Mesmerizing Mute ~ Richie Tozier

XI ~ Strong and Sweet

Richie knocked at Tate's door. They were supposed to go to get ice cream today, just like their first date.

Tate walked into Derry's only ice cream parlor to meet Richie. She was of course super excited and nervous, considering this being their first date. Tate trotted in only to see Richie sitting in a booth already, waiting for her arrival.

"What brings you here doll face?" Richie questioned as Tate sat down next to him.

'I didn't have any dates planned,' Tate joked before she looked at the boy to realize the bruise on his cheek. Richie smiled at their ongoing joke, but since soon after. 'Bowers?' Tate questioned as she brought her hand to meet the injury.

"Nothing I can't handle," Richie lied trying to be tough in front of the girl. The thing that gave him away most were his eyes. You could tell they were burning. His eyes showed the crumbled ego Richie had possessed in the moment.

'What happened?' Tate questioned, eager to know the circumstances of the housed bruising.

"Bowers said something about- someone I cared about. I couldn't let him," Richie explained as they waited for their ice cream. The serious tone in his voice was strange.

'Who?' Tate questioned as she looked up toward the boy.

"What?" he questioned as if he hadn't understood her question perfectly.

'Who was Bowers talking about?' she questioned Richie once again. He hesitated with his answer.

"You," Richie finally acknowledged. Tate's face fell from his cheek to his now fidgety thumbs. "They were saying how- well- bad stuff," he told her. "I had to stop them." Tate gave a half smile right before there ice cream arrived.

'I'll eat yours. Because you can't because of your injury," Tate joked. Richie gave a chuckle.

"You wish." The rest of the date went well. Richie, being himself, decided to take the last spoonful of his ice cream at Tate which made her do the same. As they wiped it off of each other Tate thought about kissing him, but they were in public. Plus that's the guys job, right? At least that's what Tate had always presumed.

"Mr. Tozier, what brings you here?" Andrew Montgomery questioned after opening his front door for the boy.

"Oh, um, Tate and I were going to hang out if that's okay," Richie answered. He had always gotten unnecessarily nervous around Tate's father, especially because he liked Richie. Tate never stopped going on about the boy to her father.

"That would be fine, but I'm afraid Tate went to spend the weekend with her aunt in Bangor," Andy explained to the boy.

"Oh. Okay. She never told me," Richie said surprised that she would have left without telling him.

"Yeah. I never knew that she was going either. Tate had only left a note that said where she was headed off too," Tate's father revealed before pulling the note out of his pocket. Richie knew that wasn't Tate's handwriting after all the notes they had written to each other when he didn't know how to sign, or when they were just in class, but Richie didn't think much of it.

"Okay. Tell her to come over when she gets back. Will that be Monday?" he asked of the man.

"Doesn't say, but that's what I'm assuming," Mr. Montgomery told him. "Have a good afternoon Richard."

"Uh, yeah, you too Mr. Montgomery," Richie waved as he stepped off her porch to grab his bike and head to the arcade for probably the millionth time that summer. That's where he was greeted with Bill. That's where Bill told him that Beverly was missing.

Richie started off being upset that Tate was gone for the weekend, but now he thought that she couldn't have picked a better weekend to be away. He thought that Tate was safe somewhere and hour away and was happy, not scared, but that wasn't the true case.

All the adults in the town were completely brainwashed, oblivious to the reality of the danger all of their children were in. Why do you think Mr. Montgomery had fallen for that awful fake note anyway?

Still, the Losers never thought twice if Tate being gone. It's not like she did much to be noticed by anyone anyways. Tate was the kind of person who always thought herself to be strong and brave, but everyone else seemed to see her as weak. Even Beverly couldn't see Tate as tough in anyway. Maybe it was because of the innocence that she still seemed to possess, the fact that she could never say anything bad like Richie, or everybody just couldn't imagine the sweet girl to be anything but that, sweet. Maybe Tate could be both.

By the time Bill had rallied all of the Losers together, IT had finished it's work with Beverly. IT's face opened up and shone lights in her face, causing her to start floating in the air, just like a balloon.

IT was now creeping towards Tate. She turned her head as far away from it as she could until she was completely pressed to the wall, and IT had looked like Richie once again.

"It's okay Tate. I'm here," IT lied as it's still clawed fingers ran up and down her back drawing blood. Tate's weakness gave in and her head fell partially into her knees and partially into the shoulder of the so-called Richie. She couldn't carry on. IT had vanished in a flash, and so had her pain.

Tate was completely passed out, in the sewers, waiting for someone to find her. She didn't have to. Tate could dream sweet dreams and die slowly, but that wasn't her. She could fight even if she wasn't awake to push herself. Tate was strong, though she often couldn't show it.

Word Count - 971

A/N - OOF! I had an amazing chapter with like 1,100+ words and I lost it so I had to rewrite over half the chapter. I was super excited to post it this morning, but just so you know I'll always be posting after 5 PM if I don't post chapters before 8 AM because I have track practice. Hope you guys enjoy! I know it was a sad chapter :( <3 <3