Eddie's My Boo

2. Friendships

Richie grabbed his backpack, picking up a KitKat that had been almost demolished by his father.
"See ya" he said to his mother, and swivelled round towards the door, his hair wafting through the air.

He stepped forward to the school bus, breathing heavily after running a mile straight. The warm air almost breathed on him when the gear stick was pulled and the bus lowered slightly.
"Get in. Oi, where's your ticket?" The bus driver said, wiping a droplet of snot from his nostril.
Richie grimaced. "Uh, here sir" he handed it to him. The bus driver motioned for him to take a seat, and grunted unpleasantly. Richie walked briskly to an empty seat. He sat, and stared out of the window in a trance. The view hurried past him, as he sighed and sank deeper into his slouch. They passed another bus stop, and picked up a few more tired children. This bus journey is 30 minutes, he thought, 30 minutes too long.

When they finally arrived, he leaped off like a ferocious cat out of a cage. It stank of pot roast in there, something he hated dearly. Fresh air entered his nose, and he cherished the experience. He looked at the sky, and watched the dim, gloomy clouds gradually move across the present sapphire sky. Richie slipped on a WWE cap, and trudged to the main entrance. He kept his glare to his feet, avoiding any contact with the bullies.  They hated him. Henry Bowers and his club. They were so sneaky.

"Boo!" A recognisable voice called out from behind him. It was Bill Denbrough, a close companion. Bill laughed nervously. "You're late. Aaaagain"
Richie nodded. "Where's Eddie?"
Before anyone could answer his question, Stanley Uris came running over, his old fashioned shoes squeaking. "Hey guys!" He said with a cute smile. He held his books close to his chest, watch ticking on his wrist. Bill greeted him with an arm punch. Stan backed away, hurt. He was the baby of the group. A perfectionist, always being kind.
Richie took out the KitKat from the front pocket of his bag, and relished the warm, chocolatey goodness melting on his tongue. "Can I have some?" said Bill attentively. "NO!" Cried Richie, hiding his chocolate with the palm of his hand. "All mine".

In class it was extremely boring. Physics. The teacher, Miss Jordans, was even more of a bore. Her voiced droned on and didn't change pitch unless she was furious. She took the register, her little pointy fingers typing on the keyboard.
"Amelia" she said.
"Here"
"Jack?"
"Jack isn't in today miss"
"Bill"
"Here"
"Stan"
"Here"
"And last but not least, Eddie. Eddie? Not in. That's strange, he's always in!" She said, chuckling heartily, rasping as a cough was forced out of her throat.
I'll text him at lunch, Richie thought. He checked his phone for any activity, but had been sorrowfully left on read. He pursed his lips and breathed out of his nose, a long breath. His hand opened pocket of his jean bottoms, and found a small piece of chewing gum. He popped it into his mouth, chewing vigorously as if it was a competition. Miss Jordans passed round test papers, making everyone in a seriously bad mood. They all scratched their heads, knowing that the first question wasn't fit for their single brain cell. Richie was smart, but it wasn't always an advantage. He got picked on a lot. The other kids would call his name and push up invisible glasses. It was another bad habit of Richie's. He was constantly pushing up his glasses.