21

Bakery

Eddie had insisted on paying for Richie's donut and coffee, and with all the medical Bill's about to come his way, he didn't decline.

Richie still needed to finish his painting to sell for rent. He might even have to get an hourly paying job and drop out of school until things were back to normal. Richie could always re-enroll.

Shoot. I forgot to call Don and Andrea and let them know about the accident. What kind of idiot forgets to tell his parents he was run over by a car?

"You okay Rich?" Eddie asked looking concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine, just having trouble remembering to do things."

"Oh, well that's probably normal. You hit your head pretty hard during the accident."

"Right, I forgot you were there. I was unconcious though."

Eddie didn't say anything else. He waited for Richie to bring up whatever it was he had wanted to talk to him about. But Richie felt speechless. He couldn't form the words. He was worried asking about Myra was going to end up hurting him.

"I called you after you left. I was going to leave a message for when you got back to your apartment."

"And you changed your mind?"

"No?" Richie thought what he was trying to say was obvious. But since it wasn't, this meant he didn't know that someone was in his apartment.

"Oh, I didn't have any messages on my machine so I gu---"

"It was Myra."

"My ex wife Myra answered my phone?"

"Yeah, are you two still. . . Together?"

"No! Christ no!"

"I heard her voice and I just thought that maybe. . ."

Eddie had a worried look on his face now.

"Shit. I think she broke into my apartment. I took her key away, she had to have broken in. My fucking window was open! Oh my God, she broke in!"

"We should get out of here then. Go to the police station, fill out a report you know?"

"Yeah right." Eddie scoffed, "I doubt anything will come from it. They're not going to believe that sweet, fat Myra is capable of breaking in. They'd probably laugh in my face."

"Eddie seriously, you need to file a report, and call the police if something happens."

"I'm getting a different lock for the window later, I'm sure that'll do just fine."

"Your an idiot. If this were a horror movie you'd be dead." Richie said matter of factly.

"Wow thanks!" Eddie laughed.

"You'd probably get killed in the shower like in Psycho."

"Wow you are sick, picturing me getting murdered in the shower." Eddie said knowingly.

Richie felt his cheeks get warm.

"That's how it always goes! The pretty, dumb one always gets killed in the shower."

"Hey! I'm not dumb!" Eddie cried.

Richie almost choked on the coffee he was drinking.

It was like no time had passed at all. They were enjoying each others company, and getting along like friends do.

There was no longer a faculty/student dynamic between the two. There was no fear of being inappropriate with one another.

"So, I haven't been back to Derry since I left. How's your mom?"

Richie was caught off guard.

"Oh. Um, she passed away during my freshman year of college. My. . . My dad too." Richie felt strange referring to Wentworth as his dad, he had never been much of a father, but biologically that was his dad.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Eddie had only met Richie's mother once, but he was sad for her.

"Yeah, it's kind of the two year anniversary. It was a house fire."

"That's terrible. How are you doing, considering it's. . . The anniversary?"

"I'm alright. Usually Bill and I talk about it, since he knows what it's like. You remember what happened to his brother right?"

Eddie nodded, remembering the photo of Georgie Denbrough in the newspaper after it had happened.

"Yeah, he understands a little better than Stan does. It's kind of our thing. Sometimes we light candles or eat Georgie's favorite food. One time Bill made a casserole from scratch, the same one my mom used to make. It tasted awful, but it was the thought that counted."

"You guys have a special bond, don't you?" Eddie smiled.

"Yeah. Stan is a great brother, and an amazing boyfriend to Bill, but Bill and I understand each other a little better when it comes to that kind of stuff."

"Stan's your brother now?"

"Yeah. After the fire. They decided to officially claim me as there son. They're kind of. . . Paying for school."

"Oh yeah, how's that going by the way? I mean, what are you studying?"

"Your going to be so disappointed in me."

"Richie Tozier, I could never be disappointed in you. Tell me all about it."

"Well remember how you abandoned me because you wanted me to make better choices than you did, and you wanted a better life for me, outside of Derry?"

"I wouldn't use the word 'abandoned' but yes?"

"Well you fucked up because I am studying art."

"Your going to school to become a professional starving homeless person?"

"Yep, just a struggling artist with a broken leg and a sad childhood."

"I'm happy for you, Richie."

"I know it sounds silly, but I love it. I know its definitely the worst possible choice for college, but I don't enjoy anything else like I enjoy art."

"Can I. . . See some of it?"

A/N: this totally doesn't have to do with anything but do you guys ever see someone, like at the grocery store or in the car next to yours, or whatever and your like "what if that's my soulmate and I dont even know it?" This sounds so stupid but sometimes I meet someone or I'm friends with someone and I imagine what it would be like to be a part of there life, and what it would be like to fall in love with them and weird stalker shit like that wow am I joe goldberg? Should I see a psychologist? I dead ass was like "wow what if I casually flew across the world and staged a meet cute to meet this person?" And then I was like "wow Lee your hella lonely"
But in all seriousness I have tried to date people in my town and WOW. Small racist sexist town and a nonbinary bisexual DO NOT MIX

also everyone in my town does heroin and other elicit drugs, so yeah very sad about that

Anyway sorry this update took all day I was at work and dealing with stupid landlords and stuff