eddie
"hey, what are you getting?"
richie asked me subtly as his eyes scanned the dozens of tubs of ice cream infront of us.
he had promised to not leave my side all day, and he had kept to that promise.
the eight of us were currently stuffed inside derry's ice cream parlour, taking our time to decide which flavours we wanted. stanley had already taken his three mint choc chip scoops and ventured out to find a table.
"uh, i'm not sure."
i mumbled, trying to hide the anxiety behind my words, to no avail. i could never hide anything from richie; he knew me too well.
"you okay?"
he questioned, concerned. i almost smiled at his sudden protective stance, the way his hand rested on my shoulder to make me feel closer to him. to make me feel safe.
"i'm fine, rich. i just...i don't wanna get sick, you know?"
he looked down sympathetically, and for a moment i felt ashamed. what kind of 14 year old gets nervous over eating ice cream? he lent in close, his lips almost touching my ear.
"you've been doing so well bubba. you've got this, i know you do."
the breath left my lungs as my cheeks fell empty, snow falling from my fingertips and melting away at richie's words. i smiled, honestly.
"yeah, you're right."
i stated, earning a huge grin from richie.
i had been eating a lot better recently, and it had become easier to keep food down, all with richie's help of course. but we had stuck to baby steps, never pushing the boundaries in fear that it would lead us back to square one.
"hi there, what can i get you?"
the woman behind the counter smiled sweetly at richie, her blazing white apron kept pristine and her honey blonde hair combed back neatly into a hair net.
"hi, can i get one scoop of chocolate chip, one scoop of reeses pieces and uhh, one scoop of fudge brownie."
i fiddled with my hands awkwardly as he told her his order, biting my lip in frustration. i couldn't help but feel jealous. it was such a simple task, to eat ice cream after school with your friends. but the problem was, it shouldn't feel like a task at all.
"that'll be $2.89 please."
richie handed over his money and thanked the waitress, who in return gave him a large bowl of ice cream which appeared to be covered in his own choice of gummy worms and marshmallows.
i inhaled deeply.
"hey, how can i help you?"
the woman sent me the same, sickeningly sweet smile she had sent richie moments ago, but i couldn't find the strength within me to smile back.
"uh, i-uh,"
i stuttered and tripped over my words as i struggled to think of something i would be able to manage. i quickly flicked my eyes over the chalkboard menus, the words before me dancing and sliding off the counter tauntingly.
it took me six seconds too long to decide on a compromise.
"c-can i have the banana ice cream milkshake please?"
i asked hesitantly, as if the smile would drop off this woman's face any second, and black, deformed wings would sprout from behind her. grotesque and overgrown nails would claw at the countertop as her yellow and bloodshot eyes grew larger and more manic with every passing moment. she would then lean in with a menacing snarl of disgust and screech "no!" in my face, shattering the windows in our surroundings and sending waves of fear through my small chest.
