golden boy : stozier

eight

"i'd just like to apologize in advance, because it will totally be awkward. it's not your fault, i want you to know that, we're just sort of a weird group." richie was pacing out front of his house, stanley sat on the step of the porch. stanley fanned himself with his hand in the heat as richie broke a sweat himself. 

"that's totally fine, richie." stanley pat him on the leg as richie walked by. it didn't stop richie, who kept wandering. the touch briefly surprised richie, but he didn't mind. he glanced down at stanley as he continued to pace, watching the boy run his hand through his hair. 

"but i think mike will like you! he's nice." richie continued, biting his nail. 

"we can only see, i guess," stanley replied, though he felt that he didn't care so much about mike liking him as much as he cared about richie wanting mike to like him. he leaned back on the step, but as he did so, he watched as a car drove up to the driveway. 

richie's hand made contact with stanley's shoulder, "shit, okay, that's bill's car. i'll sit next to mike for you." richie let stanley stand up and the two of them walked towards the car. richie swung the back door open and waved meekly.

"hi all, this is stanley, everyone say hi," richie talked in a monotone voice, and he shuffled into the car. he squished mike up against the door, but mike didn't seem to stay anything.

the group muttered their hellos like an alcoholic anonymous meeting. stanley nearly laughed, but instead let out a "hi" of his own.

"bill, beverly, and mike," richie pointed at each of them, though stanley could hardly see bill, sitting directly behind the drivers seat.

a song by john mayer that stanley vaguely recognized came on, and beverly reached up to the radio to change stations, but bill slapped her hand away. her hand clenched by her side. stanley heard bill utter a small, "sorry."

"so, stanley, you go to our school, right? i feel like i've seen you. who do you hang out with?" mike started a conversation, looking over to stanley with intrigue. stanley nodded vaguely, picking at his fingers.

"oh, uh, i mean i'm mostly by myself in classrooms or the library studying, but i talk to ben and eddie sometimes." stanley glanced from mike to richie as he spoke, like he worried that richie wouldn't approve. mike noticed, his own eyes glancing between them. richie was leaning his head back, allowing a line of sight between mike and stanley.

"eddie kaspbrak, bill talks to him too, that's cool! what kind of classes are you taking?" beverly turned around, her hands clasping onto the side of the passenger seat. 

"uh, i'm in the ib program." stanley was, for some reason, nervous that they'd think he thought he was better than them. stanley wasn't sure how to balance making them like him and making richie like him at the same time. for the first time, he wasn't quite sure how to be two people at once. 

there was a moment of silence before mike snickered.

"so... the complete opposite of richie." richie punched mike in the arm for that, bringing his head off of the car seat.

"well, yeah, he's smart, mike. look at me," richie mused, motioning to himself as beverly giggled. stanley let out a semblance of a laugh himself.

"shop kid... but you had potential once upon a time," stanley grinned, richie rolling his eyes.

"richie never had potential," beverly chimed in, even bill laughing a little as he stared forward onto the road. at the sound of bill's laugh, both mike and beverly's head turned towards him. from the way mike smiled, stanley gathered that that was a rather rare thing.