17/7/1989
18:23 pm
the lights were dim, and smiles were bright. perfectly curled locks fell gracefully onto delicate shoulders and ties were fitted immaculately inside the collars of pristine white shirts.
it was the night of derry high's summer ball.
the girls were blushing, and the boys were fixing their hair in the bathroom mirrors.
in the corner of the hall, sat richie tozier. solemnly sipping on his fruit punch every few minutes.
he watched from afar as his friends all danced together, laughing and enjoying their night. they were the only reason he was here. he was glad they were having fun, of course he was.
but the only person richie wanted to dance with wasn't there.
"hey, come dance."
his head shot up at the unexpected invite, seeing a slightly sweaty beverly stood breathless infront of him with her small hand outstretched patiently. he took note of her freshly painted nails, how they matched the navy dress she was wearing and the jewel earrings that seemed to be the same shade of blue. her eyelids were painted gold, and her lips were pinker than usual.
she looked beautiful.
but richie simply shook his head and smiled sadly, tapping the side of his cup in order to avoid beverly's surprisingly intimidating stare. she sighed sympathetically, taking the seat beside him and placing her hands underneath herself as she regarded him.
"richie..."
"i know bev, i know."
she sighed again, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder, which was padded almost comically due to the oversized suit blazer he had acquired especially for that night.
"i know you miss him, we all do. but, he's not here tonight. and as much as it hurts, you're allowed to be happy without him. you don't need to feel like you're betraying him, just because he's not here too."
richie's lips curled downwards in an attempt to stop himself from crying, allowing beverly's words to sink in. he wiped at his eyes before they had the chance to leak anything he might regret, exhaling shakily. he knew she was right, but that didn't make it any less painful. it didn't stop his heart from slowly fraying away, the stitches loose and the seams torn apart.
"i know that, it's just so hard and..."
richie trailed off, his eyebrows forming a cleft in confusion and hurt. beverly wasn't even listening to what he was saying. she was focused on something else entirely, and it angered him that she was being so insensitive. he wasn't sure what had grabbed her attention, so he leant over, trying to get a good view of what she was gaping at.
his heart stopped.
"richie, is that-"
"yeah."
richie breathed, not bothering to wipe away the tears that were suddenly trickling down his chin.
"yeah, it is."
he did nothing but stare for a few seconds, in a paralysing state of shock and elated disbelief. he gulped, blinking rapidly. he pinched the back of his hand, assuring himself that this wasn't just some cruel trick his mind had played on him.
but no, this was real.
stood nervously before the door, was eddie kasprak. he held a rose in one hand, and used the other to flatten out his pale grey suit jacket.
beverly had gone back to the dance floor by now, leaving richie to do this by himself. but he barely noticed her absence. all he could focus on was the way eddie's big brown eyes scanned the crowds of people for a familiar face, and the rose he twiddled anxiously between his fingers.
