Author's note: I hope this chapter still finds all of you well! I'm still here and I'm still exhausted from being an essential worker, but everything is okay otherwise. Hang in there, keep taking care of yourselves, and I hope this cheers you up if you're feeling down!
Brave
Chapter 15 – The Fire Opal
Both Ben and Bev were sitting at the bar in the lounge the next morning when Richie descended the stairs in his pajamas. In what was quickly becoming one of his favorite morning traditions, Richie had just left a still sleepy Eddie in bed while he went to get them some coffee and bagels.
The three mumbled pleasantries to each other while Richie took his customary seat at the bar and poured himself a cup of coffee. As he was stirring his usual three scoops of sugar into it, he said, "So, um…change of plans."
Ben and Bev looked up at him from their own cups of coffee, staring at him curiously.
"This is absolutely ridiculous and I realize that," Richie said, running his hands through his still messy hair. "But when have I ever done anything that makes the least bit of sense?" He paused for a moment and rubbed his hands on his knees before he said, "I'm just going to do it – I'm going to buy Eddie an engagement ring."
Bev hadn't even been present yesterday when Richie had first revealed his idea of buying a ring for Eddie, and her eyebrows went up and her mouth dropped open in an expression of surprise. Ben, meanwhile, was staring at Richie questioningly, like he had somehow missed a part of the conversation, and Richie supposed he had.
"Yeah, um, I know this is completely out of the blue," Richie told them, "but Eddie and I talked about some things yesterday, and we both admitted that we really want to get married. I mean, I know it's still going to be a while before his divorce is finalized and we're free to even get married, but…thirty fucking years of hiding our feelings is enough. I really just want him to know that I'm serious about this. That I'm serious about him."
Bev's expression suddenly morphed into a smile, and she reached out to lay hand on Richie's arm. "Oh, Richie, as long as you're both happy, then you know we support you."
Richie smiled. "Thanks. Especially since Eddie can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that I want this just as much as he does." Richie sighed, hanging his head and staring down at his hands still in his lap. "He's so certain I'll just up and leave and…fuck. That's the last thing I want. And I keep telling him so, but I don't know if he completely believes me."
"Well, look at the shit he's had to put up with," Ben pointed out. He had rested his head in his hand as he watched Richie. "A mother who habitually lied to him about his entire existence. A parent should be one of the foundations for trust in your life, and that was completely shattered for him. That fucks up a person for a long time, so yeah, Eddie's going to have trust issues."
"And his wife isn't helping," Richie muttered. "She called yesterday and I was in the room with him. I heard the whole thing and…that woman is so fucking manipulative. The way she plays the victim in their marriage and tries to guilt trip Eddie into staying with her. It's fucked up beyond belief, and I'm just glad he realizes now how unhealthy it is."
"Thanks to you," Bev said around a smile. "He can finally see now what a healthy relationship can be like and how a proper loving partner should treat him."
Richie returned the smile, even if it was a little somber. "Yeah. I just don't know why he has such a hard time believing that I want to spend the rest of my life with him." Richie frowned deeply.
"It'll come in time," Bev told him. "It's not something that can be forced. Just keep reassuring him whenever he expresses doubts, and…just be honest with him. His trust in you will grow and he'll realize you're not going anywhere."
"I hope so," Richie said around a sigh. "I know there aren't any quick fixes for this shit and it's going to take some time, but I absolutely hate the thought that he's stressed out over my commitment." Richie snorted, because it was the most absurd thought to him. "There has never been anything else I've ever wanted but him. Except for maybe a career where I can make a living making people laugh, and I already have that. Eddie worries about enough as it is, and the last thing he needs to be concerned about is me. About whether or not I'm going to stay."
"We've all known that forever," Ben said around a smile. "You two are just behind the times, but he'll catch up."
"Why didn't you people just come out and tell us?!" Richie asked in exasperation, throwing his hands up. "Jesus Christ, do you realize how much time we could have saved if you just locked us in a room together until we admitted our feelings?"
"Mm," Bev hummed as she considered this, taking a sip of her coffee. "That only happens in those stupid sitcoms."
"The way they fight to cover up the fact that they're flirting is straight out of a sitcom," Ben said around a snicker.
"Yeah," Bev agreed, "but they probably would have just killed each other first. I wouldn't lock the two of them in anywhere together."
"Especially where there's sharp objects," Ben added. "Eddie is a savage with sharp objects."
"But you could have at least told us," Richie complained. "Instead you just let us dance around each other until Eddie had enough of that shit." Richie smiled warmly at the memory when Eddie had told him to sit down, and shut the fuck up, and then had kissed him fiercely on his hospital bed.
"Same goes for you guys, too," Bev replied. "When was anyone going to remind me it was Ben that wrote me that poem when we were little?" She leaned forward, letting her head thump against the bar in front of her. "Instead, you let me believe it was Bill again, and I looked like a fucking dumbass."
"It's fine," Ben said, grinning. He reached out a hand and laid it on top of Bev's back, running it over the fabric of her shirt. "We all figured out eventually that we're a bunch of dumbasses. Nothing new."
"Yeah," Richie said dryly. "Anyway, I'm going to the jewelry store this morning," he whispered, but then he paused. He took a moment to look back over his shoulder, checking to make sure that Eddie hadn't decided to join them. When he turned back to Ben and Bev, Richie's voice was still low as he said, "I told Eddie that I'm going to help Mike pack and move boxes this afternoon, and Mike is going to stay at the library until I'm done. I'd appreciate if you guys went along with that in case Eddie says anything."
It was Bev's turn to grin. "Aw, you know we won't say anything."
"Just don't get us caught in a lie, man," Ben said. "We're too old for that shit."
Richie smiled. "That's what Mike said."
"So when are you going to ask him?" Bev asked, leaning towards Richie, her voice rising in excitement.
Richie frowned in thought. "I don't know. I had this insane thought that I was going to do it tonight, but…I feel like I might chicken out. I mean, I know we both want this, but maybe I should think about this for a while. Plan something really romantic. And let that conversation he had with Myra yesterday fade away a bit." Richie shivered visibly. "I don't want it to be overshadowed by that, but…I think I want to do it before we leave Derry at any rate. I don't know why, but…it feels appropriate to do it here – where there's so many memories for us."
"Yeah," Ben agreed, a smile ghosting across his own lips. "Let us know if you need any help with anything."
"Actually," Richie said, "I still want to have a romantic dinner or something with Eddie tonight. We haven't fucking had our first date yet, and I think it's high time we do. I'm just not sure where I could take him. Where's a nice restaurant in this shithole town?"
Bev hummed as she considered this, propping her head up in her hand. "There really isn't a nice place to take a date, is there? McDonald's was fine when we were kids, but god, what did our parents ever do?" she asked around a giggle. "You know, that's probably one of the reasons why it took so long for us to admit our feelings for each other – no sense of romance in this town."
"You know what I think?" Ben asked. "I think you're better off getting take-out and doing your own thing…like just having a picnic outside or something. It's still warm enough for that, and you'd win points for originality instead of just taking him to a plain old restaurant."
"Now I know all your secrets," Bev said, leaning her shoulder into Ben's and grinning at him.
Ben kissed her before he glanced at Richie over her head. "See?" Ben asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Just the idea wins you points, let alone the actual execution."
Bev giggled, but then she straightened up in her seat. "Actually, maybe not a picnic, but…" Bev suddenly shut her mouth, turning to face Richie fully. "You know what? You'll be busy shopping for the ring, so let me take care of dinner for you guys tonight, okay? I promise it'll be romantic."
Richie raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "What did you have in mind?"
"You'll see," Bev said, winking at him. She suddenly turned and grabbed Ben's arm, yanking him up out of his chair and towards the stairs. "Leave it to us!" she called as she started whispering ideas to Ben on their way up to the second floor of the townhouse.
Richie watched them go, letting his head sink into his hand as he smiled in contentment. How had he ever been stupid enough to believe that his friends would hate him for simply loving Eddie? Because, Jesus, they were actually helping him plan a romantic date night with Eddie. Not even in his wildest dreams did Richie ever imagine he'd end up here.
His thoughts drifted to Eddie next, sleeping upstairs in his bed, and Richie didn't think he'd ever have that either. When had things so very suddenly fit into place for Richie, like the last pieces of a puzzle being slotted in? When had the universe suddenly decided that he should have everything he'd ever wanted?
The last things Richie could possibly want were to be married to Eddie and to be out to the public in general. To be out and proud, like Eddie said his gay friend in college, Aaron was. Those things would come in time, he knew, but for right now…he couldn't possibly want for more, and that thought made his eyes well up with tears.
Richie slumped over in his seat, letting the tears fall. To an outsider, it might have looked like Richie was sad, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Richie was the fucking happiest he'd ever been in his life, and he was simply trying to comprehend when in the hell he had gotten so lucky.
He was so consumed in his tears, he didn't hear the tiny footsteps on the stairs.
Long after Richie had gone to help Mike pack and move boxes, Eddie laid in the bed he shared with Richie. He kept sighing heavily, staring up at the ceiling like it held the answer to some ages-old puzzle. Christ, Eddie finally had everything he had spent his life wishing for, but he couldn't quite relax. Couldn't quite just be happy in the moment, because his mind was running into overdrive like it usually did. Because things kept happening that made Eddie question everything.
Eddie hadn't mentioned the fact that he had seen Richie crying downstairs. Eddie had quickly returned to their room and pretended like it hadn't happened. But that image sat and festered in his mind, like a picture burned into a piece of wood – Richie slumped over at the bar, tears pouring down his cheeks.
If what Richie had told Eddie yesterday was true, then Richie was the happiest he'd ever been in his life, so what could he have been crying about? Was it something about Myra? Was it something with the conversation that had taken place between them yesterday? Was it simply Richie being concerned about Eddie being a nervous wreck? But deep down, Eddie knew that that wasn't the problem. As was always the issue in his life, Eddie knew that he was the problem. He was the fucking problem for Richie, and as much as Eddie didn't want to believe it, Richie was just now realizing the mistake that he had made in all of this, wasn't he?
Frowning deeply, but telling himself that he wasn't going to cry, Eddie gingerly reached for his phone on his bedside table, careful not to pull at his stitches. Eddie went into his contacts, glad that Bill's name was near the top of the list as he tapped on his name.
"Hey, Eds," Bill's voice came through his phone a moment later. "What's up?"
"Do…do you have a few minutes to talk? Am I bothering you?" Eddie asked tentatively, suddenly not even sure if he should be voicing his concerns at all. He was being stupid like always, and he knew that, but in the end, Eddie knew Bill would understand; aside from Richie, Bill was his best friend.
"No, man," Bill said. "Just working on my new book, but I'm not busy. What's up?"
Eddie was quiet for a long time before he said, "I feel like an asshole."
"Why? What's going on?" Bill asked, the curiosity apparent in his voice.
"Tell me I'm being stupid."
"Uh, stupid about what exactly?" Bill asked. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific, because yes, you're stupid a fucking lot."
"Fuck off," Eddie retorted, although there was no real fire in his voice. "You said…when you found out about me and Richie, you said you weren't surprised."
"Not at all," Bill told him. "I saw it coming a mile away and I doubt I was the only one."
"Yeah," Eddie agreed. "That's what the other Losers said too. That this wasn't news to them, because they've known it ever since we were kids." Eddie paused, squinting up at the ceiling in thought. "So why didn't I ever see it? Not until Richie admitted his feelings to me in the hospital."
"Cause you're fucking stupid."
"Bill-"
"No, seriously," Bill cut him off gently. "Look, it's same reason why Ben and Bev didn't realize they were destined to be together until last month either. I think…you just want something so badly, but you convince yourself that it's never going to happen. Trying to put the thought out of your mind altogether seems like the best course of action, because something like love is so consuming and it's hard to function otherwise. Then you end up missing a lot of signs that impartial third parties are probably picking up on. Believe me, I know." When Eddie didn't reply, Bill asked, "Why? What's bothering you?"
"I just…" Eddie began, but then he trailed off. He ran his free hand through his hair. "I'm so fucked up, Bill." Eddie cringed at his words, at the way they sounded so small and desperate. He doubted it was the response Bill had been anticipating, but his friend didn't hesitate in his answer.
"We all are."
"No, but…why would anyone want someone as fucked up as I am?" Eddie asked, clenching his hand into a fist and pressing it into the mattress underneath him in embarrassment. He knew he had issues. The rest of the Losers knew he had issues, but Eddie tried not to make a habit out of crying over them. "Why would Richie want someone as fucked up as I am?" he asked next, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's a fucking successful, famous comedian and I'm…just a mess."
"Why would Audra want someone as fucked up as I am?" Bill asked him in response. "You think I've been the easiest person in the world to love? Having your little brother murdered by a fucking space clown will do that to a person. As does having Sonia Kaspbrak for a mother, I'd imagine."
"I'm sorry, Bill," Eddie immediately apologized for bringing up these issues for his friend all over again.
"No!" Bill exclaimed. "I didn't mean it like that. You know you can talk to me about anything. That includes G-Georgie. Nothing is off-limits to us. But I had those same thoughts too. Audra is a fucking beautiful, successful movie star. Why would she want someone like me?" Bill let out a soft laugh. "But love isn't rational. We don't choose who we fall in love with."
"I know we don't, but…we can choose who to be with," Eddie pointed out. "So why would Richie choose me? He could go back to LA, and work on his career, and be free of my issues-"
"Richie is your friend, first and foremost," Bill interrupted him. "We're all your friends. You have to know by now that your problems are our problems. It's been that way ever since we were kids. It's why you guys didn't let me go to look for Georgie alone, despite all your arguments to the contrary."
"Okay," Eddie said, "so he's not going to completely write me off. But that still doesn't explain why he would choose me for a lover of all things – someone that he has to take care of. It's like having a big, giant child around forever, and that's fucking fucked up."
"No, it isn't," Bill said softly. "When you love someone, that's not what it's about, and I know that from personal experience. And I know Richie loves you, because I've seen the way he looks at you, okay?" Bill let out of gentle breath of exasperation that sounded like a muffled puff through the speakers. "You should have seen the way he looked at you in the hospital, when we weren't sure if you were going to make it or not. Hell, you should have seen the fucking wreck he was. You wouldn't believe how much time he spent sitting on your bed, holding your hand and crying, because he thought you were going to die."
Eddie blinked at this revelation, then he tried to reconcile the image of Richie crying on his bed with the one of Richie sitting at the bar downstairs. "He…he was wreck?" Eddie asked. "He fucking cried? Over me possibly dying?"
"A lot," Bill admitted. "And I walked in on him once going on and on about his feelings for you, and about how much he regretted all the time he wasted not confessing them to you sooner." Bill paused before he added, "That fucking asshole loves you and he wants to be with you, if that's what you're asking."
Eddie was silent for a very long time, trying to process everything Bill was telling him. Eddie tried to imagine Richie crying over him on his hospital bed, but he could quite do it. At the same time, however, Eddie knew that Bill would never lie to him about this. Not to mention, Bill hadn't been the only one to overhear such things.
"You think so?" Eddie asked after a while, his voice hopeful.
"I know he does," Bill said firmly. "And I know it's hard to believe that any of us are loveable sometimes, but there's no one Richie loves more than you. You don't need to worry."
"But I do worry," Eddie said regretfully. "It's what I do."
"Have…have you talked to Richie about your feelings?"
"Yes. He just keeps telling me that he's committed to me."
"Then there's your answer."
"And that's why I feel like an asshole, but…" Eddie trailed off, biting at his bottom lip.
"But what?"
"I know Richie wouldn't lie to me," Eddie said, as much for himself as for Bill, "and I feel bad for questioning him about it all the fucking time. Especially after all his reassurances, but…" Eddie paused again for a long time. Bill let him, seemingly letting Eddie collect his thoughts. "I saw him crying this morning."
"And did you ask him what that was about?"
"No," Eddie said, shaking his head, even though Bill couldn't see it. "I couldn't. I…had a phone call from Myra yesterday, and Richie had to talk me down from a panic attack after it, and…he's so fucking sick of me. I know he is. Even though he says he isn't."
"You don't know that unless you ask him." Bill's voice was firm and calm, like he knew that Eddie was just waiting for the slightest hint of uncertainty on his end. "It could have been something with his manager, or maybe he got a phone call from someone else back in LA. You don't know it had the slightest bit to do with you."
"But…" Eddie said again, and he hated the way his voice was shaking. "If it was something like that, he would have told me. He tells me everything. Except when it's about me. He's just fucking sick of me and my hypochondriacal, anxiety-laden ass. I know it."
Bill snorted loudly into the phone. "Trust me, if Richie was going to get sick of you, it would have happened already at some point over the last twenty-seven years. If he's still hanging around…it means something."
Despite the fact that it still felt like a giant rock was sitting in the middle of his stomach, Eddie found himself smiling. "Thanks, Bill," Eddie said, letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding.
"Yeah," Bill said, then added, "ask him. You'll feel a lot better. Besides, I can tell you from personal experience that if the two of you are hiding things from each other already, it doesn't bode well for the rest of your relationship." Eddie could hear the frown and unhappiness in Bill's voice at those words.
"I know," Eddie said. "In fact, I made Richie promise to me in the hospital that we'd always be open and honest with each other." Eddie let out a loud breath. "A good job we're doing of that."
"Ask him," Bill insisted again. "It's probably something he doesn't want you to worry about, that's all. You know how overprotective he is."
"And I'm braver than I think, right?"
"Fuck yeah, you are," Bill answered without missing a beat. "You singlehandedly saved Richie from the Deadlights and took a fucking demon claw through the chest to do it."
This made Eddie's smile deepen, but then something else occurred to him, and the smile was gone. It was something he hadn't even considered before, and the sudden realization hung like a dark cloud in the room above him.
When Eddie hung up with Bill, he sat on the edge of the bed, staring across the room at the dresser where he and Richie had been making out just yesterday. And yes, that had been just yesterday; he felt like he had to remind himself of that, because it now seemed like a million years ago. So much had happened, and something that had seemed so certain and full of passion now seemed like it was standing on shaky ground. At least for Eddie.
The bell above the door tinkled softly when Richie entered Bubbles and Gems. His shoes whispered over the plush velvet maroon carpet and he nearly had to shield his eyes from the lights glaring off the rows of glass cases laid out before him. It might have been one of the most upscale places Richie had ever set foot in in Derry, and he suddenly felt like should at least take his shoes off, like he was sullying the place with what Eddie would call "germ magnets".
"Can I help you?" a petite woman with dark hair asked, emerging from a doorway at the back of the shop.
"Yes. Um…I'm looking for an engagement ring," Richie said, his breath catching in his throat and heart turning over in his chest.
God, why was he so nervous? He and Eddie both wanted this so ridiculously much, so it was really just a formality, wasn't it? But maybe because it was Eddie fucking Kaspbrak at all, and Richie had never even imagined he'd be here in his wildest dreams – buying an engagement ring for the love of his life. It made Richie's head spin just thinking about it all.
"For a man or a woman?" the girl asked cheerfully.
Oh. Richie's heart then leapt up and lodged itself in his throat, and he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. But almost just as quickly, he decided he was being silly. This poor woman was just trying to sell him the best ring possible, not learn the secrets of his sexuality for personal gain. Old habits died hard, he supposed.
"A…a man," Richie said quietly, but then he cleared his throat. He forced a smile and said, "My…my boyfriend. E-Eddie."
"The men's rings are over here," she replied, gesturing to the cases on the right side of the store. "Was there anything specific you had in mind?"
Riche made his way over to the cases, but then he put his hands up at the woman's question. "Honestly, I have no idea. This is…all kind of spur of the moment." Richie forced out a laugh and said, "We've been in love with each other forever, but kind of only admitted it to each other recently, and…we don't want to wait anymore." Richie felt his face burn a deep shade of red, probably to match the carpet, and he wondered if he should have said any of that. But Eddie seemed to have that effect on him, because a part of Richie had the urge to scream about his love for the man from the rooftops.
The woman casually leaned her elbows against the case in front of her, smiling. "Aw, high school sweethearts?"
"Uh, middle school sweethearts is more like it," Richie admitted.
The woman giggled before she suggested, "Something with his birthstone perhaps? Or yours maybe? Some people like to do that."
Richie blinked, because he had no fucking clue what Eddie's birthstone even was. "Um. He was born in September…? Mine is aquamarine, I think, but I don't think that quite suits him." No, Eddie was much more suited to a deep and passionate color, not something that looked cool and watered down.
"His would be sapphire, then," she said, pointing out a ring to Richie with a deep blue stone.
Richie hummed, considering this, but he didn't think blue quite fit Eddie at all. Goddamn it, but his Eds was a tough fucking fiancé to shop for. Richie shook his head before running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I'm so unprepared. I should have given this some thought before I came rushing in."
"It's okay," the woman said patiently. "You can just look. We have lots. Maybe something will catch your eye. Does he have a favorite color?"
"Um." Richie suddenly felt like the dumbest and worst boyfriend on earth if he couldn't even answer stupid simple questions about the love of his life. But when he really thought about it, there was really only one color that came to mind when he thought about Eddie. "He wears red a lot. He looks good in red."
Richie's mind began to drift away to those little red shorts that Eddie would walk around in decades ago, like they didn't drive Richie absolutely out of his mind. To that red windbreaker in the Jade of the Orient that had made all of those long-buried feelings come slamming back to Richie in full force. To that red sweatshirt that Eddie had worn that day at the Kissing Bridge that had been like a beacon in Richie's blurry vision after that asshole had stolen his glasses.
"Garnet maybe, then? Or how about a ruby?" the girl asked, running her finger along a row of rings with deep red stones.
Richie's mind felt like it was spinning with all of gems reflecting light back at him, with all of the fucking choices that he didn't think would look quite right on Eddie. Maybe Richie should have looked at pictures online before he came into an actual store, because he felt like he was completely out of his league. Why did he ever think he was capable of shopping for a ring of all things?
"Or you could always go with the traditional diamond," she said, still pointing out various rings to Richie when he didn't answer.
Richie assumed that Eddie had probably bought a diamond ring for Myra when they had decided to get married, so that was the last thing he wanted. He shook his head thoughtfully, but then he saw it. It was a silver ring with an orangish-red gem running through the center of the band. When Richie shifted from one foot to the other, the colors would deepen or lighten to varying degrees. It reminded Richie of his mother's favorite pair of earrings when he had been growing up – silver studs with opals in them. They had been a Christmas present from his father one year, but then his mother had lost one some years later, and she'd been distraught for weeks.
"Is…is that an opal?" Richie asked, pointing to the ring in the question.
"It is," said the shopkeeper. She reached underneath the glass counter, withdrawing the ring and handing it to Richie. "Fire opal inlaid in a platinum band. The fire opal symbolizes love, passion, and hope for the future."
Richie smiled as he took the ring. He stuck it on the end of his index finger, using his other hand to turn it over and over again, watching as the light caught the gem, reflecting different shades of glowing red and orange back at him. If there was one word Richie could pick to describe Eddie, it was fiery – a little ball of nerves, and anger, and fucking passion that Richie was only now discovering the degree of which lay underneath the surface. And Jesus Christ, if that ring didn't look like it was on fire just like his little Eds.
Richie nodded, handing the ring back to the saleswoman. "That's the one," he said, sounding a bit out of breath, because a moment ago, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to find anything at all. "I'll take it," he told her. "That's really spur of the moment too, isn't it? But I think that's quickly becoming the theme of our relationship, so why stop now?"
The girl giggled quietly, taking a moment to look intently at the inside of the band. "And what about an inscription?"
"Oh," Richie said, blinking. He had barely even thought about what kind of ring to get at all, let alone what inscription he should get on it. God, he was so fucking unprepared. But almost as soon as Richie took a moment to think about it, he knew exactly what it should be. "R+E," he said, "and a heart on the opposite side?"
"Sure, we can do that," the woman replied, nodding. "It'll be a few extra days, so I hope you weren't planning on proposing tonight."
"I kind of was," Richie admitted around a laugh, "but this is probably for the best. I told my friends that I should stop and think about this, about what I'm going to say and do, because I want this to be special. Believe me, I've waited for this for twenty-seven years and a few days is nothing."
"Well, we can have it ready for you by the end of the week."
"That would be great."
Richie was grinning as he left the shop, the small silver bell tinkling above his head again in farewell. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he made his way down the sidewalk to his car, sending a quick text to Mike.
Richie (1:01 PM): Engagement ring purchased. You can come out of hiding now. Thank you for your service.
As soon as Richie unlocked the door to his car, a new text from Mike popped up on his phone.
Mike (1:02 PM): Engagement ring?!
To be continued…
Author's note: And I've realized there wasn't any actual Reddie content in this chapter, but hopefully, the inclusion of some of the other Losers makes up for it. There will be plenty of Reddie in the next one!
