new kid - stozier

3. Skipping Stones

The morning had been warm. Richie spent it by reading Edgar Allen Poe poems as a way to past time. He had gotten through half of Annabel Lee when the phone rang. He expected it to be a patient asking for an appointment to see Wentworth or a friend checking in on Maggie. He faintly heard his mother drunkenly clamber down the stairs. He listened for that familiar yet distant voice. He waited to hear all the bad things about him that Maggie finally let out when she talked to one of her friends. But what came next surprised him.

"Hello? Who's this?" Maggie's voice was shaky as if she'd been crying for a while. Richie didn't know who was on the other line, so he went back to reading. It wasn't until Maggie's shout brought him out of his trance. He wasn't reading but instead feeling. He had felt the words from the page seep into his heart, taking him back a decade when he was just seven. He had fallen in love with a boy, and, even though Maggie tried to convince him they moved because of Richie getting endlessly bullied, he knew that they had only moved out of Derry because of this little relationship. He wondered why these memories came flooding back now. They weren't in love with each other anymore, and judging from how the boy acts now, Richie doesn't even want to think he was ever in love with him.

"Richie! Someone wants to talk to you!"

Richie got a hold of himself and wiped away tears that had somehow slipped from his eyelashes. he lazily walked down the stairs, to the kitchen, to be met with his mother's pink puffy eyes and sickly pale skin. She handed the telephone to Richie and pushed his bangs to the side.

"If you're going somewhere, have fun. She sounds awfully excited to talk to you." With that, she left. Richie's shaking hand rose to his ear as his equally shaky voice let out a weak hello.

"Oh shit Richie! You scared me, I thought you were held captive 'cause of how long you took." Beverly's voice rang through to Richie's ears as her dramatic depiction went entirely over his head. His voice was steadier and hands were less shaky. "Oh, whatever shall I do, my dear, without you by my side at all times. Hell, I'd surely go mad and then little ol' Richie Tozier would be all in the news. "Extra, extra. Read all about it. Richard Tozier gets sent to the madhouse for not having his love by his side."' Richie mocked an accent from a 1960's New York paperboy which was easy for him considering he lived there for a long part of his life.

"Shut up, Richie. I was wondering whether you'd like to come to the barrens with us, the losers that is. You don't have to if you don't want to, but everyone's so eager to get to know you." Her voice beamed with excitement. So much so that Richie couldn't say no.

"Where are the barrens?"

"Oh, you know, the Kenduskeag Stream runs through it. It's like our home away from home where we can be free to be whatever and whoever we want. C'mon it'll be fun. Oh and try to leave your Voices behind, I don't think Stanny'll like it." Beverly's smug face was obvious even though Richie couldn't see her. His lips tugged into a smirk as he let out a dark chuckle. Now how could he say no?

"Fine. What time?"

"Well since you told me you lived in one of those rich neighborhoods, maybe 5 minutes in car or bike and 15 walking? We're meeting around 4 so that gives you enough time to pull on your shoes and haul your ass over here." Beverly was extremely excited to see Richie and the losers. She had to stay home because she stayed out too late one night and had to do chores all day.