Mesmerizing Mute ~ Richie Tozier

III ~ First Kiss

"I think it's great that we're helping the new kid, but we also need to think of own safety. I mean, you guys know that there's an AIDS epidemic happening right now and..." Eddie rambled on as the Losers biked along with Ben on Bill's bike. Tate, again, rode with Richie because of her supposed slow pace. They reached the back of the drugstore and helped Ben down.

"Richie wait here," Bill commanded as Eddie, Stan, and he ran into the store. Tate decided to stay out with Ben and Richie to make sure they didn't do anything stupid.

"Glad I got to meet you before you died," Richie stated to Ben. No one said anything, but Tate gave Richie a glare. "What?" he asked as if he did nothing wrong.

After a few minutes of silence, Richie started up again. "Can I touch it?" he asked eagerly, holding out a finger. Tate slapped his hand down and shook her head at him. "What? I meant this," he claimed as he poked Tate's stomach, causing her to go into a laughing fit. Richie tickled the girl over again and again, but eventually the fun was ruined by Eddie and Stanley running back with supplies. They rummaged through the packages.

"Suck the wound," Richie told Eddie as he opened some supplies.

"I need to focus right now," Eddie complained.

"Oh, you need to focus?" Richie asked sarcastically.

"Yeah can you go get me something. My bifocals. I hid them in my second fanny pack," Eddie claimed. Tate scoffed.

"Why do you have two fanny packs?" Stan asked. The boys kept bickering as Eddie worked on Ben, but Tate noticed someone talking with Bill. Beverly Marsh. Tate wasn't fond of Beverly, ever since Greta said something along the lines of 'your just like Beaverly'. That was after Henry said all the things he did to the newest girl in Derry. 'The loser couldn't get enough of me,' he claimed, and Bowers still torments her with it to this day.

Beverly and Bill made their way back back over to the group. She looked concerned for Ben.

"Are you okay, that looks like it hurts?" Beverly asked Ben.

"No I'm good. I just fell," Ben lied with flushed cheeks.

"Yeah, right into Henry Bowers," Richie blurted. Tate could only nod in agreement.

"Shut it, R- ruh- Richie," Bill warned.

"Why? It's the truth," he protested back.

"Are you sure they got the right stuff to fix you up?" Beverly winked to Ben. Tate noticed and was shocked. She gave Richie a furrowed look, but nobody but he noticed.

'What is she doing here?' she asked impatiently, but he just shrugged Tate off.

"Y'know w- w- we'll take care of him. Thanks again, Beverly," Bill said.

"Sure. Maybe I'll see you around," she agreed.

"Yeah. We were thinking about going to the q- q- quarry tomorrow, if you wanna," Bill offered. Tate watched in shock.

"Good to know. Thanks," Beverly headed away.

"Nice going bringing up Bowers in front of her," Stan told Richie after Beverly had walked off.

"Yeah, did you hear what she did?" Eddie went on with Stan.

"What she do?" Ben questioned.

"More like who'd she do. From what I hear the list is longer than my wang," Richie said. Tate gave him a confused look. He just smirked back.

"That's not saying much," Stan joked under his breath.

"They're j- j- just rumors," Bill claimed.

"Anyway, Bill had her back in third grade. They kissed in the school play! The reviews say you can't fake that sort of passion," Richie told everyone. "Now, pip pip and talio my good fellows. I do believe this chap requires our utmost attention," Richie continued in his awful British accent. Tate smiled at him.

Eddie and Richie bickered over who knew what about Ben's wound while Eddie patched him up. Eventually, Richie left Eddie alone so he could be with Tate alone. They hung out behind the corner of the building.

"Better?" Eddie asked once finished.

"Little," Ben stated, and with that everyone left.

Stan, Richie and Tate made their way together per usual. Tate pushed as fast as she could to prove she could keep up, in fact she was ahead of both boys by a good half block. Soon enough Tate passed by an alleyway and saw something that looked like, balloons? Tate would remember that exact spot forever. It's where she and Richie had there first kiss.

'Thanks for walking me home,' Tate said to her boyfriend of three weeks. Richie thought himself a pussy for not kissing sooner than he had.

"Of course, after what Bowers said, I had to," Richie explained, his thumb brushing the back of her hand that he had grabbed, but Tate pulled it away.

'What did he say,' she asked eagerly in confusion.

"Oh, nothing," he lied. Had she really not heard?

"Richie," she said aloud, tears burning in the back of her eyes from the pain in her throat.

"Um, uh," Richie hesitated. He knew Tate was still innocent, and unknowing of the adult world. "He just said that you and him were- um- kissed, like um, with tongue," he lied again.

Tate stopped dead in her track. Had Henry seriously been that low? Richie knew that Tate would've thought that this was bad, let alone what Henry had actually rumored. Tate wouldn't've even understood. He told himself. Besides, just the thought of people thinking that she kissed Bowers without passion was enough to eat her up inside.

'I've never,' Tate stopped herself, 'not that you should know.'

"I'm sorry Tate," Richie told her as he pulled her into one of those hugs he was so amazing at giving. Tears threatened in the back of her eyes. There they were, the couple standing by the alley.

They pulled away from each other, Tate's hands still lingering at the back of Richie's neck. The thought of being Tate's first kiss made Richie mentally smile. 'It's now or never,' Richie told himself. Tate's eyes met his. Then, she lost them to her lips.

Richie grabbed the bottom of Tate's chin lightly, and moved his face down, his lips meeting hers softly. Neither were very shocked at the motion, but they both felt something go off in their heart. This was the moment Richie realized Tate wasn't just some girl he could toy with. He ran home upon arriving at Tate's house.

"Eddie!" he yelled into the phone after dialing his number.

The memory made Tate smile. She picked up her board to go see what was in the alley, and within a few seconds, Tate was met face to face with Henry Bowers.

Word Count = 1117