✓ | LOSERS CLUB → richie tozier ¹

three

"THAT'S POISON ivy, and that's poison ivy, and that's poison ivy." Stanley announced, jabbing each place at random with his hand.

"Where?" Eddie said frantically, whipping his head around. "Where's the poison ivy?"

Richie sighed exasperatedly. "Nowhere. Not every fucking plant is poison ivy, Stanley."

They were following Bill on his search for Georgie. Bill had said he might know where Georgie was, and had lead them here. To a nasty sewer and Eddie Kaspbrak's worst nightmare.

"'Kay, well I'm starting to get itchy and I'm pretty sure this is not good for my-"

Richie cut across Eddie. "Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?"

"Sometimes, yeah." Eddie answered.

"Then you probably have crabs."

"That's so not funny."

Richie peered through the gaping sewer hole and splashed after Bill, who was looking silently around, shining his flashlight.

Ash went after him, looking around at her surroundings. "Ew. Stinks like hell in here."

Richie said to Bill, "When you said we were going swimming, this is not what I had in mind. Granted, what I did have in mind was Ash naked but that's beside the point."

"Shut up, Richie." Ash said, and Richie started to continue after Bill, and then realized there was no other sounds but Ash coming from behind him and turned to see Eddie and Stanley still standing warily at the entrance.

He stared at them. "Aren't you guys coming in?"

Eddie shook his head, looking disgustedly at the water. "Nuh-uh." He looked back at Richie, his lips pursed. "That's greywater."

Richie's brow crinkled as he said, "What the hell is greywater?"

"It's basically," Eddie said, pausing for a split second before barrelling on. "Piss and shit, so I'm just telling you! You guys are splashin' around in millions of gallons of Derry pee, so,"

Richie disinterestedly picked up a staff from the sewer and sniffed it, making Ash cringe. "Oh my God, Richie-"

Eddie saw, and said, "What are y- a-are you serious- what are y-" 

"Doesn't smell like caca to me señor!" Richie teased.

"Oh okay, well I can smell that from here." Eddie said, and Richie smiled pleasantly, answering, "It's probably just your breath wafting back into your face!" 

Eddie saluted his hand at him, his eyes narrowed. "Have you ever heard of a staff infection!?"

"Oh, I'll show you a staff infection!" Richie said, waving the stick at him, and Eddie talked over top of him.

"Oh this is- this is just so unsanitary- you're literally- this is literally like swimming inside of a toilet bowl right now-"

Stanley rolled his eyes at the pair, and Richie flicked the water at Eddie, grinning as he screeched, "You're the reason that we're in this position right now-"

"Guys!" Bill said, and they all looked up at him.

Bill was shining his flashlight on a dirty shoe he held in his hand, and Stanley said, swallowing, "Shit. Don't tell me that's-"

"G-G-Georgie wore galoshes." Bill said, looking back at the shoe, and Richie crossed the water to look over his shoulder, Ash behind him.

Eddie squeaked from the entrance, "Who's sneaker is it?"

Bill shined the flashlight on the shoe, and Richie and Ash looked at the name inscribed inside.

Richie looked at the name, and then looked up at the two boys. "It's Betty Ripson's."

Eddie moaned. "Oh shit, oh fuck, I don't like this."

"How do you think Betty feels?" Richie asked him, grinning at his friend. "Runnin' around these tunnels with only one freakin' shoe-"

He hopped on one foot but stopped when Ash nudged him, not laughing.

Betty Ripson was the girl that had gone missing just recently, and Stan's eyes widened. "What if she's still here?"

Eddie looked at Stanley, and they were all silent for a second before Bill took a deep breath and continued into the sewer, Eddie and Ash splashing behind him.

"Eddie, come on!" Richie called over his shoulder.

"My mom will have an aneurysm, okay, if she finds out that we're playing down here- I'm serious!" Eddie said, his eyes flicking left and right.

"Bill?" He asked, and Bill turned to face him, Ash turning too.

Bill was quiet for a second before saying, "If I was Betty Ripson, I would want us to find her. G-Georgie did."

He, Richie, and Ash all stared at each other, and then their heads snapped up as Eddie's next words left his mouth.

"What if I don't wanna find them?"

They all stared at him, and he continued, "I mean, no offense Bill, but I don't want to end up like G-"

He stopped, and Richie looked quickly at Bill as his lost brother's name was almost mentioned and Eddie changed topics at top speed.

"-I don't want to go missing either."

Stanley looked to Bill. "He has a point."

Bill looked betrayed, tilting his head to one side. "You too!?"

"It's summer! We're supposed to be having fun! This isn't fun, this is scary and disgusting!" Stanley exclaimed, and Eddie nodded in agreement, shooting a look at Richie.

Ash bit her lip, meeting Eddie's eyes who were pleading with her, and she finally realized how scared he was, and reluctantly nodded as well.

Richie watched the interaction between the two, feeling like something was slipping through his fingers.

He turned to Ash. "Come on, baby, just stay here."

She gave him a look. "Don't call me that, Tozier."

"You love it."

Eddie snorted, and Richie glared at him, before turning back to Ash, who's cheeks were burning crimson.

"No, I don't, and we're all supposed to be having fun this summer like Stanley said, and going through muddy sewer water isn't-"

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it until Eddie said something-"

"What the hell are you bringing Eddie into this situation for!?"

"I saw you looking at him or whatever the fuck, doing that weird tailpithy shit with your eyes-"

"It's telepathy, idiot, and no we weren't!"

"That's what I said, and thank you for that, Miss High and Mighty-"

They were interrupted from their argument by the sounds of splashing behind them, and they all turned.

Falling face first into the creek was Ben Hanscom, blood covering his side, his backpack on his shoulders and breathing heavily.

The Losers all stared at him, and Richie was the first to speak, yelling loudly, "Hooooly shit! What happened to you!?"

okay so this is a bit of a shorter chapter than the others, sorry, but yay new update!! i loved this scene from the movie and obviously had to include it into the book. vote & comment!!