5

Warning: Homophobic terms used.

"There you are Eddie- Bear, I was starting to worry" Sonia says as the boy walks through the door dropping his bag next to the door so he could remove his shows, "I told you I'd be home at noon mom"

The women doesn't say anything just watch's her son from her chair she always sat on while she watched tv, "Did you take your pills"

"Yes mom" Eddie sighs waking into the living room looking around at the crowded room, he leans down planting a small kiss on his mother's cheek before rushing upstairs the sound of the tv becoming faint as he entered his room. Once alone he drops down on his bed letting out a deep sigh, this house never really felt like home... It was more like a prison which he felt bad for thinking, he knew his mother loved him and would never lay a finger on him but still she always had some sort of way to control him. Eddie remembers the first time she had met Richie and Beverly the two people the town talks down on the most she hated the fact her son was friends was friends with them she even went as far as to beg him not to hang out with them ever again but when Eddie said no for the first time to her face she was surprised, but Eddie's friends made him happy and he wasn't going to let that be another thing his mother controlled so he continued to be friends with them no matter what Sonia begged.

Eddie stayed up in his room watching as the clock ticked by waiting for the time he could leave again and meet up with his friends, "Eddie baby, time to go get your inhaler please!" Sonia called up. Eddie was up on his feet in seconds attaching his fanny pack to his hip as he rushed down the stairs seeing his mother now stood in the kitchen watching his rush to put his shoes on with a confused look, "Slow down honey you don't to trigger your asthma"

"Sorry mom"

"Drive safe, watch for cars"

"I will, oh and I'm meeting my friends in town, so I'll be home by seven" Eddie explains not waiting to hear his mother's words, he rushes out of the house grabbing his bike that was leaned against the side of the house. The others had already started showing up at their normal meeting spot in the middle of town, Richie stops his bike dropping it down onto the grass before walking up to the picnic table his friends were sitting on "Eddie not here yet?"

"Not yet" Bev answer's him looking over at him, with the new information of her friend having a crush on Eddie she can't but help but smile watching as he keep's looking over at the spot, they all park their bikes waiting for his to join the pile. The group goes back to talking random topic's coming up until the familiar voice of Henry Bowers snap's them out of their conversation all their eyes snapping over to their bike pile seeing Eddie stood there the white pharmacy bag still in his hand as Bower's and his group of idiots stand in front of him, "What's in the bag Wheezy?"

"Screw off Bower's"

"Aw come on, what kind of pills you got today?" He snicker's grabbing the bag out of Eddie's hand ripping it open and dumping the inhaler into the palm of his hand, "Wheezy still needs his pump huh? Wonder what happens when you don't use one of these"

"Give it back Bowers!" Eddie groans but Henry hold's it over his head laughing in Eddie's face "Calm down Spaz"

"Leave him alone Henry" Richie speaks up walking over the group following him, "Or what fairy?"

"What's your fucking problem dickhead? Just give it back it's not like you need it that head of yours is already filled with air" Richie smirks thankfully he was tall enough to grab the inhaler out of Bower's hand the two now glaring at each other. "Huh the town fag grew a pair of ball's huh?"

"Did I hurt your big ego? I was only speaking the truth, it is true, isn't it? You did get held back a year because somehow you failed the fifth fucking grade"

"I would shut up if I were you Tozier"

"Or what Bowers?"

"Or I'll show you what this town thinks about you and your fairy friends"

"First please explain to me what makes me a fairy for some reason Bowers, It's just such a unique insult it's not like I've heard it a million times" Richie says his voice laced with sarcasm as the two now are able to stare eye to eye, the loser's all glance at one another worried that their friend was taking this too far the whole town knew Bower's had a temper but Richie still couldn't help put provoke him.. "You hang around with a bunch of guys all day faggot, you probably dream of fucking them all huh?"

"So having guy friends makes me a fag huh?" Richie chuckles shaking his head before leaning closer to Henry "Then what do you call yourself Bowers, you and your GUY friends always seem to be joined at the hip... Maybe you're just projecting" Richie adds still wearing his grin watching as the teens' face turns about forty different shades of red, without a warning Henry flings his clenched fist back punching Richie square in the face. The impact hard enough to make a small trail of blood roll down from Richie's noise, he pat's his noise staring down at the blood on his fingers before glaring back up at Bowers throwing his own punch knocking the teen back slightly before he pounced again throwing punch after punch the two fall to the ground sharing the fair share of punches to one another's face.

"Holy shit-" Stanley gasp before Bev shouts "Go Richie!" sure she should have been telling him to stop but god watching her friend land solid punch's to the guy she had been wishing death upon for years felt amazing, Eddie on the other hand stands there frozen his mouth hanging open watching the two fight on the ground dirt covering their jeans and shirts while blood covered their faces.. "You're fucking dead Fag!" Henry shouts grabbing his broken glasses throwing them a few feet away leaving Richie with foggy vision, since the boy was unable to see straight Henry grinned ear to ear sliding his pocketknife out of his back pocket. "Henry wait-" One of Henry's friends speaks up stepping forward slightly "Shut the fuck up! I am going to carve the shit out this fucking fairy!" He shouts staring back down at Richie "You are fucking psycho!" He shouts back, with one sudden movement Henry slams the knife down thankfully Richie raises his arms in time the blade cutting the slide of his arm blood dripping out in seconds. "Get the fuck off of him!" Mike shouts being the strongest one of the them he rushes forward slamming henry down onto the floor letting Richie move back holding his hand over the bleeding wound on his arm, Eddie darts over to his friends glasses sitting on the grass a few feet away from him holding the frames in his hand he sees the shatter in the glass but thankfully they weren't fully broken..

"Here Rich" He says dropping to his knees next to him sliding them on his face, Richie looks over at Eddie a small smile growing on his face "Thank you nurse Ed's"

"Fuck off this isn't funny, He was trying to stab you!"

"Eh well he missed" Richie shrugs looking down at his bleeding arm, Eddie stares at him unable to understand how he was so calm but either way he reaches into his fanny pack pulling out a bandage that would work until they were safely able to clean it up. "Jesus how much stuff you got in the doc"

"I have a feeling you'll find out with that mouth of yours, you really don't know how to shut the fuck up Richie"

"Henry had it coming" Richie rolls his eyes looking over at mike who was keeping Henry down on the floor, some of the town's people walking by grabbed a nearby police officer which ran over to collect a yelling henry off the ground still screaming and cussing as he was being dragged off. "I know he did, but come on Rich without your glasses you can't even see it wasn't fair"

"Did you see his face Eddie! I still knocked the shit out of him being blind" Richie laughs making Eddie stare at him even though his bloody face made him want to cringe he still smiled playfully rolling his eyes, "Don't go starting fights with everyone now dumbass"

"I won't doctor Ed's" Richie smiles down at him the two stare at one another a small smile on both of their faces as a silence falls over them... "Henry is such a dick!" Bev shouts storming over to them breaking the weird moment that they were having; Eddie quickly averts his gaze looking back down at Richie's arm. "This is why I say we leave! Fuck this town and Fuck Bowers let's just escape for the summer!"

"I agree with her, that dude is a psycho" Mike sighs his arms crossed over his chest, Eddie looks up again looking around at his group of friends all of them being shaken up staring down at Richie with a worried look... Knowing Henry, he would never leave Richie alone now and knowing that Eddie sighs "Let's do it" He speaks up making the group fall silent...

"What?" Bev says looking down at Eddie with a sudden hope in her eyes.

"Let's do it, let's leave this fucking town"