{semi charmed life} reddie

{reunions}

Ben Hanscom kicked at the dirt path alongside the Barrens. It was as just a obvious a man-made path as it had been twelve years earlier, the last time Ben had walked down here. Back then, he had never been walking along- always flanked with two or more of his friends from youth.

For safety, Ben remembered bitterly. It had been little Eddie Kaspbrak who had made the first statement, that nobody should go into the Barrens alone, after Ben had been attacked that day. They hadn't even been my friends, Ben thought to himself. He picked at long, overgrown yellowing grass alongside the path. I'd only known Beverly then, but they'd stood by me. Stole supplies for me. Even though it put them higher on Henry Bowers' shit list.

Henry Bowers... Ben let out a shaky laugh, pressing his hand against the long faded scar on his stomach. It was barely visible now days, over a decade faded in age and dimmed with the loss of his childhood weight. That day, though undoubtably terrible, had been the last day for many years that Ben Hanscom had been able to say he didn't have any friends.

Those same friends that Ben hadn't been spoken to near on a decade, people he'd considered to be his soul mates and thought he'd never separate from. They'd graduated high school, moved across the country, and by the time the summer of 1996 rolled around- they didn't even speak at all.

Until Derry High School had sent out the e-mails, announcing that in the May of 2005 that they would be holding a 10 year reunion for the graduates of 1995. Mike Hanlon had reached out not long after that. Ben had a Facebook, used it for his work, and had looked up his former friends after hearing from Mike. Most of them had not taken the leap to website, but two had.

Richie Tozier, who seemed to embraced his given name of Richard, seemed to only have work friends on his Facebook as well. He'd gone into work with radio, such a Richie job Ben had thought fondly when he'd realized. There was a slight illusion of some sort of serious relationship on Richie's Facebook, if just from small comments of his own and that of his friends. He didn't list a relationship status, nor any name of the radio station he worked for. Ben had scrolled through Richie's page for his entire lunch break and still hadn't reached the end.

Beverly Marsh had also gone online with Facebook, but had taken a longer time for Ben to find. At some point in the last ten years, Beverly had gone and tied the knot. Her Facebook name now fell under Bev Rogan and was listed as Married to Thomas Rogan. Her privacy settings were much higher than Richie's- which had easily been non-existent, so Ben hadn't been able to see any of her personal posts. He supposed that was for the best, if the uncomfortable feeling in his gut at just the thought of Beverly being married had anything to say about it- he wouldn't have been able to look at Beverly's happy life.

Ben moved himself up the steep hill, and walked back to his patiently waiting cab. His overly friendly driver grinned up at in the rearview mirror. "Anything interesting down there?" He asked him happily.

"Yeah, yes," Ben said, voice croaking. "I was just..." An image of bulky thick rimmed glasses, and burning red hair flashed in Ben's mind. "Just visiting some old ghosts."

→  →  →

"Just not too hot!" Eddie Kaspbrak was calling over his shoulder as his husband was attempting to assure him out the front door. "You know not to make it too hot, it's really important. If it's too hot, it'll-"

"Eddie, sweetheart," Maggie Tozier laughed happily, patting her starting to winkle hand against Eddie's soft cheek. "I've done this once or twice. You don't have anything to worry about, sweetie. Go see your friends, have good time."

"Yes, I-" Eddie nodded, feeling Richie's arm coming to rest around his waist. "I know, I know. But we have a very particular schedule we've been working with and if it's-"