Lovers. // It (2017) // Eddie Kaspbrak

Two - "Try tickling your pickle."

- June, 1989-

"I can't believe it's summer already!"

Oh, how times had changed. Eight months had passed by since Georgie went missing, the town of Derry had moved on, and some times it felt as if the losers had too.

"Best feeling ever!"

"Really?" Richie threw a skinny arm around the brunette girl and Eddie, "Try tickling your pickle for the first time."

"I did not," Lyds shrugged his arm from her shoulder, "need to hear that Richie."

"There's a difference between what you need to hear and what you want to hear."

"Nobody wants to hear about that." Eddie shook his head

Everyone laughed, except for Billie, he only stayed silent. From the look on his face everyone immediately knew what it was that was haunting his thoughts; Georgie.

The entire day Billie had been dying to get home and show his mother and father the model of the sewers that he'd made. He was hoping that it would show where Georgie would have ended up if he was swept into the storm drain, but nobody had the heart to tell him that he probably wouldn't ever find exactly where Georgie was. How could you tell a child that he was never going to see his brother again?

"Hey, is everything okay?" Lyds rose an eyebrow. Her heart swelled at the mere sight of Billie's sad face.

"You already k-know the answer..." he mumbled quietly enough so that out of all the losers, she was the only one who could hear.

That was the all too terrible thing, no matter how many months it had been, or how many people had forgotten, the guilt over Georgie still remained.

In the many months that flown by Billie couldn't shake of the guilt of not going out into the rain with him that day. And as for Lydia, she could never shake off the guilt of knowing she was the last person to see him, ever.

"Hey! Losers!"

The entire group froze at the sight of the person before them, Henry Bowers. That bastard. He had bullied each and every one of them since they were children, but as of recent months they'd laid off of Billy because of his brother. No, but not the others, they were just as relentless as ever.

"Go away Bowers, now isn't the time." Lyds grumbled

"Don't talk back to me." He glared down on her, "You wouldn't want to say something you'll regret... right little girl?"

"You're an asshole."

"Don't talk to her l-like that." Billie hissed

"L-Like l-like?" The bullies imitated him, "Like what freak?"

He only stood frozen.

"Look stutter, you got a free ride this year because of your brother, but now... that's over."

With a smirk that could only have been crafted by the devil himself, Bowers took slow steps towards Billie. Both hands clenched into fists that hung at his sides.

"I... uh-" Billie gulped nervously

Whilst the Denbrough boy was confronting Bowers and his meat-head friends, the other losers had slowly backed away. It wasn't that they didn't want to help their friends, it was much rather that they wanted to avoid the whole situation all together. None of them needed another beating.

"Shut up! Leave him alone, alright?" Lydia suddenly jerked forwards

"What are you gonna do about it bitch?" Belch, one of Henry's friends, let out a laugh.

"Lyds it's fine..." Stan tried to soothe her, his hand softly grabbed her forearm, but that only enraged her more.

"It's not fine Stan. They shouldn't get to treat you guys this way."

"It's okay." Eddie whispered, both of his hands suddenly on shoulders, and for some reason, out of everyone's, his words were the ones that calmed her.

By this point Billie had already stepped aside in hopes of not getting beat down by Bowers, while the group of bullies only seemed to inch closer to them.

"We're leaving, okay?" The brunette declared, "Come on guys..."

And so, silently, almost as if they were ashamed, the five friends turned the corner and began to walk their way home.

"Are you okay?"

So far everyone had walked in silence, not a word was spoken between the kids. Not even a dumb joke from Richie.

Billie was the first to reach his house, then Stan was next to leave, then Richie, and finally there was just Lyds and Eddie. Thankfully, the two of them lived only two blocks away from one another, so their walks home were never lonely.

But this one in particular was. Nobody had felt like talking since their confrontation with Bowers, and that feeling continued even after the rest of the group left. Even between Eddie and Lyds, the two who were the closest out of everyone.

A hand softly tapped her wrist, "Lydia? Did you hear me?"

"I'm fine Eds."

"Are you sure?" He rose an eyebrow, "Something doesn't seem right with you."

"It's just Bowers. I can handle him Eddie, I'm fine."

"Is it really that?"

"What?" She blinked unwillingly

"You're not telling me everything Lyds..."

With her heart pounding in her chest and terrible thoughts consuming her mind, of Eddie, and what would happen if he discovered what her aunt did to her. Lyds shook her head, and sped up, further down the street. But before she knew it Eddie had already caught up.

"You can talk to me." He spoke gently

"I know... But there's some things that are best left hidden."

"Does Richie know?"

"No." The older girl shook her head

"What about Stan? Or Billie?"

He can't know that Billie knew before him. It would break his heart. She thought to herself

And as if her prayers had been answered, Lydia found herself only a few steps away from her house. Her eyes flickered over to the driveway, and before Eddie could say anything else, or realise that Billie knew her secret, she had already ran up the porch steps.

For a moment she stopped and stared at him, and he did the same to her. Two friends slowly tearing a part from a secret that could tear them even further.

"Bye Eds!" She waved kindly

Eddie only sighed, before he shot her one final soft smile and turned down the end of the street in the direction of his own house. 

"I wish I could tell you Eds..." Lyds sighed, "But it would only hurt you more to know."