cherry bomb ➵ Richie Tozier

i don't know about you, but i'm feelin

twenty two

♦︎ Jessie ♦︎

It had been six days since I'd spoken to Richie Tozier. It had been six days since he'd told me all of his feelings.

All the words I had prayed for so long would slip out of his lips, and I told him I couldn't, and frankly, I still couldn't.

He was everything I ever wanted, but I couldn't right at that moment. My brain wasn't processing fast enough to keep up with his jumbled words and passion, so I did the only thing I could do: push him away.

Push him away like I pushed away my parents. Push him away like I pushed away everything and everyone in my life.

Yet, he was the only person I wanted to hold close.

Richie wasn't just someone I could push away like all the others. Richie was special.

His eyes twinkled when he smiled and he had a way of bringing my darkest hours into the light with his completely stupid personality.

His figure was absolutely stunning. I caught myself staring at him quite often, my eyes trailing up and down his slim figure.

And he was interested in me.

A stupid choice on his part. Didn't he know I was a wild soul? The amount of times I had been told I couldn't be tamed by one boy was far too many to keep track of. But when it came to Richie, all I wanted to do was fall back into his arms.

I didn't feel the need to struggle or wiggle out of his grasp, because his grasp on me was all I wanted.

"Jessie!"

I was ripped out of my trance, snapping my head up to Allie from across the lunch table.

"What did you say again?" I asked, trying to cover up my distance from our conversation.

Ashton had joined us at our table, as it was his first day in school, and he was our friend now. Even though he was a year older, he skipped his science period to eat lunch with Allie and I.

Mainly Allie, though.

"I asked what was wrong, Jessie. You haven't been acting like yourself all weekend." Allie stated hesitantly, as if she was afraid to insult me.

I sighed shaking my head, "it's nothing, Al. I promise, okay? I'm just tired."

Allie scoffed, "yeah right, Jess. You need to snap out of this or you're going to forget who you are."

Ashton nodded in agreement with her, mesmerized by her pretty face. He blinked out of his thoughts, moving his eyes towards me.

"I think you should talk to him." Ashton stated plainly.

I furrowed my brow, "what?"

"Cal told me what happened, and I think you need to talk to Richie. He's been looking over at you all lunch period. You can do whatever you want and he'll still gawk at you like you're a goddess, Jess. You have all the power in the world over him. We all know you like him. Go get what you want."

Ashton and Allie's words were surprisingly motivating, and I took them to heart.

They were right. I wasn't being myself. I didn't know who this sappy ass bitch I had turned into was, but I knew who I was. I was Jessie Asher, and failure wasn't an option. I wouldn't be stripped of my pride, and I wouldn't sit there pouting about a guy I could just talk to.

I pushed out of my seat, nodding solemnly before taking a step away from the table. I flipped my head back around and let a small smile out to my two friends, "you're right."