"Here we are," I nodded, leaning against the porch railing.
"Th-that we are." Bill said, laying his bike on the ground. "I j-j-just want to say s-sorry one last time. I don't kn-kn-know what got into me."
"Bill, please stop apologizing so much." I laughed.
"I'm so-"
"Bill-"
"Sh-Sh-Shit! My bad! I m-mean-"
"Denbrough, do me a favor?"
"W-what is it?" He said, his cheeks a bit red with his frustration with himself.
"Shut up and kiss me." I smiled, giggling at the shocked look on his face.
"O-okay." He nodded, slowly leaning into the kiss.
His lips met mine and for a moment, everything was right in the world. I wasn't thinking about Stan, Richie, Bowers. It was like none of them existed. All I could focus on was Bill resting one hand on my cheek while the other came to rest on my hip and the heat making it's way to my cheeks.
He pulled away for a moment, resting his forehead against mine and smiling. "How w-was that?"
"I've had better." I joked.
"S-S-Seriously?" He asked, moving his head back so he could better look me in the eyes.
I rolled my eyes and laughed before grabbing him by the collar of his flannel and pressing my lips to his. I felt his shock, but he almost instantly kissed back. I pulled away and shook my head.
"Of course I'm not serious, you big dork." I laughed.
"You had me w-w-worried for a minute." He chuckled.
"Trust me Bill, you have nothing to worry about. You're the only loser for me." I smiled so big my cheeks hurt.
"P-promise?"
"Promise."
Just then something cold and wet fell from seemingly nowhere, drenching Bill and I. I stepped back as well as I could, pressing my back flat against the porch railing and looking around to see where the freezing water came from.
There was no one else in the yard. There was no one on the porch. I knew Richie had done it, but I couldn't see him anywhere. However, soon enough his voice rang out.
"Honestly, guys, could you be anymore disgusting?" He asked and I followed his voice to where he was hanging out of his bedroom window. He was clinging to the big metal pot our mom used to make soup during the winter.
"Are you serious right now?" I shouted back at him, trying to wipe the water off my glasses with my fingers and failing miserably.
"That's not fu-fu-funny, Richie!" Bill shouted.
"Oh contraire, Monsieur. That was fucking hilarious!" Richie shouted.
"I'm gonna get you back for this, you know that right?" I glared at him.
"I'd like to see you try!" He laughed, ducking back inside his room and slamming the window.
"I'm sorry, Bill." I shook my head as I turned back to face him.
"No, this is p-pretty much what I expected from R-R-Richie." He shrugged.
"Still, you have to ride all the way home soaking wet."
"But it's w-w-worth it, because I got to k-kiss the p-pr-prettiest girl in Derry." He grinned as he picked up his bike off the ground.
"Stop it, you're gonna make me blush." I sighed, trying to hide my face with my hands.
"M-maybe that's the p-point." He raised an eyebrow as he slung his leg over his huge silver bike.
I just rolled my eyes as I made my way up the front steps. "See you around, lover boy!"
"S-see you later, be-be-beautiful!" He waved as he rode off on his bike.
I shook my head as I stepped inside, now, how could I get back at Richie? Then it hit me. I wonder what kind of suit our mom is renting for Richie, and more importantly how can I fuck it up as much as possible without causing my mom to owe any more money?
I snuck over to the phone book and found the number to the only suit rental in Derry. I quickly dialled the number and someone answered almost instantly.
"Hello, this is Johnson's Suit Rentals, how can we be of service?" A polite sounding man answered the phone.
"I'm calling to check on a suit rental for Tozier." I said, trying to keep my voice down so that no one knew what I was up too.
"Yes, we have it scheduled for pick up tomorrow. Is there anything specific you'd like to know about your delivery?"
"Umm..yes, what color is my suit?" I asked, twirling the cord around my finger.
"You asked for an off white suit, would you like to change that? We have the same size in black, grey, khaki, and powder blue."
"Yes, I would like to switch it to a powder blue suit, please."
"I'll be right on it, Mrs. Tozier. We'll have your rental ready tomorrow morning at about seven. Is that a good time for you?"
"Yes, that is a wonderful time. Thank you for your assistance."
"You're very welcome. Thank you for shopping at Johnson's, we'll see you tomorrow morning. Good bye!" He said, hanging up as I laughed to myself.
Richie hates powder blue suits with every fiber of his being. He told me so not too long ago when our mom was trying to get us go match. She had seen a lovely powder blue dress in the window of one of the shops in the next round over, and thought Richie and I matching was the greatest idea since the walkman.
I made my way upstairs to change into some dry clothes before heading out to find a dress with my mom.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
The next morning...
I was awoken by Richie's shouting. I rolled over, squinting at the clock on my nightstand.
8:00
What was he yelling about this early in the morning? I pulled my comforter up over my head and it him me.
The suit...
"Shit!" I mumbled to myself as Richie continued to argue with our parents out in the hall.
I stumbled out of bed, throwing on my glasses as I pressed my ear to the door. I hoped that no one heard my frames scratch against the door.
"I thought you said it was white!" Richie shouted.
"Apparently there's been a mix up honey, but we don't have time to head back to the shop right now. You'll have to make do with what you've got." My mother tried to explain.
"But this is the ugliest fucking-"
"Richie, watch your God damn mouth when you talk to an adult!" My dad shouted from somewhere further off.
"This is the ugliest suit I've ever seen." He complained.
"You're going to look very handsome in it, no matter what it looks like on the hanger." She tried to salvage the situation.
"Mom, I can't be seen in this!"
"Don't be so overdramatic." She sighed.
I knew he'd be a little upset with the color change, but I didn't think it would be this big of a deal.
I took a deep breath before pulling open the door as if I'd just woken up. I yawned and stretched, squinting in the bright light from the hallway. I prayed that it was believable.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Your brother's suit came in the wrong color." My mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I'm sure it's not that bad. What color is it?"
"Fucking powder blue!" He huffed.
"That is...tragic." I nodded. "But, you're gonna have to deal with it."
"This is such bullshit!" He rolled his eyes.
"You're telling me," my mom rolled her eyes. "(Y/n) is gonna be in pink and you're going to be in powder blue. You guys are going to look like a confused gender reveal party."
"But separately we'll both look nice." I offered.
"I supposed. Just don't sit or stand next to each other for too long when we get there, okay?" She asked, her eyes flitting in between Richie and I.
"Okay, mama." I nodded. She hated when things weren't coordinated. As a result, Richie and I have been matching at every formal event we've attended...until now.
"Whatever." Richie sighed.
"Good. Now that that's settled, lets eat some breakfast and start getting ready." She nodded, taking a deep breath and leading us downstairs to the kitchen.
Richie and I sat down at the table as our mother shoveled eggs and bacon onto the plates in front of us. I poked at my eggs, not even bothering to turn around when I heard my dad sneak down the stairs and out the front door. But, I did look up when my mother sat in the chair next to me.
"As much as I'd love to lighten the mood, I need to tell you guys something...something your father can't know about." He said, a grave expression on her face.
"Mama, is something wrong?" I asked.
"Well, yes and no. I've been thinking about this for a long time and-"
"How long?" Richie asked.
"About ten years." She sighed. "I'm not making any decisions right now, but I do want you two to have a suitcase packed and ready in case..."
"Mom, are we gonna leave dad?" Richie asked, daring to look up from his breakfast.
"We might, if things continue the way they have been." She nodded.
"I've been wondering how long it would take." He shrugged.
"You know, I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just gonna head upstairs and start getting ready."
"(Y/n) I know that this might be-"
"I'm not upset about leaving dad behind. There's some other people I have to come to terms with leaving." I said, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.
I closed the door softly behind me before locking it. I pressed my back against the wood and slid doen until I was sitting on the floor. My mother had been thinking about taking Richie and I away in the middle of the night for ten years. She never said anything. She almost never lost her temper. She never hinted at the fact that living with him could be that bad.
I rested my chin on my knees and I caught a glimpse of something sticking out from the corner of the bed. I recognized the polka dot box as the stationary set my aunt had given me for christmas a few years back. Why she thought that a ten year old would want paper and pencils is beyond me.
The others, they need to know why Richie and I just disappeared. I don't eant them thinking IT got to us. Bill would probably get himself killed if he thought that fucking clown had us. I carefully opened the box and pulled out a few sheets, scribbing away. My words fell into the margins and I scratched over my misspellings. It was a mess and didn't really make much sense, but neither do I.
I wrote a letter for everyone in the losers club. Bill first, then Stan, Bev, Eddie, Mike, and Ben. Each of them filled with inside jokes and puns. But they all boiled down to saying the same thing...
"Leaving you guys is the last thing I would ever want to do, but I don't have much of a choice. So, don't worry when you hear the Tozier kids disappeared in the middle of the night. We'll always be part of the losers club, no matter how far away we may go. Love you guys."
I had just signed my name at the bottom of Ben's letter when someone knocked on my bedroom door.
"Honey, are you dressed?"
"Not yet, mama." I called.
"Well, you should start getting ready. We're gonna be leaving in about forty five minutes."
I stood up from my odd crunched up position and stretched. I shrugged off my clothes and stepped into my dress. I got myself pretty much zipped up and took a deep breath. The dress was sleeveless that excessive scratches across my chest and almost accentuated the bruises on my neck. Thankfully though, my busted lip had managed to heal.
I started to gently comb out my hair, hoping to maybe hide some of my battlescars. I tried to smile at my reflection, but it faltered. I didn't feel like I thought I would. I thought that maybe with my new dress and freshly brushed hair, I'd feel like I did when Bev helped me get ready.
Instead, I felt exposed. I could already feel everyone's eyes at me as I walked through those temple doors. They'd whisper to one another, as I pretended not to notice. Then, I'd be the talk of the town. I'd have a reputation like Bev following me around. People in Derry love to talk, especially about things that aren't any of their business.
"Honey, can I come in real quick? I wanna make sure you look nice." My mother asked, gently knocking on the door.
I forced myself over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. My mom was ready and somehow seemed to be in high spirits considering everything that's happened these last few days.
"That dress looks so good on you." She smiled, tucking some hair behind my ear.
I quickly untucked the hair and let it fall into my face. "I don't like it."
"Honey, what's wrong?"
"It...it shows my bruises and stuff." I sighed, feeling as though it were a bit obvious.
"Well, when you put on your little jacket it'll hide them. I would try to cover the bruises with makeup, but I doubt I'd do a good job." She shook her head. "And we're going to be late so, lets get your jacket and shoes on."
"Okay, mama." I nodded, picking the silk jacket thing that came with my dress and pulling it on as I stepped into my white kitten heels.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Later that day (after the bar mitzvah ceremony)
"Wow (y/n), you clean up nice." Stan laughed.
"Oh please, with this jacket thing on I look like an eighty year old woman." I rolled my eyes, getting up from my spot on the temple steps.
"Eighty? Dear, I promise you don't look a day over twelve." He laughed.
"Awe, Stanley, you're such a sweet boy." I reached over, pinching his cheek.
"What's next, you gonna offer me a butterscotch and try to hook me up with your granddaughter?" He rolled his eyes.
"Is that any way to talk to your elders, Mr. Uris?" I wagged my finger in his face.
"Please, Mr. Uris is my father." He let out a light laugh.
"Then what do I call you, you know since your a big strong man now?" I giggled.
"I may be a man, but I'm still a loser. So, I think just Stan will suffice." He nodded.
"Noted, Just Stan."
"You know, I can really see the resemblance between you and Richie sometimes." He laughed.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Richie called, draping himself dramatically against the wall.
"You say that like it isn't." Stan shrugged.
"Come on, I'm the coolest, funniest, and most attractive guy in Derry. (Y/n) is blessed to be my twin." Richie stared at us over his glasses and I knew for a fact that he most likely couldn't tell the two of us apart.
"Yeah right, cause you're the oh so superior twin." I shook my head.
"I'm obviously the superior twin." Richie said matter-of-factly as he pushed his glasses up on his nose.
"No, I'm the definitely the alpha twin." I shrugged.
"That's bullshit and you know it." Richie crossed his arms.
"Oh yeah? Who lost their baby teeth first?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You did, but that doesn't mean anything. It's just gross! Who learned how to ride a bike first?" Richie smirked.
"I'm pretty sure it was me."
"Like hell it was!" Richie shouted.
"It was. (Y/n) was the first one of any of us to learn how to ride a bike. At the time she was the coolest person I knew." Stan butted in.
"Okay...fine. Who learned how to play video games first?"
"That was you, Richie, but I'm better at them now, so really what does it matter?" I grinned.
"You, me, street fighter, tomorrow afternoon. We'll settle this. The winner is the alpha twin." Richie stuck out his hand for me to shake, but I froze to the spot when another voice rang out.
"Oi, flamer, what're you doing with my girl?"
Fuck...
I turned around and there was Henry, hanging out the passenger side of Belch's car.
"She's not your girl, you asswipe!" Richie shouted, stepping in front of me.
"Oh no guys, it's her big scary brother. I'm shaking in my boots." Henry laughed.
Belch didn't laugh, and neither did Victor.
"Get the fuck out of here before my dad calls the police." Stan rolled his eyes, stepping up next to Richie.
"I don't give a shit about what your fucking dad does! We'll be outta here before the cops even get here." Henry rolled his eyes.
"Then...then I guess we'll have to handle this ourselves." Stan said, putting on a fake air of confidence.
"Looks like little Uris thinks he's a man now! You think your stupid Jew books make you a man, faggot?" Henry stared Stan down, "Cause you got it all wrong. If you were a man, you'd take what you really want from her."
"I don't want anything from her. I'm not a gross fucked up pervert like you."
"Oh, so you've never once thought about what she'd look like laid across your bed as you fuck her senseless?" Henry laughed.
"Which is it, Bowers? Am I gay or am I perving on (y/n) on a daily basis? Make up your damn mind." Stan sighed.
"We got a wise guy here, boys. Why don't we show him what guys like him get around here." Henry snapped, looking as though he might actually get out of the car.
"Henry, I'm going to tell you this once before I kick your ass. Leave me sister and my friends alone. I've had enough of your shit!" Richie shouted, already shrugging off his jacket.
I heard the door to the temple open and standing there was none other than Donald Uris, my savior a second time.
"Don't you boys have something better to do than sit around and mess with some little kids?" His voice had a warm tone, but his eyes bore into the car of teenagers.
Belch mumbled a curse under his breath before speeding down the road.
Thank God.
"You kids alright?" Mr Uris asked from where he stood at the top of the stairs.
"Yes, sir." I nodded.
"That's good. Anyway, your mother is looking for you two. She says it's time for you to head on home." He smiled, "Come on, Stanley. We have some work to get done."
I wrapped my arms around Stan and squeezed with all my strength. "See ya around, Mr. Uris."
"Stop it, I hate the way it sounds." He cringed.
"Fine! I'll see you later, Stan." I said, nudging him with my elbow before making my way over to where my moms car was parked.
I hopped in the front seat before Richie even got to the car. I pulled the seatbelt across myself as I saw my mom saying her goodbyes and coming down the temple steps. The smile on her face almost reminded me of Beverly. I wish the others could've been here for Stan. It's a big moment for him, and only Richie and I showed up.
Hopefully, we can all get back together soon. This laying around and having to look at Richie all day is starting to get old...
(Hey guys! I know this was kind of a slower chapter, but we all know that there is gonna be quite a bit of action coming up in these next few chapters. But, I'm thinking about maybe writing a sequel to this story following the Chapter 2 storyline and wanted to know if you'd be interested? Let me know!)