diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index b37bfa0550..a01ddba0c9 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -228,11 +228,15 @@ if getenv("RUN_PROCESS_REPLAY"):
 
 # **** Schedule creation and BFS toposort
 
-def _add_realize(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], b:UOp, store:UOp, load:UOp) -> Optional[UOp]:
-  if b not in ctx: return None
+def realize(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], b:UOp, load:UOp, store:UOp) -> UOp:
+  assert b in ctx, f"trying to realize {b} while not realized"
   ctx[b] = store
   return UOp(UOps.LOAD, load.dtype, (b, load.st_arg.to_uop()))
-break_sched = PatternMatcher([(UPat.load(b:=UPat.var("b"), UPat(), UPat.store(b, UPat(), UPat(), name="store"), name="load"), _add_realize),])
+
+def UPatLoadStore(to_store=UPat()): return UPat.load(b:=UPat.var("b"), UPat(), UPat.store(b, UPat(), to_store, name="store"), name="load")
+break_sched = PatternMatcher([
+  (UPatLoadStore(), lambda ctx,b,store,load: realize(ctx, b, load, store) if b in ctx else None),
+])
 
 @track_rewrites(named=True)
 def create_schedule_with_vars(outs:List[LazyBuffer]) -> Tuple[List[ScheduleItem], Dict[Variable, int]]: