sept

146 9 1

by homoGrunge

by homoGrunge

golumf. the six letters rang in his head the whole night following until richie left in the morning. most of the time, richie was unphased by names. his dad coining some wildly unique terms as well as his chums. over time he'd learned to ignore it and not let it get to his head as it used to, but he'd let eddie call him a golumf as much as he'd like.

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the image of richie smiling was now permanently engraved in eddie's mind. he couldn't even begin to explain how it made him feel. since the beginning of their friendship, richie had been nothing but cold. his presence made you feel like you were trapped in the middle of the arctic and no matter how big a fire you lit you couldn't warm up. but at that very moment, eddie felt warmth. richie's smile was bright enough to outshine a million suns and thaw the ice age that had existed for the days before.

the two boys had spent the night exchanging stories and talking about their lives. richie explained vaguely his situation with his father, eddie explained his situation with his mother. richie told eddie the story on how his mother walked out and left richie behind - knowing how shitty her now ex-husband was. eddie explained the countless hours he'd spent by his fathers side in the hospital before he passed, which led up to his mother being as overprotective as she is now.

"sometimes i wish she was calmer, didn't act the way she did. but then i have to remind myself that she went through the same things i did and she just wants to look out for me."

richie shrugged. he'd never understand the relationship eddie had with his mother, and eddie would never understand the relationship richie had with his father.

"have you ever thought of leaving?" richie asked.

eddie didn't even know how to respond to that sort of question. no, he hadn't thought about it. no matter how much he'd gotten upset with his momma or stressed due to her level of hovering over him he loved her.

"i'd have nowhere else to go. no one to go to," eddie looked at richie, who had turned away, "and i couldn't leave momma with no one, not without an explanation."

"one day you'll have to, won't you? you're a junior now. surely, you have plans to get out of this shithole of a town. anyone would be stupid to stay in Derry."

"i haven't gotten to that yet," was all eddie said, wishing to move on from this topic.

richie silently understood eddie's wish, sitting in silence and continuing to stare at the window. it hadn't occurred to him before now that other people felt differently about the town than him. the place that was lifeless, depressing, and a box of confinement to him was something that other people found comfort in. small town fever. it was a clear sky. the street lights were all out - no one caring enough to keep them lit. an infinite amount of little dots lit up the sky, stars that were out there somewhere. stars that kept richie hopeful for something better. he knew his answer. he wanted to leave Derry as soon as he could and never come back.

eddie broke the silence after some time with a yawn, earning a concerned glance from richie.

"tired?" he asked.

eddie nodded, "a little." he didn't want to admit it, cherishing the time he had with richie while it lasted.

"i can head home - i don't want to cause a disturbance in the mom force."

the two boys exchanged a smile in regards to richie's comment, but eddie shook his head, "you don't have to. i don't want you walking home this late - we can just get up a little early and i'll push you back out the window and make my way through to the front door. we can walk to school together!"

richie laughed, unsure of whether or not eddie was joking. he'd never expected a boy as careful and rule-following as him to suggest that richie stay the night. he didn't resist any further, though. the idea of walking all the way back home was just as tiring as the further thought that he'd have to deal with his dad. it'll be a problem for future richie instead, he insisted. though eddie felt as close to the other as ever, he still moved his sleeping position to the floor and opened his bed space up to the guest. richie was too tired to argue. eventually the two fell asleep, enveloped in the comfortable silence that filled the air.

for now, things were okay.

A/N: lmfao it's been. well over 8 months since i last even touched this, but i guess quarantine has me bored and indulging in old interests. cannot assure that updates will be super fast, as i really want to fix up the previous chapters a bit and put out longer ones in the future, but i'm determined to get it done. thanks for sticking around :-)
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