Title//Reddie

Part 14. Friday, August 9th

Bev and Stan are still going strong. Everyone else secretly hates their relationship, but won't say anything. Eddie is warming up to Richie, but before forgiving him, insists on confronting him. Richie is alone in the clubhouse.
"Hey!" Eddie said, climbing into the clubhouse.
   "Hey Spaghetti man" Richie replied.
  "Could you lose the spaghetti?" Eddie asked "I want to talk about something pretty serious"
   "Sure. What's up?" Richie put down his comic book, it wouldn't help in a serious conversation.
  "I just needed to ask, why? " Eddie broadly asked.
    "Why what?" Said Richie.
  "Why did you say what you did." Eddie explained "why don't you like gay people?"
   "I've learned from that Eddie, I can accept you now" He told Eddie "but I can tell you why I said it before.
   "Please do"
"Well, my mom is really supportive, she loves everyone for who they are. But my dad is a whole other story. He's outwardly homophobic and expands his views to other people." Richie said "So I grew up in a household where gay was a dirty word, like shit or fuck. If anyone said it, everyone went silent. My dad would curse the person who even brought it up. I began to internalize his horrible behaviour, and take it out on you when you needed my support most"
   "That was a honest and mature answer. I can respect that." Eddie praised  "can you give me a honest and mature answer to another question; Why did you run away from home?"
  Richie went frozen.
"Run away? No. I got kicked out"
     "My mom ran into your mom at the supermarket. She told the truth." Eddie told Richie.
     "Fuck" Richie muttered under his breath. There was no use in lying, Eddie wasn't like other people. He actually cared to pick up on Richies emotions and tell tale signs.
"I told them something and my dads reaction didn't make me feel safe to live there anymore"
  "What did you tell them?" Eddie asked "If you feel safe telling me."
  "I think I do." Richie said. "I told them-"
He stopped, unaware if he wanted to keep going or not.
   "It's okay. You can tell me, or not tell me. Completely your choice" Eddie reassured.
   "I told them I'm gay" Richie burst.
Eddie went silent. At first he felt rejoiced, Richie didn't actually hate him for being gay. There was even the chance of a possible crush. But when he thought about it, it got depressing.
  Eddies mom never talked about homosexuals, which is a form of homophobia on its own, but she never said anything bad because she didn't say anything. Richie had to listen to his dad be homophobic all his life, a closeted child. And he never got the supportive coming out Eddie got. He got hatred and fear for his safety. As if his life wasn't hard enough, with the rumours at school. Plus the fact that the rumours are true, but he can't come out in his own comfortable way is heartbreaking.
"I'm just so scared." Richie broke the silence "everyone at school hates me and it's not even confirmed. My parents hate me. I'm so scared that other people are going to find out. I'm terrified"
  Richie felt weird being so vulnerable, he didn't even share these dark insecurities with Bev.
  Eddie didn't know what to say.
He wanted to be able to say oh it's fine and everything will be okay but it wasn't true. Things aren't going to be okay in Derry. Derry was a place where you had to be scared people would find out.
  But that's not what Richie needed to hear.
   "It'll be okay. I promise" Eddie lied, sympathy working it's way into his voice.
   "I thought you would understand" Richie said, his voice trembling "someone I could tell without all the stupid sympathy shit. But I guess not"
   "Rich-" Eddie started.
"It's fine. Don't tell anyone else, okay?"
"Rich, they'll be supportive-
     "Okay?"
"Okay"
  "Great" Richie said grabbing his jacket and started to climb the ladder "bye"
Eddie stood there alone, wondering what he did wrong. And why honesty and sadness were the way to go.