you look cute in red

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RICHIES POV
3 YEARS LATER
i woke up with eddie in my arms, and my best friends around me. we'd had kind of a party the night prior and ended it with a movie. my eyes darted to the clock which read 9:37 am. i shook eddie awake and he jumped up.
"why'd you wake me up?" he asks, rubbing his eyes. i wake everybody else up and they immediately know what's going on. eddies the only person who doesn't.
"because i need you out of the house by 10:00, i'm having a work meeting at 10:15. i told you about this last week babe" eddies eyes widen and he rushes upstairs. i run after him and he digs into our closet, throwing clothes around.
"what do i wear? i don't have any clean clothes since our washer machine has been broken and you just fixed it last night." he was panicking. i moves him out of the way and picked out a bright red shirt and shorts. he smiled at me and threw them on. he combed his hair to the side and ran downstairs, shoving a banana in his mouth.
"see you later baby! i'll be home by around 5:00!" eddie says, speeding out the door. i run after him and kiss him in the door frame.
"babe, you look cute in red" i smiled at him and he grinned so wide at me back. he ran out the door and hopped in his car, driving off into the distance. i ran over to the losers house and barged in without knocking. they were all waiting for me.
"is he gone?" bev asks, excitedly.
"yep, he's not coming home til 5:00. we have so much time to set this up. come on!" we all rush back over to my house and get in my car, heading to the store down the street. when we get there, we all rush out of the car and into the store, like little kids. bev picks up too many flower bouquets, mike gets one too many candles, ben gets a lot of food, bill and stan get fake rose petals, and i get eddies favorite candies. when we're all finished and we've payed, we all rush back to my house, to set everything up. bill and stan bolt upstairs, leaving fake rose petals on the stairs leading up to eddie and i's bed. they make a heart out of rose petals on the bed and set two candles on each side of the bed and light them. they race back downstairs to see how everything else is coming along. mike is setting up a table for eddie and i while bev and ben cook fancy meals. i'm cleaning the house, washing clothes and dishes, and frantically running around to make sure everything was perfect. by 1:00, everything was all set up and i was ready to go pick up a few last surprises.
"alright guys, you can head home for a bit, but if you wanna see this happen, i'm gonna hide you all so be back here at 4:00" i say and they all nod as they leave.
"we'll be back at 4:00" bev says with a smile and shuts my front door. i sigh and grab my keys off the kitchen counter and walk out to my car. i drive down the street to the town square, where i'm picking up one of my bigger surprises.
"hi! can i help you with anything today? are you here for pick up for a puppy?" the lady at the front desk asks.
"yes. i'm here to pick a puppy up. a dalmatian puppy?" i say nervously. she nods and looks in her computer. she stands up and goes to the back room. she comes out of the back room with an adorable dalmatian puppy in her arms. she hands it to me and i immediately fall in love with it.
"what are you getting the dog for? someone's birthday? or just to have one?" she asks as i hand her my card. i smile wide, knowing why i was getting the dog.
"it's me and my boyfriends anniversary today. i'm surprising him" i smile wide at her. i expected her to say something like 'ugh' or 'ew! boyfriend' but she smiled at me.
"that's the cutest thing ever!" she says.
"wait so your not like disgusted or anything that i'm gay?" i ask, confused.
"what? no! why would i be?" shes still smiling.
"most people are" i roll my eyes.
"pshh tell me about it! being lesbian isn't easy in a place like this" she says.
"try living in Derry, Maine. they're so homophobic there it's crazy! i grew up there with my friends and we recently moved here to get out of that shithole after we graduated. back in that town we were considered 'the losers club" she gives me a look.
"wait- Derry, Maine? you grew up in Derry, Maine?" she asks.
"yeah why? do you have family there?" i ask.
"no i grew up there. wait, you said the losers club? richie tozier?" she looks at me. i finally realize who it is. the blonde, crimped hair. the bubble gum. the blue eyes. it's her.
"greta bowie?" i cock my head to the side in confusion.
"yeah, your richie right? which one of them is your boyfriend?" she smiles at me.
"eddie. eddie kaspbrak...." i trail off, knowing what she did to him in the past. she wrote "loser" on his cast and i changed the S to a V so it would say "lover".
"oh, really?" she looks sad, her eyes filled with regret.
"yeah......who's your girlfriend? wait a fucking minute, you were homophobic too back then, why have you changed all of a sudden? you bullied bev and eddie for no reason at all and called me gay all the time when i was trying to figure out my sexuality. since when are you not homophobic?" i pet the dog as i get more anxious and angry. he licks my hand over and over again. i don't mind.
"it's not like that- i bullied you and eddie because i always saw a connection between you two. i was going through a lot and i just used bullying to get through it. when you see him, tell him i said i'm sorry" she dropped her head.
"what about beverly? why'd you bully her?" i asked. she lifted her head up.
"because.......i liked her. like, liked her. i had a crush on her. i didn't want her to know so i acted like i hated her" she dropped her head again.
"i'm sorry greta, but your happy now right?" she looks up at me and smiles, and nods.
"i'm gonna get going now, i have more things to pick up for eddie. see you around maybe" i wave and carry the dog out to my car, putting him in the passenger seat. he sticks his tiny head out the window and sticks his tongue out.
"eddies gonna love you, little man" i smile and park at a store with a sign on the front labeled: NEW CARS
i step out of my car and walk inside. it smells like new cars, which makes sense since they're selling new cars.
"can i help you today sir? looking for anything specific?" a man walks up to me.
"uhh yes, do you guys have the new 1996 BMW M3?" it was the car eddie had been wanting since the beginning of the year.
"yes! come with me! when do you want the car delivered by?" he asks, pointing to the new car.
"6:00 pm tonight?" i ask.
"of course. now come to the back with me to register your payment" i nod and walk to the back with him. i pay and get back in my car, to drive home. the dog was sleeping by then, in the passenger seat of my old rundown car. i pull in my driveway and rush inside to make sure everything is set up perfectly. by then it was 3:57 and the losers were knocking at my door. i swung it open and they all rushed in, excitedly.
"i need you guys to do something for me. it's for one of eddies surprises." they all nod in excitement. i run up to my room where the dog was, picked him up, and brought him downstairs.
"oh my God richie you did not-" bev says, petting the dog.
"oh yeah i did. eds has been wanting a dalmatian since kindergarten. just wait until you see what else i got him" i say with a smirk.
"tell usssss" stan whines.
"fine! you guys know the new car that just came outs the 1996 BMW M3?" i ask. they all nod in sync.
"well eddies been wanting one since the second it came out. so they're delivering it at 6:00 pm tonight" the losers squeal in excitement for eddie.
"richie you win best boyfriend award! oh my God he's going to be attached to you after all this" ben squeals.
"just wait.....just you wait...." i say with a smirk.
"now! i need you guys to hide the puppy in the other room near the kitchen until you hear me say "i have a surprise for you eddie" then you let the dog go and he'll run to me. got it?" they all nod and i smile.
"thank you guys, you are the best" we all hug and start making sure everything's perfect.
"richie, it's 5:00. he'll be home any minute. we gotta go guys" mike says and they all scramble to the other room with the dog.
at this moment in my life, i have never been more excited and nervous.