It was exactly 7:56 AM. Eddie hadn't even been awake for an thirty minutes, and he was already pissed.
It had started when he woke up that morning.
He had to stay up till midnight the night before working on 's stupid writing assignment that he had forgotten about over the weekend. Then, he couldn't fall asleep because his neighbor's dog wouldn't stop yapping all night. So, when he finally fell asleep at four, he was so tired that he slept through his 6:30 alarm. His mom had come barging into his room sometime around 7:30 and yelled at him to wake up, get dressed, no time for breakfast.
Eddie hadn't had the chance to wash his clothes, so he had no choice but to grab a dirty polo and stinky jeans. "I better not get a fucking staph infection from this shit," he had mumbled angrily to himself while he slipped on his shirt.
Then he had to deal with his mom's road rage in the early morning traffic since it was raining outside and he couldn't bike to school. That was always enough to stress him out and just put him in a bad mood.
Eddie felt tired, dirty, annoyed, and the smell of his own morning breath was making him want to gag. So, yeah, he was feeling pretty shitty.
He was absolutely thrilled when he went to the Loser's spot in the cafeteria that morning (the kids had to wait there before the first bell rang) only to find that the seventh spot at the table-his spot, between Richie and Bill- had been filled by the one and only Niko.
Of fucking course it has.
Niko had hung out with them over the weekend following the day they first met him, and Eddie kept finding him doing stuff like this a lot. Like, he would watch to see what Eddie usually did when they would do something, and then the next time they did it he would always try to beat Eddie to it. For example, when they went out for ice cream, Eddie would always order for him and Richie, cause Richie always had to piss when they walked into the parlor for some reason. Then, Richie would come out of the bathroom, take his cone, and still try to steal a lick from Eddie's. Niko watched them do this the first time he got ice cream with them, and the second time, Niko got Richie's favorite ice cream, and then willingly gave Richie a lick of his and he got a taste of Richie's. After that, he'd stolen Eddie's favorite spot, in the corner of the booth facing the window to outside. That was just one example on a long, long list. He was constantly doing things like this.
When Eddie talked to Bill about it, he had just said that Eddie should be flattered. "Maybe h-he just th-thinks you're c-c-cool," Bill had said.
Eddie tried to think of it that way, but he couldn't help but feel as if it definitely wasn't that way. He didn't know why, but he felt as if Niko was trying to do all of this just to... well, just to be mean. None of the others seemed to have a problem with him, though, so Eddie decided that he should probably just keep his mouth shut.
Just because they like him, though, doesn't mean I have to.
Eddie trudged over to his friends, not even bothering to hide his glower.
Mike was the first one to notice him. "Geez, Eddie, what happened to you?"
The rest of them turned to him, grimacing at what they saw. "Shit," Richie spoke, "You look like you haven't slept in ten days. Your mom and I didn't keep you up last nigh, did we?"
"Beep beep, Richie," Eddie grumbled. "I am not in the fucking mood."
"Did you even comb your hair?" Bev asked. "I haven't seen you without your hair all gelled down, like, ever. Only after we finish swimming at the quarry."
"Didn't have time," Eddie answered bluntly.
"You c-c-can s-sit behind m-me today in S-spanish, Bill suggested. "I b-bet won't n-n-notice if y-ou t-take a n-nap."
"Yeah, maybe." Eddie looked around the table. "Where do I sit?"
They all looked at each other awkwardly.
"You can sit on my lap," Ben offered.
Eddie glanced to check which teacher was monitoring them. It was the PE coach, coach Wish. He was one of those who got you in trouble for so much as looking at him the wrong way.
"I can't. Remember last time Richie sat on Stan's lap and got lunch detention?"
"Just go sit at another table," Niko said.
Eddie glared at him. "No. Why don't you go sit at another table?"
"Because I was here first."
"Well I was here before you," Eddie shot back, his 'here' representing something else.
"C'mon, Eddie, don't be a dick about it," Richie cut in.
"I'm not being a fucking dick about it!" Eddie snapped back. Why did Richie take Niko's side so quickly?
"Kasbrek!" Wish suddenly shouted. He always got Eddie's last name wrong. "If your butt isn't touching a seat in ten seconds, you've got lunch detention!"
Eddie felt his ears burn hot, and he felt the rest of the cafeteria's eyes on him. He speed walked to the closest chair he could find, at Gretta's table. She shot him a dirty look, and he looked away, embarrassed, and for some reason ashamed. Her and the rest of the girls scooted away from him.
"Lovely," he muttered to himself. He looked over at his usual table, receiving a few sympathetic looks. Not from Niko, though. Niko had this smug smirk on his face, and it made Eddie clench his fist. What the hell is this guy's problem?
Then, he made eye contact with Richie, who playfully held up an 'L' on his forehead. It made Eddie feel a little bit better, though. He discreetly flipped him off.
Eddie had to really fight to stay awake through his morning classes. Since it was the end of the year, they didn't really have work to get done, but the teachers took this time to drone on and on about life after high school, responsibility as a teen, yada yada yada. It was almost worse than working.
He didn't end up getting to take a nap in Spanish, because of course that would be the one day she decided to call on them one by one to read from some stupid Spanish book. Eddie hoped that maybe in his next class, History, he might be able catch some z's.
Spanish felt like it lasted ten years, but eventually it did come to an end. Eddie slowly prodded into History, which he shared with Bev, Mike, and Richie. The desks were lined up in rows, and the four of them usually sat in the far right corner together. Eddie scowled when he walked in to see that Niko had taken Eddie's usual spot(the very last desk in the row), yet again. Mike noticed this, and he motioned for him to come, pointing to an empty desk that he had saved for him with his bag.
Eddie walked over, sending Mike a tired, grateful smile. "Thanks, Mike."
"No problem."
"Did you ever get that nap?" Bev questioned, turning around in her chair to face him.
"Nope," Eddie replied, rubbing his eyes. "I was hoping that I might get one in here."
"Oh, then you can switch spots with me," Beverly said. "That way Mike and I can sort of lean together to hide you."
"Okay." He picked up his bags, silently thanking God for giving him such good friends. "Thanks."
Richie, who had been busy talking to Niko, finally noticed Eddie was there. "Eduardo!" He chirped. "Aw, still upset you didn't get your beauty sleep?"
"Fuck off," Eddie responded without even thinking about it.
Richie made a 'tsk tsk' sound. "At-ti-tude."
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Anything interesting happen this morning?"
"Well, I found out I have Niko in over half my classes," Richie told him, gesturing to Niko with his thumb. "I've just never noticed him cause he used to always be dead silent all class."
"Huh." Eddie tried his best to pretend this didn't bother him.
"I also stole a condom out of Mr. Smith's drawer." He pulled a little packet out of his back pocket.
The random, stupid act was enough to get Eddie to huff out a laugh. It made Richie grin a wide, lopsided smile. Eddie tried not to think about how cute it made him look. "What the fuck, why?" He asked, chuckling.
"For your-"
"My mother, I know," Eddie finished for him. "Obviously."
Richie grinned again. "You know me too well, Kaspbrak."
"Or maybe you're just really predictable."
"Oh yeah? Predict this, dipshit!" Before Eddie could react, Richie reached over and locked Eddie in a headlock, roughly ruffling his hair.
"Stop, you fucker!" Eddie demanded, half whining and half laughing.
Richie let go, looking satisfied. "You know, it's not as fun when your hair's not super gelled down for me to mess up." He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "You should leave your hair down like this more often, though. You look-" he stopped and debated what word to use, before he finally said, "You look nice this way."
"You do," Mike voiced, and Bev hummed in agreement.
Eddie had only gotten butterflies when Richie complimented him, though. "Oh. Uh, thanks, I guess."
"You should also lose the fanny pack," Niko commented bluntly. Eddie inwardly groaned, having almost forgotten he was there. No one fucking cares, he wanted to say. "It's lame."
If this had come from any of his other friends, Eddie wouldn't have minded, but coming from Niko, Eddie took it as an insult. "I like my fanny pack," Eddie retorted. He hoped his threatening tone communicated all the words he couldn't say.
Niko's eyes narrowed.
"The fanny pack is Eddie's thing," Bev pitched in, noticing the tension that was rising. Eddie sent her an appreciative look. "Even if it is a little dorky."
"Eddie's a dork, though, so it works," Richie added.
Eddie lightly kicked him in the shin. "Shut up, Trashmouth. You're the one who dresses like a middle aged dad tourist, so who's the real dork, here?"
Bev snickered, and Richie dramatically clutched his chest. "Oh, a knife right in my heart!"
Then, their teacher, , entered. He was holding a big stack of papers. "Alright, class, partner up," he instructed, splitting the big stack into smaller stacks. He handed a small pile of papers to the first person of each row, telling to them to take one and pass it back. "Today, you'll just be filling out one last worksheet covering everything we learned this year." When the class groaned, he said, "You guys ought to be happy. This is it, for the rest of the year. Just hurry up and pick a partner to finish it fast!"
Eddie pulled two mechanical pencils out of his bag, assuming Richie had most likely forgotten one of his own. "Alright, Rich," he started as the rest of the class broke into a chatter, "Where do you wanna-"
"You and me?" Niko suddenly asked, placing a hand on Richie's shoulder from behind him.
"Sure," Richie agreed.
Eddie couldn't keep in his annoyed huff. "Dude," Eddie said, "We've been partners for every project this year."
"Exactly why it should be fine if he's my partner this time," Niko stated.
"Oh my God, am I fucking talking to you?" Eddie snapped.
"Geez, Eds, calm down," Richie told him, a disapproving frown forming on his face. "It's not the end of the world if he's my partner just this once. Just because you didn't get your precious sleep last night doesn't mean you get to be a dick."
"Why are you taking his side?" Eddie asked, gesturing towards Niko angrily.
"I'm not taking sides," Richie claimed defensively. "I'm just calling things as I see it. And you've been very bitchy today, and you need to cut it the fuck out."
"Rich-" Bev started, but Richie cut her off.
"No, it's true. I'm his best friend, I'm supposed to tell him this stuff."
"What the fuck ever," Eddie spat, sending Richie a death glare. Then he shot his hand up, and without waiting to be called on, shouted, " ? I need to go to the bathroom."
"Why didn't you go five minutes ago?"
"Because I didn't need to go then." He tried to keep his anger from seeping into his voice. "If you don't let me go soon, I will go right here."
quickly dismissed him, and Eddie picked up his bags and hurried to the bathroom.
There Richie went again, taking Niko's side on things. It was always Niko, Niko, Niko. It seemed to be like that with everybody lately, but with Richie, it was the worst.
Probably cause he has a stupid gay crush on him, Eddie guessed, and Niko probably has one back on Richie. For some reason, the thought of this made his blood boil.
But why did it bother him so much?
It's just because I don't like Niko. I can tell something's off with that bastard, that's why it's bothering me.
Once lunch came, Eddie took one look at his usual table, and walked right out of the cafeteria on his heel. Niko was in his spot again, and he was not about to sit the whole lunch period with Gretta.
Eddie walked out to the courtyard and sat on the stairs, pulling out his lunch. He angrily took a bite of his mayo, ham and cheese sandwich, chewing furiously. I wouldn't have to be sitting out here by myself if it wasn't for fucking Niko.
Why am I the only one who gets an off feeling from this guy?
Eddie pondered this for a minute, until he got so mad that he had to stop thinking about it. Instead, he distracted himself by feeding a little parade of ants that had gathered at the smell of his food. Normally, they would gross him out and piss him off, but they were entertaining to watch march off with pieces of food ten times the size of their body.
"Ed-d-die?"
Eddie turned around from the stairs to see Bill, a mixture of worry and relief on his face. "Hey, Bill."
"W-what're you d-doing out h-here?" He asked. "I w-was l-looking f-f-for you."
"I didn't want to have to sit with Gretta again."
"W-we could h-have p-pulled u-up a c-chair this t-time."
"There wouldn't have been enough room."
"Well, m-maybe there would've b-been i-if we-"
"No, Bill, there wouldn't have been any fucking room!" Eddie suddenly shouted. Bill jumped a little, and his face fell. Eddie felt ashamed, and inwardly scolded himself. "Shit, Bill, I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I didn't mean to blow up at you like that."
Bill's eyes softened. "I-it's okay." He set down his bags to sit next to Eddie. "What's b-bothering y-you?"
"Nothing," Eddie fibbed. "I'm just tired."
"Eddie." Bill frowned at him, tilting his head.
"Okay," Eddie gave in. He turned to sit criss-cross facing his friend. "What're your thoughts on Niko?"
"Niko?" Bill asked. Eddie nodded, and Bill shrugged. "He's a-alright, I guess."
"Well remember when I told you about how he kept, like, copying me, kinda?"
"Yeah."
"Well I feel like now he's just trying to make me mad. Like, not in a way that Richie does, but he wants to genuinely make me not like him."
"W-what do y-you m-mean?"
"I just get this fucking feeling about him," Eddie explained, using his hands to exaggerate 'feeling'. "I don't know. I just feel like he's bad news."
"L-like h-how?"
"Like I hate him and I don't know why."
Bill was quiet for a moment, really pondering Eddie's words. That was something Eddie loved about Bill; he was always so good to talk to because after you said what needed to be said, he would always listen and then actually take time to think about what you said, so he could give a good, honest answer.
Finally, Bill stated, "You know, I-I used t-to h-hate Ben."
Eddie's eyes widened at Bill's confession. Bill? Hating somebody? Hating the sweetest of them all, Ben? "Really?"
"Y-yeah. E-every time he s-spoke, I s-swear, I w-wanted to p-punch him in the m-mouth."
"Why?"
"It t-took me a w-while, but s-s-soon I f-figured o-out why. It w-was because of B-bev."
Eddie cocked his head.
Bill continued, "You s-see, w-when we first m-met him, I d-didn't mind h-him. But then, I f-found o-out he h-had a-a crush on h-her, and a-at the time we were a-a thing. So n-naturally, I d-didn't l-like him. I honestly d-didn't r-realize why I d-didn't, though, u-until I n-noticed h-how w-worked up I g-got when he t-t-talked to her. I d-didn't know h-him r-really well then, a-and I think the p-problem was that the o-only th-thing I s-saw him as w-was a threat to Bev and I's r-relationship. So t-to make m-myself stop h-hating him, I f-forced myself to b-be f-fair and get to know h-him. And w-when I s-started t-talking to him, whaddya know, h-he's a p-pretty cool guy. I d-didn't hate him a-anymore."
Eddie was silent for a moment, before finally asking quietly, "What's your point?"
"My p-point is that I've n-noticed he's b-been h-hanging out with your b-best friend a l-lot, lately," Bill told him. "And m-maybe instead of s-seeing him as a p-potential friend, y-you s-see him as a-a potential threat t-to take R-fichie a-away f-from y-you."
"Take him away from me?" Eddie questioned, scoffing. "It's not like I own him or anything, Bill. He can hang out with whoever he wants."
"If y-you s-say so," Bill said, obviously not buying Eddie. "Y-You should t-try t-to g-get to know h-him y-yourself, though, o-outside of the group. See if th-that helps."
Eddie sighed. "Okay. I'll try."
Bill smiled. "Good." He stood up and dusted off his pants. "I'm g-gonna head back i-inside, n-now, it's too f-fucking hot out h-here. You c-coming?"
"No, I think I'm gonna stay out here a little longer. I need the fresh air."
"Okay. I'll s-see you later?"
"Yeah, see ya." Bill started to walk off, but stopped when Eddie called, "And Bill?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Thanks for the talk."
Bill smiled back. "Anytime." Then, he turned and walked back into the school.
Maybe Bill is right, Eddie mused. I need to start seeing him as a friend, not a threat. God, Niko probably hates me right now, the way I've been acting towards him. Maybe I can catch him today, and apologize.
Once the final bell rang, Eddie hurried outside to his bike and hopped on it, eager to get away from school as fast as he could. He always rushed to get out of school; even though Bowers had been gone for two years now, his friends didn't stop picking on them. He didn't want to wait around long enough for them to find him and decide to beat him up.
He was getting ready to zip toward the quarry, when suddenly he heard, "Spaghetti!" When he turned around, Richie was jogging his direction. "How do your little legs move so fast?" The tall boy panted once he reached Eddie. "I've been trying to catch you at some point between classes, but you walk as fast as I run."
Eddie shrugged. "I don't like moving slow."
"Apparently." Richie tugged his bike out of the stand.
"So..." Eddie looked at him expectantly. When Richie just stared at him blankly, Eddie asked, "Did you need something?"
Richie rubbed the back of his neck. "I just, uh, wanted to apologize, for earlier in class. First for not making sure it was okay before Niko and I were partners, and second for, y'know, calling you a bitchy dick."
Eddie didn't say it, but he was impressed Richie came and was the first to apologize. It wasn't often that he set aside his pride and said sorry like that.
"I kind of deserved it, though," Eddie admitted. "I was being a little brat."
"Well you're also operating on, like, two hours of sleep, so that's to be expected. Anyway, I could have done it in a better way. And I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"So, we're good?"
"Yes, you dipshit."
Richie chuckled. "I just gave you a heartfelt apology, and not even five seconds later you insult me." He lightly shoved Eddie in the shoulder. "Classic Eds."
"Not my name," Eddie reminded him out of habit, but he was smiling.
Ignoring his last comment, Richie challenged, "Hey, I'll race you to the quarry. If I beat you there you owe me ten licks of your next ice cream cone!"
Before Eddie could respond, Richie was on his bike and pedaling fast towards the quarry. Eddie hopped on his bike and furiously pumped his legs to catch up.
Eddie won the race to the quarry, despite Richie getting a head start. Richie claimed it was just because he had longer legs, so it took him longer to make a full rotation.
"Or you're just slow," Eddie teased.
"Or maybe I was going easy on you."
"Yeah, I doubt that."
"Please, I could beat you in my sleep."
"Rich, you couldn't beat me just now and you were actually trying."
"We'll have to have a rematch tomorrow. I'll show you then."
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever, doofus."
They went and propped their bikes up, and the rest of the Losers met them there.
"What're you guys doing here so early?" Ben questioned.
"I was just showing Richie how much faster I am than him," Eddie bragged.
Richie smiled. "You better get off your high horse now, Eduardo, before I kick you off of it tomorrow," he told him, poking him in his chest.
"Except you won't," Eddie said back.
Stanley walked past them, already stipping off his shirt. "I hope you win, Eddie."
"What, why?" Richie asked, fake hurt in his voice.
"Because you're annoying," Stan said simply. "Now let's go, it's hot."
"It's probably because I'm here," Richie joked, earning an eye roll and a groan from pretty much all the Losers.
Except Niko. He laughed out loud, saying, "You're probably right, Riri."
The moment made Eddie's heart seize up.
Did Niko just call Richie hot?
Eddie looked at everyone else to see how they were reacting. They didn't really seem as uncomfortable as Eddie; Bev, Ben, and Bill were having their own conversation entirely, Mike was looking at the two of them and smiling, and Stan was in the middle of taking off his pants while walking.
I guess nobody else cares.
So why do I care?
Richie laughed nervously. "This guy knows what he's talking about."
I don't care. I just need to talk to Niko, like Bill did with Ben. I need to get to know him better so I stop getting feelings like this. And I'll start right now.
They were nearing the end of the cliff, and his friends started to jump. However, as Niko was stepping back to take his running leap, Eddie grabbed him by the wrist.
"Hey, can I talk to you, a second?"
Niko raised a brow. "Um, why?"
Richie and Stanley were the only two left on the cliff with them. Stan gave them a questioning look.
"I have something I need to talk to you about." Clearing his throat, he looked to Richie and Stan, adding, "In private."
Stan looked confused, but he didn't ask any questions. Instead, he nodded and jumped off.
Richie, however, was wearing a look that Eddie couldn't quite read. It looked like he was... Nervous? Worried? Both? Eddie couldn't tell.
"About what?" Richie asked. Eddie noticed he was fidgeting with his fingers a lot, something that he only did when he got anxious.
"None of your business," Eddie told him. "Shoo."
Richie glanced down at Eddie holding Niko's wrist, and Eddie let go.
"It'll only take a second," Eddie assured him. "Now go."
Richie went to say something, but he stopped himself. Sighing, he turned and jumped down.
Niko raised a suspicious brow at him. "Well? What do you want?"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Eddie said. "About the way I've been acting towards you. I've been cold, and rude, and frankly, I'm not even 100% sure why. But it's not fair, and I want to give us a chance. Like, as friends, I mean."
Niko's mouth was curling up into a smile, but not a genuine, happy one. It almost looked as if he were amused. "Are you serious?"
Eddie wasn't expecting that. "Um, yeah."
"C'mon, no one else is here. You don't have to pretend to actually want to do this."
"W-what?" Eddie stuttered. This was far from how he pictured this going. "I'm not pretending-"
"Listen, I don't like you, and you don't like me. Let's keep it that way, hmm?"
Eddie just stared at him, his face twisted in confusion and his mouth a gap.
Niko snorted. "So, you haven't been catching my hints? I thought you had, the way you had been responding. Let me spell it out for you, though; I-don't-like-you-and-I-want-you-gone. You hear that? Gone!"
Suddenly, Eddie was filled with an overwhelming fear. He felt the chills go up and down his spine, and his stomach started doing cartwheels inside of him. His heart probably skipped about seven beats. It reminded him of how he felt every time he saw...
"...Pennywise?" He meekly asked. He started to breathe more rapidly, and he reached for his inhaler, only to remember he had thrown it out years ago with the rest of his gazebos.
"What the fuck did you say? Pennywise? Who the fuck is that?" Niko demanded. He really seemed to have no clue what Eddie was talking about. A little bit of relief washed over him, but the fear was still there.
Then there was something else. Eddie felt his heart drop to his stomach. His hands went numb. His heart began to beat out of his chest, and a cold sweat started on his forehead. He had never experienced this type of feeling before. The best way to describe it was impending doom. Something's happened. Something really, really bad just happened. I can feel it.
What the fuck was happening?
Niko grinned a crooked, evil smile. He seemed to know exactly what Eddie was going through, and he liked it.
"Look, I wasn't going to do this to you originally, but you're kind of hard to get rid of," Niko stated. "It's not my fault you didn't just move on to a new friend group earlier."
Eddie tried to speak, but he couldn't find his voice. He was so confused, he had so many questions, but his mind was so full of unidentified worry and anxiousness and fear that he couldn't focus enough to get his questions out.
"I suggest you go home now," Niko said, smiling. Even though it was perfectly even and pearly white, it was conspicuously evil. It made Eddie nauseous. "There's something you probably want to see."
Eddie didn't know how, but he knew Niko was telling the truth.
Eddie sprinted away from Niko, jumped on his bike, and was pedaling at full speed faster than you can say Jack Robinson. If Richie had tried to race him on his bike then, he would have lost by a long shot.
I have to get home, Eddie's gut was telling him. Go home, go home, now.
Eddie sped up.
Hurry. I gotta fucking hurry.
He was only a block away. The closer he came to his house, the more prominent the terrible feeling in his body grew. Impending doom.
I have to go, I have to go-
Eddie's thoughts were cut off as his bike's tire flew into a deep pothole in the road. It had always been there, but Eddie was in too much of a rush to think about it. It sent him flying off of his bike and crashing into the pavement.
He skidded across the concrete, but only a little ways. Still, when Eddie sat up to quickly check himself for injuries, he found that he had an awful road rash all up his left leg and arm. He had also had a few cuts and bruises that were slowly starting to form. Eddie was so full of adrenaline and fear, though, he couldn't feel any of the pain. He got back up and made a beeline for his house. He didn't even think about how infected his cuts could get, or how there was a 50% chance he was concussed.
Eddie burst through the front door, looking around frantically. "Ma?" He called. He listened for her usual, "I'm making dinner, Eddie bear!" or "Edward Kaspbarak, where have you been?"
But he didn't hear any response.
"Mommy?" He tried again. He checked the living room first, then her bedroom, then his, then the bathroom. She wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Mommy! Please an-" Eddie stopped mid sentence and let out a blood curdling scream at what he saw in the kitchen.
Sonia Kaspbrak lay sprawled out on the floor, blood oozing from her mouth, eyes, ear, and nose. Where her skin wasn't stained red, it was paler than a ghost.
Eddie hurried down to her wrist, feeling for a pulse. He got nothing.
"Oh, shit! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" His vision started to get blurry, from both the shock and the tears welling up. "Mommy!"
He scampered up and grabbed the telephone, dialing in 911.
"911, what is your em-"
"My mom is fucking dead!" Eddie shrieked into the phone. "She's fucking dead!"
"Hold on, slow down-"
"23432 Silver Spear Street," Eddie told her before dropping the phone. Eddie could still hear her asking him questions from where it dangled on the cord, but Eddie couldn't deal with that right now.
He sunk back to his mom's side, holding her stiff hand in his own. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry, mommy. I don't know how this happened."
It wasn't long before he heard the sirens approaching his house, and Eddie stood up. I can't be here right now. I can't be here right now. He lightly kissed his mom's hand, then stood up. I have to get out of here.
Eddie started to head towards the back door, before turning around to take one more look at his mother. He absorbed everything he could about her, from the shape of her nose to the color of her hair in a messy ponytail. He had a feeling that this would be the last time he would see her, ever.
After giving her one last look, he took a deep breath, and then bolted out the back door, into the woods.
Eddie started to run. And run. And run. He didn't know where he was going, but he just knew that he needed to fucking run.
Apparently, he was going to the quarry. Before he knew it, he was sprinting towards the cliff that overlooked the water. When he realized where he was, he slowed to a stop. Eddie put his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
Tears were still streaming down his cheeks at a steady rate. Eddie hadn't even realized he still was crying until now.
"Oh my God. Oh my God. Fuck!" He wiped at his eyes, so he could see more clearly. My mom is dead. She's fucking dead. What am I going to do?
"I'm sure he's fine." Eddie startled at Niko's voice. Then, suddenly, he remembered what Niko had said to him before he left.
"I suggest you go home now. There's something you probably want to see."
He did something. He knew about it, so he did something. How else could he have known?
The anger that began to consume Eddie was so overwhelming it actually made him a little dizzy. He stumbled as he tried to keep walking up.
"Well he usually tells us before he goes somewhere," Eddie heard Richie say. "I don't know, I just have a bad feeling, man."
If Niko killed my mom, what could he do to Richie? Eddie tried to move faster, but his legs still felt numb.
"You know what?" Niko told Richie. "You need something to de-stress a little bit."
"I'm not stressed. I just... I know my friend, is all. And I want to make sure everything's okay."
Eddie could see them now. "Richie!" Eddie's attempt at a shout was just barely above a whisper; his throat was horse from screaming bloody murder minutes ago.
"Well, still, you need to stop worrying. And I can help you with that."
And then, Niko was stepping close to Richie. Like, really, really close.
And his hand was cupping Richie's cheek.
And he was pulling Richie closer.
And in that moment, with Niko and Richie's lips inches apart, not even thirty minutes since Eddie had found his mom dead, another life changing thing happened to Eddie.
He finally accepted what had been in the back of his mind for years. It may have not been the best time to do that, but that's just how it happened. Maybe it had something to do with how mentally and physically exhausted he was, that even his mind didn't feeling like lying to himself anymore.
Eddie watched them, and thought to himself, Shit, I am in love with Richie Tozier.
Niko closed the gap between him and Richie. Richie's eyes widened at first, but then we closed his eyes and put arms around Niko's neck, deepening the kiss.
And that was the last straw for Eddie.
He passed out.
soooooooooo. big things just happened. i hope this one was less boring than the other chapter.
next update coming soon...