A Thing Called Love || Richie Tozier [2]

Epilogue

The Losers Club had officially broken apart once Richie, Ashley, & Carrie moved out of Derry, Maine after Richie and Ashley graduated from their high school. They had all said their goodbyes to Mike, who was the last member standing after Stanley Uris left back in February of 1994. They had spent as much time as they could with each other before all of them had to finally move away. The most heartbroken goodbye was the one that Stanley and Ashley had to make. The worst part about it was that they didn't even know that it was their last time ever seeing each other ever again. It's something they dreaded to think about.

Stanley held on tightly to his best friend, Ashley Walker, for as long as he possibly could. Tears streamed down both of their cheeks as she clutched onto the back of his shirt as sobs escaped the poor girls' mouth. They were in his room where there was nothing left, except the drawing of their favorite bird hung high on the wall of his room that she had made him the year they first broke apart before Beverly was taken by the clown.

"This... isn't goodbye.", Was all Stanley Uris could even say as she continued sobbing into his chest. She had made him feel something nobody else ever had before; important. He loved each one of his friends, but none of them could've ever comprehended the amount of attention that the poor boy needed. He was often mute, but with her... he could've silenced the whole world with how many words would come flooding out of his mouth. Those words he had always kept in would travel all the way to the tip of his tongue, then escape his mouth by jumping off as if his tongue was a diving board and the world beneath him were a pool of water.

"I don't want you to go, Stan.", Her lip quivered, pulling her head back from his chest to look up at him. He looked down at her with guilt written on his face as his throat ached from the sobs that he would swallow to keep him from looking weak. For her, he would've done anything to keep her happy and he never wanted her to see him at his lowest point in life. The only memories he wanted her to remember were ones of him smiling and being happy, not upset or broken.

"You know I have to.", They broke away from the hug, staring directly into each other's eyes. Part of him wanted to just hold onto her until the end of time, never leaving her side, but he knew that it wasn't possible and that reality was very much different.

"Stanley! We have to go!", His father shouted from downstairs, causing her to close her eyes. At that same moment, all those tears that were built up in the corners of her eyes came flooding out. His heart ached at the sight, but he didn't want to anger his father any longer by staying up here. He stepped forward, lifted her chin and at the contact, she opened her eyes.

"I love you, Ashley. You're my best friend and I swear that everything will be okay. I'll see you again, I promise.", With those last words, his fingers slowly left her chin. Their eyes departed once he turned around away from her, then looked back at her as he reached the door.

"Stan?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too.", She gave him a faint smile, which made him smile back. He let out a deep breath as he left the room fully and wasn't seen by her. She stayed in that room until she heard the front door of the house shut, then she gripped her chest as her sobs became more violent. Her breathing was heavy, which then became wheezy as she continued to break down into worse sobs.

Stanley Uris was her safe haven when Richie Tozier couldn't be, even if it were the end of the world. She would always go to him, even when Richie would insist he could listen. Stanley was always there for her and she loved him for that. Through each argument, or even a playful banter, he was her person.

...And as her eyes scanned the room for a trace of his presence, the picture of the bird caught her attention. There it hung with a thumbtack through the paper and words were written at the very bottom. Her eyes furrowed at the mysterious writing that was never there before, so she stood up from her spot and brought herself to take it off the wall.

Don't you forget about me.

Stan "The Man" Uris