Through Good & Bad (Reddie)

Chapter VIII- It's Nice to Have a Friend

On September the 1st, Richie rides his bike to his new school. It's his first day, yet he feels so empty. So... anxious and sad.

These last weeks the pinching got way worse. Though he doesn't pinch his stomach, nor his arm, now he pinches his leg. It's easier to hide. Just in case Eddie checks. Just in case someone cares enough to check.

'Nobody does. Nobody cares, and you know it'

Eddie hasn't replied. They haven't talked in almost two weeks. That's more than an entire week. It's been twelve days now.
It feels weird; horrible

He sighs, and parks his bike outside school, still not looking up.
He walks through the front door, and his anxiety flies higher and higher. Thousands of teenagers walking around the halls, happy to see each other.

They all seem to know each other, and be friends between them; yet no one knows him, and no one tries to. They all walk by his side, determined to ignore him. To ignore his presence.

As he'd been told on the letter of admission, he immediately heads to the Principal's Office, and knocks on the door. He takes his headphones off, and fakes a smile at the almost-bald guy smiling at him on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Richard. Right?"
"Just Richie"
"Well, we're glad to have you, Richie"
"And I'm glad to be here" he says, hesitating.
"You had a perfect score on the admission test. That's highly unusual"
"Well... I'd been studying for some time."
"That's great, kid. Keep up the good job and universities will be dying to have you too"
"Oh... yeah. Thanks"

He suddenly remembers Eddie being in his room; in his bed.

"When you get in..."
"IF I get in" Richie interrupted
"When you get in, we can choose our extracurricular activities together"
"Extracurricular activities?"
"Yeah, it's good for college. You should probably join some of those"
"College?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh, I'm not the college kind of guy"

"You're not going to college?"
"Nope, you are?"
"Of course, Richie. You're no one without a degree! You have to go to college"
"Jeez, Eds. Why do you care so much?"
"Because I don't want you to be a 40 year old man who's been working in McDonald's ever since he was 18, cause he was too stubborn to go to College"
"Stubborn? Working in McDonald's not that bad, by the way. Free burgers. Right?"
"Not exactly"
"Whatever. You can come eat free even if they end up firing me"
"I'm not joking, Richard"

"Neither am I! You seriously can stop by and I'll give you some food"
"Richie!"
"Okay, okay. I just... don't think I'm smart enough for college"
"You kidding? You learnt everything for the test in just a couple of classes. You're really smart"

He sighs, and as he finally leaves the principal's office, he turns the volume of the music even higher.

Rich stares at the school's map for a few minutes, then starts walking straight to room 53.
As he arrives, he walks in to find most of the class' already on their seats.

He shyly walks down the school desks, trying to get to the last row, but he trips over with a bag, and he's suddenly going down.
His headphones fall off, and some of the kids laugh, making him blush.
He hurries to get up, and looking down, he apologizes "I'm so sorry, I..."

"Richie?" A girl's voice asks from the other side of the classroom.
He turns around to find that red-haired girl he met during the admission test.

She walks to him, and smiling, asks "Where are ya sittin'?"
"Nowhere"
"What?"
"Oh, I-I just got here"

'Calm down, weirdo. What the fuck are you doing? You're a sack of nerves'