Before It Takes Us

River

Eddie arrived at Richie's house, wearing a simple red t-shirt and shorts. He adjusted his fanny pack and knocked on his front door. He heard stomping and an occasionally grunt. The front door flung open and Richie stood behind it smiling. His hair was messy and his Hawaiian shirt blew from the wind. He closed the door and put his arm around Eddie. "Ready for our date?"
Eddie blushed. "It's not exactly a date, Richie. Don't be getting any ideas."
"Of course it's a date. We're going to eat dinner then get ice cream on the Kissing Bridge and you're going to come home with me because my parents are out of Derry for some stupid business thing in Bangor."
Now that Eddie had thought more about, he realized that it was like a date. He let a smile slip his usually straight face and walked with him down the street. Bill passed them in his silver bike and hit the brakes strongly. He stumbled off and turned to them. "H-h-hey guys!"
"'Sup Bill." Richie said while cleaning his glasses.
"D-d-date?"
Eddie sighed and nodded. Bev came behind him in a smaller bike, screeching when she saw the three of them. She hit the brakes and almost flew off the front. She grinned. Her overalls wrinkled in the wind and she was wearing a tight tank top under. Bill looked at her with love and dropped his eyes to the ground. "I never would've thought tha-"
"Shhhh!" Eddie said harshly, pressing his mouth against her. "No one can know except for the Loser's Club!"
Bev shrugged and sighed. "Derry is quite a homophobic town." She ruffled Eddie's hair and smiled bigger. "It's okay, I have a quiet mouth."
Stan was walking with Mike, arguing over birdcalls. "Oh my god, Stan!" Mike growled. "That's definitely a red cardinal!"
"No it's not! That's a bluejay call. I have it in my books." Stan retorted.
Mike opened his mouth, then saw the four of them talking. He raised a hand and smiled. "Hey guys."
Stan pushed his curly hair back and wiped a fresh layer of sweat off his forehead. "You two look..." Stan scanned them with his eyes, noticing their interlaced hands. "Very gay."
Mike bit his tongue to stifle a giggle and Bev rolled her eyes. Richie pulled Eddie closer. "Yeah? Who next, Ben's gonna be tooting along on a scooter like a hamburger on the run?"
Ben flashed by them, his face red from the heat and his hands clenched around the handlebars of his new scooter. He used his back heel to stop it and rode back up to them. He grinned and fixed his shorts. "Hey, Bev!"
Bev smiled and rubbed her back. "Richie and Eddie are going on a date."
"A date!" He yelled. "Oh boy, that's great!"
Eddie sighed and shrugged. "Didn't think it would get around this quickly."
"Aye aye aye, let's not get too excited hare! Oy jus' wan' a date with my lil' jelly biscuit hare!" Richie shouted childishly.
Eddie slapped his forehead with his hand and groaned. "Again?"
"Aye! Shut up ya big piece of shite! Or you ain't gon' get no fuckin' tonight, aye aye!"
"Beep beep, Richie." Stan muttered.
Eddie tugged on his hand and started walking to the restaurant. "Ahem, Mr. Voices! We have a date to get to."
He blinked and smiled. "Right." He touched his nose with his finger and pressed. Eddie slapped his hand away. "Well, thanks for the support on Eds and I..."
"Don't call me Eds."
"But we must get going." He finished, ignoring Eddie's remark.
Bill nodded and slid back onto his bike. "Ha-ave f-f-f-"
"Have fun, guys." Bev finished. Bill gave her a grateful glance and pedaled away.
Ben nodded. "Yeah. Come down to the Barrens tomorrow if you can and tell us about it!"
"Don't you think all that Quarry water is getting gross by now?" Stan asked.
Mike elbowed him gently. "C'mon, Stan! Be lighter. Our friends are dating."
Ben stabled himself on his scooter and rode away. Bev raised her hand to her forehead and saluted before taking off after him. Stan turned back to Mike. "ITS A FUCKING BLUEJAY!" He screamed.
Eddie and Richie walked past them arguing over birdcalls and headed towards the small restaurant. It served burgers and fries, usually a dollar or two. Richie, of course, didn't have the money to afford that, but Eddie had him covered. He unzipped his fanny pack and handed two dollars to the cashier. He took it and handed them their burgers. They sat down in a booth, facing each other. Richie shoved a large bite into his mouth and grinned. Ketchup rolled down his cheek. Eddie cut his burger and ate it more carefully.
The front door rung from the bell. Richie turned his ketchup-smeared face towards the door and his face immediately dropped. "Oh, shit, Eds."
Eddie turned around to see what Richie was looking at. Henry Bowers stood in the doorway with Vic Criss behind him. They both had slicked back hair and torn shirts. Their boots clunked against the tile floor. Eddie immediately placed one hand on his fanny pack. Henry turned and saw them. He grinned, a row of yellow teeth greeting them. "Well if it isn't the little faggots!" He said loudly. The cashier turned to him and looked away. "Look here, Vic! The faggots have arrived to Derry!"
Richie growled. "Leave us alone, Henry."
He slammed his hands down on the table. "Or what, fag face?!"
There was a sharp klink. Vic turned his head and saw the pocketknife in Eddie's hand. He was shaking, but knew it would protect them. He started keeping it in his fanny pack since Henry started bullying him. "Get the fuck out of here."
Henry stepped towards him, but he stuck out the knife. "Fag got some sass, huh, Vic?"
"Sure as hell."
Richie slowly stood up as Henry's eyes were on the knife. He gripped his glass and brought it down over Henry's head. He screeched and dropped to the ground. The cashier backed away and into the kitchen. Henry swore a long line of cuss words and clutched his head. Vic bent down to help him as Eddie and Richie ran out of the restaurant. They headed straight for the Kissing Bridge and stopped. The other side of the bridge was closed off for construction. They turned around and saw Henry stumbling towards them. Vic followed behind him with a sick grin on his face.
"Fuck, Eds." Richie said quietly. "We're in deeper shit than in the Quarry."
Eddie elbowed him in the stomach. "This obviously isn't the time to make jokes!"
Henry stopped in front of them with a smile. "Now." He looked at Eddie. "Since you pulled a knife on me, you're going to take a little swim."
     Richie stepped in front of him. "But I hit your head with the glass."
     Henry growled and grabbed his shirt. "You little faggot cunt!" He said, realizing it was Richie who did it. "I'll make him pay by throwing you over!" He hauled him over the side of the bridge. Richie screamed as he fell and went into the water. The river flowed strongly and carried him with it.