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thirty three

lol i'm not going to lie to you guys sometimes i completely forget i'm writing this,, like i think i've finished this book then it's three days later and i'm like oh! i'm not done!! haha whoops

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It's far into the night when Eddie first invites Richie over. The boys text initially stirred up a lot of confusion on Richie's end, but once Eddie repeated himself and said he wanted to see Richie, all was set into place.

Maggie was working a double shift and Wentworth was too immersed in his movie to even notice Richie walking out the back door. The two may be more on the laidback side of parenting, but never would either one let their son leave at nearly midnight.

A sense of rebellion mixes in with the anxiety that buzzes around in Richie's stomach when he rounds Eddie's house. There hasn't been snow on the ground for weeks now, so he's not worried about the crunch snow makes when he steps in it.

Eddie's window is shoved open, a dull and yellow light slipping out of the room. Richie didn't need to do anything to signal his arrival because a figure the shape of Eddie himself comes to the window.

"Richie," he whispers down.

"Hi!" Richie whisper-yells back up.

"Can you climb up? Like last time?" Eddie asks, both hands gripping the edge of the window. "Or should I unlock the back door?"

Richie takes a step back and runs his eyes along the gutters. He then lifts them to Eddie and breaks out into a smile. "Or you could let down your hair, Rapunzel."

He's not sure, but he defiantly picture Eddie rolling his eyes at that. "I can easily lock you out, Richie," he warns.

A soft chuckle escapes Richie's throat. "I can climb up, Eds," he says, nodding determinedly. "Yeah, just give me one second and your knight in shining armor will be right there."

"You're a fucking weirdo," Eddie laughs out.

Richie shakes his head and gets a running start before leaping up and catching the gutters. From under Eddie's stare, his arms become weak and he feels as if he can't pull himself up all the way.

"Come on, Rich," Eddie says, reaching out an encouraging hand.

With newfound determination, Richie sucks in a breath and lifts himself far enough until he could hook a leg up on the roof.

A smile crosses over Eddie's face, gazing at Richie with pride as the boy meets him at the window. "Fancy seeing you here," Richie says, a hand coming up to grip the window above their heads.

Eddie steps away from the window to let Richie help himself in, then closes it to keep the cold air out. The months may be on the brink of turning to February, but the winter weather is still there to stay.

"Are you sure your mom is asleep?" Richie asks, kicking off his shoes and pushing them to the wall.

Eddie walks over to his bed and takes a seat on the edge. "Yeah," he says, then takes once quick glance over his shoulder. "I haven't heard anything from her room in hours."

Richie gets up off the floor and joins Eddie on the bed, sitting in the middle of the plush blanket and messily placed pillows. The moment he stops moving he feels himself easily sink into the mattress, the foam hugging him.