𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫

21. You're My Best Friend

December 17, 1984

Richie gripped the edge of the coffin tightly, making his knuckles turn white. Tears streamed down his face, the losers all surrounded each other, crying together.

He looked down at his friend's face, the once sarcastic, birding-loving boy, now had a cold and lifeless face. He started to shake his head hoping this is all just a cruel nightmare. Richie's breathing began to pick up slightly. He started to back away from the resting place of Stanley, causing him to bump into Eddie's chest.

He jumped forgetting people were behind him, tears still slowly making their way down his face. "Richie?" Mike (h) asked. The bewilderment dripping from his tone. Richie looked at all of the concerned faces of his friends but he couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the synagogue front doors ignoring his Aunt.

Karen quickly jumped out of her seat slowly jogging towards the doors but was shorty stopped by the losers. "Leave it, Mrs. Wheeler, he needs to be alone." Beverly said as she turned back into Ben's chest to cry. However, it took everything in Eddie Kaspbrak not to run and see if Richie was okay.

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Richie finally stopped running needing to catch his breath. He ran a hand through his hair, moving the few strands of hair that were in his eyes. He sat down under the shade of a tree, digging his walkman from his suit pocket, along with his headphones.

(play song now)

He turned it on allowing the music to flood his ears, him shaking his head yet again hearing Queen's song You're My Best friend making its way into his eardrums.

Richie started to dig into his slack pockets reaching for a joint, wanting to forget about all of the pain, wanting to feel numb. He grabbed his lighter flipping it allowing the flame to dance along to the upbeat melody. Richie and Stanley loved this song.

The two friends would constantly listen along. It reminded Richie and Stanley of the close bond between the two. He was one of the only losers he could actually talk to, and Stan had felt the same way. Stanley had meant everything to Richie.

He was the only one who had known some of his worst and dirtiest secrets, and now he's gone. Because Richie was just being himself, a Trashmouth.

Richie took in a puff of his joint, then rolling his sleeve up revealing his pale scar-tattered skin. Putting the butt of the joint towards his damaged skin.

He grimaced as a burning sensation made its way to the surface under the joint. He breathed deeply through clenched teeth as his skin boiled. He knew he deserved this pain. He caused his best friend to kill himself because he's too scared of a demonic clown.

But the worst part is that Richie constantly had dreams about the losers deaths, especially Stanley and Eddie's. He knew what Stan would eventually do but he didn't think he would be the cause of it, he didn't know it would be this soon. He winced as he remembers the burning joint on his skin. He removed it and threw it at the bushes by him.

He made his way to his feet and started to walk, remembering the arcade is close by but he worried. Richie hadn't been in an arcade for over four years ever since that day. The day he lost himself.

He made his way into the cool glass doors that had contained lots of entertainment. He pushed lightly as the door banged open. Immediately seeing his game.

Street Fighter

Memories crashed through his head, the ones Richie always try and block out but sometimes failing miserably. The one he never wants in his head makes its way there.

"Get the fuck out of here faggot."

Richie began to breathe heavily as he stared at the colorful and bright arcade game. He ran quickly past teenagers and ran out the door, the upbeat still loudly playing. His feet pattered against the pavement as he made his way to the Paul Bunyan statue.

He put his hands on his knees then quickly straightening to see the statue remembering what he saw four eyes ago. The memory was interrupted as someone quickly placed something into Richie's hand and walking away.

"Nowadays festival tonight, " The man pauses as he turns his head letting Richie have a perfect view of his face. "Hope to see you there handsome." He says throwing the rest of his papers in the air.

"Adrian?" Richie murmurs, knowing him from high school he, unfortunately, was killed a couple of years ago. He looks down seeing a paper revealing Richie was 'dead'. Until he heard that haunting voice.

"Did you miss me, Richie?" It said sitting on the statue holding an upside-down triangle balloon. "Because I missed you! Nobody wants to play with the clown anymore." He says with a frown. "Play a game with me, would you. How bought Street Fighter?" Pennywise expressed with a giggle.

"Oh yes you like that one, don't you? Or maybe truth or dare?" He says as his bottom lip begins to curl. Richie begins to back away.

It slowly makes it wat off of the statue. "Oh, you wouldn't want anyone to pick truth would ya Richie?"

"You wouldn't want anyone to know what you're hiding." It begins to laugh evilly. "I know your secret, your dirty little secret. I know your secret YOUR DIRTY LITTLE SECRET." He lands swiftly onto the grass in front of Richie. "Should I tell them Richie?"

Richie tightly closes his eyes. "This isn't happening. This isn't real, this isn't happening." He quickly shoots his eyes opening, as It runs and shaking towards the boy. Richie screams quickly spriting away.

"Come back and play! Come back and play with the clown!" It shouts.

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Authors note

I watched Titanic for the first time and I cried lmao

Also Ik I've been using Queen music but I promise I'll be using more