𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐅𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐊𝐄

9

The rest of that month Eddie and Richie continued their little game of sneaky kisses when the Losers weren't looking.

Everything was going just fine until Halloween night came. Everyone in the Losers club had gotten ready for a Halloween party and were meant to meet at Bill and Eddie's dorm by 7:30 pm for a 'pregame', or what Stan calls 'The calm before the storm'.

Richie knew they all agreed for a Hanna-Barbera themed Halloween. They all agreed on certain characters.

There was some rhyme and reason to the madness, and Richie ended up getting Shaggy. It was a pretty easy costume, with dark red pants and a green t-shirt he already owned.

He was one of the only Losers to have smoked weed before anyhow, except for Bev and Bill. The silly stoner character that Shaggy seemed played perfectly into Richie's gimmicks.

Richie strolled over to the Kaspbrak-Denbrough dorm, with Stan stiffly walking next to him. Richie looked over the blonde boy to take in his appearance.

Stan had fought Bill on which character he wanted to be. Bill, being the handsome and natural born 'leader', wanted to be Fred. Stan got annoyed since Daphne and Fred were the only two characters left to choose, and he wasn't having it with Bill's assumptions.

"Alright, so Daphne and Fred. Who's being who?" Ben asked, looking towards Bill and Stan.

"It's pretty obvious," Bill chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Stan narrowed his eyes at Bill suspiciously. Bev gave Ben a worried look before looking back at the growing tension between the other two.

"Don't tell me you think you're being Fred," Stan dry laughed as a confused and defensive Bill whipped his head to look at the Uris boy.

"You can't be serious. You want to be Fred?"

"Well, I'm blonde like Fred. And you're hair shines ginger in the sun. You can be Daphne," Stan shrugged, looking less tense then he had before. Bill seemed to have done the opposite.

"But my hair is brown! Why can't you be Daphne?" Bill hopelessly resisted, gesturing towards Stan.

Stan's eyes went harsh before he crossed his arms, deflecting Bill's question onto himself.

"Why can't you be Daphne?" Stan's voice sounded offended, and Richie knew why. Bill was implying that because Stan was more feminine, he should be the one fitting into the purple shoes instead of him.

That thought process didn't make much sense to Richie, because Stan was just as athletically active as Bill, making him technically a jock. Sure, Stan's frame was slimmer and had more of a feminine air about it; but Stan was capable of being Fred as well. Richie didn't understand why Bill was so against Daphne, she was a smart and pretty character to be.

"I just can't, it wouldn't work. I'm not-"
"-you're not what, Bill?" Stan's voice was harsher than before. He knew what Bill wanted to say. They all did.
"You're not Gay? You think I should play Daphne because I'm fucking gay? Not all gay men are feminine, you asshole," Stan stood up from his seat on Eddie and Bill's couch, before grabbing his bag.

"Stan, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I just... I dunno...." Bill messily explained to Stan, the Losers sitting quietly. Eddie seemed annoyed with Bill just as much as Stan, just silently sitting there with a frown on his face and eyes strained on the Denbrough boy like a hawk waiting for its prey's next mistake.

They all knew Bill said stupid things sometimes, and there only so much friends can do for each other. They can't always protect each other, especially from themselves.