Go Along with IT//Stan Uris fanfic (It 2017)

Richie's Confession Pt. 2

       I rode my bike all over town, looking for Richie. I went through every alleyway, into every store, and even snuck into the movie theater to see if he was hiding out. I even thought about checking the library for a short second, but then realized Richie wouldn't hide in a "pathetic" place after being called...well being called gay.

        "Shit, how'd I forget? The Quarry." No one in town knew about that place, except for us of course. It was secluded and quiet. I stood on top of my pedals and sped up my pace. I weaved in and out of buildings to avoid cars and huge groups of people until I finally to the the park where the path to The Quarry was located. I could feel my romper stick to my body because of the sweat, and I had to tie my hair up to keep the hair from clinging to my neck. My legs were also now very sore, so I walked a bit awkwardly.

There was surprisingly no one else in the park. Guess it was too hot of a day, so everyone was inside or at the community pool or something. I parked my bike next to a park bench and started on the sidewalk that would eventually lead to The Quarry. As I walked, I rubbed my left hand with my right, feeling the rough scab on the palm on my hand every time it moved.

"I can't believe I spoke to Henry like that." I lifted my hand to be eye level. "Loser" was now written in a reddish-brown and it was a thin line. I dropped it back down to my side and sighed.

"Richie!" I called out. Maybe he was hiding or something. It's a big park. I looked in the trees and brush once in a while, but mostly kept to the park. "Richie, I know I'm not the best person to talk to, but I still want to know if you're okay." Of course there was no response. I exhaled and wiped the sweat off my face. I looked across the park. I couldn't see much except for the back of the outside theater thing and the hideous Paul Bunyan statue. The Ox would've been way cooler to put in, in my opinion. I squinted my eyes and used my hand to cover the sun so I could get a better look, but I didn't see anything. I looked forward and saw the trail that led to The Quarry. I bent my head down so the sun wouldn't completely burn up my face and headed to the trail.

I was only two steps into the path when I heard screaming behind me. I whipped around so quickly that my hair felt like a whip when it hit my back. I couldn't see anyone, and nothing unusual was happening. Then the scream came again. It echoed throughout the entire park, but no one was around.

"Richie?" I half-spoke, half-yelled. I waited for a few seconds. Nothing. Maybe a kid was the kid a tantrum or kids were playing on the other side of the park. But it came again for the third time, but I could make out words.

"It's not real!" The voice screamed and I immediately knew what was happening. Not even worrying about my bike, I sprinted off into the direction of the screaming.

"Don't worry Richie! I'm coming!" I said in between breaths. I got closer and closer to the stage and the Paul Bunyan statue, and the screams got louder and more frantic.

"IT'S NOT REAL! IT'S NOT REAL! IT'S NOT REAL!" Richie screamed over and over and over. I wasn't sure what he was seeing, but I knew what was behind it.

Sweat soaking my entire back and forehead, I appeared from around the Paul Bunyan statue to see Richie dodging invisible obstacles and tripping over his own feet. He was screaming and covering his head as if something was falling on him.

        "Richie!! I'm here!! IT isn't here Tozier! It's just you and me!" He didn't seem to hear me though. He just kept crawling away from It. And I couldn't help him cause I couldn't even see It. Richie was now huddled on the ground and he was screaming for whatever It was at the moment to "go away" and he kept repeating  "It isn't real." I took a deep breath and ran to him. He was in a fetus position. His arms folded over his legs and his head tucked into his stomach. He kept murmuring under his breath, but he wouldn't look. "Richie? You okay?" I squatted down and knowing this was a bad idea, I touched his shoulder. Instinctively, Richie unfolded and grabbed my wrist tightly. He was very bewildered and still didn't realize what was happening. "Richie, it's me. Whatever It was, it's gone now. Just you and me." He still had a tight grip on my wrist, but he was starting to calm down again. He was breathing heavily and he used his other hand to push his glasses up. His white shirt was covered in dirt and he looked around the park warily. Finally he looked to me. He licked his lips and finally let go. In my wrist were nail marks, but it wasn't nearly half as bad as Henry digging a knife into my hand.