problematic ➳ reddie

97

may ❀ age 18-19

"i present to you, the graduates 1999" the principal spread his arms towards the group of young adults, now standing in red robes and graduation hats, certificates on a roll, a beautiful silk ribbon around it. claps erupted from around the graduates, who were grinning.

"are you happy?" richie whispered into eddie's ear as they stood on the stage, under the stares from the thousand parents and siblings.

"very" eddie nodded and looked over his shoulder at the boy who was standing behind him. "are you?"

"yeah" richie nodded and lightly kissed the back of eddie's head, hair smelling like vanilla. "i guess i'm pretty happy"

once the graduates were off of the stage, everyone rushed to their parents, taking pictures and hugging like it was the last day on earth. eddie carefully made his way towards his mother and her new betrothed.

bob gray.

the thought sent shivers down eddie's spine. he saw the man, teeth slightly yellow from all the cigarettes he's been smoking in the past, the brown hair with few strands of grey hair. the vertical scar under his other eye. eddie didn't know where did it come from and he didn't on planning on asking about it. he didn't understand what his mother could see in that person.

"oh eddie" sonia kaspbrak smiled widely and embraced her son in a big hug. "you're so grown up now"

eddie only smiled in return, resting his chin on his mother's shoulder, looking straight at bob, who was giving him an unreadable look. he had a smirk on his lips, but the smirk didn't reach all the way over to his eyes. eddie didn't know what he was going to do when he found out that eddie was gay.

see, eddie hadn't told bob. and neither have sonia. she loved her son, but she also, for some reason, loved bob. she didn't want the two to be in a fight. and she didn't want bob to kick eddie out. sonia had learned to live with the fact that eddie was gay and was dating richie tozier, but some part of her still despised eddie.

"i'm so proud of you" sonia kissed eddie's cheek, leaving a lipstick mark. she pulled back and looked at eddie fondly. "oh dear child"

"congrats kid" bob tapped eddie's shoulder. "high school...it's not easy. you made it"

"y-yeah...thanks...bob" eddie stuttered out, tearing his eyes off of bob's cold blue eyes, back to his mother's warmer ocean blue ones.

"c'mon now, stand there and i'll snap a picture of you" sonia rushed eddie to stand a few meters away from them, hold up his certificate and the rose he had received from the principal, like every other student.

"you're so handsome" sonia smiled as she took the photo with the digital camera, what bob had bought her.

eddie smiled and looked around the sunny yard, catching a glimpse of his tall partner in crime, hugging his mother. "uhm, ma? is it okay if I go take pictures with my friends?"

"yes, of course. don't be too long" sonia nodded and wiped a tear away from her cheek. eddie somehow, out of a reflex, curtsied, for some reason. he blushed. he had no idea what made him do that, but this caught bob's attention, making him frown a bit.