pop || reddie

six

Warnings: mention of s*icide by c*tting, mention of drugs, bullying

Being the new kid, Eddie has had many people try and talk to him. People were interested in where he came from, who he is, blah, blah, blah. Once they see him with Trashmouth Tozier, they usually back off and decide not to be friends with him. Eddie's kind of grateful for it; he's happy with the friends he has, and people are starting to bother him with their incessant questions. Richie is like his bodyguard. Tall, strong, handsome... Eddie needs to stop thinking about it.

There was one kid that he enjoys speaking to in school. Ben Hanscom had been paired with him on a project in history, and Eddie had marveled at his eloquence and soft nature. It was something he hadn't expected, with Ben being this tough-looking jock. Richie often teases Beverly for liking him, but Eddie can see why she does.

Eddie has also befriended a boy named Mike Hanlon, someone who Richie and the others always just call "homeschool." Eddie ran into him while the farmhand was out delivering meat, and they had spoken for a little bit. Mike's a nice kid, quiet like Ben, and somehow wise far beyond his years. Eddie sympathizes with his want to make more friends, as he used to be homeschooled by his mother back in Pennsylvania, up to middle school. Mike lives on a farm, too, and Eddie finds that so interesting.

He decides to bring his two new friends together, thinking they would enjoy each other's calm energies. He speaks with Mike about it first, getting the green light to invite Ben to the Hanlon farm. Mike said it was okay as long as they helped with chores, something that Eddie finds exciting. He's always loved animals.

Eddie debates on whether he should invite Richie along. He decides not to. He loves spending time with the boy, but he's wild and loud and would probably throw Mike and Ben off with his strange nature. Not that Eddie finds it a bad thing. He thinks Richie is hilarious and pleasant to be around.

Eddie has a lot of fun with Ben and Mike. They're good at discussions, he notices. They like to casually debate back and forth, and Eddie joins in sometimes.

"What's running track like?" Mike asks as he prepares the chicken feed.

"Oh, it's amazing. Keeps me healthy and happy." Eddie smiles, sitting on a table in the shed. "Sometimes it's good to just run and let all your thoughts dissipate. I've got to see if I can join the Derry High team next year."

Ben laughs a bit. "Oh, I'm sure they'll let you. Our track team sucks, so anyone whose legs work is pretty much automatically on the team. Maybe you can carry us past the first round of competition."

"I hope so." Eddie replies. "I don't know what I'd do without track. I mean, I guess I'd keep running anyway, but being on a team makes it better."

"Humans are like animals in that regard." Mike speaks, picking up the buckets of feed with surprising ease. He's really strong from all his years of hard farm work, Eddie notices. Eddie wonders why his eyes are always drawn to the way boys are so... strong. Like Bill- Bill's unique. Eddie thinks he is strong and good, like a knight in an old movie. "Like the chickens here. They're extremely social. They can get very sad if they don't have contact with other chickens. It's a natural, primal need that's embedded in us humans, too. Being part of a team."

Eddie hops off of the rickety table, and they follow Mike to the chicken enclosure. It's a large field with a coop in the center, and all the chickens run over at the rustling of the food. Eddie helps sprinkle the seed over the fence, smiling as he watches the animals' behavior.

After they all finish feeding the chickens, Mike carries the empty buckets back into the shed, sighing as he puts them down.

"What do you guys think about Richie Tozier?" Eddie asks, and both boys look up at him with interest.

"Richie Tozier?" Mike asks, then chuckles. "I'll never forget meeting that boy. He was absolutely stoned, trying to take our apples. It was hilarious."

"What happened?" Eddie giggles a bit, imagining it.

"I walked up and scared the shit out of him, and then he apologized and promised he wouldn't do it again and ran off." Mike laughs harder at the memory. "Gosh, I didn't even say anything to him. He just freaked out."

"That sounds like him." Eddie grins.

"I know he hangs out with Beverly Marsh. She talks to me sometimes, and she's said a little about him." Ben says, and Eddie tries to gauge if there's any interest in Beverly hidden in his voice, but he can't seem to read him. "He gets high with her sometimes. I know he's really loud and kind of crazy, but he seems nice, and apparently he's actually, like, really smart."

"I'd believe it. It seems like there's something hidden behind those eyes." Eddie nods, leaning back against the shed door. He tries to get himself to stop thinking about Richie's eyes, those chocolate orbs that won't stay off of him, peering up through dark, curly hair. "I eat lunch with him and his friends, and sometimes I hang out with him outside of school. He's fun to be around."

"I heard he had a whole breakdown in seventh grade." Ben recalls, and Eddie's eyes widen a bit.

"A breakdown? What do you mean?" He asks.

"He got bullied a lot back then. People called him a... a queer, you know. They would throw razors at him and tell him to use them. So, one day, someone threw a razor and he picked it up and started yelling at them about how he would actually slit his wrists. Like, with the razor poised and ready. Some teacher had to tackle him, apparently. He got expelled." Ben replies, shaking his head sadly at the story. "It's only a rumor, but people know people who went to his old school in California. I've heard it lots from trusted sources. But I don't know if it's, like, actually true."

"Wow. That's awful." Eddie breathes. "I hope it isn't true."

"Me, too." Ben nods. "I hate spreading gossip, but I just... I don't know if he's totally stable."

The words feel like a slap in the face. Not totally stable? Eddie knows Ben doesn't mean it in any cruel way, but it still sounds like an insult.

"I feel like he's stable now. I've seen him around town with his friends. He seems to be doing well." Mike says, and Eddie calms down a little bit.

"I think he's doing great. Richie seems like a happy kid, overall." Eddie agrees, and Ben smiles.

"I'm glad. I hate hearing about stuff like that, you know? Derry is a messed up town, so you end up hearing a lot more bad news than good news." He says.

Eddie's been in Derry for less than two weeks, but he agrees on an almost spiritual level. Derry isn't a good town. It's sinister.

Derry has a mind of its own, and it's out to destroy.