mike's friends were pretty cool. richie got along with them easily. but there was definitely something about them; like they were hiding something. why did they get so worked up over a nose bleed. what about the random tripsupstairs? and why did the one boy, will, get really pale when he said something about the missing kids of Derry? i mean, they asked what his old town was like... he simply told them. 

so far, out of Mike's friends, he really liked dustin. all that was ever on his mind was food.. he was just a fun dude. 

max kind of reminded him of Bev, with a firey temper, but pretty chill nevertheless. the red hair helped too. lucas was kind of like stan.. kind of. but only because of his heavily sarcastic and dry aura. and will was really sweet, but mysterious. sad. el too, if he thought about it. she kind of freaked him out. his thoughts were interrupted when El and Mike burst through the door. 

richie smiled prepared to tell them the joke he had been working on the whole time they had been gone, but the smile was erased when he saw the look on both of their faces. mike looked at richie with an expression that probably would have matched El's: fearful and worried. problem was, he blacked out, blood pouring down his face and sweat soaking his forehead, making his hair stick to his face. 

"whoa! f*ck!" richie said, running over to Mike, who was being held in El's arms. it looked like they had their arms around each other, in an attempt to help mike to make it to the basement. it didn't seem to have any affect, however. 

"SH*T!" richie shouted. he heard the others curse too. 

richie looked at el, as if asking permission to take him. she nodded, tears threatening o fall. so richie picked up mike and did his best to drag MIke down the stairs. dustin saw his struggled and tramped up the stairs, helping richie to carry his brother. richie's face was red. he should be able to carry his brother, who was pretty light altogether, but so much malnourishment will do that to you. 

when they finally finished their struggle to get mike down the stairs, they sat him up and gathered around him. 

"what do we do?!?!" richie asked. if only eds were here, he thought. 

"i don't know!" said Lucas.

dustin just kept cursing. "sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t"

will was in the background, his arms around a sobbing eleven. the girl herself kept telling him, " i shouldn't have done that! i should have known. i could hae kept him safe, but i-- i forgot! i don't know what to do... when this ha-happened to me, papa was there! i... can't remember if this happened to me. its different. he's not like me and, and-" 

richie ignored that, though it gave him chills. he needed Eddie. he hopped up and ran upstairs. as soon as he crashed through the door, he saw a phone on the wall. he quickly dialed Eddie's number and called him. 

"hello?" he grimaced when he heard the voice of Sonia Kaspbrak on the phone. 

"um hi, can i talk to Eds, i really need him, its important i swear, and we've got lives on the line and-"

"excuse me, but who is this?"

"oh, sorry, ms. k, this is Richie, and if you wouldn't mind, can. i talk. to. eds."

"oh... you. fine.... Eddie bear! that tozier boy is calling!" there was a pause and soon richie heard the voice of Eddie kaspbrak. his spirits rose a little just hearing him. 

"hey rich! i uh-"

"no time, sorry eds, but this is important, REAL important, and if you dont mind, could you please tell me  what the f*ck to do, because my brother just collapsed and theres blood like pouring out of his nose and hes starting to breath real heavy and slow and im actually real scared ya know so. i was thinking okay the good ole mouth to mouth, then i remembered you're the only person i know that can do that and he's my brother and so that's kinda weird, then i thought, why not let his girlfriend do it then i remembered that she's bawling her eyes out in a corner someplace and probably doesn't even know how and-"

"RICHIE."

"what?" 

"shut up, i'm thinking. "

"right."

"maybe.... well i was thinking... you said something about his breathing. i was thinking an inhaler might work but... you don't exactly have asthema do you so..... hmmm."

"wait. eds? i still have your spare that i keep with me, you know, in case?'"

"you kept a spare with you?" eddie's heart soared. 

"y-yeah."

"okay well.... try it. i'll wait right here at the phone so you can cal me again. and remember.. stay. calm.", and 

"alrighty eds, you're the best. okay bye!"

"by-" then eddie realised that Richie hung up on him. 

richie raced up the stairs, burst through their bedroom door, and snatched the asperator off of his bed, bashing his head on the wood in the process. he moaned, and rubbed his head. oof... that would surely bruise. 

he tthen ran through the house at lighning speed, sped down the stairs, and burst through the small crowd of Mike's friends. 

"alright! i think i've got something." they moved and watched, all of them holding their breath. 

richie stuck the plastic object in his wheezing brother's mouth and pulled the trigger. he heard the little 'puff' and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to god that it would help a little bit at least. he let out a sigh when he heard mike's breathing change, from desperate gasps, to a steady rhythm, his chest rising and falling as it should.  

it was about seven minutes until he came to, he sat up with his eyes flying open, and searching desprately for something. when he saw where he was, and who was around him, he automatically got all tense.

everyone sighed in relief and richie said, "whoa... you okay?"

"yeah... just... tired."

richie looked at him weirdly. 

"just... tired?!" asked Lucas. 

"sorry dude.... you don't start bleeding like you've been punched in the nose and black out because you were 'just tired." said Dustin. 

"mike?" asked Eleven. 

"yeah El?" he said weakly. 

"we should bring you to the.... the lab." eleven flinched at the memory of 'the lab', whatever that was. 

"but EL... my parents. they wouldn't take me there.. they'd want me to go to the hospital. they can't know what happened... plus, i'm fine. really."

El hesitated, then nodded. 

Richie had a bad feeling about this. 

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