We neared the kissing bridge and Eddie laughed, "you know we don't have to come out here to make out, right?"
"There's something I want you to see, just hold on a second," I scanned over all of the names as I got closer, but I knew exactly where mine was. I walked over to it and sighed.
"You know when I crashed my car the other day?" I let go of his hand to face him.
"How could I forget?"
"Well it's because I remembered something. Something from when we were kids. I was playing in the arcade with this guy who turned out to be Bowers' cousin. I asked if he wanted to have another game with me and he accused me of being weird and basically called me a fairy. I remember thinking... Wow what the fuck, I can't play a game of street fighter with a dude without being called gay? Anyway Bowers scared me off and I was so angry that I just kept walking. I was planning on walking straight out of Derry and just never coming back, you know? Leave all this shit behind..."
Eddie was listening intently with a look of sympathy on his face.
"But as I went past the bridge I remember looking at all the names and... I remembered that I'd be leaving my friends behind... leaving the person I cared about more than anything behind... And so rather than storm off like Richie Tozier does best... I decided to carve initials into the bridge." I pointed at the R+E I had scratched into the wood years bfore.
"I guess it was my way of talking about it without really having to talk to anyone. I wanted to let it out somehow... And to be honest that made me feel a little better. And it sounds really fucking lame but... I thought at least this way... we'll stay together."
"Richie... that's..."
"You don't have to say anything about it, I just want to show you that you were always important to me."
I clapped my hands together, "okay that's enough of the sappy bullshit, we can head back now."
"Can't we stay out here for a little while?" He stepped up to me and leaned against the fence to look down into the forest.
"I wish we could go back to when we were kids. It would be nice to have a childhood without a demonic clown tormenting us."
I laughed, leaning next to him so that our arms were touching, "yeah. Maybe things would have turned out different."
"Who knows. Maybe you would have grown out of using humour as a defence mechanism."
"And maybe you would have grown out of having big fat ladies telling you what to do."
He nudged me with his shoulder and I grinned into the distance.
"Sorry but that was too easy."
He looked at me and linked his arm with mine while we remained leaning against the wood.
"Let's just stay here."
"I think the others would worry if we aren't back by the time they wake up."
"I mean in Derry," he had looked back out at the trees and I frowned at him.
"Why the fuck would you want to stay in Derry?"
He shrugged, "you said yourself that it feels like we never left... this place feels like home. And what if we forget each other if we leave? I know we've both been drinking tonight but... I really feel like I know what I want to do. I don't want to go home."
"You need to think about this, Eds... You have a wife to get back to and a job. I have to get back into the public eye and..."
I trailed off, remembering that I had to go off and forget about the whole thing today.
"You're still going to lie to the world? Even after everything we've been through? After we all nearly died?"
"Its difficult, you wouldn't understand."
He moved away a little from me and let my arm go, "well if you're still too much of a coward after the last few days I guess you'll never tell anyone."
"Coward?" Shook my head, "that's not what you've been saying throughout this whole little reunion."
"What do you expect, Rich? You're going to go home and just act like nothings changed."
"Nothing has changed, it'll all just go back to the way it was."
He nodded as though I'd just given him some clarity and stepped away.
"Okay, well I'm gonna go back to the hotel and get ready to leave."
"Come on, Eds-"
"Don't call me that!" He snapped and walked away.
I leaned back against the barrier and sighed heavily as I felt my heart sink.
Fuck this town.
