𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐭. 𝟏 | 𝐞 & 𝐫

E

As Eddie walked away, he felt regret. Such regret. As hard as he tried to ignore it, he knew he overreacted. The stubborn part of his mind didn't want to believe he was in the wrong, but his subconscious knew the truth.

He was left to his own devices as he stood alone. Luckily, the car door was unlocked. He opened it and sat inside, locking the door with an exhale. He still felt his eyes stinging from trying to suppress the tears which he also didn't want to admit he had shed. He gripped the side of the door for stability, feeling as if he'd sink into the seat if he didn't hold on to anything. The car was hot, and his legs stuck to the practically scorching dark leather seats of the car. He winced a bit, feeling uncomfortable, but not knowing where else to go.

The realization really started to settle in when Eddie looked out of the car window and didn't see Richie. 'What the fuck did you do?' he thought to himself, gripping the steering wheel of the car. "What the fuck did you do?" He said to himself again, this time out loud and a bit over a whisper.

Richie had been gone for quite a while. It had to have been at least forty minutes of Eddie sitting in that blazing hot car with paranoid thoughts filled his mind, him not knowing what to make of them. 'Fuck you.' he thought, not knowing if it was directed towards Richie or himself. He sat back in his seat, trying to ease the tension built up in his shoulders.

The car was quiet. All Eddie could hear, apart from his own thoughts, was a bird, which was sitting on a branch near the car. The bird was a dashing shade of blue with an indigo hue on the back, but a creamy, cerulean color on its underbelly. Birds. He hadn't really observed them in a while. He didn't have anyone to observe them with since he'd left Derry. Everything had been so busy, he'd nearly forgotten they existed.

Suddenly, Eddie heard a loud knock on the door, causing him to flinch and nearly hit his head on the door which he was about to lean against. The bird that was perched upon the hickory branch flew away with the noise, probably startled. Looking up, Eddie saw the noise was from Richie, who was blankly staring at the door. "Jesus christ," He muttered from the shock, reaching over to the driver seat to unlock the door on that side. He unlocked it, and pushed it open. Richie didn't react - he just stood there. Eddie watched in confusion and slight annoyance. His glance looked down at Richie's shirt, which was wet, probably from sweat. The boy looked tired, borderline exhausted. "Where the fuck have you been?" Eddie said, harshly, trying not to show he cared as much as he did. And god, he did.

Richie looked obviously out of it. Eddie watched as he slowly got into the car, not even looking back as Eddie. Richie was in the driver's seat, but Eddie has a feeling. A strong feeling that Richie definitely shouldn't be driving. "Do you want me to drive?" Eddie said, trying to change his tone from annoyed to a more gentle tone, although it was extremely difficult. A silence. "No." Richie said in a quiet voice. Eddie got a sick feeling in his stomach, as if the unheard pitch and balance in the universe had dropped. He swallowed, trying to brush off the feelings. "Let me rephrase," Eddie began. "I really think you should let me drive right now." Eddie finished, hoping Richie could pick up on the hint and accept it. "I think it's my car. I should be able to fucking drive my own car." Richie replied in a rather rude manner, gripping the driver's seat. Eddie could tell something was wrong. "What's your-" The words "what's your problem" were on the tip of Eddie's tongue, but he dismissed them. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay." He said. "I'm not gonna argue. Either you let me drive or you don't. I just want to help." Eddie finished, trying incredibly hard to not slap him with every single word and insult to get his frustrations out. Richie sat for a moment, then finally acquiesced. The two switched seats and closed the door.

R

Richie leaned back in his seat, feeling sick. His hands were shaking and he felt sick to his stomach. Fighting with Eddie was awful, but it was nothing compared to the words spoken on the phone call he'd taken merely minutes before running back to the car.