Delusional. {IT 2017}

6.

Yet again, Richie showed up to school. With the money for Henry.

Instead of joining the Losers first, he found his way to the Bowers gang. Surprisingly, Henry was still allowed at school even after yesterday.

"Here, asshole, take the damn money," Richie uttered, shoving it at Henry. He counted it by hand and hummed, shoving Richie away.

"Great, now get the hell out of my face, fag," Henry grumbled. Richie nodded and walked away with his head down.

Lunch came around soon enough, Richie being driven crazy by the random voices all day. He was so confused.

"Did you guys hear about the new arcade?" Ben asked, sitting down alongside of Beverly and joining the group consisting of Bill, Stanley, Eddie, Mike, and Richie.

"New arcade?" Eddie asked, seemingly interested by the tone of his voice.

"Yeah, they're opening one soon," he informed, unzipping his lunchbox.

"Hm, that's cool!" cheered Mike.

"I know right. It has all of the newest games, we should go!" suggested Ben. Eddie glanced at Richie, nudging him with his shoulder.

"Hear that? Wanna do it?" he asked with a smile which quickly faded as he noticed Richie just then snapping back into reality.

"Do what? Your mom? Any day," Richie said smoothly, playing it off that he clearly wasn't paying attention.

"No, the new arcade. Apparently one's opening soon, consisting of the newest games," Beverly explained. Richie nodded.

"That sounds fun. Not as fun as a night with Ms. K, but that's alright," Richie regaled. Beverly chuckled.

As the group continues to talk, Richie's mind wandered, his eyes darting around the room. He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread, as if the voice in his head was mocking him.

'I can't let them know. They won't understand,' he thought to himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

As the conversation continued, Richie struggled to focus. The voice grew louder, more persistent. It taunted him, revealing secrets and fears he never knew he had.

"HELLO EVERYONE!" a loud girl screamed, slamming her hands onto the Loser's lunch table and scaring Richie out of his loud thoughts.

"Uh.. hi?" Bill answered.

"Even though you guys are supes weird, you're invited to my party! Fair warning, lots of drinking, it's basically an underage alcohol party! Here's your invites!" she sang, scattering the rectangular papers across the table.

"Thanks.." Beverly mumbled. The girl skipped away, each other the Losers grabbing a slip.

"Yeah right, that party's gonna get shut down in an instant by some police officer. Everyone here is underage," Eddie pointed out.

"Yeah, I think she's mentally ill," added Stanley. Richie slipped the paper into his pocket slyly.

As day passed by, night approached so soon. Richie was once again found in bed, sitting up straight, slightly trembling. His face was pale and sweaty, eyes wide and lips quivering. The voice in his head had become a constant presence, tormenting him day and night.

"Please.. who are you?! Leave me alone! Please stop!" Richie begged, voice cracking.

He was only met with silence. Richie's plea hung in the air, unanswered. He knew he couldn't face this alone, but the fear of his friends' reactions kept him silent.

Richie broke into a quiet sob, cupping his face. Tears flowed from his eyes and through the cracks in his fingers. He begged for an answer only to be teased and spit on by sanity.

"PLEASE," Richie yelped. His door opened, making him jump and back away.

"Rich? What's going on in here?" Ellie whispered from the doorway, her figure dormant in the darkness of the room.

"N-Nothing.. go away," Richie whined, his voice shaky. His hands covered his puffy face in attempt to hide it, although it was already impossible to see due to the lack of hue of the room.

Ellie ignored his request and entered the room, sitting on Richie's bed and next to him, concern etched on her face. She placed a soft hand on his back.

"Rich, what happened? Why are you crying? I could hear you out there you know, can you.. talk to me maybe?" asked Ellie.

Richie continued to cry, but he didn't push Ellie away. Although she had never seen him in such a state of vulnerability, he let her. He just needed someone to sit here with him and drown out the voices.

Richie looked up at her with tear-filled eyes, silently pleading for her understanding.

"I can't.. I can't tell you. I'm so sorry I-I can't," he whispered, crying lightly.

Ellie's eyes slightly widened with realization, and she tentatively reached out to hold Richie's hand.

"Is it about your father..? And what happened the other day?" she asked gently. Richie shook his head, his tears flowing even more freely now as he avoided eye contact.

"No, Ellie. It's not about my father. I-It's about something else.. something I can't explain," Richie said as his voice trembled. He sniffed and slapped his hands over his face, Ellie watching with major concern.

Her expression softened, and she pulled Richie into a comforting embrace. "It's okay, Richie. You don't have to explain. Just know that I'm here for you, no matter what. We'll figure this out together."

Richie clung to Ellie, finding solace in her presence. The voices in his head may still torment him, but he knew he wasn't alone and still had hope in at least one other soul.