𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌

↱ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓; 𝕿𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖞 𝕵𝖊𝖓𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖘' 𝕺𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝕭𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖌𝖆𝖟𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖘

"Spaghetti!" Richie grinned as he opened the door to find his best friend.

"Hey, Rich," Eddie grinned, following his friend into the Wheelers' house.

"Bill and Stan are in the basement already," Richie explained as he led them through the kitchen towards the door to the basement.

"Hey, sweetie," Karen smiled as they passed through the kitchen where she was sat on the phone with a friend.

"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler," Eddie grinned.

It was the week before the beginning of their first year of middle school. Over the course of elementary school Richie and Eddie had integrated Bill and Stan into their friendship, although Richie and Eddie remained the best of friends, always attached at the hip.

"Don't stay up too late, boys," Karen called as they thundered down the basement stairs.

"We won't!" Richie shouted over his shoulder flippantly, obviously lying.

"Okay," Richie grinned as the Superman movie credits began to roll, sitting up in his sleeping bag. "I was talkin' to Tommy Jenkins-"

Eddie interrupted Richie with a loud groan at the mention of Tommy Jenkins. As early as the fourth grade, Richie had started befriending some of the older kids, charming them with his precocious humor and personality. Eddie had attempted to follow Richie's example and speak to the older kids exactly once before quickly deciding their friendship wasn't for him when they started making dirty jokes that Richie found hilarious but that he didn't understand.

"Great," Stan muttered, knowing whatever Richie had to say would be rude in some way or another.

"Screw you guys," Richie grumbled. "I have a surprise for you guys and you're all bein' assholes-"

"Sorry, Rich," Eddie sighed. "Just, hurry up!"

"Okay, well Tommy's brother's in high school, right?" The other three nodded. "Well, Tommy was in his room and found... these!" Richie grinned as he pulled a couple of magazines he had hidden under the couch before his friends arrived.

"Magazines?" Eddie asked, grabbing one of the magazines from Richie's hands before dropping it to his lap like it had burned him. "Wh-wh-"

Richie grinned with excitement at Eddie's flushed face.

"What the hell, Richie!" Stan groaned, throwing the magazine he had picked up back at Richie.

"What?" Richie laughed, catching the magazine as it dropped in his lap.

"Why-"

"Because, Eds," Richie drawled, cutting off his blushing best friend. "Tommy wanted to spread the wealth. Cool beans, huh?"

"I gu-guess," Bill nodded, picking up the magazine in Eddie's lap and flipping through it with wide eyes.

"See, look," Richie scooted closer to Eddie in his sleeping bag, flipping open the magazine he was holding. "Tommy said this is called the centrefold. That's where the hottest girls are!"

Eddie pulled his knees to his chest as Richie flipped through the pornographic pages, excitedly pointing out certain images to Eddie and the others.

"Wow, this is-"

"Awesome, I know," Richie grinned. "You're welcome, Stan!"

"Nice, is that-"

"You betcha, Billy!" Richie grinned, slapping Bill's shoulder excitedly as they examined a particularly graphic two-page spread. "I've got a woody just thinkin'-"

"I'm tired," Eddie squeaked, cheeks turning crimson at Richie's words.

"But, it's not even eleven, Spaghetti," Richie frowned at the blushing, uncomfortable boy.

"I had to get up really early this morning," Eddie swallowed before faking a yawn.

"Oh, okay," Richie nodded. "Um, well-"

"It's okay," Eddie rushed. "You guys can stay up, I'm just gonna lay down over there," Eddie told his best friend, pointing over to a darker area of the basement.

"Okay," Richie nodded sadly. "G'night, S'ghetti."

"Night, Rich," Eddie whispered before shuffling over to the dark corner.

Eddie lay perfectly still in his sleeping bag, knees pulled to his chest as his arms crossed tightly over them, listening to the other boys talk in hushed, yet excited whispers.

'They're just being disgusting,' Eddie told himself. 'This is what Mr. Travers meant when he was talking about urges in health class. That's all this is.'

But then why wasn't Eddie fascinated by the nude women or getting a woody as Richie had so eloquently put it.

'Just another part of me that's broken, I guess,' Eddie thought glumly, tears burning the back of his eyes as he tried to sniffle as quietly as possible.