𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲¹; Richie Tozier

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. the necklace (finale)

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Chapter twenty-three (finale):
The necklace

After Josie and Richie left, they walked over to the pharmacy for supplies to aid to their bloody hands. They didn't wanna catch an infection or something.

When they were paying for their items, Mr. Keene seemed to notice the cuts on their hands, which was mostly dried up blood by then. He gave them odd glances about it, but didn't take much question to it.

With the plastic bag in Josie's hand, they walked over to the alleyway—the same one Eddie did 'surgery' on Ben that day they found him washed up in the stream. It brought back memories from the beginning of the summer, making the two teens remember how it felt to once be naïve, innocent kids. They felt much more mature after seeing the things they saw that summer in '89.

They kneeled on the cool concrete, Josie rummaging through the bag. "This might hurt a little," she warned Richie before pouring antiseptic over his wound.

"Agh, fuck," Richie groaned, scrunching his face up at the stinging pain. But the physical pain was no where near the aches he endured in his heart, knowing Josie would be gone in the matter of days.

"Sorry," Josie apologized, retrieving the wrap from the plastic bag. Opening it, she began wrapping the white cloth around Richie's hand.

"You all packed up for Connecticut?" he asked as Josie continued wrapping the cloth around his hand.

Josie really hoped he wouldn't bring that up. "Yeah, pretty much," she nodded blandly, ripping the excess cloth off and securing the other part around his hand.

"And are you sure you don't just wanna stay here?" Richie suggested. "You could stay with my mom and I, I'm sure she won't mind." But as much as it hurt, he wanted Josie to make it out of here, she deserved it. He just wished he could have been there with her.

"If only it were that simple," Josie sighed. Although she agreed to living with her Aunt Julia, she knew it was more of an obligation rather than a suggestion. But even with her father being just a few blocks over from her, she still wanted to be there with Richie. She too didn't wanna leave him.

Richie then cleaned Josie's wound, pouring the clear liquid over her cut, and she winced slightly. He then began wrapping it carefully.

After those few words were said, quietness cast over them, their minds kept loud in thought.

They were each other's first love; those were the hardest to walk away from. But they should have known it would never last. The two had heard tales from both their parents about their first loves, though now their folks couldn't even remember the last time they even talked to them. I guess Richie and Josie thought it would be different with them.

They thought their love would amount to more than just puppy love, that they would go on and get married. But now, the farthest they would ever get were through the stories they would tell to their children one day.

Sitting on the cold concrete of the shady alleyway, thick with unspoken words, Josie wished Richie would say something, perhaps crack one of his stupid jokes to try and cheer her up, but Richie could not find the energy to do so.

"Don't get all sad on me now, Rich," Josie urged. "We still have three more days together?"

"Two," Richie corrected, picking up a small twig off the ground gliding it through a patch of dust. "This one's almost over." With Richie Tozier not being his typical comedic-relieving self, that's when Josie knew they really had hit rock bottom.