𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡.

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 | 𝐞 & 𝐫

 "Stanley's been dead for seven months."

Eddie didn't know how to react. That seemed to be a common theme for him nowadays, not knowing how to react. There was practically no emotion that could describe how he was feeling at that very moment, maybe agony. It could be the feeling of trying to desperately hard to get something on the top shelf but your arms don't quite reach, or somehow more realistically, in a movie when someone is dangling from the edge of a precipice, trying hopelessly to cling to the sharp cliff, but they send them tumbling down the mountain, the sounds of their skin scraping against the tapered rocks reminiscent of a cruel sort of laugher.

But was he, in any way, truly a victim? Partially, he thought he was to blame. He was the one who hadn't been there for his friend, hell, his best friend. Someone he thought so highly of turned into someone he barely thought of at all in such a short period of time. He clouded his mind with thoughts of his work and school to forget all the pain Derry caused him. He convinced himself he was busy all the time, but was he really? Maybe he was just so dreadfully and devastatingly bland.

Then again, how was he supposed to know that any of this was happening? He hardly had contact with anyone from Derry, and he didn't care to. It was supposed to be a new chapter in his life - leaving behind all of the pain, all of the suffering and mental olympics that Derry had caused him to endure. Who was to blame?
Life can be so unfair.

It'd been a good minute that they'd all been standing there, waiting for someone to say something. "This is so fucked up." Eddie muttered, snapping Richie out of his own thoughts. Richie's eyes darted to Eddie, who was walking back outside. A gust of wind blew into the house as Eddie shut the door, caused Richie's chills to even get chills. This was before Beverly could say anything, and before Ben could comfort her by touching her shoulder, which he did shortly thereafter.

"Well, that didn't go well." Bev said, not in a sarcastic tone, but in a genuinely frustrated tone. She sighed, crossing her arms.

"Why the fuck would you think that would go well?" Mike said under his breath.

"Are you kidding me? It was literally your idea to tell them the truth." She replied sharply.

Bill rolled his eyes in a 'not-this-argument-again' sort of manner.

Richie noticed that this clearly, despite the extremely poor execution, was a discussed topic before he and Eddie showed up.

"W-Why wouldn't we tell them the truth? They're e-entitled to know it just as much as we are." Bill said, obviously annoyed with the fact that this was even a discussion. He was speaking as if he didn't realize Richie was standing right there - all of them were. He was invisible again.

The only person who wasn't talking was Ben, who was standing there like a puppy, nodding to agree with all of Bev's points (even though they were, frankly, total bullshit) and comforting her like she was a victim.

Honestly, it was pathetic, but Richie couldn't judge Ben - he was doing the same exact thing himself, not even saying a word. Could this get any worse?

Eddie stood on the porch, almost feeling comforted by the creaking noises of the floorboards settling in. It wasn't like the noises back at the cabin - these were softer, and had a lower pitch. It felt like a voice saying everything was gonna be okay, which was exactly what Eddie needed right now. It was still raining, of course it was, but that was the least of things that could bother Eddie right now. He was still in the dark, and not just because of the clouds in the sky blocking the sun - he didn't know anything about the passing of his friend, he didn't know why they hid it from he and Richie, and he didn't know how he was going to explain why the two of them left Derry.