"Geez, it's getting late. Maybe we should finish the game tomorrow?" Beverly suggests after checking her watch.
"Are you insane? I was just getting into it!" Richie says and rolls the dice again. It lands on twelve and Richie yells 'yes!' and punches the air. "And you can't possibly be tired after all those RedBulls." He adds, trading his money for a new card.
Bev shrugs and rolls the dice herself, getting only a three. "Fine. We'll go to bed after the game, though."
"Yeah. After I destroy you!"
The two play the game for what seems like hours. Each time someone gets close to maybe winning, they land on the other's property or wind up in jail or pull an unlucky chance card (which Richie insisted always reading in a horrible British accent).
"We'll be up all night at this rate," Bev says and tosses the dice across the board, landing on Richie's railroad and paying what she owed.
"Guess we'll need more Red Bulls then!" Richie laughed, snatching the money. Bev pointed at the kitchen and Richie hopped up to retrieve more of the caffeinated drinks. He grabbed about six, three for each, and happily skipped back into the living room where they were playing in the middle of the floor in Bev's apartment.
"Did you finish that essay?" Bev says and takes a long sip of her drink. Richie scoffs.
"I'm here at three in the morning playing Monopoly with you. What do you think?" Bev giggles and says she hasn't even started on their work that was due tomorrow at nine.
A few more turns in and they had already chugged down the six Red Bulls. Bev had pulled out her pack of Camels and the whole place smelled like smoke. They were laughing and throwing some of the money around (which they soon had to pick up to continue their game).
Richie moved his small game piece to jail and watched Bev take her turn. He took a long drag of his cigarette and closed his eyes.
Bev looked up at him. "You good, Rich?" She asked. He opened his eyes, startled.
"What? Oh. Yeah, sorry." He shook his head and rolled. "You sure?"
Richie started to say yes but Instead just shrugged. "I dunno."
She scooted over closer to him. "What's wrong?" Again he shrugged.
"I think-" He started, then shut his mouth. Bev kept staring at him so Richie started over.
"I think I like boys?" He said it more as a question than his own statement, like recalling something someone else had said. Bev smiled and nodded.
"Eddie?" She asked.
Richie turned to her and for a second looked almost scared. Then his face softened and he started to laugh.
"Guess I'm not that slick, huh?" He said. Bev nodded. "But Eddie is absolutely oblivious, so no worries!" She added.
Richie smiled and gave her a hug. They hugged for a very long time and just couldn't seem to disconnect themselves from each other.
"Thanks, Bevvie." He said when they finally parted. His eyes were red and puffy now, but Beverly didn't say anything. She nodded and they continued their game as if nothing had happened.
They ended up going till five in the morning, Richie being the winner. After he bragged a bit they both passed out on the couch, Bev with a chips bag still in her hand.
Richie told one person that night and it felt like a thousand pounds had just been lifted off him. But it would take him three more years to actually tell the person that needed to hear it the most.