The Phone Calls ☏ || reddie

Max And Bev

72 Main Street, Derry, Maine
Monday June 24th 1992
6:12 pm

Beverly Marsh walked into her living room, her father asleep on the couch. She grabbed the phone, unplugging it from the wall and taking it to her room. She threw it on the bed, then rummaging through her bedside table to find the tiny piece of paper that held numbers written across.

Once she found it, she plugged the phone into the wall and dialled Max Mayfield's number.

"Hello?" An older stronger voice spoke, making Beverly question if this was her number or not. "hello?" He asked again.

"Um, hi... is Max there?"

"Who's asking?"

"Beverly Marsh."

There was silence on the other end, Beverly picked up a pencil that was sitting in her pencil holder, and began to draw on her desk.

"Hello?"

"Max!"

"Beverly? Why are you calling?"

"Well... I just... did you know?"

"About?"

"About Eddie and Richie?"

"What about them?"

"Richie hasn't told you anything?"

"No. Why is something wrong?"

"Well, I guess it's really not my place to say."

"No, no, it's fine. I won't tell him you told me anything."

"Well... well, yesterday I was at Ben's yesterday with Stan. And we were talking about... how Eddie has been more quiet recently and how he hasn't been to school."

"Is he okay?"

"Stan said Bill told him he how Georgie, Bill's brother, saw Eddie crying. And then they found out how Richie broke up with Eddie."

"He did?!" Max exclaimed. "Wha- do you guys know why?"

"No, we thought we could call you or Jane and you guys would know."

"Well, this is news to me. I don't know if he would've told Jane... but he could've told Mike."

"That makes sense. Has Richie seemed off to you guys?"

"Not really. But, Eddie will be fine. Their going through a break up. I know you guys care a lot about Eddie, but I think you could be overreacting."

"We aren't overreacting."

"Are you sure? Maybe Richie just didn't like him like that anymore, and we can't do anything about that."

"But the fact that he isn't calling Eddie anymore is different. It's clearly not just the breakup, Richie doesn't talk to him anymore."

"Because it's weird to be friends then best friends then be in a relationship then break up. You can't have that same energy, Bev."

"If you put enough effort, you can."

"Then it's awkward. I think you guys should just let Eddie be, then he'll be fine enough to go out and be himself again."

"Max, he lost his best friend. And there's no way he can ever get that friendship back because Richie isn't gonna help."

"While, nether will Eddie. Do you know if he's called him? Because Richie would pick up."

"Has Richie tried calling him?"

"I don't know."

"This isn't Eddie's fault."

"It's not Richie's either. You don't know what was going through his mind, and you're acting like Richie is the reason Eddie has distanced himself."

"He is the reason!"

"Why are you yelling at me? I'm having a reasonable conversation with you."

"No you're not! How are you not understanding what Richie has done?!"

"Because he didn't do anything wrong, Beverly!"

Beverly hung up the phone, heavily sighing. She didn't mean to sound mean toward Max, she just wanted her to see the way she saw the situation. But of course, life didn't work that way.

She knew Eddie hadn't done anything wrong, she knew she wasn't overreacting, and she knew this was all Richie. If it was just over the breakup, she wouldn't be so concerned. But the fact that she found out about him never calling Eddie, made her so frustrated.

That's what made her loose her temper.

He was Eddie's everything. And he decided to cut off every piece of contact with him and now they're nothing. Eddie has lost his best friend, and it was because Richie couldn't try talking to him.

But Max was right, Beverly had no clue if Eddie put in every effort he could, but she knew that if Richie were to call, he would answer. She knows Eddie well enough.

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