ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀɢʟᴏᴡ || ʀɪᴄʜɪᴇ ᴛᴏᴢɪᴇʀ

~ Clubhouse ~

Elaine walked the quiet empty town alongside the rest of the losers. She hung back, fixing her tall red shoes. Her feet burned from the heels, having worn them for way too long now. She wished she changed her shoes back when she had the chance. But, she could never admit it; it would boost Richie's ego too much. Pain really was beauty. Elaine eyed the small shops and restaurants, wanting to leave more than anything.

Sure it was home but she definitely hadn't missed it. She dreaded spending time within its borders, not wanting to run into anyone she used to know like her parents or mutuals from high school. Elaine pulled down her black skirt, jogging to catch up with the others. She followed them into the forest, tucking in her blouse as she made sure not to trip on a branch or root.

Elaine swatted a bug, huffing as she caught her breath, "Mike, what the hell are we doing in here?" "It's better if I just show you. We don't have much time, his cycle will end soon, and once it does..."  "We're all done for." Richie finished, tired of Mike's repetitive spiel. A small smile appeared on Elaine's face as she realized where they were headed. The stream in front of her brought back several memories.

"Rock war." Richie let out a breathy laugh. This was where they'd befriended Mike all those years ago when Henry Henry had decided to attack him. The group kept walking, the path starting to make sense. They passed the sewers where they'd found Ben all cut up and Betty Ripsom's shoe. Elaine crouched through branches, struggling to keep her hair contained as leaves and small sticks kept getting stuck in the poofy mess.

Fixing her hair into a messy ponytail, Elaine stopped with the rest of the group. "The clubhouse." Elaine looked over at Ben smiling, "You built it for us," Beverly remembered as she leant against the fit man. Ben chuckled as he searched for something in the dirt, pushing away fallen leaves and stones. "The hatch has got to be around here somewhere." The group split up, looking for the entrance to their beloved clubhouse together.

Bill and Beverly trailed behind the group, making small talk as they searched for the hatch. Richie smirked at the sight, nudging his wife beside him. "They are definitely getting it on," Elaine faked a gag, "You can't always just assume people are fucking just because they get along," He crossed his arms, "I know they are, I just can't prove it." Ben drifted further from the group, "You know what, I actually think it more around-" Ben started, roaming the forest.

His sentence was cut short he fell through the dirt, disappearing into the clubhouse. He yelled from below, "Found it!" Ben instructed them to enter, everyone slowly making their way down the rusty ladder. Elaine stood at the top, looking down at everyone beneath her, "Are you sure we're all going to fit in there?" She looked around unsure. "It's very spacious down here," Ben nodded, looking around the small room.

Elaine sighed as she chucked her red heels down at Richie. She made her way down the ladder, remembering everything they'd been through while inside. But now, it was old, abandoned and smelly. Richie put his hand out, reaching to help Elaine make her way down into the clubhouse. "Thanks," She smiled, joining the others inside.

"What the dick is this?" Richie asked, admiring the wood-covered walls. "How'd you build it? When'd you build it?" He rambled, interested as he walked around the room. "Here and there I guess, it was already dug out from something, so I just had to reinforce the walls and get some wood for the door. But, that was pretty much it."

Elaine stared, her mouth agape, "This is really great, Ben," Richie glared at the bigger boy, a ping of jealousy crossing him. "Pretty good for my first time, huh?" Ben proudly. "That's an understatement," Elaine smiled. Ben patted the beam above his head, some dirt falling below. Elaine backed away deeper into the new build.

"Now, that's a cool feature," Richie laughed sarcastically as Stanley cackled loudly in the background. "What happens when you put your hand on the other pillar, Professor?" Elaine defended Ben sternly, "Stop teasing, Rich," He'd just built them all a clubhouse and this was how Richie was repaying him?

Eddie came around with his arms up, "That's exactly why we have safety codes and permits! This place is a total death trap!" Ben sighed, rubbing his sweaty forehead with the back of his arm, "It's a work in progress, okay, Eddie?" "Just so you know, if I die in here, you're reliable." Eddie walked over to another wooden pillar.

"Also what is this? Some kind of iron maiden?" Ben sighed annoyed, "It's a flashlight." Eddie walked over and pointed at something else on the ceiling. "And what is that, a horse hitch? Why would you-" He paused, picking something up from the ground. "Oh, this is cool." He murmured, picking up a paddle ball that he quickly distracted him

Ben whined as he helped Beverly down the ladder, "That was like three dollars, so be careful please." Eddie turned to Stan, pointing the ball toward him. He smacked it towards him till the ball finally hit Stanley in the face. It flew off the string, landing on the ground somewhere unknown.

Eddie yelled dumbfounded, "Wow, good going, fucknut! You just broke his thing," Stan crossed his arms and looked at him shocked, "I broke it?" "Yeah, you broke it with your face!" Eddie retorted. Stanley looked back toward the rubber ball that sat stuck between two wooden rods.

"Yeah, I broke it by putting my fucking hand down?" He rolled his eyes, his golden curls bouncing as he walked away from the shorter boy. Elaine smiled as she watched Eddie who crouched down, picking up the old forgotten rubber ball. He blew a layer of dust off it, sighing. Elaine picked up an old book, wiping the dust off the old cover.

A faded red covered the book, its yellow pages crippled from water damage. "Romeo and Juliet" She murmured, reading the spine. A high-pitched voice erupted from a corner of the space, everyone looking towards the source in fear. "Hey losers, time to float!" Elaine instinctively held up the book she'd been looking at as if it would be able protect her.

Ben fell back as the group watched a figure peer out from the dark corner. The creature lunged towards Elaine, grabbing her arm tightly. He growled, laughing hysterically. "Let go of me!" She yelled, repeatedly smacking its head with her book. "Ow, fuck it's me!" Richie yelled, letting go of his wife. "That hurt," He whined, scratching the top of his head.

"You fucking idiot!" She yelled, catching her breath with her hand against her chest. "You should've seen you're face-" He laughed, fixing his glasses. Elaine glared at him, smacking him with the book once again. "You asshole!" She huffed, genuinely scared. "Ow, what the fuck, will you stop that!" Richie tried, reaching for the book held tightly in her hands.

"Fuck, Richie," Mike breathed out, all of them catching their breaths in unison. Elaine dropped her book, pushing him back towards the dark corner. Lucky for Richie, he was much bigger than Elaine, si her powerful push didn't really move him. "That all you got?" He teased, "Oh shut it! You scared the shit out of me!" She crossed her arms, picking up the book she'd dropped on the ground.

Richie raised his arms, "Alright, I'm sorry, just trying to add a bit of levity to this shit," He walked towards the exit of the clubhouse, plopping down to sit on an old milk crate. "I'll fo fuck myself!" He mumbled. Elaine shook her head at him, pushing her hair behind her ears. She had dealt with this for how long? Twenty-seven years. Yet for some reason, she never got tired of him.