Fates Intertwined

Chapter 6

Derry, 5/30/1988

"-And that's why girls will be falling for me by high school," Richie concluded with a victorious grin on his face. He adjusted his glasses and looked back and forth at his two friends' reactions.

Eddie was squinting his eyes in confusion while Bill was giving him a concerned look. Not the reactions Richie was looking for, but he knew they were the ones he should've expected.

"H-How many times w-were you dropped on the head a-as a kid, Rich?" Bill asked in disbelief.

"Probably more times than there are numbers," Eddie sighed while shaking his head.

Richie rolled his eyes and took a bite of his dry sandwich. "Say all you want now, losers, but don't come to me when you need a lady and I'm being swarmed by them."

Bill chuckled. "S-Sure, Rich, whatever y-you say." The three boys went on to mindless chatter about their day.

It was another day of school for the three Losers, who were currently eating in the cafeteria. The sky was a bright blue, and the warmth of the sun made you feel as if you were getting a warm hug. At times like those, the group would eat at a table outside the building. However, the Bowers Gang decided to hang out there for lunch that day and the boys weren't interested in dying before the year was over, so they decided their luck would be better eating in the same room as a crowd of other students. Plus, as long as they keep their heads low and don't draw attention, they won't be given any dirty looks by their peers while they're eating.

A curly-haired brunette walked up to the three boys and sat down. "Hi," he greeted them nonchalantly.

"H-Hey, Stan!" Bill replied to the boy, who was the final member of their friend group.

"Stan the Man!" Richie said cheerfully. "Where were you? Eddie Spaghetti and I were just talking about your little man-party."

"Shut up, Richard," Stan grumbled, pulling out his lunch from his bag. "I already hear enough about my Bar Mitzvah from my dad."

"Did he make you practice the whole thing again?" Eddie asked curiously. Stan nodded grimly.

"I ended up practicing overtime because of his critiques," He stared down gloomily at the holes of the lunch table. "I don't think I'm cut out to become a man yet..." he muttered in defeat.

Bill placed a hand on Stan's shoulder. "Y-You'll be f-fine. You still h-have a long time to g-get ready."

Stan turned to the brunette and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Bill." He was given the same expression in return.

Stan took off the lid of his food's container. "Oh," he started as he began to eat, "did you guys hear the news?"

The three other losers made eye contact with each other before shaking their heads. "No, why?" Eddie questioned.

"Apparently there's a new family who moved into that old house near the library," Stan explained.

Richie's head shot up after hearing this. "Really?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "Are there any girls our age? How many? Do you think they'd fall head over heels for me at first sight?"

Eddie scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, if they're into loud, obnoxious trashmouths." Richie narrowed his eyes at him and shrunk in his seat.