garage guitar | reddie

one

july 1981

young richie tozier crept as silent as possible out of his messy bedroom, his long arms and legs spilling out into a skinny hallway. he needed to find a hiding spot, and needed one now. he kept on his tiptoes, crossing the floorboards like an abused sugar plum ballerina. he memorized which boards creaked and which ones didn't. anything to keep quite. 

he leapt down his staircase effortlessly and continued creeping through his small and destroyed household. he flinched as another peircing scream rang though the house. the screams were filling the corners of the house and wrapping around his dizzy head. he ran into his basement and sprinted to the bathroom. he crouched in the tub, trying to shrink down until he wasn't visible. still too loud. his hands began shaking, and richie knew he needed to find somewhere quick. he jumped up and out of the tub and swung the door back open. he bolted back up the basement stairs and he spotted the front closet. maybe he could hide there, the coats might block the noise. his frail body slipped inside the closet, his freckled nose brushing against the coats that smelled like cigarettes. the sound of the awful shrieks were slightly muted, but not enough. richie felt that deep gut feeling, he was about to faint over the stress he was taking in currently. 

he began to hyperventilate as his rough hands fumbled with the knob to let him out. he tumbled out of the closet, landing hard but quietly on his calloused palms and scarred knees. he stood upright, and felt his head get light. he ran towards the side of his house, the one his mother and father were away from, and found another door that he's never hidden in before.

the garage. he opened the door so aggressively he felt the hinges loosen. he shut the dirty door as softly as he could and quickly walked to the farthest corner from the door. and as quickly as his mothers shouts came, the sound died out just as soon. richie couldn't enjoy the silence with the stinging tears rimming his sad and broken eyes. at just thirteen years old, richie felt that his world was crashing and burning around his feet, and he was so helpless that all he could do was watch it catch on fire and turn to ash.

before he knew it, the burning in his eyes was soon covered with large and salty tears. he couldn't help it. he took his large glasses off his face. the shouts make him so scared and helpless even though he is afraid of nothing. at least that's what he tells everyone. when richie finally stopped the stream of tears, his shaky legs hoisted himself back up, and he began to wander through his large and dusty garage.

stacks of aluminum and glass bottles overflowed a large plastic box near the small set of stairs descending from the door back into his unforgiving home. he knew his mothers fingerprints were covering those bottles. those fucking bottles. old boots and shoes littered a wall on one side, and band posters were stacked up on rows of shelves. richie began tracing his small hands along the large shelves, his enlarged eyes examining each box and trinket. then richie felt four strings glide across his finger, making an eerie and untuned noise that made richie jump into the air. richie grabbed the item and pulled it out from the dusty shelf.

"holy shit" richie whispered as he felt the frame and inspected the design.

he just found a fully functioning guitar in his filthy garage.

richie gleamed with delight, for the first time in a while. richie has always wanted a guitar, just like brian may or bowie. richie was so shocked that he forgot his mother was screaming her lungs out at his dad just a few feet away. richie did what he could only do next, he played. but instead of a beautiful strum, he got more of a hissing cat.

richie winced, but let out a breathy laugh after. he forgot that he didn't know a single thing about guitars. richie pondered on how he'd teach himself to play, and to read notes and all that good ol' shit. richie soon realized he could take a good walk to the library, getting out of the house sounded nice.