"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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Monday, September 4th, 1989
Three King Road.
Two King Road.
One.
The car drove off Holly's street-her old street- and onto a couple of No-Name Lanes. Down into the small valley of 'Downtown Derry' was everything the town ever needed. Downtown Derry was like a pit in the center of town, every angle meant you had to go downhill. Holly remembered a fourth grade girl, herself, riding downhill freely on a purple bike with one hand in the air. The early March breeze blew her air back, and a second later she had almost crashed into a Dumpster.
Fourth grade, when none of this shit existed and Holly was fine.
Holly's car drove over Main Street Bridge and onto Lower Main Street. She passed Beverly's old apartment now, which would have been filled with Alvin Marsh watching the television drunkenly in his living room, eased back in his old brown recliner. Bev would have been in her room, listening to music or drawing.
But instead it was empty and dark, like a person without a soul.
Cass drove onto Center Street, passing City Center and that ugly Paul Bunyan Statue. They passed Derry Park, where Holly spent most of her childhood on the monkey bars and eating ice cream with Richie. Lizzy's Hardware was close to that, along with Keene's Pharmacy. The laundromat reside close by, along with Bassey Park, where Holly and Richie danced and hung with the Losers.
The Losers. Holly couldn't think of them, not now.
They drove off of Center Street, and onto Derry Lane where Derry Elementary sat. Holly spent six years there, kindergarten through fifth. It was bliss. Her hand ran over her knee, when seven years ago she fell off the swing and scraped her knee on the pavement. They drove a bit longer, passing Derry High, where Holly should've been starting the next day with her friends.
Holly almost wished she was going there tomorrow. Almost.
They moved onto Ninth Street, where Holly and Ruby became best of friends. Richie had also noticed Holly here, in homeroom. Holly remembered the time her and Ruby skipped sixth period lunch in the eighth grade to go play in the sprinklers near the Standpipe. They had come back to school soaking wet, and Richie and Bill looked at their chests through their shirts. Ruby laughed when she saw them.
Her hand flew to the rose charm around her neck.
They drove onto Witcham Street, where Billy Denbrough lived. All the Losers looked up to him, it was an unspoken rule. He was like their leader, everything he did was right. The girl held her breath when she passed his house on the small hill, and didn't let go until the corner of Jackson and Witcham.
Where Betty Ripsom died.
After Witcham was Kansas Street, and Kansas Street led onto Kossuth Lane, which meant Richie's house. But Cass didn't have to go on Kossuth, no. She would turn off of Kansas, down another no-name street fro a while, passing the empty Bowers household and Mike's barn, pass Rhulin Farms and onto Route Seven where they would pass a sign that said 'COME BACK SOON! -DERRY' and onto New York. It would only take ten minutes.
But a lot could happen in ten minutes.
As Cass turned onto Kansas, a sweaty boy riding his bike away from his drunken mother would spot the car and make eye contact with the fourteen-year old girl in the front seat. He wouldn't pay attention to the road.
Wham.
It all happened in slow motion. The boy recognized Cassie's car, which was approaching a red light, saw his girlfriend in the front seat, and then flew off his bike. A black car hit his left side, the sound of metal on bone on metal hurting Holly's ears through her open window. The boy landed some-odd feet away from his bike, leg twisted at a weird angle and bleeding profusely.
"Richie!" screamed Holly, throwing open the car door and slamming it behind her.
The boy already crying as Holly rushed forward. He couldn't even question what she was doing out here, he was in pain. Cass rushed out of the car, grabbing her daughter. "Oh my god! Someone call nine-one-one!" she demanded. Cassie bolted towards the nearest house. The guy who hit Richie got out of his car ,blubbering apologies.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." mumbled Richie, rocking back and forth. "Oh my god, i'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Richie." Holly cried. The only thing on Richie's mind a minute ago was getting to Holly's and away from his mom, and now he was in front of her. "How- what- what are you doing?" he groaned shifting his leg. "Richie, oh my god." Holly ignored his question as she looked at the blood on the street. He looked at it as well and started crying.
Cass ran forward, a woman in a blue bathrobe and curlers in her graying hair with a stack of towels in her arm beside her. She threw the towels on Richie, wrapping them around his broken leg as he screamed in agony. "The ambulance is coming!" Cass said, holding Mandy. Richie cried into Holly's shirt. "Oh my god, Rich. I love you so, so much." whispered Holly, kissing him on the head.
"Get off my son, you bitch!" slurred a voice, screaming. Maggie Tozier. Holly ignored her as Cass stepped forward, trying to to block the older woman from getting to her child. Richie sobbed into Holly's shoulder, yelping even so often. Maggie stomped towards Holly, trying to pull her away from Richie.
The woman smelled like beer and sweat, her long, dirty nails digging into Holly's arm. She was screaming in Holly's ear as she kept her arms locked around Richie. Holly heard sirens blaring from down the street, and soon enough black-and-white police cars drove up.
Cassie's eyes widened. "Shit, shit." she said to herself, trying to hide her face. Holly didn't notice. An officer stepped out. trying to break up the fight. He had no choice but to listen to Maggie Tozier, and he had to pull Holly away from Richie. Another officer pulled the drunken Margaret back as Holly started screaming at her.
"Fuck off, bitch! You do nothing for you son! You're shit!" she screamed. Richie kept crying, an officer sitting next to him. An ambulance pulled up as Holly tried to break towards Richie, pleading "Let me go!" "Please!" she begged, but the officer had her arm. EMTs hopped out, pulling a stretcher with them.
"Shit, Holly. We've got to go." Cass mumbled, grabbing Holly's arm. She buckled Mandy in at lighting sped and threw Holly in to the passenger's seat. Holly banged against the door, trying to get. She was sobbing "I love you." to Richie, who was staring at her.
The last thing Holly Taylor saw of Derry, Maine was Richie Tozier's bloodied, battered, tear-stained face with the most confused expression as the blue Volkswagen sped off into the night.
