"Okay, maybe he won't freak out too much," I corrected myself, grinning fondly. I loved Eddie so much. I loved everything about him, even when he worried about things I would never worry about. He just cared so much about everyone and wanted to make sure we were always safe and I wished it stressed him out less, but I also understood.

When Beverly answered, it felt a little bit like she wasn't being entirely truthful. I didn't think she was lying exactly, but it didn't feel like the entire truth either. There were times when I wanted to press people and remind them they could talk to me if they needed to, but I also knew that wasn't always the best way to do things. I certainly didn't want to tell everyone everything that was going on.

"They're okay," I echoed. "School's fine, I have to start doing swim meets soon, which will be fun, but everything with Richie..." I trailed off and shrugged, smiling a little sadly. "I wish he could understand I'm not mad at him. It feels awful, not being able to talk to my friend. I can't even imagine how much worse it is for him and Eddie."