Roses - Richie Tozier x reader

2 - SNEAKING OUT

I must have fallen asleep because I wake up, my whole body drenched with sweat from the heat inside this closet. I slow my breathing and try to listen out for any noise.

Nothing.

I quietly push the pile of clothes off of my head and try and get some air. A slit of sunlight enters the closet through a crack in the wood so I angle over my watch. I mustn't have slept for that long because it's only 8 o'clock. Still light outside.
The silence is deafening out there. Is dad out? Or asleep? I don't know, but I just need to get the hell out of here and into some fresh air. Slowly I push the door open and a small creak breaks the eery silence. I wait to see if anyone heard it but there's no response. I get to my feet and step across the floor, making sure that I don't hit any of the floorboards that creak. Luckily my bedroom's on the ground floor so I crack my window open, throw my legs over and jump out the window as gracefully as I can. The soft evening sun fills the sky and I walk to the dirt road outside of the house and make my way into town. I know exactly where I'm going.

Hardly any children are going missing now so the curfew is not as bad, as I go further into town I can hear the voices of kids. I really need a friend right now, F/N was the only person who wasn't scared of my family and therefore the only person willing to be my friend. Nearly every other kid will go the other way if they see me coming or say they've got something to do or somewhere to go if I try to talk to them. No one wants to be associated with Henry Bowers sister, probably as crazy as the rest of her family. That's what I heard someone say once. Everyone judges me before they get to know me, who can blame them though? My family are fucking mental.
Now I can see the owners to the voices I heard. It's the group that my brother hates. It's the boy who I took the cigarettes from. I walk slower, they're right outside the library, the place I was planning to go. Suddenly I lock eyes with one of them. The smallest boy, with big eyes and a worried look constantly one his face. I look away down at my feet and continue to go towards the library. I hear their voices stop once they realise I'm coming and I let out a sigh. I should be used to this by now. I try to ignore their obvious eyes on me as I approach them until I hear all of them cycle away. Or so I thought.

I look up again and see the one with the glasses stood in front of me.
"R-Richie, come o-o-on." I hear the tallest one yell from the distance. Everyone is waiting for him at the end of the street.
"One sec, big Bill." He shouts back before turning to me. "Are you okay?" He says worriedly, his eyes blinking behind his thick lenses.
"Yep, all good." I give him a small smile. His hand reaches down and takes a hold of my arm gently.
"You're bleeding." He tells me, widening his eyes at a cut on my arm. I must have done it when I jumped out of my window, I didn't even realise.
"Oh geez, yeah, I didn't notice." I reply. He's still holding my arm.
"Eds! Come over here a minute." He shouts to his group of friends who are watching us. They all exchange worried glances until the small one reluctantly walks over.
"I've told you to stop calling Eds a million times Richie, what do you want?" He asks impatiently and keeps glancing over at me worriedly. It's looks like he expects me to pounce on him any minute.
"Do you have bandages?" He says smiling at him.
The boy opens up the Fanny pack that's around his waist and pulls out a bandage, he sighs and then hands it over to Richie. He then says, "hurry up, we're going to the barrens." before walking back to his bike and friends.
Richie starts to carefully wrap the bandage around my arm where the cut is. I can't help but stare at his concentrated face and a weird feeling starts in the pit of my stomach. Are these the butterflies I've heard other girls talk about when they like a boy? No way. This is the first time I've ever spoke to the guy. Still I can't stop smiling at him.
He gently taps my arm where he's bandaged it. "All done." He smiles brightly down at me.
"Thanks." I make contact with his dark brown eyes. There's that feeling again.
"Any time. Well, my friends want me, so I'll, er, see you around." He says as he jumps on his bike seat. "Bye Y/N." He waves.
"Wait! How do you know my name?" I shout after him.
He turns around and looks confused, "we're in the same class, why would I not?" He laughs.
I laugh back before giving him a wave and walking into the library entrance. I carry on walking until I get to my favourite spot. After F/N moved away I needed to find somewhere to go and stay when things got really bad at home, that's when I found this place. In the library they have a kids story time area in the children's section, so I gathered up cushions and blankets from there and took them to the storage cupboard. It's not perfect but it's better than home.
The librarian comes over to me, "Are things bad again Y/N?" She says as I gather up my supplies.
"They're awful." I restrain from crying again.
"Well, you know that I'll always let you stay here when you need to." She pats my shoulder and smiles at me.
"Yeah I know. Thanks." I carry on to pick up the cushions and start to head over to the cupboard. "Night." I turn and say to her.
"Goodnight dear." She turns and walks back to her desk.
I twist the handle on the door and lay the cushions and blankets on the ground. Once I've snuggled into them I breathe in that old book smell and fall asleep.