LIVE FAST | REDDIE

- 16 | LIVE FAST

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"So you have a death wish, is that it?" Eddie laughed as he pulled off onto the side of the road and stopped the car, turning it off.

"No, it's really safe, I swear!" Richie replied, grinning. "Obviously we only make the jump when it's not freezing like today, but it can be fun to start a little fire and hang around on the cliff with five or six people, you know?" He looped his arm around Eddie's shoulder, guiding him through the woods. Eddie leaned closer, appreciating his warmth that hit Eddie through his rather thin long-sleeve. "We call these the Barrens, but this path goes straight to the quarry."

"Wow, what a gentleman, showing me the way," Eddie mused, raising his eyebrows. Richie scoffed, removing his arm from Eddie's shoulder. Eddie sighed, watching as his breath came out in a puff of white steam. They emerged into a clearing where a few people were seated around a small campfire, in no way comparable to the bonfires at the parties. Bev was huddled up with a few girls whose names Eddie forgot, but she waved when they appeared, so he waved back. Richie grabbed him by the hand and led him over, seating him down next to one of the girls and sitting on his other side.

"Ladies, this is my friend Eddie. He's new around here, so play nice." Richie raised his eyebrows, as if making a point. Eddie smiled a bit awkwardly as all of the girls looked at him, except for Bev, who was looking rather closely as Richie himself.

"Hi, Eddie," a girl with blonde hair and bright green eyes that, up close, Eddie now identified as Greta Bowie, just like Richie had said she would be there. Sure enough, she introduced herself. "I'm Greta, and this is my friend Sally," she said, gesturing to the brunette with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Nice to meet you," Eddie said quietly. He could practically feel Richie breathing down his neck, but it was somehow different from the way he did it in Biology, almost like he was paying attention rather than doing it just for shits and giggles.

"Where'd you guys find him, Bev? He's kinda cute," Sally murmured, smiling hugely and obviously not trying to hide the fact that she was checking Eddie out. Bev smirked, gaze shifting over Eddie's shoulder. The brunette's cheeks went red at the compliment, and he began to stutter a little bit, almost starting to sound like Bill.

"Oh— Um... Th-Thanks, I guess?" He laughed uncertainly, knowing that if Bill was here he would probably be laughing at how internally gay Eddie was being as he felt Richie shift even closer, leaning over his shoulder now.

"He is, isn't he?" Richie interrupted loudly, pinching Eddie's cheek. "So cute, huh? It's a good thing I found him." The stress on 'I' sent a shiver down Eddie's spine. It almost felt like Richie was getting possessive. The girl's eyes flashed dangerously, and Eddie swallowed thickly, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"Yeah," Greta replied just as bluntly. "A good thing you found him and Henry didn't. If Henry had found him then he'd be dead meat. Don't want to let your little cutie get hurt, do you?"

"That's enough, guys," Bev finally interjected. "He's cute and he's Richie's, that's that." Eddie felt his cheeks heat up considerably at her choice of words. He's Richie's. "Here, Eddie, you look cold. Ben gave me an old sweatshirt and it's like four sizes too big and you're hardly any taller than me so you should fit in it about the same as I do." She tossed her sweatshirt at Eddie. He hesitated, cheeks warming up slightly as he slipped it over his head. Sure enough, the sleeves flopped over his hands, but it kept them warm.