Therapy - Reddie

I. Homecoming

A few weeks had passed since the losers' club had rid themselves of the demonic parasite that had been plaguing their lives. Since then, they had been taking advantage of the time they had left before summer was over. The 7 of them hung out frequently, exploring the wonders their small town had to offer.

It was the day before the new school year began, and the group of friends were spending their last day together at Richie's. They were arranged in a circle on the floor of the living room, even though there were plenty of seats available, telling stories and sharing laughs as they always did.

"You guys had to be there," Mike laughed. "You should have seen the way Bill looked at her. He was in love!" Bill, Ben, and Mike had spent the last week at a sleep-away camp, where they met some new people, one of which Bill had been crushing on.

Bill protested, "It w-wasn't like that, I swear!" Although he was denying it, the visible redness in his cheeks suggested otherwise.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Richie interjected, "So did you nail her or not?" Eddie, who sat beside him, rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Is that all you ever think about?" Eddie groaned. "Pig."

"I know it's hard for you to understand, being a virgin and all, but when you get as many chicks as I do, it's hard to think about anything else." Richie smirked. He loved to flaunt the fact that he was the only one of them who had ever hooked up with a girl before, even if it was just once. Eddie gagged at the thought.

"We get it, Richie, you think you're cooler than us." Stan grimaced, leaning back to stretch his legs out.

Richie shrugged. "I don't think, I know. It's not my fault I'm irresistible."

"We d-didn't hook up or anything, b-but we k-kissed." Bill smiled proudly. He was glad that he had finally gotten over Beverly. They went out for a few weeks, but they decided to remain friends for the sake of the group. Every now and then, he would glance in her direction, hoping to get a reaction out of her. She sat across from him, looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap.

Ben looked over and immediately noticed Beverly's discomfort. "So, Eddie." He began, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction. "Are you going home tonight?" Eddie had been staying with Richie for the past couple of weeks. Since finding out that his mother had been lying to him about his illnesses, he hated being around her and preferred not to be home.

Eddie sighed, sitting up and crossing his legs. "I have to. She'd kill me before she'd let me stay out on a school night." Mrs. Kaspbrak was notorious for being extremely overprotective. He was lucky if she'd ever let him leave the house again after being away for so long.

"Hopefully she won't hold you hostage like she did when you broke your arm." Stanley said, trying to lighten the mood. Everyone nodded in agreement.

The gang continued to engage in small talk until the sun began to set. "We should g-get going," Bill suggested, "It's getting dark out." They all got up to leave and said their goodbyes. Soon, it was just Richie and Eddie left.

"I should head home, before my mom has a stroke." Eddie rose to his feet and picked up his belongings. Richie nodded and walked him out, following behind him. Once they reached the front door, Eddie turned to face Richie. They shared a heavy sigh. It was obvious that neither of them wanted Eddie to leave. "See you tomorrow?"

Richie nodded and smiled briefly, looking up at him through his thick glasses, closing the door behind Eddie. Eddie strolled down the driveway and across the street to his house. He always found it ironic that his own home had now become his personal hell.