ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪs ʀɪɢʜᴛ

- 6 -

bill, stan, and richie all slumped down on the sofa, utterly defeated.

they had just returned from the escapade that was plan j.

it had actually been going pretty well. that was until richie had accidentally toppled backwards off the countertop he had been seductively leant across and knocked himself out.

so he was now slouched in the corner, cushioned by self pity as he held an ice pack to his pounding head. both stanley and bill were somewhat hesitant to speak up, silently deciding which one of them should through overly aggressive eye contact.

"hey, it can't have gone as bad as plan g right?"

stan offered, widening his eyes at bill to encourage him to help him out. bill caught on and shuffled in his spot, nodding.

"y-yeah, you r-really can't get m-much worse than that."

richie groaned and smothered himself with a pillow. he sunk further into the chair as memory's that he'd very tidily tucked away were carelessly thrown onto the floor at his feet.

it really had been a bad one.

richie had offered to take eddie swimming, thinking he could have dropped a 'so, take 'em swimming on the first date?' and have easily won eddie over once and for all.

but richie had a habit of fucking things up.

he'd clumsily canon balled into the deep end, and had begun swimming his way across the pool. everything was going fine, until two unfamiliar tanned arms were pulling him back and laying him flat on the side of the pool.

"uhh, can you hear me sir?"

richie pushed the life guard off him, who looked as if he was still in high school, with severe acne and shoulder length uncombed hair. he stood up angrily, hugging himself.

"what the hell dude?"

the life guard scratched the back of his neck naively, gesturing towards the pool.

"you were drowning?"

it almost sounded like a question, and richie had never wanted to kick someone into a swimming pool more than he did in that moment.

"i wasn't drowning! i was swimming! you know, that thing people do when they go to the pool?"

the greasy teenager had obviously been terrified, not realising his summer job would require actual life saving skills. so he was relieved to say the least. he had merely shrugged in response, leaving richie absolutely humiliated, shivering at the side of the pool.

that was a week and a half ago.

and now, after nine and a half attempts at asking eddie out, richie had just about given up.

"come on, rich. look, we can take a break for a day or two, and then try again from a different approach."

stanley was pointlessly trying to convince richie to keep going, but it was no use. richie shook his head and gazed vacantly at the carpet. bill and stan eyed him sympathetically.

"what's the point?"

he mumbled.

"obviously someone out there doesn't want me and eddie to be together, so why should i bother? he probably doesn't even like me."

bill frowned, and flicked richie in the head.

"d-don't be f-f-fucking stupid."

richie scowled at him and rubbed his sore temple.

"eddie d-does like you, you're just h-having a bit of b-bad luck."

richie shrugged and sighed to himself. bill and stan had never seen him so down before, and it worried them.

"i don't know you guys, maybe it's a sign or something. maybe i just have to wait."

bill tilted his head curiously.

"w-wait for what?"

richie smiled sadly as he glanced between his two best friends, and then back at himself.

"for when the time is right."

-

poor richie bby;(