Two trashouths | Richie Tozier (1)

~8~ Their Fears

On the Fourth of July, the Losers and I made plans to meet in town. After getting dressed, I went out and took my bike. I knocked on Bill's door. "Let's go Billy!"

Bill opened the door and stepped out. "Have p-p-patience October."

I stuck my tongue out and we starting riding into town.

"R-R-Richie seems to be getting c-c-closer to you." Bill said to me, as we neared town and started walking our bikes.

"Yeah, it's weird." I replied. It was weird. I didn't understand what could have possibly changed. I mean, the only reason he spent the night was because I was crying and freaking out.

"He was really angry when Henry B-B-B-Bowers said you'd do us if we asked." Bill continued.

I shrugged. "Doesn't really mean anything."

But then I thought back to when he told me I had a nice face. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

We met the others in an ally.

"I want ice cream." Eddie announced.

"Then go get some." I said.

"Who wants one?"

"Me!" Richie raised his hand.

"October?" Eddie looked at me.

"No I'm okay. Thanks Ed's." 

Eddie left to go get him and Richie ice cream cones.

Richie tapped my shoulder and pointed to a kid in the marching band, who was playing on a small tuba.

"What?" I asked.

"Watch this." Richie walked off and started pulling the tuba from the guy.

I laughed and ran up to join him.

"Help me!" The guy said, exasperated.

I smiled at him and grabbed it from both of their hands. I raised it to my mouth and started playing. I used to play, back when I was a kid. But I never practiced. So I was really bad. The music came out in squeaks and squawks.

The marching band kid managed to grab it back from me.

"What the fuck dude?" Richie raised his hands at him, then looked at me and smiled.

Eddie appeared with the two ice cream cones as Richie and I waked back to the others.

"What are you guys talking about?" Eddie asked them, biting into his cone.

"What they always talk about." Richie took his cone from Ed.

"I think this is going to end.....for awhile at least." Ben said.

"Really?" I asked.

Richie held up his ice cream cone to my face. I shook my head and pushed his arm away gently.

"I was going through my Derry research and I charted out all the big events. The iron explosions in 1908, the Bradly gang in '35, and now the kids....all this stuff is happening-"

"Every 27 years." Bill realized.

We all decided to go sit somewhere to talk.

"Just try some." Richie said, as we went to go find somewhere to sit.

"Why?" I asked, annoyed.

"Just try it."

I rolled my eyes and leaned my face down, only to be met with ice cream all over my mouth and nose.

"Ha-ha very funny Richard." I said, wiping my mouth.

"Thank you." he looked proud of himself.

We sat around a green bench. Bev, Stan, Ben and Mike sat on the bench. Bill and Eddie leaned against their bikes, and I sat on the ground next to Richie. I was strangely feeling close to him.

"So let me get this straight," Eddie began. "This thing comes out to eat kids for a year than what? Goes into hibernation?"

"Maybe it's like......what do you call it?" Stan squinted at us against the sun. "Cicadas. The bugs that come around every 17 years."

Mike spoke up. "My grandfather thinks this town is cursed. He says that all the bad things that happen in this town is because of one thing. This evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry."

"But it can't be just one thing." Stan replied. "We all saw something different."

"Maybe, or maybe it knows what scares us the most....and that's what we see."

"I- I saw a leaper." Eddie said quietly. "He was like a walking infection."

"But you didn't." Stan said. "Because it isn't real. None of this is. Not Eddie's leaper, or Bill seeing George, or the woman I keep seeing."

Richie smirked. "Is she hot?"

"Shut the fuck up!" I pushed him.

"No Richie! She's not hot!" Stan yelled. "Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense! They're all like bad dreams." his voice cracked.

"I don't think so, I know the difference between a bad dream and real life ok?" Mike looked at Stan.

"What did you see?" asked Eddie. "You saw something too?"

"Yes. You guys know that burnt down house on Harris Avenue?" he looked at each of us. "I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the room next door. They were pushing and pounding on the door. Trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the firemen finally found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone."

I raised a shaking hand to my mouth.

"We're all afraid of something." he finished.

"I'm afraid of all of you dying!" I blurted out.

They all looked at me. I wiped my face. "That was what I had seen."

"Us dead?" Eddie questioned.

I nodded as Richie put a hand on my arm, before pulling it away.

"You got that right Mike." Richie said, looking behind him at the clowns on stage doing a show for the kids.

"Why Richie, what are you afraid of?" Eddie asked him.

Richie looked at us. "Clowns."