𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐀 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 - 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞

Bravery, Maybe

▼

Richie met Beverly and Stanley in the hallway between second and third period. He'd convinced them to skip class and follow him to the back of the school without them pitching much of a fight, and now the trio were leaning against the brick building and passing around one of Beverly's cigarettes, which Stan not-so-politely refused.

Like Eddie, Stanley wasn't very for drugs. Maybe it was a religious thing for Stan, but Richie didn't—and probably would never—know.

"So, Stan the Man," Richie began after sighing smoke through his nose. He turned to lean on his shoulder rather than his back and eye the boy next to him. "Bev already knows, but I'm gonna tell you, too, because... I honestly don't have a fucking clue why. Maybe I'm a masochist."

Stanley quirked an eyebrow in a way that made Richie feel like an idiot before Stan even opened his mouth and told him he was. "You're going to tell me something—something you think is important—for no reason? And you don't want to, but you're doing it anyways?" he asked. In other words, Richie, you're an impulsive idiot.

Richie huffed and passed Beverly the cigarette. "You're good with advice, I guess, alright? Stop indirectly bullying me." It was true; if someone wanted some moral correcting, they should go to Stan "the Man" Uris.

Stan scoffed, but went quiet. Not only was he good with advice, but he was, deep down under all his edginess, a nice person. He knew when to make someone feel cared for and listened to, anyway.

Richie took a deep breath and sighed. He found that he didn't need much motivation to tell Stanley this; he already knew his friend wouldn't mind. The only worry Richie had was whether or not he would think twice about certain things Richie did.

But Stan already did that, so Richie just let it go.

"I'm gay."

Stan glanced at Richie and returned to watching a few birds flit around in the trees. When the silence stretched, he looked at Richie again. "That's it?"

Richie's jaw dropped. "'That's it'? That's all you have to say?" he exclaimed, almost upset. He wanted Stanley to at least act surprised. In a good way. The pleasant surprise.

"Well, I mean, it's not a big deal, Richie," Stan shrugged with a grin.

Richie glared at him for a long moment. "What the fuck are you smiling about, dickhead?"

Stanley returned to looking at the birds as he mumbled, "It's nice to have someone else like me, is all."

Oh. Oh.

Richie cast a quick look at Beverly, and she offered him a reassuring smile. With a bit of hesitation, Richie pulled Stan into a hug. It was stiff at first, but then Stan relaxed into it, and Richie smiled gratefully.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, gay boy."

"I'll send you to hell myself, Tozier."

"I'll butt-fuck the Antichrist, Staniel."

▼

Eddie slipped into the school's library nervously. He'd been sent by the teacher to get a few extra textbooks, and he really had no idea where to start looking. He didn't exactly go to the school library very often (never. He never went. He'd rather not stray from the crowd or risk being late, and it was a rare occasion when he was sent to get something for a teacher).

But when he looked around, he noticed Ben seated at one of the tables, and he almost deflated with how much tension drained from his body. He hurried to his friend's table and sat down.