that it made Eddie smile too, looking over at the kid. His blue eyes were alright with amusement, and his smile stretched wide.

"I haven't laughed like that in a while. You know, Eddie, you were always my favorite out of all of Billy's friends. Even though when you babysat me you wouldn't let me play in the sandbox out back." Now Eddie was giggling as well. They approached the entrance to the ice cream shop and Eddie took Georgie's hand gently, leading him inside.