LIVE FAST | REDDIE

- 06 | LIVE FAST

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So that was that, thought Eddie bitterly as he threw his last possession into a box. All that was left were his closest belongings, outside of the daily routine house stuff. It was Tuesday of the next week, and Eddie had spent all of his free time packing his and his mother's crap into boxes. She didn't want to bring anything that belonged to his father, but Eddie had shoved the more important stuff away in his own boxes so she wouldn't see. It hurt to leave anything behind, but she had already rather harshly thrown some of Frank's old clothes and shoes into trash bags and put them out on the curb.

The move was on Wednesday, which meant that Eddie was leaving the next day. He had invited a few people over just to have a going away party, and Stan and Mike would be staying the night to see him off the next morning. Eddie wasn't even sure of the name of the town they were going to, even though he knew his mother had already told him multiple times. Stan and Mike weren't too thrilled to be spending the day with Boris Becker, but they didn't press Eddie anymore.

Eddie picked up Teddy where he was purring at his feet, and sighed heavily, glancing at his friends who were already sitting in his room, though Boris and the others would only be arriving in a few minutes. Stan was busy looking through one of the books that Eddie had forgotten to pack while Mike was counting the old coins in Eddie's father's collection. The doorbell rang, and Eddie brightened up, walking out of his room with the cat in his arms. He thundered down the stairs and opened the door, greeting the same group of boys from the playground cheerfully.

"Kitty!" Boris squealed happily, taking the cat into his arms when Eddie offered him and scratching his head gingerly. Eddie grinned, leading the others into the living room where a few bowls of chips had been spread out. He had been promised that there would be no funny business with cigarettes in his house, even though it wouldn't be his house much longer.

"Guys!" Eddie yelled up the stairs, and a grumpy Stanley was soon paraded down into the living room by a cheerful Mike, who greeted everyone politely. Eddie flicked on the television just for background noise as everyone settled into a circle, including Stan. Eddie sat between Stan and Boris so that Mike could sit on Stan's other side, successfully shielding him from the 'strangers'.

"So what is the occasion, Kenny Loggins?" Boris asked, ruffling Eddie's nicely done hair with an evil chuckle. Eddie smacked his hand away, trying to scowl, but he smiled anyway.

"I'm moving, actually. Tomorrow." Silence fell upon the room. Even Stan had stopped grumbling under the weight of everyone's surprise. All eyes were on Eddie, and for once, Boris' smile faltered. He felt a little bad dropping the news on them all like this, but he hadn't expected them to be that bothered.

"Where?" Boris asked simply. Eddie hesitated, cheeks heating up. He still couldn't remember the name of the town.

"Um, a town, a few hours away. It's a real quiet place, you know, not well heard of—" Stan cut him off, helping him out with a quick explanation.

"It's a town called Derry, where his mom grew up. Small population, not very touristy, just a boring little town." He nodded, as if confirming it to everyone as he glanced around the circle, and Eddie nodded along with him.

"Yeah. Derry," he agreed. Boris raised an eyebrow.

"Is still in Maine, yes?" He asked, and Eddie nodded vigorously. The other boys had started to lose interest, as he expected them to, but Boris paid attention, which he appreciated.

"Yeah, still in Maine, just a little ways away from here. You could get from here to there in like two and a half hours." Eddie shrugged like it was no big deal, but inside he was still furious. His mother had dropped it on him like a bombshell right when things were starting to look up. Who was she to decide things like this, anyway? She didn't make the money, Frank had done that. In fact, she was taking a lot out of Eddie's college savings just to make this happen. That was how desperately she seemed to want to leave this town behind.

"Well, come visit us some time! We will miss you." Boris finally smiled again, and Eddie's heart lightened at the sight. Boris could make a room crackle with energy the second he walked in. It was just part of who he was, something Eddie admired about him.

"I doubt that," Eddie replied, gesturing to where the other boys were already horsing around like nothing was wrong. Boris clapped a hand in their direction, dismissing them with a scoff.

"Ah, forget about them, Loggins. I will miss you, okay?" Something about the statement made Eddie laugh. Perhaps it was the fact that they still hardly knew each other, or the fact that the boy sounded so serious about it when druggies like him were hardly ever serious about anything. Whatever it was, he didn't know, but he still laughed. "What?" Boris demanded. "I will! Who is going to put on a show for me now?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find someone. I've seen a few girls looking your way at parties," Eddie informed him, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm sure one of them will put on a nice show for you—" he was cut off by a sharp smack to the side of the head, and he pushed Boris' hand away, laughing heartily through the dull sting.

"So, out with it, Loggins! Is about time you tell us who your friends are, yes?" Boris gestured to Stan and Mike. Eddie smiled, lifting his chin with a small sense of pride. He had always been happy to show off the fact that he had friends at all, considering his scrawny stature and the strictness of his mother's standards.

"These are my best friends!" He announced. "Stan Uris, the bird man who can tell you anything you want to know about our fine-feathered friends, and Mike Hanlon, the farmer boy who just joined us at the beginning of senior year after being homeschooled his entire life." Both boys waved at the mention of their names, even chuckling at Eddie's descriptions, but Boris was still the only one listening. He greeted them with smiles twice as big as theirs, friendly and welcoming to all.

"Very nice to meet you!" He told them. "My name is Boris. These rascals might as well not even be here, they hardly pay attention. You say 'out', they all leave, no complaints." He rolled his eyes, and Eddie chuckled, glancing at the group of people. They had bombarded the snacks in the table, but were running low and visibly getting antsy. Eddie raised an eyebrow skeptically. Boris smirked.

"Alright! Party is over! Everybody out!" The boy announced. There were a few grumbles, but nobody complained, all filing out the door one by one and climbing into their respective vehicles. Boris bowed dramatically, but Mike was too busy laughing to see, and Stan was staring at the opened door with his mouth hanging opened. Eddie laughed too, getting up to close the door himself, but Boris caught it before it could close all the way.

"Actually, Loggins, I had best be off as well. Is getting late, almost 4:00! Can't miss dinner. The Mr. will kill me," he joked, shrugging sheepishly. "Ta-ta! Come visit!" Boris was out the door before Eddie could register the fact that he said 'Mr.', not 'Mrs.', and he watched him get into the car with his friends in a sort of trance. Then Mike was behind him, shutting the door for good this time, and Eddie turned around with a small shrug.

"See, it wasn't so bad. They didn't even stay that long. Now I'm all yours until tomorrow!" He reasoned. Stan, who was not usually one for hugs, grabbed Eddie by the wrist and dragged him back into the living room, snuggling into him on the couch. Mike sat on Eddie's other side, and the movie that Stan had set up while Boris said his goodbyes began to play.

"All ours," Stan agreed firmly, making a face at the door. Eddie laughed, leaning against Mike and Pulling Stanley closer so he could play with the boy's loose curls.

So maybe this would be the last night they could do things they way they had done them for Eddie's entire life. But Eddie had a feeling as he listened to Mike's steady heartbeat and felt Stan's silky curls against his fingers that even though a lot was going to change, some things never would.