Summer of '93 - Stozier

25

Much later that night, 3:40am to be exact, Richie was still awake, listening to the commotion going on downstairs.

His parents were fighting. They don't often fight. Richie could tell they were trying to keep the noise down, he knew they were fighting about him. It had been going on for about an hour.

"So- so you're okay with this, Maggie?!" His dads voice was loud, even if he wasn't yelling.

"I just want him to be happy, Went! And if liking boys makes him happy, then so be it! Don't you want him to be happy? Hes your son, for gods sake!" His mom was quieter, still loud, but not as loud.

Richie was hugging his blue bear to his chest, staring up at the ceiling of his dark room, a tear rolling down his cheek every once in a while.

"This is Derry! He's not gonna be happy, he's gonna be HURT! Hes gonna be bullied!"

"He's been bullied for this shit for almost ten years! At least he might finally embrace it! Why can't you just except him?"

"Because its wrong! Its not right, Maggie!"

"So what?! Its not as if we can do anything about it! He didn't choose to be like this! He was born that way!" His mom was yelling a little louder now. "Where are you going?!-"

Richie jumped as front the door slammed. He let out a shaky breath and wiped his tears. He could hear him mom walking up the stairs. Her footsteps stopped outside of his room. Richie quickly turned to face the wall. The light from the hallway illuminated a patch of his room and he could see his moms shadow on the wall.

"Richie? Are you awake?"

Richie held his breath, clamping his eyes shut. He could hear his mom walking over to his bed. She kissed the top of his head and whispered, "I love you." and left, closing the door behind her.

Richie exhaled heavily, blocking out all the mean words his brain was calling him, and tried to fall asleep.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Stan couldn't sleep either. With the guilt of what he had done and said to three of his best friends- or- ex-best friends (they probably hate me now), and the constant worry that Henry would send that photo all over Derry (They all have a copy! What the fuck am I gonna do!), his brain was too awake to sleep.

He wanted to apologise to Richie, and Bill and Eddie, of course..

But he knew how much it hurt Richie to be called those types of names, and just thinking about the fact that he had called him them made him feel sick with guilt. He'd thought about going to Richies house and apologising, but he knew what would happen if Henry found out.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Almost two weeks later, Stan had hurt every one of his friends. He'd refused to physically hurt them, so he'd hurt them emotionally. Everyone more confused as to why Stan was doing this, than hurt.

Jenny had become an honorary member of The Losers Club. Her and Bev had gotten really close, being the only two girls in a group of boys and all.

The losers hadn't mentioned anything about Richie being in love with Stan (due to the fact that Eddie had threatened to break their kneecaps if they did, but lets not talk about that).

They were all gathered at Bills house for a sleepover, an official 'Welcome To The Losers Club' for Jenny, though she was a little confused as to why a bunch of seventeen year olds were having a sleepover at their age.

Richie and Eddie were sat on the floor by the coffee table, picking out movies for them to watch while the others baked cookies.

"Have you sorted things out with your dad yet?" Eddie asked.

Richie shook his head, placing the Night Of The Living Dead VHS into the watch pile. "Nope. He won't even fuckin' look at me, Eds."

Eddie took the VHS back out of the watch pile, muttering 'we are not watching that'. He gave Richie a sympathetic look and placed his hand on Richies knee. "Give him some time, i'm sure he'll come to his senses."

"Better be soon, my mom looks as if she's ready to throw him out." Richie chuckled.

"You're mom is so cool." Eddie huffed. "Wanna swap?"

"Nah, then it'd be a bit weird for me to date Mrs K." Richie snorted. Eddie elbowed him.

"Seriously though, my mom would probably send me to a military school if she ever found out that-" Eddie cleared his throat and looked around. "Y'know."

"Oh yeah, that'd be smart, send you to a military school where you'd be surrounded by hot guys, cause that would totally fix your gaynes-" Eddie slapped his hand over Richies mouth.

"Beep beep, idiot!" He hissed through gritted teeth, looking around again to see if anyone heard.

"Sorry." Richie laughed as Eddie pulled his hand away.

"Hi, I al-almost burnt down the kitch-chen so B-Bev sen-sent me out." Bill threw himself down backwards onto the sofa, his legs over the back of it snd his head dangling near the floor.

"Bill that's dangerous! All of the blood is gonna rush to your head! sit up!" Eddie said, hitting Bills face with a cushion.

"Yessir." Bill laughed, sitting properly.

Richie got lost in thought as Eddie and Bill talked, staring out of the window at a bird he'd once seen while out birdwatching with Stan.

"Can you see that bird over there?" Stan had asked him that particularly windy October afternoon, pointing at a blue bird drinking from the stone bird bath in the memorial park.

"That one?"

"Uh-huh. Its a cerulean warbler. Its scientific name is Setophaga Cerulea." Stan had explained, looking through his binoculars. "You can tell its a female because the males are a darker blue above whereas the females are more of a blueish green with a yellow-washed belly."

"Wow." Richie had laughed a little, looking over at Stan.

"What?" Stan had turned to face Richie.

"You are such a nerd! Jesus christ, Staniel."

"Beep beep, Richie." Stan rolled his eyes, fighting a smile.

Richie snapped back into reality, the bird outside of the window flying away as Bill poked Richies arm with his socked foot. "Huh?" Richie furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Bill.

"Why ar-are you being so kw-quieh-het? Its not l-like you." Bill chuckled.

Richie stood up. "I dunno, felt a bit awkward to interrupt your flirting." He joked, pointing back and forward at the two boys.

Eddie picked up a cushion and began hitting Richie with it as he walked away. "Get out! Leave! Go!" He punctuated every word by whacking Richie as the other boy laughed.

Richie dodged a hit of the cushion, still laughing. "Im leaving! God!"

"Get out!" Eddie threw the cushion at him, hitting his face.

"Mike! Eddies hitting me with a cushion!" Richie yelled, throwing the cushion back at Eddie.

Mike poked his head out of the kitchen. "No fighting!"

•*•*•*•*•*•*•
*roblox dance 3*