"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...
"I bow down to pray, I try to make the worst seem better. Lord, show me the way, to cut through all his worn out leather. I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away,but baby, I just need one good one to stay."
-Lady Gaga
(Million Reasons, Lady Gaga)
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Richie sat by Mike in a small coffee shop with the last letter in front of the both of them. "This is it," he told his friend. "This letter has everything I need to know in it, Mikey. It might be the last thing I ever get from Eds. I don't think I can even read it. It's too much- too soon. I can't do this right now."
"You can and you will," Mike sighed, nudging Richie. "I'm right here and I'm not leaving you alone. I know that this is a lot to take in but we've been through so much already. We can't stop now. The letter might be important. It's everything you need to know! Maybe he has his exact location or at least his fake name. This could be the best thing to happen to you-"
"Or the worst," Richie added.
"Stop being morbid," the other male said.
"Fine," Richie huffed. "I just can't, Mikey. I'm actually fucking terrified. Everything is in this letter and it can literally break my heart. I don't think I can just read it."
"Everything you need to know is in that letter," Mike exclaimed. "How can you not want to read it? I want too and it's not even for me. You should- no, you need to read it. If you don't, Rich, you'll never know."
"We can still find him-"
"Can we though, Richie? We don't have much time left," he admitted. "At this point, all we can really do is hope. You know I've been keeping it together but we're running out of time. Eddie's not going to magically appear in front of you."
The two stopped talking when the waitress handed them their coffee. Richie chugged down the scalding substance within a minute and turned back to Mike. "I'm going crazy over here, Mike," he confessed. "The only drink I've had since we left Derry is coffee and I haven't slept in a while. We need to find him. I can't go back to Derry without at least seeing him."
"Then you should read the letter," Mike breathed. "Find out what's in there. It's everything you need to know."
Richie nodded his head slowly before grabbing the letter. "You're gonna stay here, right? I know Ben's in the truck taking a nap and you want to join him but will you stay here with me? I don't want to read this one alone. I'm kind of nervous."
