Lover - Reddie

three

in a stozier mood but that's okay. they're JuSt FrIeNdS.

eddie had three weeks until he began school at derry high. he'd been sick and missed the first chance, which Mike had taken.

he knew mike had made friends, or maybe hung out with richie and bev, because now he was always too busy to hang out.

"can you come over and play games today?" eddie asked, twirling the cord of the wall phone around his finger. there was a silence, and eddie grew worried. "mike? you there?"

"yeah, yeah."

"what'd ya say?"

mike frowned, eddie could hear the skin moving. "i dunno, eddie. i've got a ton of homework and ben's coming over to help me out."

eddie moved the phone away so mike wouldn't hear his sound of disappointment and frustration. "okay fine," he finally said. "do you have bev's number?" he asked. mike gave it to him, and eddie wrote it down on a slip of paper.

after eddie and mike said goodbye, eddie dialed beverly. she picked up almost right away. "yeah? this is the m-marsh household."

there was a loud crash in the background and eddie jumped. "bev? it's eddie, are you okay?"

"eddie? how'd you get my- nevermind. i'm fine, what's up?"

eddie sat down on the ground and tapped his knee. "i'm just bored and my only friend is busy."

"well i'm your friend too, eddie. listen, i'd love to hang out but i'm-." she was interrupted by another large crash. "i'm busy, okay? try calling richie, i think he's free today." she gave him his number, stuttering a few times, then abruptly hung up.

"bye," eddie sighed after she was already gone. he didn't feel like talking to trash mouth, but the others were busy and he didn't know bill or stan's numbers. so he rung up the tozier house.

the phone was picked up by a gruff-voiced man with a cigarette accent. "tozier. who's speaking?"

"hi, it's eddie kasprak. i'm calling for richie, is he home?"

there was a pause, and eddie cringed at the man's loud breathing, but then he heard movement and he yelled, "son, someone's calling on you!"

eddie counted to seventy-five before richie picked it up. "yo, you're go for tozier."

"i-it's eddie."

richie's voice relaxed from stoic and he sighed almost in relief. "hiya eds."

"don't call me that." but he was smiling.

"no can do. were you thinking of me? wanted to get a little taste of the trashmouth?" richie's voice was low, almost a whisper. and much like he did for bev, eddie felt worried for him. but he said nothing in fear of killing rich's pride.

"nope. wanted to see if you wanted to read comics. i'm bored and mike's busy."

"so i'm your second choice? hot."

eddie pursed his lips. "third." he then thought about that and said, "would've been fourth if i had bill's number."

"ah, big billiam. i've got some competition."

"sure."

richie made a laugh-like sound in his throat but eddie wasn't sure it'd even happened. "okay, okay. i'll come over, eds. stop begging, love."

love. eddie couldn't breath.

"you know what? nevermind."

"wait! no, no! come back." then he said "please" and eddie was suddenly sure that something was wrong with the boy again. he thought back to two weeks ago when he'd flinched at eddie's touch.