"God, will you ever stop smoking?"
"You're very funny, Tozier."
Holly Taylor and Richie Tozier had never associated with one another, it just wasn't normal. But when summer starts, she befriended them in the oddest wa...
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Friday, September 1st, 1989
"Alright, I'm coming." said Holly before slamming the phone back in it's cradle.
The girl brushed out her hair, throwing it up into a pony-tail and pulled on her red Converse. Waving a quick good-bye to Cass, she hopped on her bike and rode to the place Bill said to meet up. It was a meadow behind the train-tracks, full of fallen-over logs. Holly had only been there once, they said it would be a ten-minute ride.
She met up half-way with Beverly, who was cleaning things up at her house. Beverly had called her aunt a month before, saying that her dad hit his head on the sink after he slipped while he brushed his teeth, a story her aunt believed. The police came, taking her dad's body away. Beverly didn't seem to care. The girl was staying with Holly for a month, but now she would be going to her aunt's house in Portland for however long she wanted. Holly was upset, sure, but Holly would be leaving too.
That's right.
On one Thursday night, halfway through August, Cass had sat them down for dinner. Holly was nervous, had she found out about the clown? "I got my job back!" said Cass, then broke out in a grin. Holly was ecstatic for her cousin. "I know! It's awesome. They wanted me back in New York, but my boss said I could stay here." she had said. An idea popped in Holly's head, an unthinkable question.
"But could we move to New York?"
Cassandra was shocked. She spluttered for a second before saying something. "Why, Your life is here, Hol. Why leave?" she asked, taking a bit of her chicken. Holly shrugged. Truth is, she wanted to leave. She had wanted to for a while. "New experience. It's getting boring." lied Holly. Cassie swallowed and nodded. "We'll see."
That 'we'll see' had turned into a 'yes.' Holly was now enrolled in Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, a performing arts school. It was near Lincoln Center, very close to Cassie's apartment. Holly was excited to attend and perform in their plays. She dreamed about her life in New York, one of the two things keeping her happy.
Holly couldn't help but think if she was meant to die in the sewers. She felt like a disgrace compared to her friends, who were all not scared that day. Maybe she was supposed to go down with the clown, and not be here today. It made her cry at night. She thought she should be dead, like it was wrong for her to be here.
But she would never tell her friends that, it would seem baby-ish. She also hadn't told them about New York. It was a pretty messed-up thing to do, but in Holly's mind, it was the only way. She decided she would just leave, they would find out eventually, wouldn't they?
"Jeez, sophomore year's gonna be a riot for you. Stuck with those five boys? Good luck." laughed Beverly, breaking Holly from her thoughts. Holly chuckled nervously. "Ha, yeah." she replied. "I'm sorry I'm leaving." said Beverly. Holly sighed. "I understand. I'll make sure to see you soon."
