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"Why don't you wear contacts?" Peggy asked as she tore through my clothes.
It was a couple hours before the disco and Peggy was criticizing my choice of fashion and clothes while I jammed metal through my ears. The less gorey version of that was putting in earrings. I was an adrenaline freak, while most people partied on New Years Eve I was getting a new piercing— I've done this for about 3 years.
The first two years were my 2nd and 3rd lobes and the year I came here was when I had gotten my industrials done. I was a weirdo with holes in my head.
"I look weird without my glasses, it's almost like my face has grown in the matter of a few seconds," I said then looked at her, "besides, my glasses give me personality." I said taking off my current ones and putting on my rose gold wired ones. I have 4 different glasses in total. My mom liked all of the different looks on me so that was a thing.
"Maybe you should just wear flats." She suggested as she looked at me putting on my current shoes.
"Why," I said pausing to stare at her some more, "I'm gonna put on skates anyways?" I made an abnormal face at her comment— does this make sense to any of you?
"That's the thing, you're very pretty, which is kind of why we're friends," What is she getting at, "but you're also extremely tall and the boys in our grade haven't had their growth spurts yet."
"Not my problem, Peggy." I started to tie my shoes up again. Her hand came down on mine which made me tilt my head to look at her.
"I also want boys to talk to me at this thing." She argues as we both walked out of my room. I stopped at the bottom of my stairs to turn to her.
"Again, that is so not my problem, if you want them to talk to you then get them to talk to you." I said as she began walking to my front door, I yelled a goodbye to my parents that weren't even in the house, it was a habit. I grabbed my house key swiftly and was soon on the sidewalk on my way to the skating rink with Peggy.
"You're a 5'10, giant, freak, boys get intimidated by you." She said to me as we turned to corner. She wasn't wrong, she was rude, but not wrong. I was really tall and I guess I had a scary gate surrounding my attitude, but I wasn't so bad once you got to know me.
"Nuh-uh, someone out there has to like someone like me." I thought, not all guys were shallow assholes, right?
"Oh yeah, you still got your little boyfriend, Bucky Beaver." She teased pulling her lip up to reveal her two front teeth. I rolled my eyes and scoffed, picking up my pace. She was already having trouble with keeping up with my long strides, but the quickened pace made her run to catch up with me.
"Don't get mad at me, at least his dad's a dentist cause you're gonna be in a lot of trouble kissing a Trashmouth." She giggled. I smiled politely and simply pushed a twig at her feet making her fall. How she fell over a twig I didn't know, but I'm glad she did.
"Did you hit your mouth," I asked teasingly as she tried to get herself back together, "that's okay my Trashmouth's dad is a dentist, he can help." I smiled and walked into the dark roller rink where this party was. The room was dark but people were being illuminated by the purple black lights that were set up everywhere. You could hear 70s music and the yells of casual conversation through the loud music. The smell of sweat, cold air, and light air freshener filled my nose subtly.
"Really, Arri, couldn't you just look more alluring?" What the hell does that even mean? I rolled my eyes and fixed my puff, walking over to the counter and began taking off my shoes.
I put my shoes up on the counter and asked the man for my size, he looked about 16, and looked over at the atypical sight near the rink. Eddie Kaspbrak himself was yelling something fierce about how disgusting the skates were and how roller blading was dangerous. I thought about it just as I was typing up the laces on my skates and he was right. But this would be the least of my problems, now I was on the actual rink itself and with Anna on my left and Peggy on my right— each talking about some dudes that were chatting them up. I didn't care for any of this, I wasn't friends with anyone that were like Peggy and Anna back at home— home meaning Alabama.
"Oof." I grunted when a sudden force of impact knocked me to my feet. I looked up from my collision to see Richie Tozier in the flesh who was accompanied by Bill Denbrough and Beverly Marsh. I heard a curse of 'shit' under his breath when he crashed into me.
He grabbed my hand to help me up to my feet—uh wheels, and steady me, "oh my god, I am so sorry." He stammered as his two friends had moved away from the scene.
"It's fine, I'm fine, really." I said and began dusting off my clothes of any imperfections. It was quiet until he had a sudden outburst that scared the hell out of me.
"Richie...Tozier!" He exasperated and then made a face that looked of one that you made when you were being chastised, assuming he must've been doing so to himself.
"Huh?" I said not as if I didn't know what he meant. It didn't make any sense because I already knew who he was, but he didn't know that.
"That's my name— Richie Tozier." He clarified, I nodded with a kind smile and had suddenly noticed the lack of attitude from my friends. They had gone somewhere behind him and were pulling up their upper lips and making kissy faces.
"Arrietty Mulligan." He shook my hand eagerly and had the widest grin I had ever seen. If you asked me his teeth weren't so bad, and even if they were he was still attractive.
"Yeah, I know," he said and then took his hand away realizing what he said could be taken oddly, "I mean, I've seen you around and we have English together."
"Really now, well I'm sorry for not recognizing you, English is my favorite subject. I must've not noticed you before." I said putting my hands in my front pockets.
"Yeah, I really liked your presentation last Friday," He said referring to an assignment that was due the previous week, "it totally kicked ass." He said and then his face dropped at his verbal mistake.
"I thought I did a pretty shitty job," I could see him exhale, "I sorta fucked up a few times, but I got my grade." I said and began skating away to which he responded by following me.
"I thought you did great...."
So Richie Tozier was a Trashmouth and maybe his teeth stuck out, but he was nice and charming. Even if he wasn't any of those things he was definitely not boring. My life seemed to not be so bland anymore.....
