Reddie- Strawberrymilkshake

Strawberry milkshake

Eddie Kaspbrak laid on the grass outside of his new house bathing in the summer sun. His mother, Sonia Kaspbrak, was at her first day of work here in Derry and had banned Eddie from leaving the house until she got home. She claimed she didn't know the area well enough yet, and that her sons 'allergies' would act up. Eddie had smiled and nodded when she explained this, but he had found out about her lies when he was thirteen. His seventeenth birthday had been a couple of months ago and he still hadn't told her that he knew.

Eddie had been happy in New York, but he didn't have any friends, he kept to himself, and only spoke when he needed to. At his old school it got so bad that a girl in his math class thought he was mute and felt so bad for him she kissed him, with tongue. It was sloppy and sticky from her cherry lip-gloss. He always knew there was something odd, something not-normal about him, but he had never really thought about it till that day. Eddie had ran out of the room and sat on the ground in the corridor and sobbed quietly.

Eddie couldn't stop replaying the memory again and again in his mind and his breathing picked up, he started to choke on his own breathing, and before he knew it, he felt an asthma attack coming on. Eddie's vision started to cloud up and he was sweating. All he could think about though, was that if he died, his mother would find him on the grass where she had told him not to go. Then she would spread the word that grass kills and no one would be able to sit on the grass ever again. In Eddie's mind, the whole world was screwed if he died. His stupid thoughts were cut off as his lungs began to give up on him. But then, he heard a voice.

"Are you okay??"

He opened my eyes to see a boy around his age jogging up to him. He had eyes that could light up the sky.
"Inhaler, fanny pack," Eddie wheezed, pointing a finger to his house. He watched the boy run inside and emerge with Eddie's fanny pack in his hand, in a matter of what felt like seconds. He skidded to a stop and poured out the contents onto the grass, grabbing the blue plastic and placing it in Eddie's mouth, triggering it quickly. Air filled the smaller boy's lungs and his face returned to its normal tan colour.

"Thank you so much," Eddie gasped after a few moments of breathing.
"Mike," the boy said, "Mike Hanlon. You just moved here?"
"Yeah, a couple days ago, it's Eddie by the way, Eddie Kaspbrak." Mike stood up and helped Eddie up off the floor. He picked up all the things scattered on the grass and placed them back in the fanny pack.
"Sorry, I-uh just had to get the inhaler as quickly as possible, I didn't want you to pass out." He looked nervous and genuinely sorry.
"It's fine," Eddie laughed to show that it really wasn't a big deal, even though on the inside there was always the small voice of his mother was telling him to get away from this dirty boy and wash his things. He ignored it and started a conversation with him about New York which he seemed very interested in, he would later learn that Mike has never left Derry.

"So are you going to Derry High?" Mike asked.
"Yeah I am, you go there?"
"Yeah I do! You should sit with us at lunch!"
Eddie instantly became nervous, "I'm not very good at talking to other people," he said, thinking about having to talk to all of Mike's friends.
"Oh no don't worry, you'll fit right in! Everyone's super nice! Watch out for Richie though, I have a feeling he might like you." Mike shot him a wink and Eddie was taken aback.

Who was this Richie?

Eddie was pulled away from his thoughts when he felt a small pinch on his arm. Out of habit he pinched back and smiled but stopped when he saw Mike's gaze upon him.
"Soulmate?" He asked and Eddie instantly turned red.
"Y-yeah." Mike murmured something but then stopped and jumped to his feet.
"Oh fuck what time is it? I gotta get back, but it was really nice meeting you Eddie." He smiled and Eddie returned the action.
"You too Mike." and he started walking away down the road.