affection || reddie 💫

Chapter 41

"So the weirdest thing just happened.." Mike announced as he sat down at the cafeteria table.

"What is it Mikey?"

"Hannah Gray just asked me out. Hannah Gray."

Richie huffed a small laugh, although he didn't look up to meet anyone's eyes, "oh yeah you can thank me for that, she asked me out the other day so I told her to go for you instead," he shrugged, "so did you say yes or what?"

"No of course not! Sorry but the last thing I wanna do is date someone, especially her.."

Beverly covered her mouth dramatically and laughed, "Mikey!" she huffed, "we'll get you a girl eventually, or a boy if you're into that too."

Mike just smiled and shook his head, the other losers beginning to talk inaudibly in the background, it was lunch now and Richie was still traumatised from before. He was trying to hide it, Eddie could tell, but he wasn't very good at it since he was sitting there staring down at the floor, probably too scared to look around at anyone.

Richie could feel a bunch of eyes on him, in fact, it felt like he could feel everyone in the schools eyes on him. Talk about what had happened that morning spread quickly and he'd already received multiple homophobic comments within the past few hours. He fucking hated this place. Richie could've also sworn some boys had swerved past him in the halls just to avoid touching him, as if he had some sort of plague or some shit, it was so stupid and the fact that it was all anyone was talking about right now made it even worse.

"Richie why didn't you tell me?"

"Huh?" Richie snapped out of his thoughts and shifted his gaze to Eddie.

"That Hannah asked you out, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think I needed to, it's no big deal, I mean I knew you'd probably just get mad or something.." Richie trailed off, continuing before Eddie had any time to reply, "besides, it's not like anymore girls are gonna ask me out now so you don't have to worry, I'm officially the schools big 'disgusting homo', which is just sooo great, just what I needed, everyone knowing my business—"

"Rich—"

"—now all I'm going to hear for the next two years of my life is 'oh look there's Richie Tozier the faggot! If you're a boy don't go near him cause he might just stare at your ass!' so fucking stupid, I hate this goddamn town," Richie prodded at his food aggressively before groaning and pushing the whole tray away from himself, flopping his head down onto the table.

"Richie..."

"Wake me up when this is all over, Ed's."

Eddie wanted to hug richie so bad, touch him, comfort him, but he was scared. Everyone was practically looking over at their table, whispering about Richie, and he was scared that if he began touching Richie then people would start labelling him as his boyfriend or whatever and rumours about Eddie being gay would start going around too. He knew it was stupid. He wished he could be brave for Richie. It was pathetic, who cared about what anyone at this school thought? But it wasn't them who he was afraid of, it was more his mother.

For the rest of lunch, Richie sat there with his head down, feeling like it kinda protected him from getting any homophobic slurs thrown at him.

Eddie also death stared anyone that walked by who even remotely looked like they were going to say something to Richie, because Richie did not need that shit right now, he was already torn up enough over all of this.

"Hey you never answered my question from before, you coming over Friday?" Richie asked, standing up and throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah of course, just gotta ask my mom, it'll be hard to convince her but I'll do it for you," Eddie smiled.