𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 | ͏reddie

25

So my A levels are already taking over my life 😭 But 40k... lets gooooo!
_____

Eddie escorts himself out of the classroom and bolts towards the nearest restrooms. For now all he can do is scramble for his inhaler that sits waiting inside his red fanny pack whilst his feet carry him quickly through the silent corridors. Thankfully there's not another human in sight, as for now, so he isn't embarrassed to pick up his speedy walking to more of a panicked jog instead.

He pulls the trigger of the aspirator and gasps in the medication, neat curls bouncing on his head along with the hurried movements of his body. It feels like a lifetime that he's trying to escape the nightmare of Sarah and reach the bathrooms. Not for a moment does he consider what he would do if there was somebody in the stalls once he arrives, but that's a problem for later. Right now all he cares about is getting away to hide somewhere, and once the small boy spots the male bathroom sign in the distance, his lungs don't feel as tight.

He paces quicker towards the door, faster and faster, until he's almost made it. Then suddenly he's stopped in his tracks, heels digging into the floor so that he doesn't go crashing into the person in front of him. He looks up frantically to see a familiar face framed by an array of auburn curls, her eyes glistening with guilt and sympathy mixed into one.

"B-Bev?" Eddie struggles for words as he backs away from the girl.

"Eddie, please. Can we talk?" She takes a step towards the boy, but only for him to back away even more, his eyes flicking between her and the bathroom in the close distance. "Please, I-I just want to explain." Her voice is pleading and eyes glossy.

"I-I can't." Eddie's eyes stay glued to his desired place of hiding in the distance, not playing attention the the pleading look on Beverly's face.

"Eddie, I'm so sorry, please just let me explain everything–"

"I-I have to go." Eddie accidentally talks over the girl, finally turning to look at her flushed face. She reaches out to take hold of his tiny arm, but by then the small boy has already began to walk around her.

"Just wait!" Beverly calls out with a shaking voice one final time. She turns her body towards the direction that Eddie leaves in, a single tear falling down onto her cheek before he disappears into the bathrooms. "I'm sorry."

Inside the bathroom Eddie scrambles to shut himself inside a cubicle, fingers shaking as he fumbles with the lock on the old door. Once inside he lets out a deep breath and rests back against the door, feeling his body melt against it with relief. He's finally alone. He steadily breathes in the medication from his aspirator in peace, taking long breaths between each puff to calm his lungs. Eddie stays like this for a while, simply trying to relax and take his mind off Sarah and now Beverly too. He could really use Richie as a good distraction right now, but no doubt he'll be smoking somewhere in a hidden spot around the school.

Eddie ends up taking a reluctant seat on the toilet lid and resting head in hands for the rest of the lesson. He didn't plan on taking such a long amount of time out of lesson, but the boy quickly gets lost in his own thoughts whilst repeatedly twisting his inhaler between both hands. He thinks about whether he should let Beverly explain herself or not, and if he should've just ignored Sarah and got on with the work.

But then he finds himself thinking about Richie; his hands, his touch, his love. Eddie doesn't realise one of his hands has let go of the inhaler and is now resting on his own thigh. It feels like Richie's hand does when he rests it onto Eddie's thigh whilst he's driving. It feels comforting and raises a warm feeling inside of Eddie. He smiles contently and closes his eyes, letting the hand trail up his thigh until it's wrapped warmly around his stomach instead, hugging his body tightly.