- 𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗇𝗌 -

22

Eddie was nervous. So nerve-wracking-ly nervous. He was going to ask Richie to dance with him tonight, with everyone watching them on the dance floor. He knew that it was practically forbidden for a boy to like a boy and vice versa for girls, but he couldn't help himself.

How could he when Richie was practically an angel? A mischievous adventurous one, but an angel nonetheless. He loved ice cream like him and skipped school with him. They were the first ones in Derry to feel the unexpected snow hit their town, and Richie even taught Eddie how to ride a bike after Eddie recovered from the car accident and confessed to Richie shamefully (let's just say, Richie didn't take him all to seriously after that confession).

Now that Eddie thought about it, Richie was Eddies first in every way. The first person he's ever dated, the first boy he's ever dated (not like Eddie wanted to date anyone after Richie. There was no one after or before Richie. Only him.), and the first boy to kiss him. So many firsts that he had overcome with Richie, so what was a harmless little dance?

Clenched tightly, His phone lit up in his sweaty hands. Opening the text, Eddie smiled when he saw that the sender was Beverly and that she had given him a thumbs up with the words, Were here, tiger. Make your move. 👍

Eddie beamed. This was going to be a night to remember. The night of him and Richie.

________

"Hey loser." Eddies brown eyes widened at the sight of Gretta Keene standing next to him. Her dark blonde frizz was collected into her signature ponytail and she donned a denim jacket over a dark magenta dress. "Y-you scared m-m-me for a s-second there, Gretta." Eddie stammered nervously. His stammering was so similar to Bills, that Eddie almost laughed when he compared their fearful stutters, though Beverly and Stanley had told him that Bill used to have a bad stutter problem growing up.

"Yeah whatever." She smirked, inhaling grey smoke from a short cigarette dangling between two fingers dangerously. "So i heard you got yourself in an accident, Kaspbrak." Gretta said. Her sly dark eyes were like holes in her face. Eddies face coloured red. "Um...yeah. I kinda narrowly avoided being full-on hit by a car", Eddie gulped, "Richie saved me actually. If it wasn't for him, i would be dead."

Maybe it was his imagination going haywire, but Eddie could have sworn he saw Grettas face show a flash of concern before flickering back to her nonchalant i-dont-give-a-fuck face. "Tozier? of fucking course." Gretta cackled and took another inhale of grey poisonous smoke. This piqued Eddies curiosity.

"What do you mean, of course?" Eddie asked innocently, his eyes wide at what the Keene girl would utter. Gretta glanced down at Eddie before casting her eyes back towards the crowded dance floor. "Um, Toziers gay. He's a faggot. The only reason why anyone respects him is because he beat up Patrick for bullying his teammate", Gretta exhaled, "and we all know that fire freaks a little bit crazy." This wasn't news to Eddie, as he'd seen himself how protectively violent Richie could get when someone hurt someone he cared about. But that didn't lessen or dampen his curiosity.

"But that isn't the whole story. You see, little Kaspbrak", Gretta paused for dramatic effect (what a bitch) "Tozier and Patrick were dating at the time and nobody till this day really knows why Tozier lost his shit over some guy in his team getting bullied by Patrick. I mean, Patrick bullies everyone! It isn't the first time, Toziers seen the shit his boyfriends done."

Eddies heart leaped into his throat.

"What?" Eddie whispered, tears already brimming in his eyes. He willed himself to not cry like a baby, but he couldn't help it. Feelings of betrayal and hurt struck him like an arrow, straight into his heart. The toxicity flooded his system and caused Eddie to pant, as if he had been running a marathon.

"Mmm. But i mean, who's going to pick on Tozier? His family is pretty well-known for being protective over people they love. No one wants to mess with them." Gretta rolled her dark blue eyes and glared somewhat warningly at Eddie, casting him her sneer. "If you want to have a special fling with a boy, don't have it with Tozier. He's not some Prince Charming that'll take you to get ice cream or bandage your elbows. He's a lunatic. They all are. And the sooner you realise that, the sooner you'll learn to just stay away."

And with that said, Gretta sashayed into the crowd, lost among the other hyper alcohol-driven teens that were dancing the night away. Leaving behind Eddie, his eyes cloudy with bitter tears that stung like hell.

Left with hurt feelings and every ounce of previous enthusiasm gone, Eddie ran. Not knowing where he was going, but knowing that he never wanted to see Richard Jonathan Tozier ever again.

________
note!
drama-rama! what a bitch gretta is. 🤭👀