star-crossed ✩ reddie

ONE

When Richie woke up on the third of September, the first thing he noticed was the missing car in the driveway.

With a groan, he rolled out of bed. If his parents were gone, he would have to get Avery to her first day of second grade on time. Summer had slipped away too fast. As he pulled on a pair of shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, he couldn't help but briefly touch his jaw, as if it had become muscle memory.

He exhaled, knowing the boy from 7/11 lived across the country, far, far away from Derry.

Next, the tall teenager woke his sister gently, coming into her room and opening the blinds, so that the sunlight streamed on her small face. As much as Richie attempted to put on a tough exterior, he had soft spots for a few people, and Avery Tozier was one of them.

"Do I have to go to school Rich?" The small girl mumbled, alerting Richie to the fact she was awake.

"Yep. I don't wanna go either, but we all have to do things that aren't fun sometimes pumpkin," he responded.

Avery was the only real family he had, and he wanted to make sure he took perfect care of her while his parents were on another absent streak. If Child Protective Services knew how often Maggie and Wentworth went awol, he was sure they would separate the siblings when they put them through the system.

"I'm gonna go fix us some breakfast. Get dressed, and if you need anything don't be afraid to shout for me, okay?" Richie instructed kindly.

"Okie dokie! See ya in a few, Ricardo," Avery responded, at seven years old she had already picked up many of her brother's mannerisms.

Richie checked the clock above Avery's bed before heading down to the kitchen. The room still reeked of booze, which signalled that the siblings parents had left the house under the influence. At this point it was hard to tell whether they were alive or not, and they wouldn't be able to until they stumbled through the front door again. If they did.

The boy had sometimes gone a little too long without proper nourishment in the past, leaving him with a thin figure. However, when trying to ensure Avery had three meals a day, he picked up some healthy eating habits. That was how it was with the Tozier kids. They needed each other to thrive, considering their parents had never been there for them to thrive off of.

Richie pawed his way through the contents of the fridge and pantry, pulling out a box of Cheerios, and a handful of blueberries. He poured the cereal into his sister's favourite bowl, sprinkling blueberries on top.

It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do.

"Avery, breakfast is on the table," Richie called out. He grabbed himself a bagel and proceeded to down it without bothering to use a plate or toasting it to make it more appetizing. He heard tiny footsteps, and looked to the door frame. Avery's little figure stood there, wearing a bucket hat and oversized sunglasses that belonged to the elder of the two siblings.

"Good morning, good fellow, please have a seat at Café Tozier. Fresh on the menu we have some top notch Cheerios," Richie said, in a bad British accent. Avery simply shot him finger guns, and the two dissolved into laughter.

"Is there a particular reason you look like a bug today?" Richie questioned Avery as she sat down, referring to the sunglasses.

"Gotta impress all the morons in my class, know what I'm saying?" The little girl fired back. She had always been clever for her age, with a smart mouth and sharp mind, not unlike her brother.

Richie laughed and ruffled her hair, enjoying the peace of their kitchen, knowing the chaos of school would soon surround him.

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