❛ and it's too late ,
the story's over now , the end ❜
-wide awake by katy perry
X ; end
and when the world ,
is crashing down around
your very own ears,
what the hell are you to do?
"DO YOU all remember when we were here on the last day of school in freshman year?" Ash asked.
The boys all nodded, and Eddie shot a smirk at Richie. "And Richie got jealous because I paid for Ash's food."
They all laughed, and Richie's ears went red. "Shut up."
Ash gave his hand a squeeze, resting her head on his shoulder and glancing around at them all, Bill's arm slung around Stan, Ben looking considerably more thin, and Eddie looking at Richie with twinkling eyes as late summer sunlight streamed in through the window of the ice cream parlor.
Richie nudged her. "So, where are you staying? You are staying, aren't you?"
His eyes flickered with the slightest bit of worry, and Ash smiled gently at him.
"Yes, Rich, I'm staying. Mom never sold our house so that's where I'm living." She answered, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you gonna be here for, y'know, senior year?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck, and Ash nodded.
"Yep. I'm finishing up the school year right here with my best friends." She announced, and Eddie let out a whoop with the rest of the boys following suit.
Richie shook his head at her. "Well, just a heads up. High school is worse than that killer clown we had to fight."
Ash made a face at him. "Maybe even worse that that because I have to deal with you, my whiny boyfriend."
There was a chorus of "oooh's" from the other boys, who grinned at the pair, and Richie's cheeks flushed.
"Boyfriend?" He asked, and Ash shrugged, smiling cheekily. "Y'know, if you want."
His hand gripped her's tighter. "God, is that even a question at this point?"
She laughed again, and then he said, "You wanna get out of here?"
Ash nodded, and waved to the other boys, calling, "See you tomorrow!" as Richie practically dragged her out the door.
"Richie, where are-"
"To my house." Richie cut across her, his fingers twisting themselves around hers. "My parents aren't home. I'm still amazed, by the way, that your mom actually let you come back here by yourself."
Ash shrugged. "I can practically do whatever I want. I mean, I am seventeen. She was plenty mad though. Look, see-"
Pulling up her sleeve, she showed him the faint bruise on her shoulder, and his eyes widened.
"I thought they quit!" He said indignantly as she let her sleeve fall again and shot him a look.
"Have your parents quit, Richie?"
He stared at her, frustrated, before giving a slight jerk of his head and she nodded. "I thought so."
"It still doesn't make it right." Richie mumbled, and she gave his hand a slight squeeze.
"I know."
They had made it to his house, looking the same as always, and soon Ash had followed him inside and was standing in his bedroom, which besides the new posters of The Beatles on his walls, hadn't changed one bit.
Including his collage of pictures still taped all over his mirror, and a smile lifted the corners of her lips as she saw the her from 3 years prior, laughing and smiling in each one.
"You kept them up." She stated, turning to look at him, and he nodded.
"I couldn't take them down. It would have hurt too much." He said simply, and she felt a lump rise in her throat.
"I thought you'd forgotten. . .I don't know. I didn't expect this." She said, and he crossed the room towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him.
"I thin I've fallen more in love with you all over again." He said, and her arms slid around his neck as she said softly, "I know the feeling."
And then, his lips had found hers and Ash kissed him back and somehow they found themselves on Richie's bed, Richie on top of her as he furiously kissed her.
He broke away from her as her hands traveled down to his shirt, smirking, and said, "You sure you're ready for all this?"
She rolled her eyes. "Still full of yourself, as always."
"What did you expect, gorgeous?" He grinned, and then lifted his shirt over his head and began to kiss her again, her hands in his hair, and his arms slung tightly around her.
What progressed was various teasing and kissing and ended with their bare bodies between the sheets of Richie's bed, pressing up against each other as Richie's fingers traced patterns on her neck.
"You know," Richie said thoughtfully. "I just realized something."
Ash turned to look at him, her brown eyes meeting his. "What?"
"I thought we agreed to lose our virginity in Bill's house."
Ash's mouth dropped open and she shoved him. "Richie! I never said that- you did!"
He shook his head at her, a grin on his face. "Nah, you agreed! You know you did!"
She rolled her eyes again, and he dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead as her eyes strayed to his window.
Ash began to turn away, when she blinked and looked again. Someone was standing in Richie's yard.
Her forehead creased as she pulled away from Richie, reaching for her tshirt which was draped on the bedpost and pulled it over her head, walking towards the window.
"Where are you going, hot stuff? And why are you covering up? It's not like I haven't seen it all."
She shot him a look, and a wicked grin played across his features as she turned back towards the window, squinting.
There was someone there.
And it looked like. . .
Her mouth dropped open and she stepped shakily back from the window as the figure's dark, almost-black eyes pierced her's.
"What?" Richie asked from the bed, and Ash glanced at him, shaking her head.
"I thought- I thought I saw Spencer."
His face contorted in bewilderment. "Allen? The crackhead from freshman year?"
"Yeah!" Ash said, her hair falling across her shoulders as she looked at his window again. "Right-"
She stopped mid-sentence, blinking hard.
Richie's yard was empty.
She heard him pulling on his sweatpants and then felt his arms go around her waist, his bare chest brushing her back as he looked out his window also.
"There's no one there." He said, and she let out a short huff of air.
"I could've sworn. . ." She said, her tongue working it's way between her teeth, and then she shook her head hard to clear it.
"Never mind." Ash said slowly. "Probably just my imagination."
a duo. an iconic duo. vote and comment for me, i'm so glad i got to share this journey with you. also, did you see the losers club reference in this chapter? comment if you know what it is!