Richie's been struggling with his sexuality for years, unsure of what everyone would think of him when they found out his secret. After defeating Pennywise with the other losers, he's clueless as to where his life is leading him.
Little does Richie...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The school day ended by the sound of a rickety, old school bell. This made Richie jump.
Richie's nightmares were quite varied. Sometimes they were about Pennywise or his parents, or sometimes he had nightmares where he would hear his school bell and jolt awake, sweating with anxiety.
Eddie's nightmares were also varied. Usually, they were about Pennywise, lepers, or some horrible disease that would kill him. But sometimes his dreams would be about his mother. She would be shoving pills down his throat, leaving Eddie to gag and throw them up, leaving him covered in bloody vomit, crying. Ever since he called his medications 'gazebos', his mother didn't hesitate to amp up her game a little bit. The pill consumption only became worse as time went on.
Eddie liked hanging out with Will because it gave him an excuse to be away from his mother. He could admit that Will was a little clingy, but he appreciated having someone care. He had Richie too of course, but Eddie was always so nervous around him. He'd also been deprived of Richie and all of the other losers for so long. How much had they changed?
Eddie loved Richie's unruly hair that puffed out like a proud bird's chest (Stan would've liked that analogy) and he loved his funny glasses that made his eyes look kooky and gigantic. He also really liked Richie's Hawaiian shirts, but he hadn't seen one on him since their last summer together.
"Guess who got a new shirt!" The obnoxious boy shouted, entering the club house, frightening poor Eddie.
"God, Rich! Really?"
"You love it."Richie winked at Eddie, causing him to feel like he was going to puke up the butterflies in his tummy.
His new shirt was blue with white flowers on it and Eddie would have to say that it was his new favourite.
"I bought you one too, little one." Richie said tossing it over to Eddie who hesitantly caught it.
Eddie flipped him off for calling him 'little one', but he secretly loved it.
When Eddie arrived home, his mom was thankfully having an afternoon nap on her recliner. He quietly walked up the steps to his room and opened his small closet.
By looking at his closet, it was easy to see what he was like. The closet was filled to the brim with a rainbow of colours. Polos and shorts mostly, but there were also two clean pairs of white sneakers on the floor, identical to the ones he had on.
He leaned down and took out a medium-sized box, marked with a heart.
Opening it for the first time in six months, he was reminded of how he felt for Richie. There were many small trinkets inside the box like a photo of him and Richie on a hammock together, the reminders of an eaten ring pop, and a rock (which hit Richie in the face). But most notably, there was a one-size too big blue Hawaiian shirt sitting inside the box.
