Act IV

The Goonies 'R' Good Enough  |  Cyndi Lauper

"Come onnn, Eds! The cast list is posted!

We gotta go!"

Richie pulled desperately on Eddies sleeve as the two zip through the halls on their way to the auditorium. The wide double doors were finally coming into view as they rounded a corner.

The halls had already cleared out, and Richie wasted no time in hauling Eddie over with him to find out who would be playing who. Who knows, maybe Eddie got a role.

Students were already bunched up and surrounding the doors, where the list was likely posted, and Eddie stood on his toes to catch a glimpse of what might be on the paper.

"Oh, for god sakes" Richie groaned, grabbing Eddies hand and finding a gap on the side of the clump of teens.

"It's pronounced 'for gods sake'... idiot" Eddie remarked with a roll of his eyes as Richie tugged at his hand.

When they finally stood clear to see the list, Richie adjusted his glasses and brought his own finger up to follow along the list accordingly:

Romeo....................... Jared Williams

Juliet......................... Myra Anderson

Mercutio..................... Richard Tozier

Benvolio..................... Jason Zabinski

"Ah hell yeah" Richie muttered under his breath, subconsciously squeezing Eddies hand, which was still intertwined with his own sweaty palm hidden between their bodies, pressed together with the obnoxious presence of students all around them.

Richie suspected that he'd get the role of Mercutio. After all, the character himself was razor-edged, unbalanced, barely sane. Perfect for Richie to portray, and just the right amount of challenge for him to face.

And of course Jason ought to be Benvolio. He was always Richies right hand man in the plays they put on, even though Mercutio and Benvolio are portrayed as enemies in R & J. Richie was aware that there would be a sword fight scene between them, and that everyone knew Jason was practically the only person that could match Richies high strung, dramatic energy when it came to the big scenes. Everyone else loved to give their minimal effort in class when in a scene with someone as insane as Richie. But with Jason, it's always fun to do stage fighting, improv, basically everything.

So the cast list went on, naming every character, and every actor in the entire theatre performance class, and even a few beginner students. When there are too many characters needed, and not enough in the performative class, it always called for the beginner kids. Always. Eddie slowly began to regain his breath as he hadn't noticed his name anywhere as Richies finger trailed further and further down.

But, at the very bottom of the list, way way down and right under Townsperson #3:

Romeo Understudy........................ Edward Kaspbrak

Richies jaw dropped to the floor, and Eddie audibly gasped. This had to be a joke. Richie could feel Eddies hand grow cold as it went limp in his own.

"Holy shit..." Richie breathed, his finger hovering over the dots that connected Eddie to his fate.

"Holy shit." Eddie repeated, his lungs failing to work properly.

Richie glanced to him abruptly, nervously, and it was suddenly as if every kid in the halls had been staring at him this whole time. Romeo. Understudy. He didn't even fucking know what that meant, but the main character's name alone is not a good sign.

——

"What the fuck is an understudy!" Eddie exclaimed the second Richies front door shut. Richie snickered quietly as he set his backpack down on the counter.

"It's not as bad as you think" is all Richie said, although it didn't comfort Eddie in the slightest.

"Can I come over?" Eddie had asked when they both stepped out of the school building merely minutes earlier. It had caught Richie off guard, because after all, their usual schedule was they'd meet after school, chat by Eddies locker, then go their separate ways.

But obviously, how could he say no to Eddie? Puppy eyes and pouty lips Eddie, psycho terrifying fireball Eddie, Romeo Understudy Eddie. Eddie.

His parents weren't home anyways. His dad was still on some business trip for a few weeks, and his mom had already picked up on the night shift at the hospital. He needed company anyway, and this time they rode on their separate bikes rather than what they settled on last time.

"Then what exactly is it?" Eddie asked, sliding into the counter chair to face Richie, who was on the other side of it, his back facing Eddie as he filled a cup of water from a jug in the fridge.

"It's.. it's like if Jared gets sick and can't perform, or if he's late and can't make it," Richie explains, his eyes closed and praying to dear god that Eddie doesn't burst into one of his heated worry rants right now. "Then you step in and do all his stuff."

Eddie was quiet for a moment, and Richie wasn't sure if he had fainted or died on the counter behind him. Richie closed the fridge and turned, only to find that Eddie was not dead, but had leaped off his chair and began pacing back and forth in the living room a few feet away.

"Okay," he said. Okay? What's that supposed to mean?

Richie: Okay? What's that supposed to mean?

Eddie: Okay means okay! I can... I can do that. People here rarely get sick or anything anyway. All I have to do is learn the lines and... and I'll be okay.

Richie hummed, "I guess you're right, although Jared has a real weak immune system if you ask me". He slapped a hand over his mouth as Eddie turned to him, his face growing pale with horror.

Richie bit his own thumb behind his hand till he could feel indents that would more likely than not bruise for a day or two. Can't you just shut the ever loving fuck up, Trashmouth?

Now it's nearly two hours later. They had settled themselves in Richies room and are now browsing his insane comic collection. In the kitchen two hours earlier, they had immediately agreed to drop the topic of the winter play, and it's been working out well so far.

Richie had tried apologizing about how dirty his room was, but Eddie simply grinned and plopped himself onto the unmade bed on the floor and told him it's perfect. Richie just laughed, shook his head and pointed him in the direction of his comics. The only thing neat about his whole bedroom.

"Hey Rich?" Eddie said suddenly.

They hadn't spoken in a few minutes, only skimmed through all kinds of comics on their own, a comfortable silence to say the least, so Richie slightly jumped at the noise.

"Yeah Eds?"

"Who's that Myra girl?" He asked,

and Richies heart fucking dropped to his stomach.

"Y'know, the one playing Juliet" Eddie says nonchalantly, his eyes still fixated on the comic in his hands. Richies fingers grew sweaty.

"Uh, m'not sure, I've never talked much with her in class" Richie says through a bubbly nervous laugh. He'd expect Eddie to see through him, but surprisingly he thinks nothing of it and simply turns the page of his comic.

Eddie hums in response, falling back into the quiet they were in before. Oh god, Richie thought. He hadn't even considered the circumstances.

Eddie. Romeo. Myra. Juliet. FUCK.

No. No. No. He's overthinking again. Curse you brain! Eddie was right before. Jared won't get sick before the shows, that just too coincidental. Never gonna happen.

Why is he even worried about that anyway, huh? Because Romeo and Juliet have a kiss scene? Pfft, no. Of course not. Absolutely not. Shut the fuck up.

He shouldn't be thinking about this. But honestly, what's so wrong about being protective of a friend? Myra, of all girls, is not that bad. But she's whiny, annoyingly whiny. And although she's a good actor, she rarely takes theatre seriously. Richie vividly remembers walking past her lunch table of friends and overhearing them shit all over the recent play they'd put on around the time. That made his blood boil. And it made him check her box in his mental list of girls to avoid way back in freshman year.

Her kissing Eddie just didn't sit right with Richie, and furthermore he refused to think of such a thing for any longer. Eddie deserved better than her as a first kiss. Well, first on-stage kiss as far as he knew.

Eventually, it was Eddies time to leave. The minute the clock struck 8:00 Eddie scrambled up and blurted about how his mom should be expecting him soon. Richie walked him outside, and he expected Eddie to leave right away to be honest. It was assumed that he'd had enough of Richies dirty house after all. But instead, they ended up sprawled out on the driveway in the dark. For a few minutes at least.

Richie sat crisscrossed, fumbling with a small pebble on the floor, and silently wondered why Eddie hadn't left yet. Eddie sat beside him, hugging his knees close to his chest as he gazed wearily up at the night sky. Why was Eddie still sitting here staring at the stars with this moron? Richie physically refused to look up. He supposed he'd just wait till Eddie got up and drove away on his bike so he could lift his head, but no. He still sat silently, cross legged on the driveway and staring intensely down at the pebble in his hands, Eddie beside him and staring at the sky. Opposites.

"Hey Richie?" Eddie says.

"Yeah Eds?" Richie respond, awaiting the question.

Eddie doesn't answer for a long time, and for a split second Richie is sure his heart has stopped beating, and that bad news may be approaching.

"Do you ever think that-..." his eyes hadn't strayed from the sparkling sky, and he'd trailed off as if the thought left his mind like nothing was there in the first place.

The only sounds heard were his breaths, coming out in puffs of cold smoke before them, and the crickets in the grass. He glanced to Richie, biting at his lip, and Richie finally brought his gaze upwards to look back at him. His eyes were expectant. What was he going to say?

Eddie only stared. For a second he merely focused on the ground, where Richie had been fooling with the pebble, but then he looked up into Richies eyes. His expression was warm, knowing, comfortable. A small smile, barely noticeable if it weren't for the slowly curling twitch in the corner of his lip.

Eddie opened his mouth again, and Richie raised his eyebrows, watching how his lips contorted into a variety of shapes that could have and may as well have been him talking to himself under his breath. And Richie waited.

"Nevermind" Eddie says, shaking his head slightly. Richie frowns as he watches him get up from their spot on the driveway and mount his bike quickly. A second ago he wanted him to leave. Now it feels like a punch to the gut? What's with all the mood swings.

He waves goodbye, watching as Eddie sped off into the distance. Quietly wondering where he might be living, and if he'd ever get the chance to see his room. He sighed and made his way back into his empty house, shivering slightly in the freezing winter night.

Plopping himself onto his mother's bed, he wrapped himself up in a comforter and sighed into its warmth. It was still cold as fuck inside the house, but at least this gave a little relief.

Today was good, he thinks. Romeo and Juliet is bound to be interesting these coming few weeks, and lunch is still much more fun with the losers than without, despite the small unspoken discourse that went on today.

It's like things took a turn for the best right when Eddie came into his life, like he was the very center piece of a puzzle that would connect Richie to everything else good in his life.

And they're good friends now, good enough to stop by each other's lockers and chat mindlessly, good enough to go to Richies house and hang out. And that was even cooler. Eddie practically walked past caution tape at this point, and there's no going back when it comes to Richie Tozier. Now that they've crossed this line, Richie isn't sure there's a single thing Eddie could do to mess things up. Nothing.

Although.

For a while, as they were rummaging through Richies X-Men Collection, Richie wondered if this was weird. Was it? He seemed to ask himself this question way too many times when it came to Eddie Kaspbrak.

If this were a fanfiction story written by a sad 15 year old, and gender wasn't mentioned, and they were in this exact position. Eddie and Richie in his house, no parents, it would surely sound a little suspicious.

But they're boys anyway, and it's stupid of you to even think of that, Richies brain scolded. Richie grimaced at himself, and turned over on his side with a huff.

He closed his eyes, and decided that the best way to stop thinking was to fall into a hazy dream and forget his worries for a few hours. Can't go wrong with that...

this is lowkey a filler chapter,, but at the same time not really. anyways ive had a major boost in energy today idk why. i want to get more engaged with readers doe, so lmk how your day was or something!! :)))) - author