𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲¹; Richie Tozier

𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. things fall apart

₊‧✩‧₊

Chapter thirteen:
Things fall apart

The Losers gathered on Eddie's street, watching as Sonia Kaspbrak's car stormed off.

Mixed emotions were brewing around the group: some were still feeling determined, and others were done with the entire mission. The only emotion shared then was fear.

Stuttering Bill Denbrough turned around, facing his friends. "I s-s-saw the well," he spoke, "w-we know where it for n-next time, and then we'll be better prepared." But he was met with much less enthusiasm than anticipated.

"No! No next time, Bill!" Stan screamed, maintaining a tensed-up posture, "you're insane!"

"Why? We know no one else is gonna do anything," Josie persisted, furrowing her eyebrows. Her fingers were still trembling from what they had just witnessed, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from wanting to defeat that clown.

"Josie, you and Eddie were nearly killed!" Richie retorted angrily. He then pointed at Ben, whose stomach was sliced open and bleeding. "And look at this motherfucker! He's leaking hamburger helper!"

Beverly Marsh was the next to speak up, "We can't just pretend it's gonna go away!" She turned to Ben. "Ben, you said it yourself. It comes back every twenty-seven years!"

"Fine! I'll be forty and far away from here!" Ben snapped. "I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town, too?"

"Yeah," Beverly scoffed, "because I wanna run towards something, not away!"

"I'm sorry, but who invited Molly Ringwald into the group?" Richie quipped, and Beverly flipped in off with a frown on her freckled-face.

Josie rolled her eyes, saying, "Guys, we can't just give up!" She knew it was probably useless to try and stitch the falling apart group together, but it didn't hurt to try. "I mean, we've already gone this far so... why stop now?"

Richie berated, "Shut up! Just shut the hell up, Josie!" His face was red and hot. "This isn't some dumb movie, so quit acting like it! We're kids, not fucking superheroes!"

Josie opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. Richie did have a point. Upon school ending, this summer promised freedom, bliss, not this. "Richie—" Stan began, but was quick to be cut off by Richie.

"I'm just saying! Let's face facts, real world." He turned to Bill. "Georgie is dead. Stop trying to get us killed, too!"

"Richie, what the hell?" Josie shouted, feeling her eyes water. Sure, Richie was beyond hysterical and irrational as of now, he had every reason to be. But sometimes, the harsh truth was better left in the dark.

"Oh I don't know why you're playing the innocent role right now, because you said it yourself!" Richie shot back, throwing his hands around before looking back at Bill. "Everyone else can see it but you, Bill. It's time to wake the fuck up!"

"Georgie's not dead!" the Denbrough boy, who was still in denial about his little brother snarled, furrowing his eyebrows in anger.

"You couldn't save him, but you can still save yourself," Richie continued, making Bill's anger deepen even more. If they were in a cartoon at that moment, Josie swore there would be steam fuming out of Bill's ears.