Chapter Text
“We have a student rejoining us today,” The teacher announced, looking over at the door, signaling someone to come in.
Everyone’s eyes stare at the tall , skinny boy that enters the classroom, whispers of confusion and snickers fill the room as he slouched next to the teacher, fiddling with his fingers, refusing to look up.
“There’s an empty seat at the back Richie, go get yourself comfortable” The teacher smiles, pointing to a desk at the back of the classroom. Richie nods, taking a quick glance at all the students staring at him as if they’ve seen a ghost, his unkempt hair hangs in front of his dark eyes, he looks back at his feet and slumps into his chair with a slight groan.
Amongst the faces he saw, he has recognized the cute face of Ben, his expression was equally as confused and surprised as the rest of the class.
He couldn’t blame them, he was missing for two whole months.
Richie takes a small notebook out of his desk and reaches for a pen from his jeans pockets, instead he accidentally lifts out the pocket knife he keeps with him.
“Shit, I forgot my pen,” he mutters to himself, shoving the knife back into his pocket, looking up to make sure nobody saw it.
Struggling to keep his attention on the teacher, Richie starts folding the paper from his notebook as an alternative to doodling all over it. He makes a heart, then turned the heart into a paper plane. He sniffed as the time ticks by. Slowly but surely.
*
The bell rings and Ben rushes towards the lockers, where the losers always met up after their classes to catch up on their latest gossip. Ben was the last loser there as he interrupts their conversation.
“S-Stan there’s no way you d-didn’t make the team,” Bill snicked towards Stanley.
”You guys, don’t freak out.” Ben interrupts as the losers all turn to see Ben, breathing heavily out of breath. They stared at him, growing suspicious of the panting ben in front of them raising their eyebrows, he ignores the looks and continues “Guess who’s in my class.” His words seems rushed and surprised.
“I don’t know Ben, fucking Batman?” Stanley snaps sarcastically, earning eye rolls through out the losers.
“Richie.” He finishes.
They all look up in unison,
“What the fuck?! Where is he?!” Eddie asks as Ben shrugs his shoulders.
”He goes missing for two whole fucking months and just decides to come back? What type of game is he playing at-“
”Eddie, stop and think for a second, do you really think Richie would just disappear and not speak to any of us, especially you, and not have a reason?” Beverly tries to calm Eddie down.
He shakes his head, reaching for his inhaler, realizing it’s not in his pocket anymore.
It hasn’t been in there since he found out that they’re all gazebos and didn’t actually benefit him.
Since he found out that his mother had been lying to him his whole life, pretending that he was sick all the time.
”It’s okay Eddie, I’m not mad, it’s just that, I don’t think we should blame Richie for anything so soon, since he’s only just returned.” She reassured him with a small weak smile.
All the losers attentions snap to a familiar, fragile looking boy that just rushed past them in the halls.
They all share a look before following after him.
“Shit, im going to be late” Richie sprints down the halls of a school he should remember the layout of. But recently his mind seemed fuzzy, and he couldn’t remember what was real and what wasn’t. Richie turns a corner and skids down the stairs, almost tripping over his feet, when he finally found the room he had been looking for.
The label on the door read ‘counciler office’.
He takes a breath in before knocking gently and waiting for a reply, an okay for him to enter.
The door opens so quick it startled him and he takes a step back, his mind still feeling numb and fuzzy. He tried his best to suck it down and deal with this. The open door reveals a middle-aged woman with thick brown hair resting on her broad shoulders.
“You must be Richard Tozier, yes?” She asks, not looking up from the clip board in her hands, “Yea, that’s me” he answers.
The lady steps to the side, telling Richie to enter her office. He sits down in a small plastic chair in front her neat wooden desk.
Before sitting down the counciler shuffles through files, she clicks her tongue satisfied with what she found, and took a seat, her eyes scanning the documents, before she looks up to him with a forced smile on her face.
“My name is Mrs. Kellie,”
“How are you Richie?” She asks, looking through her pencil case, finally finding a pen.
“Um, I’m fine, how about you?” He grins, trying to take the attention off of himself for once, surprising, he knows.
The lady frowns as she takes a breath,
“Richard, don’t try that act on me, how are you really?”
“Okay then, to be honest i’m doing total shit, but that’s what you expected me to say, right?”
“Richie-“
“No, this isn’t going to help me you know, talking about what happened doesn’t erase it, I would rather just forget about it, I don’t need fucking help, and you know it.”
She lets out a sigh.
“I see your not going going to spill without a fight.”
“Damn straight.” He says, his attention snapping to the clock above Mrs. Kellies head.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Time.
Time is nothing but a social construct. Richie repeats in his head.
Time.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Shit.
“Richie?” The lady calls out, waving in front of his face to pull him out of his thoughts.
“What.” He snaps. Avoiding eye contact.
God.
Richie hates eye contact.
Reminds him of memories he wants to forget.
Needs, to forget. He reminds himself.
“You can go, this was only an introduction, but i’ll see you next Thursday, fourth period, yes?”
“Yeah, whatever.” He rolls his eyes, scooping his backpack from the floor, and practically running to the door, turning the handle, not expecting to see what did when he opened the door.
The losers.
Fuck, he thought he had more time to avoid them. The last thing Richie wants to do is explain to them. Richie swore to himself, he’s not going to tell ANYONE.
Not even the losers.
He doesn’t want the losers to think of him as disgusting and sick.
They already probably do.
He scoffs out loud. Oops.
“Richie? Holy Shit!” Beverly screams, jumping over to Richie and pulling the taller into her arms.
“Where the fuck have you been trashmouth?” She says sheepishly into the crook of his shoulder.
He’s hesitant.
“Out and about”
The rest of the losers stare.
Beverly pulls away, her arms still around his thin body. She looks into his eyes and he flinches his gaze to the floor.
“Bullshit.” Stanley cuts in, bringing Richie into a tight embrace.
“Ouch” he whispers to himself.
The rest observe the scene in silence.
“What happened?” Stanley asks, straight to the point. His frown painting his face.
Panic.
What do I do?
What do I say?
I don’t want to lie, but I have to.
I’m the funny one.
Funny.
Too bad now i’m just a depressed, worthless piece of shit, everyone probably forgot existed.
I’m not weak.
Yes. You. Are.
Shut.
Up.
Breathless.
Panic.
“I have to go” He rushes out of their hugs, and sprints down to the school entrance.
‘Pussy.’ His fathers words ring in his dizzy head.
No.
No, no, no, no.
No.
Richie wipes the sweat off of his forehead and continues to sprint down the streets of this cursed fucking town.
Finding himself outside the Tozier residence. Flashbacks hit him without a hurry.
The rain pouring, bruises, cuts and blood scattered all around his body. He trembled and shivered, looking up at his home.
Home.
It’s funny to think that was only 2 weeks ago.