Summer of '93 - Stozier

15

"Sup, fuckers." Eddie greeted his friends, sitting down at the lunch table between Richie, who was talking loudly to Bev, being his usual trashmouth self, and Bill who was writing and doodling in his moleskin journal.

"H-hi Eddie." Bill mumbled, not taking his eyes off of the page in front of him, scribbling away furiously.

"Whatcha writin', Billy?" Eddie asked, trying to peek at the journal.

"Nuh-nothing." Bill said quickly, slamming the journal closed and sitting up straight.

"He won't tell us." Ben shrugged, biting into his red apple.

"Hi." Stan said plainly, sitting down beside Ben and Mike, chucking his lunch bag onto the table. It was the first time in weeks Stan had sat with them at lunch but no one said anything about it.

"Jesus, Staniel. You look like shit." Richie laughed, chucking a grape into the air and catching it in his mouth.

"I feel like shit." Stan mumbled back, dropping his head onto the sticky blue table and almost immediately bringing it back up and wiping his forehead.

"Didn't sleep well?" Bev asked, taking one of Richies grapes.

"Didn't sleep at all." He corrected her.

"Why not?" Eddie asked, his curious gaze flickering up from Bills journal to Stan for a few seconds.

"Got into a fight with Patty, its nothing, we resolved it, but we were up all night arguing."  Stan yawned.

"Huh-here." Bill passed him a paper cup filled with black coffee, which Stan took and downed it.

"Arguing with Patty about what?-" Mike began to ask, just as the girl in question walked over and sat down on Stans lap.

Eddie groaned quietly, rolling his eyes. He squeezed Richies hand, watching the boys mood drop. Richie smiled at him a little and went back to eating his grapes.

"Stanny? Why aren't you sitting with us over there?" Patricia asked, her voice sickeningly sweet it made both Eddie and Richie want to throw up.

"I wanted to sit with my friends..?" Stan replied, sounding exhausted.

"Oh." Patty said, sounding genuinely surprised for whatever reason. "Well, y'know what would be fun?" She smiled, turning to the losers. "My friend Kate is hosting an end of term party next Friday! You guys should come! I'm sure Stanny would enjoy the company."

Most of the losers agreed, except Richie who hadn't spoke a word since Patty came over, and Eddie.

"Yeah, no. I think i'll pass, thanks." Eddie replied a little coldly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Oh, well-" Patty began before she was interrupted.

"I thuh-th-think it'd be fun, Eh-Eds." Bill said, smiling at him. "I m-mean, We duh-don-hn't get to go to puh-parties often, or like eh-ever, so.. thuh-think about it?"

Eddie chewed on his bottom lip for a second, before sighing. "Fine, i'll go."

"Yay." Bill squeaked quietly.

"So you're all going?" Patty asked.

"Actually-" Richies voice was just a whisper, barely audible.

"Great!" She clapped.

After a few more minutes of the losers talking, Patty glanced over at Eddie who was glaring at her, still holding his best friends hand under the table.

"Babe, I think im gonna go sit with Tara and Kate, I uh," She glanced back over at Eddie. "Don't think i'm very welcome here." She smiled, standing up.

"Right." Stan nodded. "See you after school?"

"Course you will." Patty smiled, leaning down and pecking Stans lips (Eddie, once again, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and squeezing Richies hand). "C'ya later, babylove." And she walked off.

"Bye, then." Eddie muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously, what is your problem with her?" Stan spat after a while.

Eddie, half a chocolate chip cookie in his mouth, looked up at Stan. "Huh?"

"What..Is your Problem." He spat again.

"No problem." Eddie shrugged, hoping it didn't sound too sarcastic.

"Really? Are you sure about that? Cause it fucking seems like you have a problem." The curly headed boy rolled his eyes.

"I don't have a problem! You have a problem! She is the problem!" Eddie argued, raising his voice a little.

"How is she the problem?" Stan asked, clenching his fists.

"Guys calm down-" Ben began to say before Bill covered his mouth with his hand, whispering something like 'Lets see how this pans out.'

"Shes a bitch!"

"She is not-"

"Yes she fucking is! And so are you! I mean- You've always been a bit of a bitch but ever since you started dating that fuckin' Kim Boggs wannabe over there, your attitude makes me wanna slap you! I can see right through that perfect girl act and i know you can too! I also know you know she is a fucking bitch and you're just too much of a pussy boy to admit it because shes the only girl who actually fucking likes your weird ass!"

Stan stared for a moment before standing up and swinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Go fuck yourself, Edward Kaspbrak."

"Gladly!" Eddie yelled as Stan walked away.

The table was silent for a while.

"Woah." Bev was the one to break the silence.

"Oops?" Eddie muttered.

"Duh-don't 'Oops'." Bill laughed. "Leh-Lets be honest, Eddie was juh-jus-hust saying what we were all th-thinking."

"Too right." Mike muttered, biting into his sandwich.

Eddie felt Bill move his hand over on the bench and link their pinkies together. He pretended not to notice, and hoping the others would pass the redness of his face off as anger.

Richie burst out into a fit of laughter after a few seconds, earning a few questioning looks from his friends.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

Richie was howling with laugher and banging his fist on the table.

"Richie?" Bev said, giggling a little.

"Did- Baby-" Richie couldn't talk for laughing. "Babylove?"

"What?" His friends asked in unison.

Richie took a second to calm down, taking a deep breath, but to no avail as he burst into another fit of giggles. "Did she call him b-babylove?" He asked through his laughter.

"What?" Ben asked again.

"Er-earlier! Before Patty left! She-" Richie clutched his stomach, a few people from around the cafeteria giving him looks. "She called him babylove?"

Beverly took a second before joining in the laughter. A few other losers laughed too, not as much as Richie and Bev, though.

"Its really not that funny!" Richie laughed. "But i cant- stop laughing-"

A few minutes later Richies laughter died down and so did Bevs, both of them Red faced and teary eyed.

"Fuck, he's never living that down." Richie giggled, snatching Mikes water and taking a large gulp.

"Too right." Bev agreed.

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Eddie being t h a t protective best friend is what i live for dont @ me