Summer of '93 - Stozier

4

It was 11:30pm and Richie was sitting between his parents on the sofa, watching some comedy show and feeling much happier than usual (thanks to Stan).

Richie reached up over his head and stretched his arms, yawning.

"Hm, i'm getting tired, gonna go up to my room and try to sleep, g'nite mom," Richie turned his head and kissed his mother on the cheek.

"G'nite sweetie." She smiled, her gaze still on the Tv.

"G'nite dad!" Richie leaned over to kiss his dad on the cheek but Went pushed him away, covering Richies face with his hand.

"Don't even try it." He chuckled.

"Aw come on!" Richie laughed, trying to move his face forward.

"Nope." Went chuckled again.

"Fine." Richie smiled, dragging out the E.

Went let go of his face.

Richie climbed over the back of the sofa, Maggie smacking his leg lightly as he did, muttering something along the lines of 'I told you to stop that.'

Richie walked towards the staircase, humming the chorus of Elton Johns 'Im still standing' as he did and did a kind of dancing jog up the stairs, now muttering some of the words to the song.

He walked into his room, closed the door behind him, and flopped onto his bed, his head at the bottom of it and his socked feet resting on the wall above his headboard.

"And suddenly, i'm not tired anymore.." Richie whispered under his breath.

What if I called Stan.. Richie thought. Hm, no. I always call Stan. I'm probably annoying him.. no- ok.. i'll call Eddie..?

Richie sat up and picked up the receiver of the telephone that sat on his bedside table.

He dialled Eddies number.

Richie contemplated just putting down the receiver after two rings but then someone answered.

"Edward Kaspbrak speaking." Came a raspy voice from the other line.

"Hey.. Eds! I didn't wake you did I? its only..-" Richie checked his watch. "Eleven fifty."

"Yeah, well, some of us have normal sleep schedules, y'know." Eddie laughed lightly.

"Yeah, I know, I was gonna call Stan but-"

"Damn.. last resort? Feeling lucky!" Eddie cut Richie off.

"No- I- Uhh.. I don't know? felt like i'd be annoying him." Richie shrugged, switching the receiver to the other ear. "Im not annoying you, am I?" He added quickly.

"You always are, Trashmouth." Eddie laughed.

"Yeah.." Richie laughed too.

"No, i'm kidding. But, uh, whats up? i guess?"

"Nothing, really. So.. I wanna see a movie tomorrow and I wanted to ask Stan if he'd go with me but I don't wanna sound clingy or something?? And don't make a joke about how I didn't ask you, cause you know fine well that you have a doctors appointment-"

"Richie?" Eddie spoke slowly, almost hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you like Stan?"

Richie felt his face burn hot as a million questions swarmed his head at once.

"Yeah! Of course I do! He's one of my best friends!" Richies voice cracked nervously, he scrunched up his face while mouthing 'fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck'

"No, I mean, do you like him..?" Eddie reiterated, emphasising the 'Like'.

"I just said-"

"You know thats not what I meant."

Richie screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "Fuck.. Yeah! okay! Fine! I like Stan! Okay? I like him!" he sighed. "Breaking news, Richie Fucking Tozier is, in fact, a homosexual! the rumours were fucking true!" He said in a news reporters voice.

Richie heard Eddie let out a sigh that almost sounded relieved.

The line was silent for a moment.

"Eddie..? Please say something, you're worrying me here, man."

"Me too.." Eddie said, it came out almost inaudible but somehow Richie heard it.

"You like Stan too?" Richie furrowed his eyebrows, speaking quietly.

"What? I- no- uh- fuck.." Richie heard Eddie take a puff of his inhaler before he began to speak again, quietly. "I think I like Bill...? No.. I do like Bill.. Im..-" Eddie paused, trying to give himself the courage to say it out loud.

"-Gay?" Richie finished for him, barely above a whisper.

Eddie nodded but then realised Richie couldn't see that and replied, "Yeah.. Im..- uh.. i'm gay.. i like boys, whoop-dee-doo big deal! okay lets move on!"

Richie laughed a little. "You're starting to sound like me now, Eds."

"Don't call me Eds!"
"Don't call me Eds!" Richie mocked in a high pitched voice at the same time Eddie said it.

Richie and Eddie talked until almost 1am that night, before Maggie came into Richies room and gave him his 'Fifth and final warning' to get off of the damn phone and go to sleep.

And so he did, feeling a lot happier now that he got something off of his chest.