Brushstrokes (Reddie AU)

No Future

Before the day even finishes, I get called down to the office as well. I'm scared, because I have no idea why they would want to talk to me. Maybe it's because I skipped painting. Oops.

I wait in the office for about ten minutes before the counsellor, named Mr. Gray calls me in. I only spoke to him two times before then, he's not the most sociable counsellor in the world.

"Am I in trouble?" I ask as soon as I sit down. "You can't prove that the graffiti was me."

He chuckles lowly. "No, boy, you're not in trouble at all. I've got a question for you though. You've got a 3.9 GPA, which makes you one of the most exceptionally bright students in the school. But you haven't applied anywhere, and most schools aren't going to be taking applications for much longer. So I'm wondering where you've decided to apply to. There's not much time."

I...what?

He's fucking with me, right? There's no way I have a 3.9. Yeah, I'm smart, yeah, I do my homework, but I'm not one of those kids. The kids that get 3.9s are the kids that are overworked by their parents. My parents don't even know I'm dating Eddie.

At least I hope I am.

Am I?

More on that later, the big thing is, I have a fucking 3.9. It's insane. And I had never even imagined that I would get into college. But I can. And I'm broke as hell but hey, it's worth a shot.

"Let me think about it," I say. "I'll talk to my mom and then come back with my plan." I flash him some finger guns before heading out of there.

I send Eddie a quick text telling him the news. He asks if he can meet me at my place to "talk". And I would be worried, but he already broke up with me once today, so I know it'll be fine.

He arrives at my place on his bike about an hour after I originally get home. He takes his time coming inside, and as I'm watching in the windows, I realise I'm shit at interpreting his emotions. Which isn't fair, because I deserve to know that he's feeling. He opens the door and sighs. "I'm proud of you, Richie."

"Mr. Gray wants me to apply to schools," I inform him with a roll of my eyes. "But maybe, if I make myself look really good, I could interest Yale."

He laughs. I love his laugh but not when it's directed at me. "That's dumb. You don't want to go to Yale. You can't afford it either. You shouldn't go to a university because of a guy. This isn't Legally Blonde, this is real life. We'll have loans to pay off until we have grey hair. Don't go to college for me."

"But I can't say goodbye," I whisper, looking up at him. Shit shit shit, I'm going to cry. I'm going to fucking cry.

"Are you going to cry?"

I shake my head but the tears have already formed. And those little bastards are going to fall very soon. Damnit. Not the time for this shit.

And then they do fall. Fuuuuuuuck. I hate crying in front of him. I feel so vulnerable. So weak. And I'm all out of jokes to tell. There's no way to joke myself out of this situation. He just watches for a moment before stepping closer.

"Let's just...think about this. What do you want to do? Think about yourself Richie. Don't think about me, or your mum, or Stan or Mr. Gray."

But he's all I can think about. He's all that matters.

I want to make people laugh.

I want to write funny things. Funny stories, funny jokes, so that humor can lift other people up as well as myself.

And I want Eddie. I want him to stay with me. Not that he can't go to Yale, because I want him to. But more...I want to still be his boyfriend when he leaves. And I want to call him all the time and tell him stupid stories and meet him on the weekends. I want to do the impossible and fight through the challenges that get thrown our way. Could he ever understand? Could he ever know? Or am I the idiot who dreams too much?

"I could try journalism," I mumble and look up at him. "I could make people entertained with my charisma and humor..."

He smiles. "You can do anything, Rich. And you know that everyone believes in you." He steps forward. "Can I kiss you?"

I don't know how to answer.

So I nod.

It's not our best kiss of all time, or the most romantic, but it certainly has some magic in it. The way he holds me close...

"I kind of hated you for about ten minutes yesterday," I inform him after we pull away.

"I hated myself too," he tells me. That's news. "I shouldn't have said it like that. You're not a fling to me, I just...I want to get out of here and never look back. I want to go to college and completely reinvent myself from scratch. No more awkwardness, no more overalls...but that doesn't mean I have to get rid of you. I think we can make it work."

I think my ears are playing tricks on me. It sounds so magical, way too good to be true. He doesn't want me. "But what about hot college guys?"

He licks his lips. "I don't even know how you could ask that when you're the only person I can look at. You take up my mind, my body, my soul. And I'm willing to do everything in my power to keep us strong through this. After all, we've been through worse. Bill says he's writing a story about us fighting an inter-dimensional shapeshifter."

I kiss him again just for good measure. Better safe than sorry.