"ready?"

pt. seven

> chapter energy <
everything she wants - wham!
don't you (forget about me) - simple minds

a few drinks had concluded by this point, yet many of the losers were still unusually lively. "from the big chair" had been swapped for "make it big" and the second song, everything she wants, was just dying out. richie was sat on the floor, propped up by his arms and laughing at damn near anything that was said.

"i had this horrible nightmare right-" mike cackled," but-but by the end of it, it turned more and more comical. i was fucking face-to-face with that fucker again, and you know who the hell it looked like?"

"who- who come on-" eddie prodded.

"a fucking monster, what the hell are you getting at mikey?" ben asked curiously, through a wide smile that he couldn't seem to settle.

"he looked like goddamned cyndi lauper- i swear on-on everything," he started, holding his stomach as he continued," the massive hair, the horrifying eye makeup, everything. somehow it almost made it look even more terrifying."

"shut the hell upp, you're fucking with us at this point," stan lulled, his eyes mere slits now.

"on my life stan, i swear, i couldn't make this shit up," mike was just about in tears.

the losers all laughed and laughed over this til they were just about blue in the face. soon enough another story began from eddie about an unusual encounter he witnessed between greta keene and some eighth grader that worked at her father's pharmacy with her.

"hey," bev whispered, nudging richie's arm as he went to take another drink," rich i got a proposition for ya."

"hm-" he questioned, turning to look at her," lay it on me marsh, what elaborate quest shall we embark on tonight?"

"i think we should embark on a treacherous journey to the roof," she said, motioning to the staircase," what do you say tozier, you up for it?"

"always," he replied, a wide grin plastered across his face.

beverly stood up and stuck her hand out for him to grab. he obliged and she lifted him onto his feet. she picked the glass from his left hand and set it down on a nearby table.

"we'll be back momentarily," richie announced, sloppily saluting as beverly lead him towards the stairs.

"where you guys off to?" ben questioned.

"to embark on a side quest haystack!" richie shouted from the next room over.

ben shrugged, smiling, and returned to the rest of the group, trying to follow the story.

beverly tried to lead richie up the stairs as well, but soon found that would not be such an easy task. he clumsily tried to place one foot onto the next step in front of him, missed, and instead face planted directly onto the carpeted staircase.

"rich oh my god please-" beverly tried to stifle her laughter, placing a hand over her mouth," come on there's like 10 more steps you can make it, this isn't even the most treacherous part of our journey."

"mfmfnnfm," he tried to respond, face still planted firmly into the carpeting.

"i can't understand a damn thing you're saying trashmouth," she laughed aloud, unable to contain it any longer.

he lifted his head slightly and said," bested once again by modern architectural advances, fuck my life," he finished and once again face planted back onto the staircase.

"alright come on, come on," bev said, grabbing his arms and beginning to pull him up the stairs.

"alright alright," he said after being dragged a couple steps further.

he pryed himself from the stairs, rubbed his eyes , and adjusted his crooked glasses. he slowly climbed up the remaining stairs until he finally arrived at the landing on the next floor.

although it was richie's house, bev seemed to know her way around better than him in the state he was in. she yanked him by the collar of his sweater toward his room.

he followed her to the room as she climbed up onto the couch and unlatched the window leading out to the roof. she lifted the window with little effort and glanced over to richie who was leaning against the doorframe and watching intently.

"well are you just gonna stand there or are we gonna go smoke?" she asked him in jest.

"alright, shit i just damn near cracked my skull open trying to get up here. let's hope i don't go tumbling off the roof now," he said as he moved toward the window.

beverly climbed out carefully- stepping out with one leg, sweeping her head out after, and then pulling her other leg out onto the roof. richie tried to do the same, but not with such grace. he swayed from side-to-side as he tried to stand until he finally decided to sit down next to beverly at the tip of the roof.

bev pulled out her pack of marlboro reds, being careful not to drop them. she opened the pack and pulled a cigarette and her lighter out, stuffing the pack back into her pocket. she stuck the cigarette in her mouth and lit it.

richie only really smoked with beverly, and she was always much more suave about it than he was. she took a puff and then passed it to him. he plucked the cigarette from her fingers and took a short drag. he exhaled and passed it back to her, pausing for a short minute to take in the view.

"so how would you say the first official party at the tozier residence is going?" he asked her.

"swimmingly rich," she smiled," honest, i think you're doing a great job. your parents should really make you man of the house more often- as long as i can be woman of the house too."

"why of course," he responded," what would a man be without his 'wo' counterpart, and thank you. though if i'm being upfront i have no idea what i'm gonna do about the alcohol."

"i figured," she laughed," don't worry about it, i'll spot you."

"thank the lawd," richie said in a thick southern accent," oh what would i do without you marsh, my partner in crime."

they laughed and chatted until they were about two drags away from smoking filter. it was nearly ten o'clock now, and the moon was high in the sky, lighting up derry as if it were almost daylight.

"so, uh just wondering," richie started hesitantly,"how are you doing without bill around now."

"oh ya know, just about as good as everyone else," she said with a sigh," i'm just glad we still have the others though really. what about you rich?"

"same here," he said," still feels strange biking without him, always expect to hear that classic line."

"hi ho silver- away!" they both yelled, making them double over with laughter.

bev snuffed out the cigarette on the shingles next to her and took her pack back out. she stuck her lighter back in the pack and then stuck the pack back into her pocket. they had both sobered up a bit but still she worried about richie.

she stuck her hand out and he grabbed it, she pulled him back up onto his feet once again, and they both climbed back into his room. as beverly was shutting the window behind them a swarm of thuds came from the stairwell. the rest of the boys had all come upstairs looking for them: eddie, stan, mike, and then ben.

"the fuck are you guys doing," eddie asked, slightly slurring his words," it's been like an hour."

"it's been fifteen minutes spaghetti man, calm down," richie replied," did ya really miss me that much."

"oh shut the hell up man," eddie said, throwing himself onto richie's bed.

the rest of the losers flooded in- stan sitting on the couch, ben and mike sitting on the floor. richie sat next to stan on the couch and bev took her usual seat in richie's desk chair.

"so who's up for a game then?" bev inquired.