Mesmerizing Mute ~ Richie Tozier

VI ~ Newest Member

"Tate Tozier, I like it. It suits you- you know the name- not you being my wife or anything, unless you wanna be," Richie rambled on. He's never thought about 'Tate Tozier' before, but now that it was in his mind it wasn't going to leave.

As Richie and Tate kept up their conversation, everyone else was completely dazed. Bill, Eddie, Ben, and Stan all stared at Beverly as she sunbathed. Eventually, Beverly turned and they all pretended not to look at her. Richie, being the person he is, started rummaging through Ben's backpack.

"News flash Ben! School's out for summah!" he joked looking through all his papers.

"Oh that? That's not school stuff," Ben explained. Soon enough everyone was looking at his papers. They were all about murder and how crazy stuff always happened in Derry.

"I've got more stuff, if you wanna see it," Ben suggested, so they all, except Eddie, agreed to check it out.

They all went to Ben's house to see what he had researched.

"Woah," Rich said sarcastically.

"Cool, huh?" Ben asked. He was completely convinced that all of this would impress them, so he responded confidently.

"No, no. Nothing cool," Richie answered.

"What's that?" Stan asked as he pointed to a paper on the wall.

"That's the charter for Derry township," Ben responded.

"Nerd alert," Richie responded before tipping his glasses back up his nose.

"No. Actually, it's really interesting. Derry started as a beaver trapping camp," Ben explained.

"Still is am I right boys?" Richie stuck his hand up for a high five from Stan and Eddie. Ben went on to explain how 91 people signed the chart, but all of the disappeared the next day. Eddie was freaked.

"Where was the well house?" Bill questioned.

"I don't know. Somewhere in town I guess, why?" Ben answered the curious boy.

"Nothing," he answered. They continued to look through Ben's stuff.

"Well I'd better get going. My mom'll want me home soon," Eddie said.

"Yeah."

"Me too," Stan and Bill chimed in.

"Seeya," Bev waved to Ben.

"Later," Richie said as he walked out. Tate waved.

"Sorry. Richie takes time to warm up to," she whispered before walking out with her boyfriend.

•••••

Later that night Tate's phone rang. She walked over from the couch she had been on to pick it up.

"Hey, Tate?" a familiar voice asked. She hummed in response letting the voice know she was listening. "It's Richie. Bill says Bev has something to show us tomorrow. Um- be ready at ten. I'll pick you up. Okay? Love you," Richie babbled through the phone. Now that she thinks about it, this was the first time Richie had ever called Tate.

"Love you too," she whispered, hoping the boy on the other line could hear.

"See you tomorrow." Ding. Richie hung up.

The next day Richie picked Tate up as she planned, ten minutes late. Once all the losers reached Bev's house, she greeted them with urgency.

"You made it. I- I need to show you something," she said frantically. You could see the panic in her face.