7

It was like the house sudden froze everything becoming still... Sonia's head turns her eyes staring into his the gaze alone was enough to make Eddie's hand shake his mind beginning to race doubting himself for ever even thinking about bring this up, God am I insane she's going to fucking flip. The air felt heavy, the sounds around him suddenly seemed to stop as he watched his mother rise to her feet taking a few steps closer to him...

"What is it, Eddie?" She asks her tone sounded kind but there was a weird look in her eye, it was something he had seen a few times but even now it was enough to bring a chill down his spine his heart rate increasing by the minute... This was his mother, why was he so nervous?

"M-My friends..." He stumbles on his words he knows what he wants to say yet all the words seem to come spilling out like a waterfall, "We've been planning on going on this road trip... We- We would leave Darry for a bit" Sonia's expression stays frozen staring down at him like the words he just spoke weren't even registering in her brain "Eddie you must be joking"

"What? No mom I'm not joking" Eddie sighs "Are you feeling okay honey? Those friends of yours filling your head with such awful ideas" She sighs cupping her son's face in her hands staring down at him, her words catch Eddie off guard... He stares up at her his lips parted trying to think of how to even respond to that?

"My friends? Mom, I agreed to the idea, they weren't going to go because I said no at first..."

"You don't need to be scared baby, you don't need to be listening to their words"

"Mom what the- I told you I said yes!"

"That's not like you baby, you don't need to lie to me"

"Because you would know all about lies huh!?" Eddie snap's pushing himself away from her glaring up at her with rage in his eyes, he was tired of this woman filling his head with lies and broken promises... "Excuse me?"

"You know what I'm talking about mom! All these fucking pills!" Pulling the collection of pills out of his fanny pack letting the container fall to the floor the pills of all different sizes falling onto the wooden floor under him, his mother stares at the mess in shock "Eddie what has gotten into you!?"

"I'm tired of the fucking lies mom! You fill my head with all these lies making me believe for years that I really needed these that I was sick and these stupid fucking pills helped!? Do you not fucking realize how insane that is!"

"They do help you, Eddie!"

"Help me how? What illness do I have that needs five different pills every day!? Half of them make me feel like a zombie!"

"You will listen to what I tell you do... You are MY son!" Her hands find their place back on his face, this time her grip was tighter not enough to hurt him but enough to startle him causing his body to freeze... "You are my sick little boy, Eddie..."

"Mom..."

"I will not allow you to leave this home to run off with your disgusting friends who treat the world like some sort of playground... If you EVER think of bringing a topic like this up again, you will be spending the rest of the summer at home"

"No!" He shouts, feeling his mother's grip become tighter... She was trying to trap him here...

"How could you do this to me Eddie? How could you hurt your own mother?"

"Stop! Stop it!" He gasps shaking his head refusing to listen to another one of her awful guilt trips that would work on him... Because she was all he had, if the loser's split up he would always have her to come back too no matter how many times she hurts him he will never not be able to love her...

"You want to leave me like everyone else! Just like your father!"

"Dad Died! I'm not leaving your mama I just want to have fun for the summer I promise!"

"Do you want to become sick like him Eddie... Do you want to live in the hospital like he did? Having to have doctors on you twenty-four seven... Is that what you want!?"

"No! Mom stop!"

"Why would you leave me Eddie!? After all I've done for you!"

"You made me believe I was sick!?"

"I did it to protect you! It was safer for you to think you were sick... Then be careless and become sick" she says her voice dropping her normally gentle brown eyes filled with something else, Eddie looked at her and didn't see the woman he called mom... "I am going with my friends... You will not stop me, or you will lose me" Eddie says flatly before turning around and walking up the stairs ignoring his mother pleads slamming the door to his room, once alone tears start to form in his eyes his anxiety through the roof. He darts around his room unsure of what to do but one person comes to his mind, so he quickly grabs the phone on his desk dialing the number he knew by heart listening as it started ringing, "Hello?" His voice speaks through the phone letting Eddie calm down slightly...

"She went fucking crazy Rich!"

"Wow Eddie?"

"Yes, Eddie who fucking else!?"

"Dude calm down what's going on?"

"My mom! She- She just went crazy; she was saying shit I didn't even think she could say!? And now I can't fucking breath and I feel like I'm about to pass out Richie!"

"Eddie breath okay, get your inhaler and just breath" Richie sighs keeping the phone up to his ear as he listens to the sound of rummaging and mumbled curse words as Eddie tore around his trying to find it "Where the fuck is it!?" He groans, "Did you check your soccer mom fanny pack?"

"Shut the fuck up Richie Of course- Wait never mind..."

"Find it?"

"Yeah... It was in the fanny pack..." Eddie mumbles before placing the part of the inhaler into his mouth pushing down his lungs filling with the cold air letting Eddie let out a shaky sigh, "Richie I don't want to be here right now..."

"You're always welcome here Ed's"

"Don't call me that..."

"You coming down or not?"

"Fine I'm coming dick head" Eddie rolls her eyes hearing Richie chuckle on the other end "See you soon dude"

Once the phone was back on its holder Eddie grabs a hold of his now empty school bag shoving the shit he would need in there he had no idea how long he planned on staying away from home but all he knew was that he was not staying here a second longer right now, he throughs the bag onto his back before unlocking his window pushing it open enough for him to crawl out. Once on the room he tries not to look down his legs already feeling weaker the fear of being so high up getting to him so as quickly as he got onto the roof he slides down his feet landing on the lawn with a thump, peaking over his shoulder as he books it straight towards his bike he catch's the glimpse of his mother's gaze watching him leave.. Eddie had no idea what she would do, would she call the police and get himself forced back into the house god if that happened, she would most likely lock him in a jail cell.

He peddles as fast as he can his chest heaving up and down probably looking like a crazy person but he didn't give a shit he just peddled like his life depended on it, seeing the familiar house he swerves into the driveway his legs finally giving out from exhaustion his limp body hitting against the grass his lungs out a wheezy breath sweat dripping down his face.. When the hell did it get so hot!? "Jesus dude you look like death"

"I feel like death" He wheezes using the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead his eyes looking up when a shadow cast over him seeing Richie leaned over him his hands on his hips his glasses dangerously close to falling off his face, yet he was still smiling that goofy grin still plastered on his face Eddie couldn't remember a time when Richie had even shown an ounce of sadness.. "Need help?"

"Please"

With another chuckle Richie leans down hooking his hands under the boy's arms lifting him back up to his feet before placing a reassuring hand on the top of his back leading him into the house, "Wanna talk about what happened?"

"That's the thing... I- I don't even know how to explain it" Eddie sighs sitting down at the kitchen island Richie sliding him a glass of water which he chugs down in seconds, "One second I'm asking her permission to go the next we're yelling at each other"

"She started fucking guilt tripping me dude! Like full on... She asked me If I wanted to end up like my dad!? How fucking sick is that!"

"Fuck... What kind of crack was she on today"

"No fucking clue but she was acting mental... She called me her sick little boy it gave me the fucking creeps like full on horror movie shit"

"Well, you can crash here if you want, Y'know my parent's love you"

"Really?"

"Pretty sure my mom wishes you were her son, you two both worry too much"

"Fuck you"'

"You wish" Richie winks once again catching Eddie off guard before his face turns red with embarrassment, "Gross dude!"