Mad World 🎈 Eddie Kaspbrak

Neibolt

There were only three short straws, and it was hard to believe that both Annie and Eddie had drawn two of them.

Bill stood on the porch, looking down at the proceedings with the air of a general about to march his soldiers off to war.

Richie, who had drawn the other short straw, grimaced slightly, looking up at Annie and Eddie as if expecting one of them to object.

Annie stared helplessly down at her own straw, laid flat in her palm, her stomach churning dangerously once more.

"Annie," Eddie put his hand on her arm, making her look up with a start. "You don't have to."

She furrowed her brow, looking at him in confusion, before looking back down at her straw, evidence that she did, in fact, have to go.

"He's right," Mike spoke up. "One of us will go." But even as he said it, his tone suggested that he really didn't want to go in.

Bev opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to do something really stupid like offer to go in Annie's place.

Annie chanced a glance up at Bill who was shifting impatiently.

Annie shook her head. "I'm going."

She knew the reason they were willing to let stay behind was because she was a girl which was stupid. If one of the boys had drawn this straw they definitely would have made him go.

"Annie-" Eddie began, but she cut him off.

"Eddie you're going in there," she told him. "So I'm going in there. That's just the way it is."

Eddie sighed but seemed resigned to the fact that there would be no talking her out of this. "Geez, Annie... "

She offered him what she hoped was a reassuring grin that elicited a gag of disgust from Richie.

"Get a room you two," he said snidely.

Eddie flushed, turning to glare at their friend. "Shut up, Richie!"

The other boy snickered and then, just like that, whatever lightheartedness they had somehow managed to generate was gone.

Richie swallowed. "I don't guess any of you guys want to offer to take my place and let me stay out here."

There were, predictably, no such offers and the three of them finally moved to join Bill on the porch. As they began to head into the house, Annie hesitated, turning to glance back at their friends, wondering if this would be the last time she ever got to see them.

Don't think about it, Annie thought determinedly, Almost as if on reflex, Annie reached forward to take Eddie's hand, just as they entered the house, the door creaking closed ominously behind them.

Annie glanced over her shoulder to look at it, certain that she hadn't touched it or done anything to make it close.

"Annie?" Eddie tugged lightly on her hand and she turned back to find the others looking at her in concern. She shook her head quickly.

"It's nothing," she said, not wanting to seem like a chickenshit, even though she felt like a chickenshit.

The inside of the house looked much how Annie thought it would, dirty and dusty and smelly.

"Fuck," Richie shook his head slowly, disbelievingly. "I can't believe I pulled the short straw. You guys are lucky we're not measuring dicks."

"Beep beep, Richie," Annie replied, not missing a beat.