after Beverly moved, it's safe to say contact was lost between her and the losers pretty fast. Delilah and Beverly started by calling each other every night, and then homework began getting in the way when school began, or the time difference, and worse of all, beverly's new friends. Delilah and the losers still hung out from time to time although they were never the same again. eventually it was just Richie and Delilah, along with acknowledgment of the others. they still sat with each other at lunch, they were the losers club after all, they rarely hung out. Stan was affected the most. some say that's what lead him to suicide in the years to come. after high school, the losers separated. numbers were exchanged, they each knew where the others were going but none remained in touch. Delilah and Richie lasted until the end of high school, they were truly in love. she left him the moment she fell pregnant at eighteen. 'he doesn't deserve this' she told herself repeatedly. she stared at the clock ticking on the wall. her an Richie had been dating for five years now. she didn't want to throw it away but she had to. she had another life to care for. how could she pressure him with this?
"hey hottie" Richie greeted as he joined her in the booth at the diner. it was the summer of ninety-four and everyone was preparing for college.
"we need to talk" she began tearing up. she loved him with all her heart. but he needed to live his life. "and before I say anything else you have to believe that this is the very last thing I want in life. and I want to apologise for it.""no- you're not- you can't!" Richie began crying a little after he realised what she was getting at, "if this is about college- I-I'll call you all the time and fly to visit you and we can have mutual meeting places. you're only a state away-I can't lose you-""rich... it's not about college. I can't tell you why but you have to trust me-" she leaned over an kissed his lips passionately. a goodbye kiss. "I love you with all my heart" she held his face with her hands, "I love you and this is why I'm doing this, Richie you deserve better and you deserve a life...""I want a life with you" he begged. "I'm sorry rich" she got up and left the poor boy crying. her heart broke. she ha no choice. that was the last Delilah saw of Richie until ninety-eight.
she was fresh out of college and temporarily living with her mom back in Derry until she could afford an apartment or she got a decent job somewhere else. she wanted to leave just as much as she did when she was thirteen, especially with the possible return of pennywise. she didn't know much of the whereabouts of the losers. they may have lost each other but she still thought of them from time to time. she knew everyone had left Derry all but Mike. she didn't see Mike for the little time she lived in Derry. she had a beautiful daughter in the early months of ninety-five, without Richie's knowledge. she named her Darcy May Matthews. she wanted dearly for her little girl to have Tozier in her name. whilst she was living with her mom in Derry, she would help out with the grocery shopping and various other things. Alfie was starting college and moving away but josie was still in high school and living at home. Josie most enjoyed taking care of darcy when her mom and Delilah had to work. Delilah and her family haven't seen her father since that day back in nineteen-eighty-nine one day in particular stuck in Delilah's mind when living back in Derry for a few months.
Josie and delilah's mom were out shopping in town for some clothes and Delilah had said she would do the grocery shopping. she packed four year old Darcy into the car seat. "Yayyyy" she squealed excitedly, she loved going to the store. the thought of heading to freese's department store made Delilah's mind slip back into the thought of Richie and that damn shirt he wore all the time. she stared at her little girl, the resemblance was uncanny between her and her father. delilahs hair was a light chocolate brown in comparison to Richie's extremely dark. Darcy had his hair colour. while Delilah had both brown and blue eyes (aka Heterochromia iridum - a rare eye disease) Richie's deep brown eyes were one in a million and delilahs eyes were mostly blue, Darcy had the deepest brown eyes, much like Richie. she had Richie's nose, her its was mostly Delilah though. it was hard to put Richie out of her mind with Darcy. they arrived at the store, the parking lot was pretty empty, a few cars were strewn here and there. "ready sweetie?" Delilah smiled, pulling Darcy out of the car, causing Darcy to squeal again. they had finished shopping and Delilah had packed up the car."mommy I need toilet!" Darcy yelled, causing some people to look at them. "alright" she held her hand out for Darcy to hold and lead her to the bathroom, the disabled bathroom. she began heading in but little Darcy stopped her. "no mommy, wanna do it own!" "alright I'll be right out here and don't lock the door" Darcy nodded and went inside. Delilah leaned against the wall. lost in her thoughts she didn't notice someone approaching her. "Delilah... Delilah Matthews?" she looked up to be faced with the one and only Richie Tozier. the boy who stole her heart all those years ago. the one who's daughter he was unaware of was in the toilet next door. "oh my god, Richie Tozier" he looked the same. no different, same curly hair, the glasses he wore had slightly smaller frames but that was the only difference. she hadn't been with anyone since Richie. she didn't want to be with anyone."how's life treating yourself?" he asked causally, he'd never admit his heart was almost beating out of his chest and his palms were getting sweaty. "back in Derry until I work some money up to move somewhere else" she smiled, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, "how about your, mr Tozier?" she asked, sweetly. "just visiting for a few weeks," he shrugged. the toilet flushed grabbing her attention, and pulling her into realisation. "oh god" she muttered. "what's wrong? you been waiting for the toilet for a while?" he smirked "what- no!" she dismissed him. the door opened revealing the mini-Richie. "mommy I'm hungry- who this?" she sighed. Richie's face was completely and utterly unreadable except for one certain expression: shock. a part of him knew she was his, the other part didn't want to believe it. "that's why you left me..." was all he said after a few minutes. "I think we should talk somewhere that isn't here" he nodded slowly as Delilah picked up her little girl and held her on her hip. "did you walk here?" she asked, and he nodded. "I'll drive then. sweetie this is mommy's really good friend, who she's known for a long long time, this is Richie, Richie this is Darcy May.""I understand you'll have questions," they were sat in the exact same both they were when Delilah broke up with him. Darcy was playing with some straws while awaiting the waffles Delilah had ordered for her. "fire away" Delilah was nervous, she fiddled with her fingers on the counter top. "is-is this why you left me?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "yes, I - I had to" she looked down. "why...?""you needed to live your life, you- I had already taken up five years and-and" Delilah was beginning to get upset. Richie just looked down and didn't say anything for a while. "I really loved you, ya know?" he forced a breathy laugh. "when I found out I was pregnant with her, I couldn't bring myself to tell you and I figured you didn't have to find out if we were away at college, I figured I could just live my life and let you live yours""I'm not mad, well I was, but I understand, and I also hope you know that that wasn't your decision to make, if I had now I would've stuck by you, I had always hoped you'd be the one I'd marry and have kids with.""do you- are you married or anything, do you have other children?""after you left me Delilah, I was broken I didn't eve think about dating anyone else for at least a year and I went on one date and I wasn't myself, I didn't like it because it wasn't with you, you know me and I haven't even had sex since our last time." he admitted to her. ''maybe when the dust has settled with the whole me secretly having your child thing maybe we could... I mean... I never stopped loving you" she looked down. "do you know how long I've waited, how much I've dreamed of hearing you say those words?" he smiled and placed his hand above hers on the table. darcy's waffes came and she lit up immediately, she had gotten bored of playing with the straws and was asking Richie lots of questions while eating. "how did you meet mommy?""we met when she moved here and we live next door""we don't have to tell her straight away, if you don't want to... I'd get that""Delilah, I'm not going anywhere, I want her to know, I want her to be my daughter" they were whispering while Darcy was lost staring at a man walking his puppy King Charles spaniel outside the diner. "Darcy honey, you know how I always said your daddy wasn't around?" she nodded furiously. she always asked about her 'daddy'."well, he's here now baby, he's ready to be your daddy" Darcy smiled wide."who who whooooo" she repeated over and over getting excited. "Darcy, Richie is your daddy""yayyyy" she squealed and climbed over to hug him. "I love you daddy!" she squeezed his waist as she hugged him. he hesitate but only for a second before hugging her back. "daddy loves you too" Delilah could tell he was trying not to cry.
after learning he was now living in Beverly Hills, she decided, accept his offer, to move there with him and Darcy. delilah managed to get a job in retail and during his time at university he got an internship at a radio station where they offered him a full-time job after he finished. this obviously payed better and eventually with their combined savings they bought their first house when Darcy was five. when they couple were each twenty-five years old, Richie Tozier popped the question and later in the year of two-thousand and one, they became the Toziers. even later that year they discovered their family of three was going to become four. by two-thousand and five they each had incredibly payed jobs, they had a warm, family house and two beautiful daughters, Darcy and River. they rarely, almost never, spoke of the events of nineteen-eighty-nine. maybe once? possibly twice since their love re-kindled at twenty-two. in all honesty they could barely even remember what had happened. it was hazy, like the memory was there but they couldn't access it. they barely even remembered the name Derry, as though there was some mental block. their life was going insanely great until the year two-thousand and sixteen when the happy couple received a phone call. a phone call that would change their lives.
"hello, Tozier residence?" a twenty-two year old Darcy answered the phone. she was visiting her parents before her final year at university began. fifteen year old river was still in high school. "yeah sure" river spoke, "they want you dad""Helloo, Richie Tozier here" he answered. his face turned cold when Mike Hanlon's once came through the phone. "hello Richie, it's Mike Hanlon, are you still in contact with Delilah? I haven't been able to find. a Delilah Matthews anywhere and her family don't live in Derry anymore" this was true, after Josie finished high school and got into New York music university, her mother decided to move with her, Alfie was living in Seattle with his girlfriend. "I-uhh, that's because her name is Delilah Tozier now" if he was speaking to anyone else he'd smile at the thought he actually got the girl of his dreams. Mike said Delilah had to come join the conversation to which Richie obliged. "who is it?" she asked, smiling till she saw the look on Richie's face. "Mike Hanlon" they both put their ears to the phone in a way they could both hear. they didn't want to out the phone on speaker due to their children being in the room. "oh well, um... I've called the others, all of them. IT's back, Richie. and you and Delilah made a promise, you have to come back to Derry."
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