cliché || reddie ✔️

thirty seven

Richie hates it. He hates it. Every inch of himself is filled with hatred and rage towards the woman standing on Eddie's porch and the situation she's created. She's grabbing at Eddie's face, trying to press a kiss to his cheek while he cringes away from her grasp.

"Ma, I've got to go. I'll see you Tuesday," he says, finally tearing away from her hands.

Beverly and Richie lean up against his car while they wait, the former pushing her sunglasses up to pull back the hair that's fallen over her forehead. It's gotten much, much hotter now that school is out.

Eddie smiles over at Beverly as he gives Richie a quick hug, stepping back just as fast. Richie doesn't need an explanation, as Sonia's sharp gaze is enough of a message.

Beverly graciously takes the backseats, letting the two lovers have the front. The windows are rolled down and Richie's music plays from the speakers as he pulls away from the Kaspbrak residence.

"You guys do know I'm only going to Bangor, right?" Eddie asks, his eyes drifting from Richie to Beverly. "It's only an hour drive from Derry."

"So what?" Beverly asks, shrugging. "That won't stop us from throwing you a party."

Richie nods along to the song, briefly glancing to the boy beside him. "You don't get a say in this, Eds. It's happening," he says, lightly laughing when Eddie sighs dramatically and slips further into his seat.

As a celebration for completing their junior year, Beverly set up her basement for a big double-night sleepover (with a twist). She and Richie both went to her aunt and explained the situation with Eddie and him leaving and, with no hesitation, she said yes to their plans.

Mike's truck is already parked in the street next to Beverly's house which him and Bill waiting in the driveway. Richie pulls up next to them and puts his hand on the car horn, hitting it repeatedly. The whole car plus Mike bursts out into varying degrees of laughter when Bill visibly jumps, his eyes flying wide with fear.

"F-F..Fuck you, Richie," his muffled voice comes from outside the car.

Beverly gets out to press in the garage code while Richie locks up his car and jokes with Bill. "No, guh-g-get off of me, R..Richie," he says, elbowing the boy back.

"Ah, it was funny! Right Eds? You got a laugh out of that, didn't you?" Richie asks Eddie, who lifts an eyebrow and says to keep him out of it.

The garage door lifts and all five of them filter inside. Beverly points out the cooler sitting by the steps leading into the house, saying that her aunt had picked up soda's and juice boxes for their trip.

"We're just waiting for Ben and Stanley then, huh?" Mike asks and Beverly confirms with a nod.

"Sure are. Last time I heard from Ben is he's on his way," she explains, "and Stanley is trying to get away from his dad so he can leave."

And so, they waited. Beverly counted up the money her aunt left for them, Richie and Mike checked the gas in both of their cars to check if it'll last the half hour trip, and Eddie helped Bill pack the truck. Stanley and Ben both arrived sometime in the middle of it all, but opted out in helping as the five already had a steady pace going.

"All set?" Richie asks as Mike closes and locks up his truck.

"All set," he echoes back.

Seating arrangements have already been planned out, Richie, Eddie, Beverly, and Ben in Richie's car, and the others in Mike's truck. Obviously, one car is going to have a much more peaceful trip up to the campsite.

The night Eddie told the others was long and tense and full of too many emotions Richie could've lived without feeling. His chest still swells with sadness every time he thinks of it, which is one of the reason why they're taking the thirty minute trip up to Blue Hill.

Mike leads the way in his car, Richie following close behind. Just like when the two picked Eddie up, the windows were rolled down and music blasted out of the speakers. Eddie never mentioned the volume, or crammed their brains with hearing damage facts, he just sat silently and peered out the window as Derry passed them by.

Sometime into their trip, maybe halfway, maybe more, Beverly tossed her phone to the empty seat next to her and leaned between Eddie and Richie.

"Rich," she says, her eyes trained on the truck ahead of them, "drive up to Mike and the others, alright?"

The two boys throw her questioning looks, but Richie complies. Merging lanes, he challenges his engine and gets into pace with Mike. Eddie turns in his seat to watch as Beverly unbuckles and rolls her window down fully.

"What the fuck," Richie sputters out between laughs, watching as Bill's head emerges from the trucks window. His hair struggles and flaps wildly in the wind, but his grin is as prominent as ever. From outside the car they all hear him whoop and laugh, smiling into the wind.

It doesn't take much of a brain to figure out Beverly is doing the same and the two most likely planned it through texts. She's quick to join Bill, but instead only sticking her head out, she twists to grab onto the rails perched on top of Richie's car. She hauls herself up until she's sitting on the window sill, completely ignoring Eddie's concerned shouts.

"It's alright," she yells down at him. "Come on up if you want."

Eddie shakes his head wildly, then turns to Richie. "Do you see what they're doing, Richie? They're going to fucking die, alright? They're going to fall and-"

"Eds," Richie says, a hand releasing the steering wheel and reaching over, horribly missing Eddie's hand. He quickly finds what he was looking for (not Eddie's thigh) and tries to be as comforting as he can. "Look at them, they're having fun! This is going to be the last time we can do something as a friend group this summer before you're shipped off."

He can't take his eyes off the road, not with Beverly hanging out his car, but he hopes his message is just as genuine even if his eyes aren't pouring into Eddie's.

"It's gonna be alright, Eds," he finishes off.

He hopes- desperately hopes it sounded like it was directed towards Eddie. Ever since the two stood on Richie's porch with the summer heat prickling at their skin, he's lived his days telling himself it's all going to be alright. Eddie's going to be alright.

He's silent for a moment, his hand limply holding onto Richie's. With Beverly's laugh ringing out over the music and Bill's smile so wide and so happy, Richie looks over and watches as Eddie makes a decision.

"Hold my hand?" He asks.

"Always."

Eddie sucks in a deep breath and rolls down his window, the music slowly becoming drowned out and his hair whipping around as much as Bill's. He never once let Richie's hand go, his hold on it only tightening when he carefully lifted himself out of the car the same way Beverly did.

The wind rushes through the car, the lyrics of the music getting lost within in. Richie is sure Eddie has his eyes clamped tight shut and his chin bowed just so he wouldn't have to see the situation he's put himself in. Just like the lyrics, Richie is sure his voice would get lost in the wind too.

Bill retracts his head back into the truck, most likely wind sick. From the backseat, Richie hears Beverly do the same. She falls into the seats with a winded out laugh and combs a hand through her hair.

"Are his eyes open?" Richie asks.

He can feel Beverly pause and swallow whatever she was going to say, instead shifting to lean between the two front seats.

"No," she says, "but he was smiling."

But he was smiling, Richie repeats in his head. He lets out a breath of relief because Eddie is finally living. He's out of the hold Sonia had on him, out of view of Derry's peeping eyes, and in the world.

And he's holding Richie's hand as he does.