𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐋𝐄 *.☽ .* 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐔

2

Derry High School, Derry, Maine
Wednesday 13th July 1992
12:44 pm

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"Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Stan. Happy Birthday to you!" All the Losers cheered and laughed, each one of them not only excited to celebrate a birthday, but excited to reveal their soulmates' first words spoken to them.

Stan hung his head, his cheeks flushing a strong strawberry milkshake hue, his hands covering his muddy brown eyes.

However, somehow Eddie couldn't share his friends' enthusiasm. He was obviously excited about Stan's birthday; he loved other people's birthdays, but he despised his own. He was never one to enjoy being in the spot light. He received enough unwanted attention from his mother already. Eddie was starting to get nervous again however for the big reveal.

He felt a hand softly place itself on his right thigh. Eddie looked to his right and was greeted with Richie and his thick milk bottle glasses. "Hey, Eds, it's okay. Don't panic." He smiled gently at Eddie causing Eddie to softly smile back.

Richie turned to face the others and interrupted their little individual conversations, removing his hand from Eddie's thigh. "Okay, okay. Now for the moment we've really been waiting for, sorry Stan. It's soulmate time motherfuckers!"

Eddie wanted to reach for his inhaler.

"Okay well, w-w-who wants to go first?" Bill enquired, peering at his fellow losers who all sat in a circle on the school field around him, underneath a couple of trees, providing a comfortable shade for them all.

"Fuck it, I'll go," Bev raised her hand.

"Oh look, we're getting shown up by a girl again," Mike laughed staring at Richie.

"Okayyy," Bev began to peel the bandage off that her father had helped her put over her wrist. "It says... 'Hey'. Hey?! Is that it?! Fuck me, of course I get stuck with the most boring one, come on!!" This made everyone break out into a never ending spiral of laughter.

"Okay okay, I'll go next," said Ben after recovering from his laughing fit. "Alright mine says... 'Hi I'm here about the job application in the paper'."

"Wow Ben, sounds like you're gonna be a big boss or something," Eddie exclaimed.

"Yeah like the mafia," Richie giggled.

"The mafia don't put ads in the paper dipshit," Eddie teased, shoving Richie's shoulder lightly. Richie just looked at him. The expression on his face confused Eddie. He was frowning yet he didn't look mad since he was smiling slightly. He then snorted quietly like he was amused. Well whatever his expression was, it suited him Eddie decided. But then again, everything did. There was nothing Richie couldn't pull off.

"Guys I wanna go next!" Mike chimed in, breaking the silence between Eddie and Richie that had spread amongst the whole group. Mike already began peeling off his plaster before anyone could object. "Okay. Not too bad. Mine says 'Hey, um, can I borrow a pen please?'"

"Looks like you're gonna have a high school romance Mikey!" Beverly smiled, winking at him exaggeratedly.

"Okay me and Bill are going next," Stan butted in. "I got 'Excuse me, sorry'" Stan frowned. He was a little dissatisfied with how generic his was.

"I g-got 'Help me'. W-what the fuck?!" Bill shook his head, chuckling.

"Maybe you're gonna save your soulmate from a life or death situation Bill. Like a proper superhero or something," Eddie said, building up his friend. Everyone knew Bill was the so-called leader of the group and Eddie knew better than the others that Bill felt a lot of responsibility and pressure with that.

Bill sometimes felt like he should never have let himself be the leader because he'd only let everyone down.

Eddie had reassured him on many occasions though that the role of a leader wasn't something Bill had decided for himself. It was just something that naturally happened, proving that everyone else believed he was a natural born leader and that he shouldn't worry so much.

"Well, I guess that just leaves me and you Eds," Richie smirked at the smaller boy sat to his left.

"I guess you're right Trashmouth Tozier," Eddie smirked back.

"The fuck?" Richie exclaimed after removing his bandage, "Mine says..."

"Purple" The two boys said in unison. They both looked at one another in confusion and curiosity.