Mesmerizing Mute ~ Richie Tozier

I ~ School's Out After 8th

"Meet me after last period, right hotstuff?" Richie asked before giving Tate a kiss on the cheek. She nodded as she started to blush, even though they were more than used to kissing each other.

"Disgusting," Stan muttered before guiding Tate into their last-period study hall.

The next period could not have dragged on longer; at least that's what Tate thought. She daydreamed of what her and her friends would do after they finally escaped school for these couple of months. She never would've expected what was actually going on. Eventually, the sound of the school bell sounded like angels singing, and everyone was free to go for the summer. Finally; Tate thought, and within a couple minutes she found herself walking down a hallway out of school with the Losers' Club, Richie's arm around her shoulders.

Eddie was doing his best to describe what was going to happen at Stanley's bar mitzvah, including the rumor that they're going to cut the tip of junk. Tate gave the others a harshly confused and shocked look, but they didn't acknowledge it.

"Then Stan'll have nothing left," Richie joked as the Jewish boy came from behind them. Bill asked if Eddie's rumor was true or not.

"Stan, what happens at the bar mitzvah anyway. Ed's says they slice the tip of your d- d- d- dick off."

"Yeah, and I think the rabbi is going to pull down your pants, turn to the crowd, and say 'where's the beef'," the Trash-mouth joked. Stan explained what actually goes on at the bar mitzvah, just before the five of them passed Henry Bowers and his bully friends; Belch Huggins, Patrick Hockstecker, and Victor Criss. Richie tightened his grip on Tate as she remembered her first encounter with Bowers. The boys only walked faster with their heads down.

"Think they'll sign my yearbook? 'Dear Richie, sorry for taking a hot, steamy dump in your backpack last month. Have a good summer!" Richie had jested before they all left they school, heading strait for the garbage cans to empty their book-bags.

"Best feeling ever!" Stan claimed as the group dumped of of their school books into a trash can.

"Try tickling your pickle for the first time," Richie responded. Tate, of course, had no idea what the boy was talking about. Bill just gestured a wave towards her.

"What do you guys wanna do tomorrow?" Eddie asked the group as he pulled his bag over his shoulders.

"Start my training," Richie responded bluntly.

"What training?" Eddie questioned.

"Street Fighter," he answered. Of course Richie wasn't going to leave his game the entire summer.

"Is that how you want to spend your summer? Inside of an arcade?" Eddie kept on, sassily.

"Beats spending it inside your mother!" Richie threw back, putting his hand in the air for a high five from Stan. He declined and kept the conversation going.

"What if we go to the quarry?" he asked.

"Guys we have the b- b- barrens," Bill reminded them. They all had agreed to go look for his missing little brother, Georgie. Tate wasn't there the boy was first considered lost, but she knew of the grief Bill had. Eddie saw Tate staring off at someone.

"Betty Ripsom's mom," he noticed. They all frowned.

"Do they really think she's gonna come out of the school?" Stan asked.

"It's not like she's been hiding it Home Ec for the past few weeks."

"Think they're gonna find her?"

"Yeah, in a ditch, all decomposed, covered in worms and maggots, smelling like Eddie's mom's underwear," Richie shared. Tate shook her head.