Richie Tozier, a 15 year old freshman in Derry High School has faced a lot of scary things. But the scariest thing so far is definetly his sexuality and the hidden feelings he has developed for his hypochondriac, asthmatic best friend; Eddie Kaspbra...
I sit in my car, parked out in the school parking lot. The night sky glitters with stars above, and I can hear the music stream outside the school. I breathe in and out, feeling my aching ribs. I don't want to see Eddie again. I feel like I won't be able to hold back this time. I hate myself. How I twist my sad words into lies and jokes. I wish I could just tell him.
"You good, Rich?" Bev asks, sitting next to me in the passenger seat.
"No," I say, "I got the shit beat out of me, was rejected yet once again, and have to see Eddie and Betty together tonight."
"Things have been worse," Bev tells me.
"Not like this," I state.
She falls silent, looking outside.
"We can leave if you want," She says, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"No. It's Homecoming, time for having fun and dancing. And besides, I need to show off my hot date," I say, forcing a smile. I pat Bev on the knee before we get out of the car. I look over to see Bev adjusting her dress. She wears a turquoise dress that sparkles with glitter when she moves. Her hair is pinned up in curls, and she wears silver eyeliner, making her bluish-grey eyes pop. I walk over to her, offering my arm. She takes it, grinning at me.
"Lead the way," Bev says.
And we make our way into the dance, readying ourselves for the chaos that is sure to ensue tonight.
***
I walk into the gymnasium. It's crowded with people dressed up, most just standing around looking at others. The lights flash a rainbow of neon colors and the music's turned up to drown out any other noise. I make my way through the crowd, my ribs still aching, looking for the others. I find them huddled in a corner, talking to one another. Bev and Ben leave as soon as I walk up to them. I walk over to Bill, who wears a basic black and white suit.
"What're they on about?" I ask.
"N-nothing, you'll find o-out soon enough." He tells me.
I shrug my shoulders and start dancing. I scoot over towards Eddie who stands holding two cups of punch.
"What're you do'in?" I ask.
"Oh, Betty's dancing with her friend, so I'm holding her drink." He explains, seeming displeased.
"That's bullshit!" I tell him, taking the cups from him. I hand them off to Bill, leading Eddie out on the dance floor.
And it's like back in my driveway. It's just him and me, and the music. I spin him around, swaying my hips to the beat.
"Anyone ever tell you you're a terrible dancer?'' I shout to him, letting go of his hand and dancing by myself.
"Says you." He retorts.
"Touche!" I exclaim, nudging him in the ribs.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" Eddie asks.
"Fine. Stop worrying about me Eds! I'm a warrior!" I tell him.
He shakes his head, starting to become more confident with his steps. He jumps around, nodding his head. I clap to the upbeat tune, slinging my head around. I forget about everything else. Even Eddie. Just soaking in the music. Letting it take control. And I feel relieved.
***
Me, Bev, Ben, Stan, Mike, and Bill stand at the cafeteria windows, looking out into the parking lot. Gordon and his goons are taking girls to their cars, probably planning a night of love. We wait in anticipation when they open their doors. And as soon as the first chicken pops out they start shouting profanities. They tear up inside their car, trying to get rid of the birds. The girls seem disgusted and start to walk back towards the school, leaving the boys baffled over their feather-covered cars.
I bust out laughing, and the others join me. And we sit there laughing our asses off for a few minutes. I wipe away tears of joy and I clap Bev on the back.
"Good work," I tell her.
"Thank you, but the other's really helped put this together. Ben's secretly an excellent lock picker." Bev tells me.
"I'll keep that in mind," I say, raising my eyebrows at Ben. He smiles at me, shrugging.
"We should go before they catch us watching," Mike suggests, sounding worried.
We head back into the gym, and Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers starts to play. It's an old song, but a good one. I turn to Bev, and she turns to me. We join hands and start to waltz across the floor, not caring about the stares from other couples we get. I'm starting to sweat, but dancing with Bev is too fun to stop.
We've made our way to the other side of the room, laughing at ourselves. I look over Bev's shoulder to see Eddie. He's dancing with Betty, his hands on her waist, her's draped over his shoulders. Their faces are close to one another, staring into each other's eyes. They talk to one another, seeming serious. They start moving their faces closer as I'm spun around to my back facing them.
Bev hasn't noticed, still trying to dance with me. I let go of Bev, twisting around to see Eddie and Betty kiss. And everything falls apart again. Everything is broken again. Just like the night before. And it's worse than getting beat up.
"Richie-" Bev mutters, seeing Eddie and Betty.
I tear out of the gym and don't stop until I get out into the parking lot. I let out a scream of anger, sadness, and just overall madness. I keep walking, anger continuing to just broil inside me. I walk over to my car and find Betty's blue bug sitting a few spots away. I take out my car keys, not even thinking through. I walk over to her bug and drag my key down the passenger side of the car. I step back, looking at my work. It's an obvious line, that goes straight down the center. Something that she wouldn't be able to cover up.
Shit! I just did that. I just scratched a girl's car. But she kissed the boy that I liked, so it's almost fair. But it's not. I walk back over to my car, pocketing my keys. I'm still angry though. I don't even wanna cry, I've cried too much already this week. I pace around, the image still in my head.
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