𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 ! | 𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕖

homeschool!

Sonia Kaspbrak was one fucked up momma. She provided her only child with too much care, overwhelming him constantly. She fed him things like weight-loss supplements and organic foods. Eddie always questioned her techniques. Why would she switch from thinking he was too skinny and he was too fat? Eddie had never drank a coke before. Eddie was certain that he would cross 'drink a coke' off of his bucket list just to piss his mother off.

Eddie became quite rebellious during the losers club split-up. He cut-down the amount of pills that he would take (he flushed the rest down the toilet) and he would stand up for himself more often. Sonia didn't like this one bit.

Frank Kaspbrak passed away when Eddie was just a baby. With the lack of a father in his adolescence as well as the lack of a sane mother, Eddie obviously struggled.

When Eddie and Richie heard the front door open followed by Sonia's booming voice, they panicked simultaneously.

"You have to get out of here! If she knows there was a boy in my room, she'll disown me!" Eddie squealed, tugging on Richie's sleeves.

Richie decided not to question why a boy in his room would be a problem and climbed out of Eddie's window in a rush. He hung off the roof, listening to Sonia speak.

"Edward, are you hiding something from me?"

"No, momma."

"Go take your pills like a good boy. You're having a smaller dinner tonight, I think you could use the weight loss."

Richie almost laughed. He could use the weight loss? It was incredibly ridiculous. Eddie was very skinny and short for his age, but it wasn't really a surprise that his mother wanted her son to be 'perfect and safe'. And if Eddie didn't know how to survive on his own, he wouldn't be able to leave her.

Richie heard the door close and lifted himself back up to see Eddie.

Eddie must've thought that Richie left already, because he took the box back out and slid Richie's coat over his yellow sweater. He wrapped it tighter around him, but he didn't cry. Eddie had tears running down his face so often, he didn't think there were any left. He took the record off of the record player and instead grabbed his Walkman, sliding in a cassette tape which had words on it that Richie couldn't seem from that far away.

Richie was glad that Eddie could feel safe just by wearing something that reminded him of 'the trashmouth'.

Eddie didn't feel safe. The coat that was wrapped around him told him that there was still good in the world. He didn't feel safe; he felt hopeful.

Richie decided to get going, he needed to pack his bags and find a place to squat anyway. He sat his bike up, hopped on, and pedalled down the street. All the while, Eddie was doubting that he could ever like a girl the way he liked Richie.

He arrived home, but thought for a moment. How was he going to survive? Would anyone actually take him in? He felt as if no one loved him enough to offer housing to him and after the whole clown thing, he sure as hell didn't want to live on the streets or in Neilbolt house. He was about to open his front door when he remembered Mike Hanlon.

If anyone could offer Richie best advice, it was Mike Hanlon. Even with their time apart, he knew that Mike wouldn't mind.

Mike Hanlon was a handsome young man. If it weren't for the town's racist values, every girl in school would want to be with him. He was strong; a farmer who could carry bags and bags of wheat as well as carry a sheep on his back (that was just to show-off). Mike was intimidating to people who didn't know him, but the people who did know him knew that he was just a big softie. He used to make daisy chains with Beverly and Eddie for the losers. Richie refused to wear one, but when Mike gave him a sad look, he went along with it and wore a daisy chain. Mike missed the losers everyday, but he knew where his duty lied. The farm was more important than public education to his grandfather.

Leroy Hanlon was a man who 'knew his place'. He understood that the people of the town would never like him because of his skin. Mike's parents, Bill and Jessica Hanlon, perished in a fire on Harris Avenue. They were trying to get to Mike in the next room who was just a little boy at the time.

Leroy focused on working and the farm. He thought himself lucky to have the farm and to be able to sell the meat at the butchery.

Mike hated killing the sheep so much that he convinced Leroy that he would do extra chores to avoid it. Extra chores meant almost no outings. He only went into town to deliver meat.

Richie rode down to the Hanlon farm with a positive outlook. Mike gave the best advice because he a smart boy. He was smart, resourceful, and compassionate.

Richie made it to the barn, where he hoped Mike would be inside. He knocked lightly, hoping that Leroy wouldn't scream at him. Instead, he was face to face with one of Mike's uncles, Howard Hanlon.

"Hello, sir. Can I see Michael Hanlon?"

Howard didn't react until he screamed, "Mike! You've got a visitor!" He screamed it into Richie's face instead of turning before he walked away with no expression.

"Richie?" Mike popped his head out of the pen of animals he was feeding.

"Homeschool!"

Mike ran to the door and shut it behind him, leaving him and Richie outside. He was excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet, wrapping his coat tightly around his brawny figure.

"What are you doing here? Is the losers club getting back together? I'll get the daisies-" Mike went to scurry off to collect flowers when Richie pulled him back.

"I have to talk to you." Richie sounded serious (which Mike didn't know he could do).

"What about?" Mike matched his serious tone.

"I only have tomorrow before my parents kick me out."

"Woah, seriously? I knew that your dad's a dickhead, but he's still at it?"

"Yeah, I just don't know what to do and I thought you would have some ideas."

Mike paused in thought for a solid twenty seconds. "You should keep searching for places to crash, I'm sure someone will get it. If not, you can always sleep in the hay here."

"Wait, really?" Hay wasn't much, but it was better than being completely homeless.

"Of course, dude. I don't know if my grandpa'll like it, but you can stay here until you find some place better."

Richie almost cried right then and there. He pulled Mike close in a tight hug and Mike wrapped his strong arms around Richie's lanky figure.

Mike and Richie used to have such a quiet bond, understanding each other's trauma and helping each other to feel better about themselves.

"Thank you so much, Mikey. You don't know how much this means to me."

Richie and Mike talked for a bit longer before they parted, Richie walking home to prepare for the move.

But when he arrived home, all he could hear was sirens and all he could see were blue and red lights flashing.