𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌

↱ 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖔; 𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖕𝖊𝖉 𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖘

Oh, Eddie Bear," Sonia called as soon as Eddie stepped foot outside of the school door. Eddie grinned at his mother, turning to wave at two boys who were standing behind him before moving to sprint towards his mother. "No running!" Sonia shrieked, making Eddie's feet, as well as his smile, falter.

The little boy let out a small cry as his feet twisted together before he fell to his hands and knees.

"Eddie!" Sonia wailed, waddling towards her crying son on the other side of the blacktop playground. "I'm coming, Eddie Bear! Mommy's coming!"

Eddie shifted to sit on his bum, cradling his skinned palm between his bleeding knees.

"Hey!"

Eddie looked up at the sound of Richie's voice, the dark haired boy and his twin brother running towards him.

"Are you okay, Eddie Spaghetti?" Richie asked, breathing heavily as he squatted down next to Eddie, his twin brother hovering nearby. Their kindergarten class had been learning about rhyming lately and ever since he had figured out Eddie's name rhymed with Spaghetti he had been calling his best friend by the nickname. If he was being honest, it had started out of jealousy. He wanted his name to rhyme with spaghetti so bad. It was his favourite food ever.

"Nuh uh," Eddie sniffled, still staring at his bleeding knees as tears rolled down his round cheeks.

"Eddie Bear, I'm here! It's okay!"

The three boys looked up at the hulking woman before them, blocking the sunshine and leaving them in her dark shadow.

"Mommy!" Eddie wailed suddenly, raising his arms for his mother to pick him up.

"Oh, my baby," Sonia cried, equally as dramatic as she rocked her son back and forth.

"It's okay, Eddie Spaghetti," Richie squeaked, gaining Sonia's attention. "Mikey and I fall all the time!"

Eddie continued to cry, sniffling as he stared down at his friend who was now holding one of his ankles where it hung in the air.

"You just gots ta cwean it and your mommy'll kiss it better," Richie explained, face serious. "And then you get super cwool band-aids, right Mikey?"

Mike nodded silently, looking at Sonia nervously.

"See, look," Richie continued, releasing Eddie's ankle and falling back onto the ground and hiking the knees of his shorts up. "I gwot Spidy-man, Looney Twoons, Woody Woodpecker, and Scooby-Dooby-Doo!" Richie cried, mimicking the animated dog's catchphrase.

Eddie giggled, half of his face hidden against his mother's chest, making Richie smile brightly.

"We need to get these cleaned before they get infected," Sonia told Eddie turning to head back to her car.

"Buh-bye, Eddie Spaghetti!" Richie called, waving frantically at his friend who grinned, chin resting on his mother's shoulder.

"Bye-bye, Richie," Eddie smiled, waving at his friend. "Bye-bye, Mikey."

"Who were those boys, Eddie Bear?" Sonia asked, as she wiped at his knees with disinfectant in the backseat of her car where Eddie was propped in his booster seat.

"My friends," Eddie explained softly, wincing at the stinging pain of the antiseptic.

"Friends?"

"Mhm," Eddie nodded. "Richie and Mikey. They're eye-dental twins!"

"Hmm," Sonia hummed, rubbing harder at her son's knee making him cry out slightly. "Oh, sorry sweetheart."

"S'okay, mommy," Eddie sniffled, chin to his chest as his eyes stung with unshed tears.

"You know you're not to be running, Eddie Bear," Sonia scolded, bandaging Eddie's knees with plain beige band-aids making him frown and think about Richie's colourful ones.

"M'sorry, mommy," Eddie told her in a small, wistful voice. "Richie and Mikey run all the time. It looked fun."

"Well, was it worth it Eddie?" Sonia shrilled. "Look at you now! You know you're fragile!"

"I know, mommy," Eddie whispered. "I won't run anymore, promise."

"Good boy," Sonia nodded, pressing a kiss to Eddie's forehead before climbing out of the back seat and moving towards the driver's seat.

"Mommy," Eddie asked quietly as Sonia buckled her seatbelt, watching as Richie and Mike were buckled into their mom's car. "Richie asked me if I could go to his house to play. Can I, mommy?"

"To play?"

"Please, mommy, please!" Eddie begged, watching as Karen Wheeler approached their car before knocking on Sonia's window.

"Yes?" Sonia asked as she rolled down her window.

"Hello, I'm Karen Wheeler," Karen greeted, smiling at Eddie in the back seat and holding a hand out for Sonia to shake. "I'm Michael and Richard's mother."

"Sonia," Sonia greeted shortly, shaking the woman's hand quickly.

"Um, well," Karen grinned. "The boys were wondering if Eddie would like to come over for a playdate sometime this week."

Eddie squeaked excitedly but otherwise kept his mouth shut. His mother had taught him not to interrupt while adults were speaking.

"I'm sorry, but," Sonia shook her head. "Eddie has a lot of health concerns-"

"Oh, believe me, I've heard all about them from Richie," Karen laughed, smiling at the little boy. "We'll make sure to be extra careful. You're welcome to come over for lunch during the playdate if you're worried about leaving him."

"Please, mommy," Eddie whimpered quietly, feet bouncing excitedly against the hard plastic of his booster seat.

"I'll think about it, Karen," Sonia responded before moving to roll her window back up. "Eddie, how many times have I told you not to interrupt when mommy's speaking," Sonia scolded as she reversed out of her parking spot, leaving a frowning Karen Wheeler in her wake.

"Sorry, mommy," Eddie whispered with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest and shrugging down in his seat sadly.