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It all started with the loud sound of breaking glass.
Eddie Kaspbrak thought the world outside his own house — outside his own room — was the only safe space where he could spend time without worrying about the thousands of possibilities of getting infected, or having even a minor physical encounter with something that hadn't been verified as safe.
In Kaspbrak's world, everything was neat. Everything about this room screamed you can stay here as long as you want, and only by God's will will you eventually get sick. The odds of experiencing a broken glass were under 10%. And that 10% would only happen if a tornado or a tsunami — neither of which happens in a place like Derry — or an earthquake hit.
But rocks that come crashing through window glass don't have a piece of paper tied to them with a rubber band.
Rocks aren't like that. At least, they don't come with "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, babe!" written on them in horrible handwriting that could only belong to one person — the one person with the balls to actually do this.
Richie Tozier.
Eddie picked up the paper with his gloves on — of course Eddie had a pair of gloves for times like this. Well, maybe not for times like THIS — he groaned, "GOD DAMMIT," and dropped the paper on his floor.
He rubbed his gloved hands together, just trying to ready himself to grab the dirty rock off his floor.
He took a deep breath. Two. Three. "Stop!" He grabbed the rock and hurled it out his window — only for it to hit Richie square in the face, who had barely climbed all the way up there, and send him falling.
"RICHIE!" Eddie screamed and ran toward his broken window. Richie was on the ground, his forehead red — not the soft kind of red that makes you go phew, but the kind that comes with an uh-oh.
"RICHIE!!" Eddie called. He was lucky his mom was out buying groceries. Wait — his mom was out. Then why the hell was Richie climbing up his window?!
Richie finally moved and sat up straight. "Wow, that was a hard kiss, love!"
"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU CLIMB UP???"
"Oh, sorry, I didn't want my other secret significant other to find out I'm in love with his son!"
"I'm gonna come down there and kill you!!" Eddie threatened — which was pointless, because Richie's response was a proud smirk and a wide, welcoming gesture. "Come and choke me with your precious hair, Rapunzel!!"
Eddie scoffed and rubbed his gloves together again. Richie tried to climb up once more.
"Aren't you gonna give up??" Eddie asked.
"Aren't you gonna give me a kiss, birthday boy??"
Birthday boy?? Oh, fuck. It was his birthday. How in the world did he not know that? Did he forget to check the calendar again? Probably, yeah — sometimes Eddie got so busy cleaning his house that he forgot to check it for natural events like this.
"I attended a party for you in Ben's dungeon shit," Richie wiggled his eyebrows. "Wanna come tonight?? Bill planned to take you there at first — WE planned to lie and say we were going to Bill's, then kidnap you there and surprise you and blah blah blah — but I couldn't control myself and not tell you, so please act surprised tonight, or you'll get a chopped-off head of your boyfriend instead of cake — which is kinda sexy, though—"
"You— … Wh— … I don't believe a single word you just said!!!!" Eddie was in shock!
"You don't believe me??" Richie put his palms on his chest. "Ouch!!"
"Shut up!!"
"I can't!"
"I'LL MAKE YOU, THEN!" Eddie threatened again.
"REALLY??" His eyes lit up.
"YES, WITH MY BARE HANDS!!!"
Suddenly, the sound of Sonia's car engine appeared from a mile away, and Richie immediately kissed Eddie on the cheek.
"HEY!!" Eddie yelled, face burning red.
"Tell Sonia I still love her, babe!!" And Richie jumped down carefully, leaving Eddie no time to process what had just happened.
Eddie looked at the paper on the floor. He put it inside his drawer — with a smile.