"BUT WHAT'S THE GOOD IN GOODBYE ANYWAY?"
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In which a heartbroken Richie Tozier receives letters from his missing best friend.
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ALOSERSWORLD
RICHIE X EDD...
"Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow. Lean on me when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long, till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on."
-Bill Withers
(Lean On Me, Bill Withers)
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3. Richie,
There was a moment.
I know there was a moment.
It was between me and Peter. I can't explain it or how it happened. I just know that it was real. We were doing our homework and I brought your name up like I always do. He got mad at me again but I guess I can see why. People get tired of hearing the same thing. Well, I asked him what was wrong and he told me that chasing after you would only hurt. He isn't wrong, I'm barely chasing and it's killing me. I couldn't imagine it hurting anymore. Anyway, Peter said I should give it up. I just kind of sat there and asked why. This is the crazy part, so read carefully. He said that I should give it up because he wanted a chance with me. I didn't know how to respond, so me being me, I just went back to doing my homework. I'm weird, I know. You're probably laughing at me as you read this. Peter kept asking me how I felt about him and instead of answering him, I focused on problem number twenty-three in math. I was too scared to answer and it was even worse when Peter took my work away. After that... he just kissed me.
Richie let out a sigh. He gripped onto the paper tightly. He was tempted to rip it in half and throw it away. His heart grew heavy and his eyes kept rolling back in annoyance. Did Eddie really think this would make him laugh? Richie hated reading about the pair. It made him feel sad, angry, and confused. Peter and Eddie. Eddie and Peter. The two names didn't fit together well. It was like trying to put together a puzzle and putting two wrong pieces together. It didn't work. It wasn't meant to work. Richie accidentally tore a small part of the paper. He let go of the paper and let it fall onto his lap.
"You o-okay, Rich?" Bill asked as he sat in the front with Stan. Richie nodded his head quickly and gave him a fake smile. Bill went back to talking to Stan about how excited he was to find Georgie and Eddie. Richie's eyes fell back to the paper and he began to read once again.
The kiss wasn't great but it was my first one. I didn't mind it though. A lot of people would view it as romantic, me being one of those people. I actually kind of liked it. Have you ever looked at someone a certain way your whole life and then one thing happens that changes everything about them? Well, that's how this feels. I never realized how great Peter was. I never realized how amazing his smile is. I never realized how much he cared about me. I never realized how soft his hair is. I never realized... him and who he is as a person. Every time I'm around him now, I get nervous. Sometimes I want to do my homework just so he'll take it away from me again and kiss me. I don't know what's happening, Richie. I think my feelings are changing.
