• So there's gonna be some BenxBev RichiexEddie and MikexStan (and Bill who's awful at romantics), but we'll get into all of that later.
• Richie, Ben, Bev, and Mike start a cover band in high school when they're like 15-16 (probs the summer after their sophomore year.) Richie sings and plays rhythm guitar, Mike plays guitar (and occasional piano), Bev does some vocals and backing vocals and plays bass, and Ben plays the drums.
• They start off just doing covers and having fun for a while and posting videos/audios of their covers and/or garage/barn performances on YouTube, and they get an okay but not huge following online. They aren't famous or even really that popular by any means, but that doesn't mean they aren't any good.
• So a little after the band situation starts, Richie and Eddie start dating (finally), and it goes pretty well up until their senior year when everyone's getting ready for college and shit. Eddie's always being guilttripped by his mom, and Richie (and the other Losers) have to keep reminding him that life will be so much better for him once he's away from his mother and just Derry in general.
• Now, in Richie's head, he saw all of them going to the same college or at least colleges that are somewhat close to each other. Obviously, a bit too much to ask for for seven people with mostly differing life plans.
• Bill talks about going to a college in England towards the end of their Junior year which upsets Richie and the two get into this huge fight, and they pretty much don't talk to each other for the rest of their high school careers, but obviously they're forced to be around each other because of their friends.
• Senior year's going along, and Richie's still in this unrealistic (and kinda unhealthy) mindset that the rest of the Losers are going to go with his basically unspoken plan of sticking together for their college years.
•Eddie starts talking about going to college in New York, Ben and Stan plan to go to colleges in Nebraska and Georgia, and Mike and Bev end up wanting to go to the same college in Florida, purely by coincidence, and Richie is left in the dark about ALL of this because everyone is scared of upsetting him.
• Anyways, the band is still going strong through their Senior year. Richie actually started writing original songs (with occasional help from the others). They're upbeat and punk/alternative and sometimes about Eddie just to see him blush in the front of the little crowds at the small parties they had in Mike's barn where they performed. These songs are recorded and posted on YouTube and get just as much love as the rest of their stuff, in fact, it actually gets them a little more attention. Again, not Famous or really that popular, but good, y'know?
• Then around Spring break, Richie finds Eddie's acception letter in his backpack while digging around for his inhaler or something, and he flips. They fight, Eddie goes off telling him how unrealistic it would be for all 7 of them to go to the same place when they all have mostly different directions they want to go in. Richie refuses to accept that and feels betrayed.
And Eddie breaks up with Richie.
• Richie doesn't go to school for the rest of the week and avoids the Losers for a couple weeks after that, staying at home and pouting.. and crying.. and drinking and smoking pot and writing.. a lot. And then he only ever really hangs out with Stan and Bev, Ben, and Mike to practice and play and record and write.
• His songs get kinda more self depreciating but not concerningly so, they're still upbeat and kick-ass, and bitter/angry sometimes.
• One day Richie asks what'll happen to the band after they all split up and Stan, Bev, Ben, and Mike all look at each other and then at the floor and they say they'll try to still help Richie by sending mp4 files through emails, but that they have no idea how busy they'll be. Richie hides the pain that time, just smiles and tells them it'll be fine, and he'll work something out. They don't believe it for a second but go along with it.
• Graduation comes around, and they throw this huge party and perform with their band and then get completely wasted, but Eddie leaves halfway through the band's set during a particularly bitter song, telling everyone his mom called him (a lie.) Richie just drinks the pain away until he's behind the barn with Bev and Stan, throwing his soul up and crying into their chests about everything and wishing they could just be in high school forever and basically has a breakdown because he doesn't want to lose the rest of his best friends. He's already lost two, he can't handle anymore, and Bev and Stan try to reassure him that even while they're all at college, they'll still keep in touch and talk with him, but Richie isn't having it, he just keeps crying and begging them not to leave him.
They never talk about it after that night.
• Over the next couple weeks the Losers all start getting ready to leave for their respective colleges. Richie decides to just use his savings to move to LA and spend all of his time working and making music on his own with any possible help he gets from Ben, Mike, and/or Bev between their studies. It didn't matter, he could mix it by himself or just hire someone to play an instrument if he needed it or just make new friends in LA and get them to make music with him.
• They promise to keep in contact with each other (aside from Richie and Eddie.. and Richie and Bill.) Stan's kinda pissed at Richie as well for just being stupid and kind of an asshole about everything all year, but he still sees him as a close friend.
Like/reblog for part two cuz I have a lot more lmao