𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 | 𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕖

chapter fourteen: street fighting man

Eddie and Richie were in shock. Where in the hell were they? Of course, where they were shouldn't have mattered too much, Richie just got beat up and Eddie was threatened to have his toenails plucked out.

The last place they were in was Ohio, but they'd never seen this place before.

For a moment, they were worried that the hand took them back to where they started.

But then they spotted a sign that read, 'A Trip To Indiana Is All You Need! Welcome To The Hoosier State!'

"Indiana." Richie sighed, "they really drove us all the way here?" He started to laugh, but not from hilarity. From shock.

"I'm pretty sure they planned this," Eddie motioned to the building they just escaped from. "Our stuff is still with the protesters. All my clothes are in there!" He complained, worrying about his very extensive collection of turtlenecks. "Not to mention all our cash!"

"It's fine, Eds." Richie reassured the boy, "no matter what, we're making it to California."

"Maybe it's not too late," Eddie was frantic now, "maybe we can find a telephone and call our folks. They'll just come and pick us up and we'll pretend like nothing happened." He was pacing. "I've always told my mother the truth and she'll praise me for it. My parents will be disappointed, but at least we won't be stranded-"

"Eddie!" Richie rested his hands on Eddie's frail shoulders. "I'm not going back."

Eddie remained silent.

"I can't go back. Not after everything I've experienced on this trip."

"This trip? This is a trip to you, Richie?" Eddie snapped.

"What else would it be?" Richie was just confused.

"I don't know. We ran away from home! This isn't a trip! This is illegal! This could never feel like a trip for me!"

"Jesus, Edward-"

"Don't ever call me that." Eddie said with fury in his eyes. Whenever Richie called him 'Eds', he quietly loved it. But with 'Edward', it was completely different. "Just-" he began to speak but gave up and walked away from Richie.

"Where do you think you're going?" Richie called after him.

"Home." Eddie replied.

"You can't walk home, Eddie."

Eddie put up his middle finger without looking back, "watch me!"

"Wait!" Richie yelled, "I know someone who can take us home!"

Eddie turned around and sighed in curiosity. "Who?"

★

"Hello, this is Mike Wheeler, who's calling?" The voice on the end of the line spoke.

Eddie was standing outside the phone booth due to Richie's tall figure taking up all the room in the phone booth.

"It's Richie. Your ol' cousin!" Richie could hear Mike's sigh over the phone.

"What do you want?"

"I need a car. And some money. And some turtlenecks. And a ride somewhere."

"What makes you think I have turtlenecks?"

"Look at yourself. Does that answer your question, Mikey?"

Mike sighed over the phone, "where are you then?"

Richie looked around and squinted, looking for identifiable features around the place. "We're in Lafayette near this weird gas station that smells like feet."

"I know the one." Mike spoke, "I'm on my way, I hope it's okay if I bring someone with me."

"Thanks, man! See you then!" Richie hung up just before the machine asked for another coin which Richie snagged out of the dirty gutter.

Richie left the booth and walked to Eddie, "good news, we have a ride! And also turtlenecks."

"Who's the person?" Eddie didn't have the energy to be angry with feelings inside of him. He was so sensitive and stubborn, he could never admit that he freaked out a bit earlier.

"My cousin. He's a real piece a' work." Richie laughed, but Eddie didn't understand the joke. "Just- you'll see what I mean when he gets here."

★

"Is there a Richie Tozier waiting for his bodacious cousin in this vicinity?" Mike Wheeler had his window rolled down and called out to Richie and Eddie. 'Street Fighting Man' was blasting out of the radio, so it was amazing that the boys could actually hear Mike, loud and clear.

And then Eddie knew exactly what Richie was saying. He was a real piece of work.

Mike Wheeler was wearing the most outrageous pink turtleneck that Eddie had ever seen. Even Eddie couldn't pull that off.

Richie jumped up, "Mikey!" He dug into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out an arcade token, "I promised that I'd bring this back next time we see each other." He handed Mike the token through the window as Eddie walked up to join them. "And who's this?" Richie pointed to the boy next to him looking very vulnerable.

"This is Will, he's my uh-" Mike paused, "he's my friend."

"Right." Richie laughed, "nice to meet you, Will Wheeler. Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think so, Eddie?"

Eddie actually laughed a little bit, "love the alliteration." Eddie was actually very well-read for a late teen. If he wanted to, he could probably speak like a man living in Shakespearean times.

"Richie, you haven't changed one bit." Mike laughed, "well, hop in the back and I'll take you and your boy toy to where you need to go."

Richie didn't catch the nickname that Mike gave Eddie (but Eddie sure did).

The boys hopped into the back of the car, "to Derry, Maine." Eddie spoke like Mike was a taxi driver.

"Actually, we have different plans." Richie interrupted before Mike could respond, "we need to get to Califor-"

"Are you shitting me, Tozier?" Mike turned around in his seat, scowling. "California? Don't tell me that you didn't get permission from your parents-"

"Have you not seen our faces in the newspapers?"

"Oh my God, Mike, your cousin and his boyfriend are fugitives!" Will spoke for the first time since Richie and Eddie met him. "We'll go to prison!"

Mike began to drive in the general direction to Illinois, knowing that he had to help Richie out somehow.

Eddie was aghast, "excuse me?"

"You two are gayer than I am." Will spoke, "cut the shit and just get to it."

Mike spoke next, "Will, let them figure that out for themselves." Mike was kind of shocked at how Will spoke, but perhaps he was just really passionate about match-making.

"Okay, so we've met two gay Mikes in the short span of two days?" Eddie whispered to Richie. Maybe the times were a-changin'. "Your cousin and his friend are crazy."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't matter cause we're crazy together, right Will?" Mike overheard Eddie's whispering and spoke to his boyfriend. "Oh, and by the way, Eddie," Mike chuckled, "Will and I are far from friends."