Reddie, Set, Go
By:lifeisinfinitelystranger
“Ok so… tell me… why… we have to… go to… this party,” Eddie gasped as his struggled to pedal his bike up the steep hill on the outskirts of Derry.
“Because Eds… it’s a high school party… it’s a rite of passage.” Richie replied. He glanced over his shoulder, Eddie lagged well behind him. “This hill’s a real bitch, we can walk the rest of the way. If you want…” He hopped off his bike without waiting for Eddie’s answer.
Eddie stumbled off his bike, grateful Richie made the suggestion. His hand immediately reached for his inhaler in his fanny pack. He shook it before putting it to his lips and taking a puff. Eddie closed his eyes as the medicine did its magic. It took a moment, before he spoke again. “But we’re not even in high school yet.”
“That’s what makes it even more awesome!” Richie replied.
Eddie took another puff from his inhaler, then returned it to his fanny pack. “You do know parties can be dangerous right? Alcohol and drugs make people do stupid shit. Cops could come. Bowers and his crew could be there.”
“You worry too much, Eddie. It’ll be fine. Trust me.” Richie began pushing his bike up the hill.
That didn’t give Eddie much more of a chance to argue. He sighed. As he saw it, he had two options. He could follow Richie and go to the stupid party. Or head back to Richie’s. Alone. In the dark. Someone would definitely kidnap him. He shuddered. Nope, it would be safer to go with Richie.
Eddie made sure his fanny pack zipped shut, grabbed his bike, and chased after Richie. “Wait up! I’ll go. As long we’re home by 10:00. I need to call my mom before bed.” This was one of the many stipulations his mother had put forth when he asked to spend the night at Richie’s. It had taken a couple hours to convince his mother he would be fine staying at a friend’s house overnight. That and a trip to the doctor for a checkup. With the doctor’s confirmation that Eddie was healthy enough to survive at least the next 24hrs, Eddie's mother had agreed to letting Eddie spend the night.
“As long as I get to say goodnight too.” Richie made kissing noises. “She loves me.”
“Beep beep, Richie.” Eddie said rolling his eyes.
The boys reached the top of the hill and mounted their bikes again. They pedaled down the street for a couple more minutes. Eddie was beginning to wonder if Richie even knew where he was going. He was about to ask where they were going when Richie screeched to a halt.
“Here it is!” Richie pointed to the house.
He didn’t really need to; it was clear a party was going on here. Plastic cups littered the front yard. Music thumped loudly inside. Eddie could also hear shouting coming from the backyard.
“Looks like it already started, Richie. Guess that means we missed out,” Eddie said trying one last ditch effort to avoid having to go into the party. He started to turn his bike around, ready to head home.
“Oh no you don’t” Richie let his bike drop and grabbed Eddie’s wrist. “Don’t you know anything about high school parties?”
“I-“ Eddie started.
“No. Not what could go wrong, or what is dangerous about them You already told me. But how they work. You don’t want to be the first ones to get there. That’s lame.”
