Stan and Eddie bursted through the double doors, finding Beverly in deep concentration. They went out the back way, and the only difference from the front of the school was the dense forest stretching for about four miles in each direction. Beverly was studying the forest in front of them, scanning each tree. Then she found whatever she was searching for and snuck behind a large oak tree, hiking the tight trail through. Stan squeezed himself through the opening after her.
"Wait a minute," Eddie said, a slight panic rising in his gut. They didn't slow down. He fought a small battle in his mind and chased after them.
The sun only shone through breaks in the canopies of leaves above them, making it seem a lot more eerie than strictly necessary. Eddie was careful of the trees large invasive roots but still needed to catch himself a couple times. He felt his breath becoming labored.
"If I get Lyme disease I'm gonna push you off a cliff, Stanley," Eddie called to the figure in front of him indignantly. The figure turned around with a smirk.
"Just don't get any ticks on you. That's easy. What you really gotta worry about is the squirrels," Stan teased.
"Squirrels?," he scoffed, "What about the squirrels?"
"Oh, you know. Rabies." Eddie stopped walking.
"You... you... RABIES?," he started gasping for air, taking out his inhaler again. Beverly turned around and scolded Stan with a mother-like stance. Eddie sucked down the spray from the cartridge and finally caught up with them. "How much... longer?," he panted softly. Beverly reached up the adjacent tree and moved a thin branch out of the way.
"The cliff," Stan said, connecting the dots. A flat expanse of beige rock reflected the afternoon sunlight, as did the curved wall surrounding the pond below.
"Oh," Eddie said as he stepped off the forest floor and onto the rocky cliff. He turned around. "Why the hell couldn't ya just tell us we were going to the cliff?"
"'Cause someone coulda followed us and listen in on our conversation?," she turned Stan. Stan nodded.
"We think Bill and Richie like each other," Stan rushed. "Bill told me recently that he likes a dude. I asked who and he said Richie. Then Richie told Eddie he would screw Bill if he had to pick."
"I wouldn't screw Bill but Richie would," Eddie clarified. "I said I'd screw Stan."
"Really not important here, Ed." Stan continued, "So I started thinking, and I realized, what if we set them up?" Beverly's eyes twinkled with mirth. She giggled softly.
"Sounds like you've been planning something interesting."
"Yep. And that's where I need your help. I have the base of the plan but I'm no good at details."
"Wait," Eddie interjected, raising his hands. "You," he pointed a finger at the taller boy, "had a plan?"
"More of an idea than a plan," Stan corrected softly.
"Well what is it?," Beverly prompted.
"Uh, w-we want our friends to be happy, right?," both of his friends nodded. "Then why keep their love a secret, right? Like, they both like each other and are probably terrified to pursue the other. If we give the time and reassurance, maybe they'll," he brought his hands together swiftly, as if pushing two objects together, "get together." Beverly's smile widened.
"Play matchmaker?," she tone was nearly wicked. "I've always wanted to play matchmaker. How do you wanna do it?"
"Um," Stan was a bit unnerved by her enthusiasm. "Like, set them up on a date? Like we'll all do something and then they end up alone or whatever." Beverly snapped her fingers.
"The carnival's in town. We could all go and ditch them on the ferris wheel." Stan's eyes lit up at the idea.
"Dude, yes. That's perfect!"
"Hold on a second!," Eddie's voice cracked. "What if they find out we're setting them up? What if they're pissed at us?"
"Why would they be pissed? We'll just tell them we got lost or something."
"Or better yet, we'll tell them where we want to go afterwards, and then say 'we changed our minds' when they find us again," Beverly said with a smug grin.
"What?," Eddie was somewhat panicking, but when was he not?
"Wow, you're good at this, Bev," Stan rushed out. "So, it's settled then. Saturday?"
"Saturday." Beverly started to go back through the woods.
"BUT THAT'S TOMORROW," Eddie flailed his arms dramatically.
"We know," Beverly and Stan said at the same time. Again. Before Stan could follow Beverly, Eddie grabbed the taller boy's wrist.
"I don't like this, Stan. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing."
"When don't you have a bad feeling about something?," Stan giggled. "Listen, if anyone asks, we'll say you had no part in it, okay?"
"What if it messes everything up? What if they end up hating each other or something and the whole Losers Club is broken into a billion little pieces? Bill's our leader and Richie's our glue. If they get together-"
"Woah, Ed. Relax," Stan said softly, holding Eddie's shoulders to keep him focused. "It's not like we're setting up their wedding here. We're just getting them alone so they can talk. Trust me, this is better than letting their emotions fester and let hurt themselves over and over again, thinking their feelings aren't right or something. And if we're wrong about Richie, then Bill will get some closure. If we're right about Richie, then maybe he'll stop acting so weird and be his normal self again." Eddie finally seemed to steady his breathing. He just needed to hear some logic sometimes.
"Okay... okay," he whispered into the sunshine filled air. "How can I help?"
Stan beamed at his friend. "I've got just the thing. C'mon." He lead Eddie back through the forest, explaining the tactic he wanted to use to make it a smooth Saturday night.
AN: This is a pretty easy write cuz it's just fuckin around at this point lol. But hey, at least I got a plot. Kinda.