homesick | reddie

chapter one: gym locker room

• richie tozier's point of view •

everything around me was pitch black. blacker than the soot of a fireplace after a long, hard winter. i felt my head spinning in circles yet my eyes showed the same, still picture.

"m-mom..? dad..?"

my mother appeared in the shadows, with her back to me. she glanced over her shoulder and scoffed.

"let's go, baby. i can't stand another moment here with these ungrateful mistakes of children."

at first, my mother said those words to what seemed to be nothing. but shortly, my father rose from the darkness around us. he nodded and grabbed her hand. they continued to walk farther and farther away from me. i felt something drip on my forehead. i looked up to see jess's big, blue eyes oozing with tears. she crouched next to me and whimpered as the tears continued to fall.

"where are mommy and daddy going? they aren't leaving.. are they? please tell me they're coming back! ..richie!"

"AH!" i screamed, startled by my sister, jess.

"sorry.. the roof was leaking again.. and your clothes were getting soaked." she rubbed her arm and hung her head in embarrassment.

"oh.. that's alright," i reassured her.

"you didn't seem all that peaceful either.. was it.. about.." she trailed off, trying not to mention the sensitive subject.

"yep." i said, sitting up.

i grabbed my navy blue t-shirt along with my old, black jeans and stuffed them into my school bag.

"i'm off for the morning," i say, throwing the bag over my shoulder.

"okay, rich. have a good day at school.." she trails off again, looking disappointed.

"i'm sorry, jess. you know i'll let you go a-" jess cuts me off.

"-as soon as i'm old enough, right? i saw some kids getting off the school bus down the road. i want that to be me, richie. i want to go to school, i want to make friends," she says with anger in her voice.

"i know, and you will.. just not yet. i love you," i reply, with an empathetic smile.

".. i love you, too," jess smiles back.

"bye."

"bye-bye.."

i softly kissed her forehead and grabbed my backpack. i slipped my arms through the straps and got on my bike. i waved to her as i peddled through the thick woods that surrounded our so-called "home."

right before our parents left, we were staying in neibolt house. it was disturbing and unsettling but at least my mom and dad were there. when they left, jess and i stayed there for two weeks, waiting for them to come back. frustrated, i eventually forced jess to pack her things, which wasn't much.

i remember it as if it had just happened, we walked down the street, hand in hand. eventually, the road disappeared and turned into dirt and leaves. we tread through the pointy branches and prickly leaves until we reached a ranger's station. i pried open the door with a large stick i found.