The Phone Calls ☏ || reddie

Relationship Advice

2530 Maple Street, Hawkins, Indiana
Tuesday July 2nd 1992
8:12 pm

Richie sat at his desk switching the batteries in his Nintendo. He had just ended a call with Denise, a girl he got the number of yesterday. He looked at the wall now holding three new numbers to his collection, Denise, Ivan, and Allan.

He hadn't talked to Rosalina or Hannah as much anymore, and hasn't really spoken to the others. Richie was searching for that spark when speaking, but couldn't find it yet. He felt bad, sure, but this was his life, who cares if he wants to destroy others.

Max and Jane were still mad at him, which drove him insane. He hasn't done anything fun to start his summer off, and he can't do anything about it. He can't apologize to them just because they don't think about his love life.

His mind brought up the thought of how he would've been with Eddie right at this moment, if he wouldn't have broken his heart. He doesn't know what they would've been doing but the thought of love life somehow thought it up from the dead. He wondered what Eddie was doing right now. He misses their calls.

Richie then shocked himself, not a huge shock, just a small one, like the ones you get when you go down those plastic slides at a playground.

He looked at his phone, the at the wall. He reached over, picking it up. He held it to his ear as he pushed in numbers. His heart was racing, this would come back to haunt him, he was terrified.

"Hello?" He answered. His voice still the same, well of course it would be. Richie stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. He wanted to say hi, but he didn't want Eddie to yell at him and hang up, but not answering would end up with a dead line too.

"Hello?" He asked again. Richie swore Eddie would be able to hear his breaths from the his side of line. "Sorry, but I don't have all day to wait around." And then, nothing.

Richie put the phone back down, and leaned back into his chair. He brought he's hands to his lips and began to bite his nails, thinking about what he should've said, instead of sitting there. He stood up, then sat back down. He needed to tell someone about his feelings, and though Mike may be in a relationship, he wasn't the best with things like this, he never was.

When Richie was younger and had crushes, Mike would always say rude things, but of course, when they were younger, Mike was never fond of Richie. And as he got older, Nancy was the one he would talk to the most, till it became Mike. But Mike would just sit there and listen while Richie soon figured out what to do. He couldn't go crawling to Mike asking for help. Richie let out a chuckle as he imagined himself crawling like the girl in the Exorcist to Mike asking for help.

He picked up the phone again, about to call Nancy, but realized, she's an adult now and would probably be out doing drugs or something, and wouldn't have time for Richie.

He had really only two options. And he went with the second. He picked up the phone and it rang and rang and rang.

"Hey."

"Hi, Steve?"

"Tis him. What ya need, Rich?"

"You've been in relationships, right?"

"Yeah."

"I kinda need some help." Richie drew shapes on his desk with his finger. "Or more like advice. See, I've been trying to get over E-... this girl, and I can't. I've gotten tons of ladies numbers, and they're all super sweet but I'm just stuck to this one that hates me. And I want to call her again, and just try anything for things to be like they used to, but I'm too scared..."

"Why're you scared?"

"That she'll yell at me, hang up, or just... talk to me."

"But don't you want her to speak to you?"

"Yeah, of course I do. I just... I just feel like it won't be like how it used too..."

"And it won't be. But, just try to make things normal, or, normal like how they used to be. Don't try and force a friendship, don't try to get right back into dating. You're only sixteen, pal. Though you feel like you've met the one, and want to start a life with her. She could be a complete stranger in your future. And as for the other girls... well... uh... just same thing, don't force anything. Treat them the way you treat Jane and Max, and then progressively get more flirtatious."

"But, what if she doesn't want to be friends ever again. Like, I'm okay with her not ever wanting to date me, but I need to be her friend again. It's killing me, everyday I want to call her and make sure her day was amazing, and I want to rant to her about the day I had. I want to hear her tell me how her friends misbehaved In class. I need to hear her voice."

"Then just try talking to her, you have to give it a shot. You don't know if she'll never talk to you again if you don't try. And I get that you think you need her, but at some point you'll move on. You'll be happier without her."

"No, Steve! That's not true, she was everything to me, I do need her! I need her more then anything."

"Hey, hey, don't cry." Richie touched his cheek, feeling the wetness of his tears, not even knowing he was crying.

"Sorry..."

"No, there's nothing to be sorry about, kid. It's okay to miss someone, and it's okay to want them. You have no reason to be sorry."