𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐅𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐊𝐄

11

Eddie and Richie didn't speak for nearly a whole week, if you didn't count the Loser's group interactions. After the strange and eventful Halloween night, Eddie saw it as a silent confirmation on ending their secret little meetings.

Eddie replayed the moment over and over in his brain everyday after that night. Richie's hair was frizzier than usual, his eyes were dark and unfocused, and his arm was being clung onto by none-other-than Daniel.

Eddie's stomach turned at the sight, Daniel's gloved hands grasping onto Richie's upper arm, as if he would follow Richie to the end of the fucking Earth without question. Eddie knew the feeling all too well since he would do the same, and that alone made Eddie sick.

It wasn't even 5 minutes after he saw Richie ditch the party with Daniel that Eddie was hunched over, vomiting into a toilet. He rushed off the dance floor in a frantic stumble, feeling the bile rise up his chest.

Eddie wasn't sure what did the trick: too much alcohol, or the thought that Richie didn't love him after all their secrecy. Maybe it was both.

Later that night, after Bev found him throw-up-crying on the bathroom floor, Eddie found himself in her bedroom listening to her snores.

Beverly's room was lit up in a soft orange color, from Halloween lights she hung around her closet door. It was a comforting place, soft lights glowing, snuggled under Bev's dark purple blanket.

Bev had never received a roommate (which was lucky for her and Ben), so after finding Eddie in the middle of a crisis, she took him to go back to her room.

Eddie knew that she had suggested that he should sleepover so she could look after him and make sure he was better. She tried desperately to make it seem like it was casual, though Eddie knew Bev too well. Her motherly senses kicked into gear the minute Eddie had fled to the bathroom with a hand over his mouth.

Eddie also knew Beverly could've easily walked an extra 5 minutes to his own dorm to drop him off, but she would never.

She was Beverly Marsh, and was willing to stick her neck out without a second thought. Eddie loved her for that.

Eddie even told her that maybe they shouldn't, since there would be school the next morning.

Beverly couldn't give two fucks about education and sleep schedules, she was determined to make Eddie feel like he never threw up. And he did forget about it, even if it was only for a little bit.

But after 2 hours of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Beverly hit her limit and fell asleep. Eddie had shut her T.V off right before it turned 3 AM, worrying that the bright light would wake her from her slumber.

He then got physically comfortable next to her, staring at the orange lights, wondering why he set himself up for disappointment.

He knew Richie had many flings and hook-ups, and he knew it must have made Richie prone to emotional-detachment.

They had even verbally agreed to it being nothing right at the start.

Eddie, in the heat of the moment, had whispered to Richie that it was just a fling. He was stupid, beyond idiotic, for saying so. He led Richie to think it meant nothing, but led himself to believe it was everything.

Eddie cried about 3 times that week, not counting the session he had above the toilet bowl at the party.

The first cry he had was that night when Bev was sleeping, after sulking about how even though Richie saw their interactions as casual, Eddie still loved him.

That next day, Richie didn't show up for lunch. Eddie tried not to make it so obvious, with all the crowd searching and tapping of his foot, but he was looking. He waited and waited, and eventually Lunch ended without anyone saying anything about his whereabouts.