Stand by Us || Reddie [COMPLETED]

chapter 12

ADULT EDDIE NARRATING:

[We'd only been gone two days, but somehow the town seemed different, smaller.
As time went on we saw less and less of Stanley, Mike, Beverly, Ben and Bill until eventually they just became some more faces in the hall.

It happens sometimes.

Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant.

But don't necessarily have to be out permanently.]

///

2 years later

"You promised you would come!"

"I tried my best! Believe me!"

The short boy pressed his lips trying to hold down his tears while his freckles shined down the moonlight. He wasn't going to cry in front of him. Not again.

"How am I supposed to believe you, Richie?!"

"They tricked me, goddammit!"

Eddie rubbed his crying eyes on a failed attempt to try hiding his tears. It was too late.

"You always do this!" Eddie screamed.

Richie looked around at the dark street: it was nearly 10 pm. The shops were closed and he couldn't spot anyone walking down but he believed Eddie was raising his voice a little too much. So, he gently grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him down on a small alley.

He slightly pushed him against the wall and rubbed their noses together.

"Let me make it up to you..."

"No!" Eddie screamed while getting Richie's hands off him.

Richie backed off him with a worried look. They had had discussions during the last two years dating but he had never seen Eddie so mad at him.

He didn't want to lose him.

"Okay! Sorry!" Richie apologize with a sarcastic tone. "I didn't come to your stupid theatre play for once! So what? I've been to every single one for the last two years!"

Not being able to hold them anymore, tears started rolling down Eddie's teen cheeks.

Richie felt incredibly bad for making Eddie cry. He promised himself he wouldn't do it again.

"So that's what I was? Just a pity favor because of my mom's homophobia? You know if it wasn't because I dated you she would still talk to me!"

"Wait... You said dated?"

"Yeah, Richie! This is over." the hurt boy decreed.

Richie, now also with his eyes full of tears, took his glasses off and cleaned them. Eddie, feeling guilty, walked towards him and stared at him with the last heart eyes.

"How many times, Eds?" he asked, sadly, putting his glasses back so he could stare at his boyfriend before it was too late. "How many times are we gonna push each other away?"

Eddie breathed deeply and kept staring at him.

"Until it sticks."

He started walking away from him until he felt Richie placing his hands on Eddie's cheeks. The two boys shared a glance before the fire was extinguished.

"Eds, just let me-"

"Please." he said before pushing away. "Go home."

Richie took his hands off him and watched how the love of his life started leaving his side after sharing two amazing years. He was only seventeen but he knew he could never love someone as he loved Eddie.

He closed his eyes and started sobbing quietly, wishing he could have him back again. He would have gone to one million plays to get Eddie look back at him just one more time.

But the boy kept walking with red cheeks and sad eyes.

//

"O-okay, I'm pretty sure y-you cheated!"

"Oh, so you're calling me a liar?"

"I s-saw you!"

"Very much you did not! Maybe you cheated."

"Guys! Guys!" Beverly shouted. "Nobody cheated, okay?"

Bill sat back down to his chair while Stanley rolled his eyes and sat in front of him. Beverly breathed again as Ben put his hand on her thigh.

"So, who's turn is it?" Ben interrupted.

"I'm not playing with a cheater." Stanley said, crossing his arms showing his protest.

"Do you always have to be a drama queen, U-Urine?" Bill mocked.

"Stop calling me that!" Stanley protested. "You're dead, Denbrough!"

"Oh! Come here and show me what you can do, Bird Boy!"

Beverly sighed again and stood up from the chair so she could sit on the sofa near by. She was tired of watching them all the time, so she got used to it; as well as Ben.

"Told you playing Monopoly wouldn't be a good idea." Ben announced while joining her.

"I just tried to make everyone happy." she confessed, sadly. "Things have been weird lately, I just want them to be like they were before-."

"I'm not trying to be a jerk, okay?" Ben said, rubbing her back. "But we're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think, really? That we were going to play at the Barrens and swim at the quarry for the rest of our lives?"

"Yeah." Bev answered, looking at him. "I guess I did. I really did."

Ben looked down at her and kissed her forehead. Then, he hugged her tightly.

"Everything's gonna be okay." Ben whispered.

"Really?" she said, against his chest. "Where's Mike right now?"

Ben took his arms off her and sighed softly.

"See? You don't know and you don't even care. And obviously he doesn't either and I don't blame him."

The sweet boy nodded while Bill and Stanley's yelling was playing as the soundtrack in the background.

"I'm sorry." Ben said.

Bev smiled shyly and kissed his cheek.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Ben. You're the only one who still treats me the same."

"Y-you owe me!" Bill shouted.

"Stop making stuff up!"

"I can't b-belive you ar-"

But before Bill could finish his sentence somebody had rang the front door's bell. They were at Bill's house and they weren't expecting anyone so Bill walked slowly towards the door and froze before opening it.

He looked back at the other ones and opened the door.

A crying teen was standing there with red eyes and his body shaking. His curly hair was all messy and he wiped his tears before pronouncing anything.

"He broke up with me..." the boy said, sobbing.

Bill watched him with sad eyes and let him in.