Math Tutor 🥀 Reddie

Part 19

Strobe lights danced across the floor as nearly every student at Derry High made their way into the school building.

Tonight the room, which was formerly the gym, was decorated like an underwater wonderland.  Balloons tied to table legs floated in the air.  Blue fruit punch sloshed around in a crystal clear bowl.  It always seemed to be dangerously close to spilling with all the clumsy kids falling around the room.

It was truly the perfect high school dance.  Even Richie, who always made fun of events like this, had to admit that the school board had outdone themselves.

This year was still different, though.  The Losers Club didn't immediately group up like they usually did. 

Ben and Bev sat together at one of the octagonal tables the school had placed around the room.  Mike stood in a circle of people which included the girl who he'd sat with on the Ferris Wheel a few weeks prior.  Bill and Stan had both joined in on a growing conga line.  Eddie sat at a table by himself and Richie had already camped out by the food.

The brown haired boy pushed his glasses up on his nose as he observed the dance awkwardly. Richie felt out of place already. At least before this he had The Losers. Now, he just felt like a spectator watching the dance but not really being a part of it. He started to regret even coming, but his ride wouldn't be there until nine.

About an hour passed and as the night grew older, Ben started to wish he could ask Beverly to dance.  He knew she was with Richie though, and he wasn't going to do that to a friend. 

She looked like a ghost under the lights, her pale skin illuminated with reds and greens and blues. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and her hair was messy from dancing. Ben loved the way she'd been smiling all night.

As for Richie, after about another hour he decided to ditch the dance and go wait for his ride.  It was only an hour wait until the dance was over and he could finally go home.

He stood out in the cold night air, looking out at the vacant school parking lot.

Just one more hour.

Richie had barely talked to anyone all night.  He felt kind of disappointed, although he didn't know what he had been expecting.  It was a stupid high school dance during a time when everything was just wrong.  His friend group wasn't even together.  Until then, they'd been the only constant he could count on.  Whenever everything was going downhill, he knew he at least had them.  Now, things were different, strange.

Suddenly, he heard the school door behind him swing open.  He turned his head quickly to see Eddie standing in the doorway.

"Oh hey Eds-"

"Save it. I'm just waiting for my ride."

Richie winced at the rude remark. Outside the school, there were a few blue tables that kids would sit at during break. He watched as Eddie went and sat at an empty one a few feet away from him.

For a while, they sat in silence, the only sounds being the faint music from inside the school. Richie tapped his foot, trying his best not to look in Eddie's direction. After a few minutes of this, though, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm really sorry, you know?" Said Richie, glancing in the other boy's direction.

Eddie didn't respond.