Reddie or Not

Chapter Eleven - Level Down

There was only one place Richie Tozier would definitely be, so the first place Stan and Bill checked was the arcade. It was near closing time on a school night, so the younger visitors had all left. There was no funky music playing to indicate anyone was on a machine and half of the arcade lights had gone dim.

"Found him," Stan called to Bill from the front of the room. "You won't believe it."

Bill caught up to Stan and was surprised by what he saw. "Ruh-Richie, is that a ya-uniform?"

Richie looked himself up and down. "Seems to be!"

"You work here?" asked Stan, the idea of Richie Tozier being a working man shocking him thoroughly.

"Started about two months ago," said Richie as he reorganised some of the token prizes behind the counter. "Was going to tell you all about it this weekend because I've just saved enough money to - drumroll, please, Stanley!"

Stan rolled his eyes and beat his hands on the counter in a way he seemed to think sounded like a drum.

"I can now afford to get my own place!" beaned Richie, clearly happy to finally tell someone.

"Wuh-wow, Rich-chie." said Bill genuinely. "That's guh-great."

"When did you start deciding to do this?" asked Stan, leaning over the counter.

"It was back when I was staying over Eddie's," said Richie, turning away fast. "His mom almost figured out I was there. Anyway, after she left, he started freaking out - you know - like Eddie does because he was worried about his mom because he said he doesn't know what she'd do and started saying how he couldn't keep living with her."

"Wuh-wait," said Bill, trying to clear everything in his mind. "You were guh-getting the ap-partment for Eddie?"

"I mean, I would hardly call it an apartment, but yeah," said Richie, still facing away. "Well, for both of us."

"Because you're gay," said Stan promptly.

"Not just because I'm-" Richie's voice caught in his throat.

"Buh-because you're what, Richie?" encouraged Bill.

Richie grinned and scoffed. "Oh, yeah! I'm definitely gay, the gayest gay to ever gay! My friend, Dorothy, just called to say I'm gay."

"Rich," sighed Bill. "Cuh-come on."

Richie's body tensed up. "Eddie told you? Asshole. Fuck, I- Fuck."

"Eddie didn't tell anyone," said Stan, adjusting his collar. "We found out."

"And we know tha-that Eddie is guh-gay, too." added Bill. "So what happened between you?"

"Did you sleep together?" Stan asked, and Bill's eyes opened wide. "What? That would explain it! Friends having sex which makes them uncomfortable and they stop talking."

"We didn't fuck, no." said Richie, smiling a little, not from the topic but that his friends knew now and they hadn't changed around him. "We did nearly kiss."

Then Richie told them everything, just as Eddie had done for the others, but he tried to sound calm as he did. Don't cry, he reminded himself. Don't sound emotional. You don't care. You're over it.

"Anyway, it's for the best, right?" chuckled Richie. "Me and Eddie?"

"Eddie and I," Stan corrected out of habit.

"Eddie and I, then." continued Richie, sticking his tongue out at the curly haired boy. "We wouldn't work. We argue all the time now, imagine if we were a couple? Heh, no thanks. Dodged a bullet there."

The bell above the shop door chimed and a loud clatter of footsteps ran into the arcade. Beverly, Mike and Ben appeared, panting.

"Must have been a good orgy," said Richie, pulling his uniform shirt uncomfortably, still not used to the restriction.

"Ruh-Richie," warned Bill.

"Yeah," said Stan irritably. "There's only three of them, that's just a threesome."

"We ran here," panted Ben. "From Eddie's."

"Where is he?" asked Richie despite himself.

"It was terrible, man." said Mike, scratching his head. "His mom was out, right, and he starts telling us about the two of you and what's been up with you."

Richie nodded, mouth agape.

Beverly continued. "And he starts going, 'I'm gay' at which point Mrs K conveniently walks in."

"Shuh-shit,"

"She threw us out," said Ben, still shaking from the run. "Said she needed to talk to her little boy alone, but we could hear her as we left."

"And?" Stan said, gesturing for him to say more. "Is she going to kick him out?"

"Way worse," said Mike frowning. "She said she was going to send him somewhere that would 'beat the devil' out of him. Apparently there's this conversion camp she's heard of."

"Fuck," said Richie, his voice wavering. "Eds..."

"Can you believe how sick that is?" asked Beverly, seeming more angry than upset. "It's the fucking '90s - who thinks like that?"

"Plus she was freaking out about his bruises," added Ben. "She'll be taking him to hospital, definitely."

"We have to help him."