Tw: homophobic slurs
As soon as they arrived in front of the mansion, Eddie was desperately trying to think up some kind of story to tell Sonia. He knew he'd get beat either way, so the least he could do was minimize it as much as possible.
Both walked inside in silence. As soon as Eddie walked in the door, he felt two hands shove him to the floor. He groaned in pain on impact, turning to look at his mother who had murder in her eyes.
"You left the house. You spoke to people. Have I not taught you anything?" Sonia's voice was low and evil, making Eddie shudder and want to crawl away.
"You're going to wish you were never born, Edward," she continued, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to his room.
Eddie expected the torture to continue, but it didn't. His mother simply left him on the floor and walked away, muttering angrily beneath her breath. Eddie almost wished she had started beating him, because the fact that she left him alone meant she had something much worse planned.
Eddie didn't leave his room for the rest of the day, not extremely hungry since he had eaten at Bill's house. He wasn't in much pain, except for his heart aching with sadness.
He wanted to be with the losers, to be with Richie. To be normal and not stuck in a room in a house with a woman who had control over him. There was little to no chance he'd ever see the losers again, since Sonia seemed intent on making sure he never could disobey her rules again.
Eddie fell into an uneasy sleep, not writing or doing anything, though he wished he could. He wanted his books or something to read, but didn't have the energy to move and go get them. What he wanted more than anything was for Richie to climb in through his window and cuddle him close, telling him that it'd all be okay.
Because Richie was right. He could learn to trust people. He hadn't had support before, but the losers seemed intent on changing that. They had saved him, protected him, and been the makeshift family he had always wanted.
Before he drifted off, Eddie tried to fill his mind with all of the good moments he had experienced in the past couple of days, only to have them fade when he realized that he was trapped in the mansion.
•••
"We need to save him!" Richie yelled at Bev.
It was nearly one in the morning, and the losers quite literally had to drag Richie back to Bill's house. He refused to let Eddie be away, and wanted to get to him. The losers had to guard the door to Bill's room or else they knew Richie's adrenaline and anger would help him get out of their grasp and to the mansion.
"We can't help him right now, Rich! If his mom sees us we're all fucked!"
"You think she'd hurt visitors? Seriously?!"
"She beats her own son and chained him to the house! We need to think this through!" Bev understood Richie's anger, having grown to care for Eddie herself. Yet, she knew that Sonia wouldn't hold back from hurting anyone who tried to save him.
Richie calmed down at Bev's harsh words, a frown making its way to his face. "I said I'd protect him," he whispered, sitting down in defeat on Bill's bed.
The other losers exchanged looks. They all knew that Richie and Eddie hadn't even known each other for a full week. Yet, they had become bonded in a way that none of the losers thought was possible.
"We n-need a pl-plan," Bill said, sitting on the bed next to Richie and gently patting his shoulder. "D-did he say anything th-that could help u-us?"
Richie shook his head, trying to think. He sat up and was silent for a minute before speaking loudly, startling everyone in the room. "He never met his dad. Maybe his dad is out there somewhere and maybe if we could find him-"
"Eddie said he traveled everywhere with his mom. There's no way that we'll even know where he started," Stan said, trying to think of a quicker way to free Eddie.
Richie groaned in defeat and annoyance. "What do we do then? We can't call the police or else he'll end up in foster care or some shit hours away."
The group all remained quiet, trying to think of how to free their friend. He didn't deserve anything that had happened to him. He was innocent and scared and his trust issues would only get worse the longer he stayed trapped inside the mansion.
"I'm going on a walk," Richie announced standing up.
Stan was quick to follow him, making sure that Richie didn't try to find Eddie and get him out single handed. Luckily, Richie didn't seem to mind and walked in the direction of the quarry, the hot air making a sheen of sweat on his skin.
Stan didn't really know what to say. It was obvious Richie was in distress, and all Stan could do was not make sarcastic comments.
When they arrived at the quarry, Richie sat on the edge and let his feet dangle over. Stan sat next to him, looking at his best friend with concern.
"I know I always tell you to shut your mouth, but can you please say something? Being quiet for this long can't be healthy for you," Stan said, making Richie laugh quietly.
"Oh, Stanley, my dear friend," Richie said, wrapping an arm around Stan's shoulder. "I didn't think you cared."
Stan scoffed. "Of course I care about you, you piece of shit."
Richie laughed again, before it faded. "I really want to keep him safe. I know I barely know him, but I need him to be safe."
Stan sighed. "I know, Rich. He'll be okay. We'll save him somehow."
The stars were shining over the trees and water, creating the beautiful reflection that Eddie loved so much. It was truly beautiful, until someone spoke up from behind them.
"Well, if it isn't Bucky Beaver and the Jewish flamer," came the crude voice of Henry Bowers.
Both Stan and Richie whipped around to see Henry and Patrick both holding their weapons. Henry had his knife and Patrick was holding a lighter and a can of some type of deodorant spray.
"Where's the little fag from the other day, Tozier? I wasn't finished with him," Henry snarled, stepping closer to the pair.
"Why are you assholes even out here? It's two in the morning," Richie said, hoping to divert their attention. He and Stan needed to find a way to run, since the only thing behind them was the drop into the water below.
"None of your business. Where is he?"
"Don't know. Went home a couple of hours ago, haven't seen him since. Sorry," Stan said, trying to keep Richie from talking. He had an unfortunate quick temper and would run his mouth without thinking.
Henry rolled his eyes, opening and closing his knife. The metal flickered under the moon, scaring both Stan and Richie.
"Guess you'll have to take his place then," Patrick said, a sinister smile on his face.
"We have to jump," Stan hissed into Richie's ear.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Richie asked, not in the mood to soak himself trying to escape from their enemies.
"If we don't, we get stabbed. You wanna take the risk?"
Henry and Patrick were slowly closing in, both smiling. They didn't think either of the two would jump.
"Fuck," Richie whispered. He felt Stan grab arm and tug him closer toward the edge.
Henry realized they were about to escape and leapt forward, trying to stab one of the two boys.
Richie screamed out as he felt the knife gash his side. Stan pulled him over the edge and they both fell, splashing into the water below.
Richie managed to drag himself to the edge, and Stan helped him out of the water.
"My house is closest. Let's go," Stan said, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible.
