𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒

chapter one

SIXTEEN CANDLES

[1PM March 7th, 1992,
Derry, Maine]

RICHIE HAD FINALLY turned 16 and to be honest, Richie didn't even expect he'd live to this age, assuming he'd be dead somewhere in a ditch by now. But this was not the case, because here he sat looking at his smiling grandmother, blowing out 16 unevenly proportioned candles propped inside of an overcooked chocolate cake. Bless his grandmother for trying her best. He opted out of spending the day with his parents, who couldn't have cared less that it was his birthday. His grandmother was happy to have him over, she never saw enough of him.

"So tell me, Richard." His grandmother sat on the dusty old couch with a cup of tea in hand. "Any girls tickle your fancy lately?"

Ah yes, the subject of girls. Richie's least favourite subject to talk about and everyone's favourite. Richie was a ladies man, girls loved him. The problem was though, Richie didn't love girls as much as every other horny boy in Derry did. But he had given little thought about his sexuality.

"Uh no, grandma." He said nearly choking on his tea.

"That's a shame, dear." She reached next to her seat and pulled out a flat wrapped gift. "Before I forget, your present."

Richie smiled and tore off the wrapping straight away whilst his grandmother looked on. A Nirvana Nevermind album on the new Compact Cassette stood out in its glossy plastic container. Nirvana was one of many bands that recently connected with Richie. He didn't know precisely why, but the Seattle music scene was having more of an impact on him than he had first thought. His Hawaiian shirts now swapped out for flannel and light brown shorts swapped out for rough looking jeans. Was it a look his grandmother enjoyed to see him in? No. But she decided that Richie's happiness was more important.

"How did you manage to get this Gran? This costs a fortune!" Richie exclaimed, examining the cassette excitedly.

He was honestly curious because his grandmother truly couldn't afford much, his grandma was living off her retirement fund after a large fall saw her out of work.

"You need not worry about that, my dear, but I am glad you like it. Now I guess it's best you run along now, your friends are waiting for you."

Richie sighed and pulled himself off the couch to kiss his grandmother's cheek. "Thanks grandma, I'll definitely visit soon."

Richie walked out of the house, chuckling. No matter how sweet his grandmother was, she still reminded him of his own mother.

Richie didn't have many friends, but he had one which was as good as he was gonna get. Beverly Marsh, a fiery redhead who helped him shoplift and smoked cigarettes with him behind the school. He considered her his best friend even though he was sure Beverly didn't think the same. She had her own group of friends, mismatched outcasts who definitely didn't belong together.

He had met them once, purely on accident. Beverly accidentally had made plans with both parties and whilst waiting for Beverly, he had noticed Stuttering Bill and his crew waiting around the front of the cinemas. Richie had been smoking a cigarette, his ratty old Walkman playing an old tape of Beverly's. Eddie Kaspbrak, a pocket-sized hypochondriac walked up to him and claimed he was ruining the air quality, Richie remembers laughing at him, making some stupid comment and stomping out his smoke as soon as he saw Beverly walk up to the group of losers. He eventually forgave her, but he hadn't forgotten. Beverly was waiting for him this time though. She was smoking and leaning against the wall behind the bakery where Richie usually walked to go home.

"Trashmouth!" She called running up to him. "Happy 16th birthday dude."

Richie smiled and let her embrace him. "Thanks Bev."

She fumbled around in her jacket pocket. "Oh shit yeah, I got you something. It's not much, but it was mighty hard to pocket."

She handed him a small box that contained a new stainless steel chain. It was just like the one Bev accidentally broke a couple years back. They were mucking around one summer on their bikes and Beverly crashed into him and snap the chain Richie had been wearing underneath his shirt.

"Thanks Bev. I love it." Richie said, embracing Bev again. "It's just like my old one."

"Yeah well, I felt bad about the other one so." She scratched the back of her short red hair sheepishly. "Listen I know you're not gonna be doing much, so you wanna head down to the quarry with me around five?"

"Who else will be there?"

The losers and I, thats all." Bev smiled. "Come on Rich, you can spend your sixteenth birthday sulking in your bedroom."

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. It was his sweet sixteenth, he should be out partying not wallowing in his own self pity.

"I'll think about it, Bev." Richie chuckled.

They both laughed a bit and separated. Richie made the trek home, happily listening to his new cassette. Kurt Cobain's voice filling his ears with articulate lyrics and rough guitar riffs. It made him happy to be at peace with his thoughts, the walk home wasn't long but he made it longer. Walking around the block before walking to his door. He opened the door and ran up to his room refusing to look at the mess in the living room. His parents were sprawled across the couch in a drunken haze.

Richie got to his room shut the door loudly and lit another cigarette.

"Happy birthday to me."

~

[ Did I intend to turn Richie into a grunge kid? No.

Will everybody miss the Hawaiian shirts and dorky attitude? Maybe.

Am I going to stick with it because I like to write him this way? Hell yeah.

Anyhow, hello I am Nikita, I'm just vibing down under. Y'all got any opinions on the first chapter? ]