LIVE FAST | REDDIE

- 10 | LIVE FAST

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True to his word, Eddie left Richie alone. The boy didn't really seem to notice, but if he did, he obviously didn't care very much. Eddie didn't expect him to. But a tiny part of him wanted the boy with the glasses and the personality as wild as his hair to come back and invite him to another party, because he knew he wouldn't say no.

Bill and Ben were happy to just watch at lunch, but Eddie wanted to act. He was getting tired of watching. He had been at the new school for a month, and he had still only been to one party. Although, admittedly, his main reason for wanting to go to another was that he secretly hoped Bev might have more cigarettes for him.

It was Thursday, and Eddie really wanted to go to the weekly party at the drive-in lot. He tried to convince Bill and Ben, but they were both being rather stubborn.

"Come on, you guys! Just tell your parents that you're spending the night at my place to work on a project or something. We'll go from the party to my house, which is literally five minutes away, and you can crash in my room! We've got plenty of blankets and pillows." Eddie groaned loudly at the reluctant looks on their faces, sparing a glance back at the other table. Bev looked back at the same time and waved, smiling a little. Eddie waved, too, then turned back and smirked at Ben, who was red-faced and flustered.

"I'll put a good word in with Bev for you," he told the boy hurriedly. "Come on, she'll think you're cute. I'm going whether you guys come with me or not, so think of this as your window of opportunity to make sure I make good decisions while I'm there." Bill raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Ben was already nodding.

"I'll go!" Ben agreed quickly. "I'll go with you, fine. But only this once." Eddie pumped his fist in the air triumphantly.

"I-I'll go on wuh-wuh-one condition," Bill said, holding up a finger. Eddie settled down, giving him his full attention and nodding slightly. Bill frowned, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a breath. "Wuh-Wuh-We d-decide when we l-l-leave," he said firmly. "I-If we want to g-g-go early, we go eh-eh-eh-early. D-Duh-Deal?"

"Deal," Eddie agreed. "You guys won't regret this. It'll be fun, promise!" Bill pressed his lips together into a thin line, unconvinced, but Ben looked a little excited.

"I bet it'll certainly be interesting," Ben mused, finally tearing his gaze away and sitting back in his seat. Eddie looked over at the table again, and Bev looked back, raising her eyebrows. He nodded, waving, and she visibly brightened, leaning over towards Richie and mumbling something. Eddie quickly looked away before he could be trapped in the gaze that was going to be directly behind him all of the next hour anyway as the bell rang.

"You guys can just come to my house right after school," he offered. "Get some shit together and come over whenever. The party isn't until the sun goes down, so we'll have some time to kill, but we can play board games or something if you want." Bill seemed to brighten up at the idea of board games, a small smile spreading across his face. Eddie walked out of the cafeteria with his friends on his heels. A long arm snuck around his waist and he was pulled against a solid body as Richie Tozier made his 'grand' entrance, smirking like he had really accomplished something.

"Hands off, Tozer," Eddie grumbled, pushing him away. "Who knows where you've been?"

"Cute, cute, cute!" He mused in response, pinching Eddie's cheek. Eddie smacked his hand away, glaring at him. "Oh, I've been lots of places, Edward!" Richie crowed. Bill and Ben stood on Eddie's other side, both tense, eyes alert, scanning for trouble. "And now it seems that I'm gonna be going to the same place as you tonight. Isn't that exciting?" This time his arm went around Eddie's shoulders, and the boy didn't hesitate to shrug it off, rolling his eyes. Richie may be interesting, but he sure as hell seemed to be just as, if not more, annoying.