Eddie didn't know how to do this. With the door closed, the basement felt impossibly small and stifling, like the walls were closing in on them. Or maybe that was just the way they were both looking at him, waiting for him to speak, when he was so breathless his vision had started to grey out around the edges.

He sat down heavily on the last step, his eyes fixated on a water stain beneath Beverly's feet.

"Richie's dead," he said flatly. He was emotionless for all of five seconds before dragging in a hiccuping breath, his hands flying up towards his face to hide the way his expression crumpled under the weight of it. We're just kids...

"It just... it moved so fast. I'm sorry, Bev. I'm sorry."