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𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟚-𝕤𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣

Eddie and Richie walked side by side up the steps leading to the porch of Stan's house. Eddie glanced behind himself to view Bill,  who seemed to become nervous as the three approached Stan's door. Richie stepped forward, knocking his fist on the door twice before the wooden entrance squeaked open to reveal a tall, slim figure. Stan stood in the doorway, his curly noodle hair all over the place as usual. Stan frowned at Richie and smiled when he saw Bill approach. "Ah! Stan the man! How you been, brotha?" Richie yipped, throwing finger guns towards the teen in the house. Stan rolled his eyes and ignored Richie, gesturing inside the house. The three boys all stepped inside and were greeted with a gust of warmth and the smell of lavender air freshener. 

The teens entered the living room together and Eddie felt a gush of anxiety come over him as he glanced at the scene in front of him. Beverly Marsh was sitting on an old, large couch with her head propped on Ben's shoulder. Her red, fiery hair was put in a low ponytail and was swept to the side. Mike was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, his dark skin shining as the sunlight bounced off his muscular frame. He was lazily leaning back on the couch, his arms behind his head as a built in pillow. The room lit up in friendliness as the four boys entered. Bill and Stan immediately went to sit on the empty couch on the other side of the room, while Richie plopped down next to Mike, immediately cracking a terrible joke. Eddie rubbed his arm nervously and felt his heart rate speed up as he glanced around, noticing everyone had started their own conversations. Beverly noticed Eddie's uncomfortableness and stood up, making her way over to the small, asthmatic boy. Beverly stood in front of him and smiled brightly, placing a soft kiss to his cheek, making sure not to leave any hint of germs behind. Eddie rolled his eyes but beamed back at her, feeling overwhelming joy as she started to speak to him. 

"Eddie! Looking cute as always," She winked, sizing him up. 

Eddie giggled, knowing he was still in pajamas. "I didn't have time to change, I just woke up." Beverly chuckled, and ruffled his dark hair. 

"It's like 12, you sleep a lot, kid." 

Eddie nodded knowingly, "I was super fucking tired last night so I guess I slept in." 

Bev smiled and then looked around, seeing if anyone was watching the two talk. When she had confirmation no one was eavesdropping, she dropped her voice and added, "Eddie, I got the shit you asked for."

Eddie almost squealed with excitement, and bit his lip with happiness. "Can we try it now?!" Eddie chirped, but continued to whisper. 

Bev nodded and then turned to the others, who know had eye brows raised and curiosity splattered across their faces. "Eddie and I are going to gossip, bitches," She declared dramatically, pulling him by the arm and leading him to Stan's bedroom. The two sat on Stan's bed, both dying from the excitement they held within themselves. Beverly reached into the back pocket of her jacket and pulled out a sparkly, lilac colored bottle. Eddie almost screamed when he saw it, reaching forward and snatching it from her. Eddie examined the nail polish and felt himself fill up with joy as he said, "Well, what are we waiting for?" 

Time passed quickly, and Eddie could hardly sit still with anticipation as Bev led the soft brush over each of his nails, leaving behind a pretty, pastel purple color.  When Beverly had finished, she looked up at Eddie, searching for any hidden emotions in his cute face. "What do you think?" She asked, holding her breath as Eddie stuck out his hands, his eyes squinting to detect the tiny glittered sparkles that were evident in the paint. 

Eddie felt his heart swell and threw his arms around Beverly. "I love it, Bevvy! Oh-my-gosh it's the perfect color!" He squealed, clutching onto Bev with such love that she felt her heart melt at the reaction of the boy she cared for so greatly. Eddie felt his face grow red, as he realized how feminine he was sounding. He separated himself from Beverly and scooted away from her, now feeling ashamed of his newfound love for nail polish. Only girls wear nail polish, he thought to himself. Only girls and gay guys. Eddie shook his head, he was not gay. He couldn't be gay, not with his mother and how society would react. Sure, Eddie had a slight crush on Richie, but he wasn't gay. Eddie knew he couldn't be gay, it was a huge risk and he wasn't strong enough to endure the challenges that would come with being a homosexual. Eddie knew that being gay was okay, but it was simply looked down upon and he knew he wouldn't survive. However, Eddie also knew that being gay wasn't a choice, so no matter how much he told himself he wasn't, he had a crush on Richie Tozier, a boy. And nothing could change that.