Lovers. // It (2017) // Eddie Kaspbrak

Twenty Seven - "Pinky promise?"

"That's what Pennywise does right? It fucks with us!" Eddie Kaspbrak babbled, "Stanley's probably fine!"

It had taken minutes for the losers to regather themselves and to get Lyds off of the floor after the incident with the fortune cookies. None of them had truly felt fear like that since they fought Pennywise in the sewer basin, they could barely even remember the last time they felt such a way. It was all still so blurry. They didn't know what any of it meant but one thing they did know was that they had to get out of that restaurant, and so that was how the Losers Club found themselves marching arm in arm towards the exit, desperate to leave before another creature jumped out of someone's chow mein.

"But what if he's hurt? What if it got him?" His wife mumbled from beneath Mike's arm.

"Do you have Stan's number?" Bev asked, her eyes flickered between the pair.

"Here." Lyds immediately pulled her phone form her bag and handed it to Beverly. The desperation in her eyes was obvious, "Call him."

"Hey Richie!" A small voice called out and the seven remaining losers were each brought to a stop

"How did you know my name?" Rich spoke with suspicion, withdrawing his hands from his pockets.

"The fun is just beginning, right?"

"I-Is it a message?" Eddie leaned into Lyds but she quickly shushed him.

"Listen you think this is funny? Y-You think this is some sort of game? Well fuck you! Fuck-you!"

"The fun is just beginning? A line from your act dude, I'm a fan!"

Each of the losers let out a visible breath of relief, all except for Richie, for a moment each of them had been afraid that Pennywise himself had manifested into the likes of a small child, but instead it really was just a boy and the boy's parents stood angrily before the Tozier man.

"Are those your parents?" He mumbled

"Yeah..."

"Do you want a picture?"

"Are you okay?" The boy's dad asked

"I think I'm good."

"Come on."

"Excuse me?" Lyds spoke up, wrapping her arms around Richie's waist, "I'm so sorry my friend is off his meds."

"Lyds!" Eddie scalded seizing her wrist before they all stepped outside. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Saving your career so it doesn't look like you abuse small children."

"Saving my career by telling people I'm on drugs?"

"She tried her best." Eddie shrugged

"Guys!" Bill hissed, putting himself between Lyds and Richie, "If you hadn't noticed we have more p-p-press..."

"Bill... It's okay." The former Greystone girl wrapped her arms around him, she couldn't believe Derry had caused his stutter to come back and it physically pained her to even think how torn down it must have made him feel. "More pressing matters to deal with, right."

"How did she know what he was going to say?" Rich mumbled in Eddies ear.

"I think she can read minds. She's been doing it to me for years..."

It was quiet for a few moments as Lyds cradled Bill like a mother would her child and Beverly stood motionless, her hand fell to her side and Lydia's phone cluttered against the ground. It was in that moment that they all knew something was very wrong.