Polyester ✨ || Reddie

5 o'clock

Eddie looks at his Clock.

Four-thirty on the dot.

He looks around his house to find pillows and blankets for the rest of the boys. Eddie walks past his mother's room and can't help but walk into it.

As soon as he opens the door the powerful smell of cigarettes, left by his mother, punches Eddie in the face. He turns on the light to reveal the messy room.

Eddie never really went into his mother's room when he was younger. His mother wouldn't let him into her room because she had "Things he didn't need to touch" as she put it.

He walks further into the room, seeing magazines and pill bottles all over the floor. He picks up one of the magazines to see a nude man on the cover and immediately drops it.

Eddie continues walking trying to get the image of his head. He walks to his mom's closet to pull out some extra blankets and pillows. He walks out of the room quickly and closes the door leaving the smell behind.

Eddie walks downstairs and sets the bedding on the couch. He knows he still needs more pillows so he looks into the hall closet.

As he walks back from the closet he sits on the couch and sighs. He can still smell his mother. The smell of cigarettes and nail polish remover. His head falls into the palms of his hands.

The hot tears start streaming down his face. Eddie lifts his head up trying to stop himself from crying. The pain in his throat begins as he tries to hold back his sobs. However, this makes him cry more.

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. Eddie jolts up, he had been so caught up with the pain of his mother he forgot that people were coming over. Eddie wipes off his face, snot getting all over his sleeve.

Eddie opens the door to see the one and only Mike Hanlon, "Hey Eddie."

"Hey Mike," Eddie replies his voice breaking, "C-come on in."

Mike walks in holding his bag, "What's wrong," Mike's expression twists into a face of worry as he sees Eddie's tear-stained face.

"Nothing," Eddie starts. He doesn't wanna worry any of his friends. His problems aren't theirs but Mike always made his feel safe. He was sure that Mike truly cares about him.

Mike was one of the few people who knew about Eddie's insecurities. He didn't push anybody past their limits he always knew what to say and when to say it and at this moment Mike is silent knowing that Eddie is going to end up telling him the truth.

Eddie sighs deciding to tell Mike, "I'm just upset about my mom. I miss her which is weird because she was the worse person in my life. She basically bullied me into believing I was sick. Why do I miss her Mike? Why?" Eddie basically collapses into Mike's arms sobbing.

Mike hold Eddie in his sting arms, "Eddie it's normal to miss someone when they pass no matter how badly they treated you. She was your mother after all."

Eddie doesn't say anything and just hugs back sobbing onto Mike's shoulder. The soft-touch of Mike being the thing Eddie needed right now.

After, about five minutes of crying Eddie pulls away from Mike's tear-stained shoulder, "Sorry I got your shirt all wet."

"It's okay," Mike softly smiles being the most understanding person Eddie knew.

"Thank you," Eddie looks into Mike's eyes, "I needed to let that out."

"Of course Eddie. I know the pain of losing parents," Mike says wiping off his shirt.

Eddie smiles sadly at their shared trauma. Mike lost his parents to a house fire when he was about nine years old.