After they entered the Inn, Andrea went straight past her room and followed Bill into his, unable to go into hers alone. "Bill? Once you're packed could you...could you help?" she said quietly and Bill turned around, a sad smile on his face.
"Of course I can" he nodded, walking up to her and wrapping her in a hug.
Bill was packed pretty quickly and he walked into Andrea and Eddie's room with the woman. She instantly burst into tears at the mere sight of one of Eddie's shirts and she picked one up off the floor, burying her face in it and inhaling the scent. It still smelled like him.
Like his shitty cologne he'd wear just because he knew Andrea hated. Like the shampoo he would use. Slowly, the clothes dotted around the room made their way into suitcases and bags and about half an hour later, they were packed and the bags were downstairs.
"Bill?" Andrea said after a while. "Yeah?" he was by her side quickly. "How do I...how am I supposed to tell the kids?" Andrea stammered and Bill looked down. "I-I don't know" Bill admitted and Andrea just hugged him. "Thank you" Andrea whispered and Bill nodded, hugging the woman tightly as he held back tears of his own.
After a minute, they both went downstairs with the final bag, everyone else already downstairs. "Hey" Ben said, looking at the two. "I guess it's time we go our separate ways again" Beverly said. "We're keeping in touch this time. Everyone, numbers in my phone. Right now" Andrea held out her phone and Ben chuckled, grabbing her phone and putting his number in before passing it around the group.
"We should meet up. Once a year at least" Richie suggested and Andrea nodded. "Definitely. You guys need to meet your niece and nephew" Andrea said and everyone looked at her. "What? From this moment on, you are all honorary uncles and aunts" Andrea announced, a genuine smile on her face for the first time in hours.
"It is a horrible idea to make Richie an uncle. Those kids will light your house on fire" Bill teased and Richie nodded his head in agreement. "You'll like Evelyn. She's the prankster of the family. She dyed her brother's hair pink last year" Andrea said and Richie's eyes lit up. "I love her already" he joked and Andrea laughed. "And Ethan is your biggest fan" she said, turning to Bill.
"Seriously?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "He's always wanted to meet you" Andrea nodded.
Slowly, everyone started drifting apart and Andrea was the first to leave but she didn't head home. Instead, she drove straight to the kissing bridge. She had picked up a pocket knife at the store on the way there and crouched down in front of the faded letters.
She recarved them into the wood, her fingers tracing over the ironic initials A + E.
She remembered how her first kiss felt and she smiled, jumping when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey" Richie said and she sighed. "Hey" she nodded. "You got a knife?" he asked and Andrea handed it to him. He crouched down near where she was just crouched and he recarved some letters: R + E.
The initials that Richie had previously carved were right next to the initials Eddie had carved twenty seven years ago. "That's mine and Eds" Andrea crouched next to him and Richie looked at her. "I can go carve them somewhere else" Richie stood up and Andrea pulled him back down. The two people who loved him most, right next to each other. Seems perfect to me" Andrea smiled and Richie nodded.
-
It was a month later, Andrea was back home in New York. The twins were still devastated by the news that Daddy wasn't coming home and Andrea was still struggling, especially seeing all the pictures around the house. But the hardest part was sleeping in her bed.
She still slept on her side, hoping that one day she'd wake up in Eddie's arms but that morning still hadn't come. Today, the kids were off from school and when Andrea got the mail, she had the usual bills and collaboration offers but one stood out to her.
To: Andrea Bordeaux
Address: E 117 STREET, Harlem, New York
She quickly opened the letter, sitting down on the couch as she opened the piece of paper inside.
Dear Losers,
I know what this must seem like, but this isn't a suicide note. You're probably wondering why I did what I did. It's because I knew I was too scared to go back. and if we weren't together, if all of us alive, weren't united, I knew we'd all die. So, I made the only logical move. I took myself off the board. Did it work? Well, if you're reading this then you know the answer. I've lived my whole life afraid. Afraid of what would come next. Afraid of what I might leave behind. Don't. Be who you want to be. Be proud. And if you find someone worth holding on to, never ever let them go. Follow your own path. Wherever that takes you. Think of this letter as a promise. A promise I'm asking you to make. To me. To each other. An oath. See, the thing about being a Loser is...you don't have anything to lose. So, be true. Be brave. Stand. Believe. And don't ever forget:
We're Losers. And we always will be.
PS: if Eddie and Andrea didn't get married, I'll kill you guys myself.
Andrea was sobbing by the time she finished and she laughed at the final sentence. "Mom! Ethan's being an asshole again!" Evelyn came running into the room with Ethan behind her and she froze upon seeing her mother crying.
"Mama? What's wrong?" Ethan asked, the twins sitting on either side of Andrea. Sorry sweeties, I just got a letter from an old friend who passed recently, it made me sad, that's all" Andrea smiled, wiping her eyes. "Was he Daddy's friend too?" Evelyn asked and Andrea looked at her. "Yeah, sweetie, he was. He was the best of friends" Andrea nodded and her twins hugged her at the same time.
YOU ARE READING
What A Time To Be Alive: IT 2017/2019
HorrorAndrea Bordeaux was the new girl with a shy personality. She moved to Derry for her father's work but she never expected to make the friends she did and she definitely didn't expect to spend her summer being chased by a homicidal clown. But she did...
