IV

This Is The Day  |  The The

"Hey, you"

Eddie hadn't realized he was holding his breath, so when he finally sighed out his chest, he couldn't tell if it was in defeat or anxiety.

"Director says we're free to go, so you're all mine now" Richie says, shrugging and turning on his heel in the opposite direction of Eddie. That sentence abruptly made his stomach flutter back to life, and all he could do was roll his eyes again. Stupid anxiety. Stupid fucking Richie Tozier.

"God, five seconds in and I already cannot stand you" Eddie says from behind Richie, following far behind. He hears Richie snicker quietly at that. "Where the hell are we going?".

"Where do you think, princess? The auditorium is where we shall begin our studies" Richie says, adding a ridiculous accent in response to the question. Eddie listened for anything in his voice, any sort of emotion, but rather than a smile, he could faintly imagine Richie biting at his chapped lips in jittery nervousness. Or annoyance, Eddie thought with a wicked chuckle crammed low in his chest.

When Richie spoke though, Eddies stomach did that thing again, and for a split second he considered bailing and just dashing to hide in the bathroom like he would normally be doing right about now. They turned a corner then went on, not far from the two auditorium doors slowly coming into view.

"Would you stop with the nicknames, asshole?" Eddie interjected, his face growing embarrassingly red. Thank goodness Richie was turned, otherwise he'd just tease him some more.

"I could ask you the same thing" Richie sighed with a jump in his step. Eddie involuntarily took notice of the way Richie walked. Slinking down the hall unapologetically. It was clearly ungraceful, to say the least, and wasn't at all coordinated the way a walk should, but was confusingly and irrevocably... beautiful? He had the grace that of which a clumsy giant would. Head held high, one foot straight in front of the other, but constantly in a state of near-tripping and cracking his jaw open. It was amazing and insanely odd all at once.

They quickly reached the double doors, both filled almost aggressively with flyers for the upcoming show. Eddie, for a split second, imagined Richie with his tons friends, giggling and laughing like children with hands full of flyers and pieces of tape (It wasn't difficult for Eddie to imagine Richie with friends, honestly. He probably has a fuck ton with that trashmouth of his, Eddie thinks sarcastically).

Richie spun around to face Eddie, and pushed the door with his back, not yet opening it, just leaning on it. "This is the best fucking place on campus, dude" Richie smirked, crossing his arms with a quirked brow and a smirk. Eddie was tired of it already.

"That's debatable." Eddie interjected, mimicking Richies actions and crossing his arms, thinking solely of the library and his best friends.

"Oh please, the best you've got is probably the library, or the robotics room" Richie chuckles to himself. Eddie scowls you at him, internally hating him even more."You cannot argue with me on it. Especially once you see this.."

The smell of the room immediately hit the two boys' noses as soon as they walk in, the door shutting behind them. Richie smiled with a quiet sigh, inhaling the familiar scent.

"Holy shit" Eddie gaped, eyes growing wide at the sight. It was empty and quiet, so quiet that the only thing heard was the echo of the door clicking shut behind them and Eddie's near-silent gasp. The rows and rows of seating all around them crowded under the dim lights that shone above, and the ceilings reached for the sky, higher than Eddie could've guessed ever before. The floor was covered in carpet, a dark pattern he felt he could get used to, and it felt so comfortable under him even with shoes on. Eddie had not seen this place before, and wondered how, after being at this school for two years of his life already, had he never gotten the chance to.

Eddie could feel Richies gaze burning into the side of his face. He ignored it.

The stage was even better, hidden behind a large black curtain that draped from high up above. It was dark and felt almost sinister at the sight, but Eddie still awed nevertheless. It all looked damn near amazing either way.

"Yeah, holy shit" Richie repeated, and Eddie could hear the soft chuckle that came with it. Eddie turned to look back at Richie expectantly, who was already staring back. Richie blinked twice, then turned away and walked to the center of it all.

"Uh, why don't you go up on the stage, I'll be right up in a jiffy" Richie says, draping his backpack onto a random seat nearby. Eddie nods hesitantly, but does not move. He watches Richie sprint up the stairs that share even more rows of seating, and open a door to a little room that Eddie didn't even notice was there. Once he's out of sight, Eddie shakes his head and walks up to the stairs that lead onto the stage, leaving his backpack on a chair behind him.

He walks slowly, treading the shiny wood with his converse as if it would break with one wrong step. Eventually he reached the center of the stage. Fumbling with his hands and head hung low shyly, he gazed out to the tons of chairs before him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny that it felt awkward to be standing here without Richie or knowing where he was. He ashamedly felt the extreme need to feel Richie near him.

"Richie" Eddie said too quietly (almost as if to himself, since no one but him could hear), his voice wavering awkwardly in the silence.

No one really could hear him, but almost as though someone did, a sudden light flashes in Eddies eyes. For a second, Eddie supposes he might've gone blind, or has blacked out somehow, but a loud firm voice opposes that.

"Heya Eds, lookin' good up there!" he hears Richie abruptly, from all parts of the room. His eyes soon adjust, and he realizes that Richie has somehow turned off the audience lights and began to shine the spotlight on him.

Eddie blinks once or twice, squinting hard in hopes of finding Richie somewhere in the empty crowd. And he does, just not really in the crowd.

He finds Richie in a little black box at the top of all of the seats, looking foolishly back up at him with what looks like a microphone held up to his crookedly grinning mouth.

"What the hell! Get over here" Eddie finds himself saying in annoyance, shielding his eyes with his sleeve and unsure of whether to laugh or run over and strangle him through the little window. Richies chuckle rings out around the whole auditorium as he sets down the mic and disappears from view, and Eddie can't help but smile a little as the noise echos loudly and engulfs the whole room.

In no time, Richie is skipping his way up the stairs to where Eddie stands, hands resting on his hips and eyes sweeping the room with what Eddie could only decipher as a sense of pride.

"Alrighty, so Eddie, hopefully you know some of the essentials. Tell me everything you know about the stage here" Richie says, still smiling crookedly, awaiting a response.

Eddie answers merely a second too late, unsure and feeling awkward with himself. "Uh, okay" is all he says, and he mentally scolds himself right after.

He eyes the scenery a bit, biting his lower lip in concentration, then points to the long flowy drapes that cover from the rest of the stage.

"These are the curtains, obviously" Eddie rolls his eyes, even though he's turned away from Richie.

"That is a.. projector" Eddie continues, stalling with things that are obvious, to hide the fact that he's not sure what there is to know. Richie snickers, folding his arms in front of his chest as his head lolls to the side in teasing curiosity, as if to say 'well then, go on'.

When Eddie doesn't speak, only stands there awkwardly with his hands fidgeting with the hem of his sweater, Richie raises his eyebrow in another lively gesture that seems to say 'told you so'. Eddie can't stand him right now.

He sullenly remembers what Richie had said to him the day before, or moreso spat to him in a frustrated rage of hatred. You're gonna fail the class without me and you know it.

You need me.

He hated how horribly right Richie was at that very moment. Hate hate hate. If there was a Guinness World Record for how much hate someone feels in the history of ever, Eddie was sure he'd receive a gold medal for how much he hated this lanky boy in front of him right now.

Once Eddie drops his deadly gaze on him, Richie proceeds to gaily skip his way to one edge of the stage, where, hidden between the curtain, a tall, pulley-like rope appeared. Richie pulled down at it with much effort, and Eddie hears loud squeaking noises. The sound gets drowned out by the deafening silence in the room, Eddies huffs of impatience not going unnoticed once Richie finally gets a good grip on the rope. He pulls and pulls and pulls and it isn't until Richie comes back to where he once was that Eddie finally realizes that the large curtains that were once right beside him have waded off to the side and revealed an absolutely ginormous stage behind it. Eddies mouth hangs open, caught on an insult he was just about to spew at Richie.

"Holy shit, again." Eddie says, and Richie snorts a laugh as Eddie makes his way further up stage and to the very center. There is already a scenery being built on the sidelines and at the very back; paint cans, brushes, and wood scraps strewn all over the perimeter of the stage, and it looks absolutely wrecked and unfinished, but it still looks amazing through Eddies eyes.

Richie explains a second later that Technical Theatre class is in the process of getting the backgrounds and set pieces ready for the upcoming show, and Eddie nods absently, still taking in all that his eyes will let him see.

"It's a work in progress, that's for sure, but it's gonna turn out decent... like it always does" Richie says confidently, pursing his lips together and seeming to drown deep in thought all of a sudden. No way, Richie thinking? Eddie wants to say, but he smirks and keeps it to himself. What could he be thinking about anyways?

They maneuver their way around the stage while Richie explains what certain things are and their purpose. And Eddie can't deny that he's learning a fuck ton that he hadn't known before. So many odd things he hadn't even stopped to think about; like the black room Richie had just been in with the microphone, that it's the control room for lights and sound, or the prop table backstage where everyone is strictly supposed to keep their props on until it's their cue to go onstage with it, and the scene lists posted on the walls all over backstage, naming every scene in order so people know what happens next during a show. It's absolutely fascinating, to Eddie at least, and he truly enjoyed hearing about it, but then he remembered who it was coming from. The dimwit that gives him a headache almost instantly. The idiot that he just met yesterday. The asshole that makes his stomach squirm at random times. God, he hates him so much.

Eddie reminds himself just how much he can't stand Richie, and how much Richie can't stand him at times, their mutual hatred for each other, and decided easily that giving Richie that satisfaction of being interested in what he was saying wasn't what Eddie wanted to do.

They fell into an argument only minutes later, Richie quickly slipping out of his 'tutor' mindset and gabbing on and on about how unbearable his and Eddie's history teacher is.

"Who the actual fuck would seriously prefer to read about Alexander Hamilton or some shit, over plain and simply fuckin awesome comic books! I-It's just mind-boggling, dude" Richie shakes his head. For the past few minutes, he had begun spinning aimlessly around the stage and staring at his shoes. Eddie was sitting criss-crossed in the middle of the large expanse of the stage, picking at his nails and pushing at Richies calves every time he'd near his space while spinning.

"I would," Eddie responds coyly, evidently lying just to contradict Richie. When Richie let out a cocky laugh at that, Eddie scoffed and said, "Fine, I probably wouldn't read about history on purpose, but I do know someone that would".

Richie stopped spinning abruptly, nearly toppling over onto a set piece in the process of grounding himself. "Bullshit" he said, holding his head as if that would keep him upright.

Eddie had been thinking of Ben, of course.

Bullshit, Eddie repeated in his head. He imagined what it'd be like if Ben weren't existing in the first place. Him and Bill probably wouldn't have even met. He'd be sulking away in the bathrooms and his hair would be bland and brown. The darkest timeline.

"No, actually... He's a cool guy, Ben Hanscom" Eddie said, as though the name would ring a bell to Richie at all. It didn't. Richie shrugged, beginning to walk normally up and down the edge of the stage.

"Please, if he reads history for fun, he can't be all that cool" he said, mocking Eddie when he'd said 'cool', higher pitched and naive-sounding.

Eddie rolled his eyes and scoffed, though -much to his own surprise-, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Minutes passed. Eddie found himself asking every now and then what certain words mean in the 'theatre language' that some people would tell him. Things like 'house', and 'cue' that he could never fully understand (House, as Richie described, is basically what they call the auditorium. So when the director wanted 'house lights off' or 'house silent' they'd have to oblige and turn off the surrounding audience lights, or shut the hell up while people worked onstage). Richie explained this vocabulary dramatically and in full detail. Almost too fully, even, and he'd quickly end up rambling on about some other topic that he led himself to in the process.

Eddie let him talk, halfheartedly listening and nodding every once in a while (even giggling when Richie said anything especially funny, though he tried to stifle them). When Richie would say something opinionated, or just upright outrageous to Eddie, he'd sputter and interrupt and they'd wind up in a newfound argument. Richie always seemed amused when Eddie would cross his arms over his chest and pout a little while they fought, and it annoyed him that he enjoyed when Eddie got so flustered all the time.

It wasn't long before they were both doubled over on the floor, laughing about something Richie had said about Eddies mom. Eddie truly wanted to protest at the crude comment, but before he could think of a comeback, he was already drowning in a fit of snorts and giggles that made his belly hurt. Richie smiled wide but ended up joining him a second later, no real reason to laugh, but cackling on the floor and enjoying it nonetheless.

The bell rang, startling the two out of their high as they suddenly scrambled to get off of the stage. Eddie grabbed his backpack from the chair, but stopped his path to the double doors to look back at Richie, who was snatching his backpack up onto his shoulder and glancing his way inconspicuously. When he noticed Eddie was already looking, he raised his eyebrows expectantly, a smile on his face.

"Uhm, uh- bye Rich," Eddie said, waving at him awkwardly as the noise of the loud hallways faintly seeped in, barely audible over the deafening silence that still stood in the auditorium. Eddie wondered if anything at all could be heard from back up on the stage. He wondered they'd have been bothered at all if the bell hadn't rung.

Richie winked back, "Gotta turn off the lights! See ya around, Eds".

"Fuck you. Don't call me that!" Eddie responded defensively, though the house lights were off and Richie couldn't see how Eddies cheeks burned hot quietly in the darkness. Richies response to the insult was merely a high show of the middle finger over his shoulder as he moved up the steps of the auditorium. Eddie huffed with a roll of his eyes.

He pushed open the double doors and quickly fell victim to the fast current of high schoolers headed to the next class. Eddie longed for lunch to start already.

————

"Okay okay, I'm nuh-nervous as hell, but j-j... just try to befriend them, I guess" Bill Denbrough said in an almost pleading tone, eyebrows drawn apart in worry as he subconsciously went up to fix and fumble at his hair as if he were preparing for an important conference or interview. Eddie scoffed, what the hell has gotten into him with all this 'new friend' crap?

Not Ben nor Eddie had once met the famous Stanley that Bill has always talked about, only a few glances to his locker where Bill would share quick conversations with him. It was a mystery Eddie has already gotten so eager to understand, the topic of Stanley Uris. What was so special about this new boy that had to suddenly change the course of Bill's actions? He asked himself that every time Bill brought him up; sighing with dreamy eyes that he'd always tried to cover up, and fits of giggles he never meant to let out.

No one in the group had ever made a friend since freshman year when they all stayed together, at least not one that stuck. None of them had ever thought to put themselves out there, since they had each other, after all. Eddie felt uneasy that things were changing around him, but he'd remind himself for comfort that, then again, things always made him feel uneasy.

That seemed to ease the anxiety-ridden part of his brain for now as Ben and Bill chattered at their usual spot in the corner of the library.

"Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous" Ben confessed quietly as though it was a dreadful secret he'd been dying to tell. Fucking hell, Eddie thought, then you don't wanna know what's going on in here.

The only flaw that Eddie saw in his and his friends' sacred spot in this library was that the bookshelves covered them from entrance to the library completely. Eddie had thought of it as a blessing at first; not having to look up each time the door clicked open, and nobody was able to see them in return. But now, with his nerves all over the place and his mind getting the better of him, Eddie swore it as a curse when they all heard the suspenseful click and churn of the old library door opening.

He scrambled for his fanny pack (which he always shyly stores in his backpack) for his inhaler, quickly taking a deep puff. He heard footsteps approaching, a scattered whisper of voices on the other side of the bookshelf that stood in front of him. He could see through the holes in the shelf, small parts of clothing and skin that didn't seem to ease his panic whatsoever.

Whoever they were, they seemed to have stopped just behind the bookcase, conversing quietly, and possibly even arguing from the sounds of the harsh whispers that Eddie could faintly hear.

"Don't be stupid, that's all I have to say to the two of you," a male voice said in a hushed tone. "Don't. Fuck. Around. I'm looking especially at you, asshat".

Eddie didn't notice how Bill was murmuring a conversation to him till he looked to him and heard him say, "They're here!" with a bashful smile.

By the time Eddie had whipped his head back around to see, there were three teenagers standing together in front of his quiet space. Intruders, Eddie thought suddenly, disapprovingly. Wait! Fuck Eddie. He didn't even know these people, who is he to judge someone in one second? And then Bill's voice rang in his head, barely a millisecond later.

Just try to befriend them.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion, and Eddie's thoughts went at rapid speed nonetheless. When he looked up, his eyes caught with a blond curly haired boy in neat clothing and a smile resembling Bill's big grin. Eddie simply just knew he was Stan, from the looks of it.

Then his eyes trailed away to the second person. A girl. Holy fucking shit. Eddie had never thought of the idea. Having a girl as a friend? Surreal. But he brushed it off quickly nonetheless, taking in her breathtaking features. She was beautiful, that was for sure. Her bright fiery red hair struck his eyes first, glowing in stark contrast to the black hoodie that she sported. Her eyes shone blue; deep and gorgeous and so pretty that it caught Eddie off guard.

But oh god, Eddie can laugh just thinking about it. He didn't even know the definition of off guard till his eyes, slowly, like a ticking time bomb, strayed from the girl to the third curly haired boy at her side.

Crooked teeth, lanky legs, coke bottle glasses and all. Standing in all his glory, was... well, you'd know by now.