The Phone Calls ☏ || reddie

"I could talk with you forever."

2530 Maple Street, Hawkins, Indiana
Wednesday April 30th 1990
1:00pm

Mike Wheeler walked into the living room where his twin brother Richie sat holding a bag of chips that were now empty and the TV screen, that he once watched, now playing Law And Order. Of course he was once watching Saved By The Bell, a show that his friends, brother, and himself enjoy; except for the fact that he's losing interest in it.

Law And Order was a show that scared him, he wouldn't tell anyone that though, he was scared of it because he was scared about something like that happening to him or someone he loved. But he was dozing off so the TV didn't matter right now. Only the thought of sleep.

But Mike was going to break his hopes for sleep, when a he had the urge to ask his brother a question.

"Richie," Mike mumbled, sitting down beside the boy. Richie's eyes opened. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine. What's up princess?" He asked, yawning.

"Do you like anyone, Rich?" Mike asked, fiddling with his fingers.

"Uh, I... I do." He paused, but then answered. "Like as in you wanna bang?"

"What?" Mike glanced over at Richie.

"I'm kidding, I know what you mean. Anyway, I do. But why?"

"Um...  w-who is it?" Mike asked, nervous of the answer.

"What the fuck, Mike, what's wrong?" Richie asked, pushing his glasses up.

"Nothing! Just who, who's the girl?" Richie bit the inside of his cheek. Girl.

"No one, why?"

"Just tell me, Richie!"

"No! Why are you yelling at me?!"

"Sorry, i'm sorry. I was just... is it Jane?"

"What?"

"Do you like Jane?"

Richie let out a laugh. "What the fuck, buddy. No."

"Oh... Max?"

"Nope."

"Richie you only know three girls that isn't mom or Nancy." Mike furrowed his eyebrows. "Beverly?"

"Wrong again." Richie laid back, hands behind his head.

"What?"

"Don't worry, bud."

"I won't... I'll be upstairs." Mike stood up and walked up the stairs to his room.

Richie was lying, he didn't like anyone. He didn't know why he answered with a yes. But, if anything, he knew he definitely didn't like girls. Well, he did, but he didn't find them as cute as he found boys, boys like Eddie...

But would he ever tell his brother that? Maybe.

-

132 Neibolt Street, Derry, Maine
Wednesday April 30th 1990
4:07pm

Eddie know sat on his bed, his mother addressing how she wouldn't be home till late again, which made Eddie's stomach twist. He hated when she worked the night shift, so so much. He then looked at the time on his alarm clock and hopped off the bed over to his phone. There he dialed Richie's number.

No answer.

He called again.

"Hello?" A girl asked. Why was this girl in Richie's room, using his phone?

"H-hi, i-is this Richie Wheeler?" He asked, maybe he had just called the wrong phone.

"This is his phone, may I ask who's calling?"

"Eddie, Eddie-"

"Kaspbrak?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"Nancy, i'm Mike and Richie's sister. Richie's told me about you, Eddie."

"He has?"

"Yeah, I drove them to Maine."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Richie fell asleep on the couch."

"Oh..." He said, more sadder.

"I could wake him up?"

"No, no. It's fine, can you just make sure he calls me when he wakes up?"

"Yeah, definitely." Nancy said. "Have a nice night, Eddie."

"You too."

Eddie then hung up the phone, he looked around his room with a sigh. He couldn't wait for Richie to wake up. He wanted to talk with him till his mom got home, but he knew he couldn't. But he wasn't sleeping. He couldn't keep Richie up all night on a school night.

He went over to his tiny bookshelf, scanning things from picture books he read as a child, seeing the one he read the night Richie called. He saw chapter books and scrapbooks. He looked over to his desk realizing that Mike (H) had took some pictures of the things they did secretly.

He grabbed one of the scrapbooks labeled, Losers. He walked over to his desk, sitting and opening to a new page, and opening an envelope full of photos that Mike gave him. The first one was a photo from the Quarry while they were drying off in the sun, Beverly and Max were sitting on a rock, talking. Mike (W) pouting in a corner, and him and Richie laughed with Richie's arm resting on Eddie's shoulders.

He smiled and tapped the back and stuck it into the book, grabbing a red marker from his pen holder and writing, Quarry 1990/04/20. He pulled out another from Bill's sleepover, the night they went into the Neibolt house, but this photo was taken before that.

-

He glued the rest in, smiling and remembering the fun days, the days his best friend were there. He notice that in every picture, Eddie was with Richie. He smiled. Till his phone rang. He looked at the clock, 8:16pm. It's probably mom. He thought.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey, Eds."

"Richie!" Eddie practically screamed, then covered his mouth. "I-I m-mean, h-h-hi..." He blushed embarrassed.

Richie laughed. "Excited to hear from me, Kaspbrak?" Eddie could practically hear his smirk. But Eddie stayed quiet. "It's okay Eds, I'm happy to talk to you to."

"Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah, I didn't mean to sleep that long."

"So you aren't tired, right?"

"No, why?"

"Can we talk long?"

"How long?"

"Well..." Eddie sighed. "I have to tell you something, but please, don't laugh."

"I would never."

"Okay... well, my mom is working the night shift, and when she does that, it makes me scared. And then I stay up till she comes home, which is around two. Because I can't sleep without someone here..."

"I wouldn't laugh at ya, Eds. I get it, I'll stay up with you till your mom gets home."

"But, Rich, you have school in the morning."

"Yeah, and so do you."

"It's fine, we'll just talk until we usually stop and then I'll call Bev or something."

"Nope, I don't care if i'm tired tomorrow, Eddie. I could talk with you forever."