The Love Is Still There |Richie Tozier (2)

~17~ The End Of A Journey

After entering the inn, I walked into my room. I looked at my basically unopened bag, and only had to put a few things back in there. I never actually ended up using anything from here. I sat on my bed after I finished packing, and stared at my folded hands on my lap. Someone knocked and Richie walked in. "Hey October."

I looked up. "Hey."

He walked over and sat next to me on the bed, leaning his head against mine. 

I was appreciative of the silence right now. "I miss them."

He took my hand. "Me too, October. Me too."

I glanced up at Richie, and thought about Eddie. Eddie loved Richie, and it seemed that I was the only one who knew. And I would never on my life tell Richie. It was a secret of Eddie's that I'd take to the grave with me. 

"Where are you off to now?" Richie asked, stroking my knuckles with his thumb. 

I shrugged. "No clue. I guess I'll go back to my photography? But I missed a few pretty big deals from being out of touch so..... I don't know if people will still want to hire me."

Richie chuckled. "Life's gonna be different, right? I missed a few shows without really saying why."

"Let's go together." I blurted out.

Richie pulled away and looked at me. "What?"

"Let's go together. Wherever we're going. Whatever we're doing." I smiled. "Let's go to it. Together."

Richie smiled back and pressed his lips on top of mine. "I'll go anywhere with you October."

We grabbed our bags and walked down together. Everyone else was already down there.

"Hey." Bill looked up, his bag sung over his shoulder. 

"I guess it's time we go our separate ways again." Beverly said.

"But we're keeping in touch this time." I said, taking out my phone. "Everyone put their contacts in right now. Come on! Pronto pronto let's go you slow fuckers."

Everyone smiled at my usual side coming out again. They each took my phone and put in their numbers. Once everyone did, I made a group chat. "There, done."

Everyone started drifting apart as we went our own destinations. Some where still staying at the inn, booking their flight tickets. Some only needed to drive to wherever they were going. Richie and I went to the kissing bridge. We went to where our initials were carved. I ran a finger over it. Richie pulled out a knife and re-carved it. We started walking to the car, when a sudden memory washed over me.

"Ed's?" younger me asked. 

I was at the kissing bridge, looking at the initials Richie had carved a few weeks ago, when I saw Eddie carving something on the bridge, not faraway from me.

Eddie looked up, shoving his pocket knife back in his shorts. "October?"

"What're you doing?" I asked, walking over to him.

He looked at me, embarrassed. "Nothing."

I looked down to see an E+R carved into the wood. "Oooooo Eddie has a little crush!" I wiggled my eyebrows. "Who is it?"

He shrugged. "Just a...... girl."

I grinned. "That's cute."

He smiled, looking away. "Yeah."

Now, tears sprang in my eyes as I realized the 'girl'  Eddie was talking about. "Give me your knife please." 

Richie handed it to me. "Why?"

"Just, wait right here okay? Please?"

Richie looked confused. "Okay."

I ran back to the bridge, searching for Eddie's carvings. I found it, and leaned down. I re-carved the letters to make it more visible. I touched the carving when I finished. "I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted Ed's." I whispered. "You deserved better."

I went back to Richie.

"You okay?" he asked, as I handed him back his pocket knife.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just needed to moment alone."

We got back in his car and started driving out of Derry. 

~ ~ ~
A month later, Richie and I have found our own apartment to live in together in LA. He started getting back into comedy while I found a good stable job as a photographer, with a small job as a Starbucks barista on the side. One night, when I was cooking dinner, Richie walked in and waved a letter in my face. "It's from Stan!"

I spun around. "What?"

Richie led me to the couch and we both opened the letter to read.

Dear Loser's

I know what this must seem like, but this isn't a suicide note. You're probably wondering why I did what I did. It's because I knew I was too scared to go back. And if we weren't together, if all of us alive, weren't united, I knew we'd all die. So, I made the only logical move. I took myself off the board. Did it work? Well, if you're reading this, you know the answer. I've lived my whole life afraid. Afraid of what would come next. Afraid of what I might leave behind. Don't. Be who you want to be. Be proud. And if you find someone worth holding on to, never ever let them go. Follow your own path. Wherever that takes you. Think of this letter as a promise. A promise I'm asking you to make. To me. To each other. An oath. See, the thing about being a Loser is.... you don't have anything to loose. So, be true. Be brave. Stand. Believe. And don't ever forget, we're losers. and we always will be. 

Tears were streaming down my face. When I finished reading, I looked up at Richie. His own eyes were red, his cheeks tear stained. 

"I promise Stanley Uris." I whispered. "I promise."