Control // It (2017) // Stanley Uris

Twenty-Seven- "Placebo means bullshit!"

Eddie walked into Keene's pharmacy in a better mood than normal. He had a jump in his step, knowing that his medications were soon to be refilled. The thought of running low on his pills made him shudder.

"Here for the refills, Eddie?" Mr. Keene asked as the Kaspbrak boy approached the front desk.

"Yeah." He blatantly exclaimed. Mr. Keene nodded, ducking his head in between row upon row of pill bottles to retrieve the correct ones.

Gretta Keene was sat behind the counter of the pharmacy, reading a teenage weekly magazine. She chewed bubble gum too loud and wore too much eye makeup.

"You know it's all bullshit, right?" Gretta spoke up, gaining Eddie's attention.

"What is?"

"Your medication..." She lowered her magazine and rolled her eyes, "they're placebos."

"What's pa-cee-bo mean?"

"Placebo means bullshit!" She raised her voice slightly.

Eddie shut his mouth and sighed, shifting his weight as he stood at the counter. He'd never talked to Gretta for this long before, and it made him uncomfortable. He didn't talk to many girls.

The door of the pharmacy opened, causing a ringing sound to emit through the store. Eddie took no mind of it.

"No friends, huh?" Gretta pushed on, "your cast?" Eddie looked down at his broken arm. "No signatures or anything?" Gretta made a fake sad face and pretended to wipe tears from her eyes, "so sad."

"I didn't want it to get dirty." Eddie lied.

"I'll sign it for you!" Gretta exclaimed, blowing a bubble gum bubble and popping it obnoxiously.

The other customer in the pharmacy approached the counter hesitantly. The Bowers girl stepped back when she noticed Eddie standing in front of Gretta. Mia had come to buy a new pack of cigarettes, and by buy, she meant to steal. Gretta always let Mia slip by undetected.

Gretta popped another gum bubble.

The Keene girl stood up from her chair and grabbed a thick black sharpie from her father's pen cup. She made firm eye contact with Eddie while she wrote, keeping his eyes fixated on her instead of what her hand was doing.

She noticed the Bowers girl standing behind Eddie and finished her writing quickly, then gave the Kaspbrak boy a smug and happy smile. 

Eddie looked down at his cast and found the word LOSER written across it in permanent ink. His heart sank as he read the letters, and he thought he might cry. He was so embarrassed.

"How many?" Gretta asked, disregarding the poor boy and moving on to the customer behind him.

"J-Just one, thanks." The customer behind him said, in an all-too-familiar voice. Eddie spun on his heels and found Mia stood directly behind him, trying her best not to make eye contact.

Gretta walked off into the shelves, making sure not to be noticed by her father.

"Mia?" Eddie whispered, somehow feeling like he wasn't safe when talking to her anymore. Mia kept her eyes fixated on the counter. "Mia, can you talk to me? Please?"

"No, Eddie..." She quietly spoke, worried that if she met his gaze she wouldn't be able to hold herself back from hugging him. She missed him dearly, but she wasn't about to throw herself back into the Losers group. Because being friends with Eddie comes with being friends with all of them. And Mia was not ready to forgive Stan for what he'd said.

Gretta approached the counter again with a pack of cigarettes in hand and slid them across the counter. The shorter girl grabbed them quickly, shoving them into her back pocket and making a B-line for the door.

Eddie left the counter, leaving his medication inside the pharmacy and chased Mia outside.

"What happened?" Eddie called after her, causing her to stop in her tracks. "I thought we were friends. I thought we were..." Eddie couldn't finish his sentence.

"I-I" Mia stuttered turning around and finally looking Eddie in the face.

Eddie gasped as he took in Mia's appearance. Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin was pale and pasty, and her hair was greasy on another level. She looked like she'd completely let herself go.

"I'm sorry, Eddie." Mia gave in, closing her eyes and letting her tears form. 

"It's okay..." He smiled, moving towards Mia and holding his arms out to her.

Mia held her arm firmly in front of her, stopping Eddie from hugging her. Eddie was confused.

"I never meant to do this to you, and I'm really sorry." She continued, "I love being your friend Eddie. I love being your... Friend."

Eddie didn't understand her at first until she emphasized the word 'friend'. She didn't like him the same way he did her. His face fell.

"I don't understand..." He sighed, lowering his arms. 

"Eddie you don't want to be with someone like me. I'd ruin you. I honestly don't believe that you actually like me. I think you're just convincing yourself that you do because I'm the only girl that's been giving you attention." 

Mia Bowers felt terrible for the things she was saying. Eddie had always been there for her, through everything, and yet she couldn't find it in her heart to return his affections. She knew that he had feelings for her, she could tell. When they had all spent summer days together, Eddie had looked at her in ways she'd never seen anyone look at her before. 

Until Stanley had looked at her that same way, and she returned that look towards him.

"N-No. No, I do like you. Why are you doing this?"

"Look, Eddie, you're a great guy. I love you, I really do, but only as a friend. You're like a brother to me, and I trust you. I need more people in my life that I can trust. There's someone out there that's going to see all of the amazing things in you, you just have to wait. Someone is going to love you, Eddie Kaspbrak. It's just not me." Mia sighed. She knew that her words would break the poor boy's heart.

If Mia had only been able to see it before, she might have been able to stop Eddie from his affections before they'd even started. She had been ignorant, and she hadn't ever truly believed that anyone could ever like her for who she was. 

The entire group had seen the horrors of her past, and yet somehow they all forgave her. She never truly expected that any of them would ever be able to look at her in a normal light.

"I-I-" Eddie was deeply in thought, trying to decide what to say next. Mia was never going to feel the same way as him, and he knew that holding it against her would only ruin their relationship even more. "I understand."

Relief washed over Mia Bowers once she heard Eddie's quiet words. She lunged at him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Eddie hugged her back, relieved that the two of them could return to being friends and that this entire encounter wouldn't make their friendship extremely awkward.

"Friends?" Mia asked, pulling away from the hug.

"Friends," Eddie replied.

"Now, let's go do something about your arm," Mia commented, grabbing hold of Eddie's cast in her hands. "I think I know just how to fix it."

A/N why am i crying in the club rn?? (this is honestly my favourite line ever sORRY)

lol goodbye Eddie and Mia shippers... They were cute but like never really my OTP I think. Do you guys like this story so far? What's been your favourite part?

I love comments so so much thank you for everything. I can't believe this book is already past 8k and it's been such a short period of time. Thank you thank you thank you.