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#16: ᴅ-ᴅɪᴄᴋᴡᴀᴅ ᴀᴛ ꜰ-ꜰɪᴠᴇ ᴏ'ᴄʟᴏ-ᴄʟᴏᴄᴋ

I probably showered in my own house that night, but I honestly don't remember.

All I know is that I stood wordlessly by the bathroom frame for ten straight minutes, rethinking my entire life purpose and other shit like that. It was normal that I had crisis and turmoil in my life, but never like this. This was the worst.

And I didn't even wait for Eddie to be finished, I dreaded the idea that he would come out with simply a towel on to retrieve his clothes, and his hair would be all wet and messy and in his face, and his bare skin would be dotted with droplets of clean water, and I'd be so full of emotion that  I'd yell how much I adored him at the top of my lungs.

And we certainly didn't want that.

I simply trotted down the stairs rather quickly, stole a quick Dr. Pepper from Bill's family fridge in the kitchen, and left the front door wide open, too dazed and distracted to bother closing it.

I drank the soda on my way to my house, prepped for yelling from my old man about curfews, but he didn't even say shit when I walked into the door. I slipped by him without a single spoken word and finished my homework that was due the next day.

But I wasn't thinking about my trigonometry as I did it, though (what the fuck even is that anyway?). I was thinking about Eddie. I was thinking about Eddie laughing with Stan and Bill in the shower without a single care in the world. I thought about how I was only seconds away from joining them.

Eddie was my top priority when I woke up and before I went to bed, it was clearer now. 

There was nothing else more important to think about than him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then it was morning time again and school rang around, like a stick shoved up my ass.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't virgin central," I traipsed up along side Beverly, Ben, Bill, Eddie, Mike, and Stan, who simply rolled their eyes at the sound of my voice, as if I kicked them all repeatedly in the back and blared a foghorn at top volume. "How are my favorite assholes doing this morning?"

"Hi, Richie," Beverly sighed just a bit and took a drag at the cigarette she had between her fingers. She took every living minute to smoke when she wasn't necessarily inside the school but simply outside of it by the bike rack. If she was spotted by a teacher, though, she was dead meat. That's what I admired most about her.

"Darlin'," I nodded my head down toward her as if I was bowing, pretending to tip my non-existent hat like an Englishman. "Stanley, Billy, Edward. How was the shower peep show last night?"

"You just wish you were there, douchebag," Eddie's cheeks flared and he picked at the unfolded parts of his cast, where some dirt was still smudged over them. 

True, but why say it?

Stan folded his arms and studied my rather bare face. "Nice glasses, by the way, trashmouth."

I shrugged it off and wafted my hand, remembering suddenly why my eyes were so fucking blurry. "It's a choice, darling. Eddie's mom bought me new ones yesterday, and I'm coming over to her place later to try em on. You don't mind that, do you, Eds?"

"Shut up."

"I bet my money on the fact that Richie mouthed the devil," Bev picked at the hem of her skirt carefully, making sure she wouldn't catch the thin ruffle on fire. "And he smacked the glasses right off his face. That's why he isn't wearing them today."

"You could say that."

I glanced over at Eddie momentarily, who shuddered at the reminder of yesterday's events.