Next update: October 13


They ended up going to a Mexican restaurant- where Richie unsurprisingly got chicken tenders and fries- when El asked,

"So, have either of you thought about what what colleges you're going to?"

"Chicago." Richie replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yep! I wanna be close to my siblings, ya know?" He shrugged and Mike snorted. "We only see each other during Christmas, it's always been like that. Except for when we were younger and lived closer." El nodded at that.

"What about majors?"

"Photography." Richie replied. El choked on her drink and smacked Mike.

"Ow! What did I do?" He whined, rubbing his arm.

"You didn't tell me he was into photography!" She exclaimed.

"Oh." He chuckled. "Oops?" He offered and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm confused?" Richie said, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"I'm a photography major." She told him.

"No way!" She nodded, grinning.

"You'll love it, if you stick with it."

"I will be, trust me. I have an old ass Polaroid camera in one of my bags and I take pictures all the time."

"Of me specifically." Eddie sighed, shaking his head. El snorted and Richie just shrugged.

"It's worth getting hit every time."

"What about you, Eddie? What do you want to do?"

"Mechanical engineering." He replied. "I love cars and working on them."

"He does, he's obsessed." Went added. Eddie shushed him and Went snorted. They talked more about that for a few minutes, before Went brought up Mike's major. "What exactly is included in music? Like what are you doing exactly?"

"I'm getting my BM ." He replied. "So is Dustin."

"The fuck is a BM again?" Richie asked. "Bowel movement?"

"Bachelor of Music." Mike said, rolling his eyes. "Jesus."

"What kind of jobs can you get with that?"

"Oh jeez." He rubbed the back of his neck. "There are a lot. The last week of school before break our teachers handed out lists of jobs, the descriptions and the salaries."

"Do you remember any of them?"

"One's a cruise ship performer." He said, snorting.

"I can see you doing that." El giggled. "Steal one of Richie's Hawaiian shirts and wear it during all of them." Mike laughed and Richie stuck his tongue out.

"There was another one that sort of stuck, a film composer. You can make a lot of money."

"What is that exactly?" Eddie asked.

"You make music for TV and movie backgrounds." He replied.

"Ooh, I think you'd be good at that." El said.

"Really?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Just those random little instrumentals you play on your guitar or the piano is awesome." He shrugged, his cheeks turning pink.

"Thanks." She rolled her eyes fondly and patted his hand.

"Jesus, Eds, were you hungry?" Richie asked, laughing. Eddie flipped him off.

"As a matter of fact, I was, so fuck off."

"Language, children." Went joked.

"Fuck no." They chorused and he cackled.


Monday, December 18, 2017

11 AM

"Does anyone wanna go with me somewhere?" El called, walking into the house loudly. "Everyone except Mike, 'cause I gotta get his birthday present."

"You act like you live here." Steve said, giving her a look. She snorted.

"And? I practically do since I'm with Mike."

"Good point."

"Also, you've perfected that deadpan look that dad does."

"He really has." Mike said, appearing out of nowhere. "What is this I hear about a birthday present?"
"It's a secret."

"I'll go!" Richie yelled, coming down the stairs pulling his coat on. She made a face.

"You heard me from all the way up there?"

"You weren't exactly trying to be quiet, Babe." Mike said, then turned pink at the name. She raised an eyebrow.

"Babe? Hm, I like it." She pecked him on the lips and he smiled shyly.

"I'll try not to steal your girl, Mikey boy." Richie said, patting him on the back. Mike rolled his eyes and shoved him playfully.

"Sorry, but you're way too young for me. Besides, I like taller guys." El winked at Mike, who snickered. Richie mad an affronted noise and pouted, waving at his dad before practically skipping out the door. El kissed Mike again before following him.

"I know I haven't known you long, but like… why are you in such a good mood?" El asked, buckling her seat belt. He shrugged.

"I figured out what I wanted to get Eds for Christmas. Are we going anywhere near Hobby Lobby by any chance?"

"Not exactly but I can take you there." She told him.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Awesome. What are you getting Mike?"

"For Christmas? Or his birthday?"

"Uh, both."

"I got him a phone case that has leave me alone on the front in big white letters, a keyboard cover for his laptop because Dustin somehow broke it, and a beanie for Christmas. I got him a hoodie so I can steal it in the future and I'm getting him a Bluetooth keyboard to connect to his phone for his birthday."

"That was a mouthful." He said, laughing. "You cut right to the chase, huh?"

"I know what I want." She grinned.

"So why the keyboard?"

"Because sometimes he writes on his phone, in google docs. Like when his computer is charging or something. Or when we come back here he can bring it on the ride instead of getting his lap top out and he can type like that. Someone from one of my classes has one and mentioned it to me."

"Oh, okay. Cool! I think he'll like that."

"I hope so. What are you getting Eddie?"

"You know those car sets you can buy that you have to put together from scratch? Like toy race cars, but bigger?" She nodded. "He likes building those so I'm gonna get him two that he's never done before. And some chocolate, he loves it." She chuckled.

"So, do you like music as much as Mike does?" She asked, glancing at him. He shrugged.

"I kinda sing and play guitar, but he got most of that talent." She rolled her eyes.

"You could've fooled me after that performance in the car yesterday." He snorted.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"No, I'm talking to the steering wheel." She flipped him off and he snickered.

"Do I what, play instruments and sing?"

"Dude, we were just talking about this."

"Well, dude , if you must know, I do play the piano and I used to sing."

"Hmm, why used to?" She shrugged.

"I mean… A few years ago, I'd sing when I was happy. I doubt Mike's told you but when I was eighteen my boyfriend died." She glanced at him and he frowned.

"I'm sorry." She waved him off.

"Don't be. I loved him so much, and I used to sing to him all the time. He couldn't sing to save his life." She chuckled fondly. "When he died I just… never felt happy enough to sing anymore, because it was kind of our thing. I'm not saying I'm not happy with Mike, because I am . So happy. He sings to me sometimes, and I love it.
"I get where you're coming from, kind of." Richie said. "I know it's completely different, but my mom used to sing to me when I was little. She couldn't sing either, but she did and she would sing Michael Jackson songs. Not sure why, but…" He shrugged.

"I'm sorry about… all that, too." She told him.

"It's okay. I'll just be glad when I graduate and move out here with you guys."

"Honestly can't wait either. Me and you should start our own business when you graduate college." Richie looked at her with wide eyes.

"That would be so fucking cool! "


Two hours later, the two were in Wal-Mart just because they could be. They'd bought everything they needed, got lunch, and were now messing around in the store. They both had their phones out, taking videos of each other and sending it to the chat.

"I have been looking for this child for five minutes." El said, looking down at herself on her screen, looking down each isle. "How can someone so loud, disappear so easily- Oh my God." She burst out laughing and turned the camera around. Richie was in one of the Christmas decoration isles, wearing a Santa Claus hat that had a tiara glued to it with a cape- she had no idea where she got it from- and standing on a skateboard. "Richie, what the fuck." He laughed and posed. She ended the video and took pictures of him, sending them to the chat with a giggle. She put a matching hat on and took a selfie of them and threw them in the shopping cart with a snort.

(1:32 PM) Eleven- (selfie)
(1:32) Eleven- we're twinning.

(1:33) Dickard- Sorry eds, els my new best friend.

(1:35) Eddie- devastating

(1:35) Zoomer- rude and disrespectful
(1:36) Zoomer- i thought you were my bff El

(1:37) Noddle- excuse me but what am i

(1:37) Eleven- Max you're my girlfriend.

(1:38) Noddle- what the fuck

(1:38) Eleven- Mike's my boyfriend
(1:39) Eleven- And Richie's my best friend.

(1:39) Noddle- I agreed to NOTHING

(1:40) Eddie- guess I'll take back you Christmas present, Richard.

(1:41) Dickard- NO ILY
(1:42) Dickard- UR MY CUTE LIL EDS DON'T DO THAT PLEASE

(1:42) Stalker- das a lot of caps

(1:43) Eddie- we'll see
(1:43) Eddie- also he only texts in all caps in our chat.
(1:44) Eddie- (proof)

(1:45) Dusty- yo Richie
(1:45) Dusty- what the fuck

(1:47) Eleven- (video of Richie laughing his ass off while he tries to scan stuff in self checkout)
(1:47) Eleven- he "can't even right now"

(1:48) Noddle- giggly boy

(Eleven changed Dickard to Giggly Boy)

(1:50) Giggly Boy- El I love you

(1:51) Eleven- ILY2