✓ | LOSERS CLUB → richie tozier ¹

two

ASH WALKED home, a silly little grin on her face.

Hanging out with the Losers was surprisingly. . .fun. She hadn't thought so when Eddie had invited her for ice cream, but after singing along with them to Sweet Caroline at the jukebox (Richie had sworn he hadn't picked it but he was the one who had stayed there for almost ten minutes trying to choose the song and Ash had spotted him mouthing the lyrics under his breath when he thought no one was looking), and eating ice cream with them.

After it, she had tried to pay for her food but Eddie had stopped her, saying, "Uh, nope. You've already been treated like shit today, no need for you to have to pay for your own food too. It's on me."

She had protested, but he hadn't wanted to hear a word about it, handing the waitress a ten when she came around and had nodded towards her. "I'm paying for hers too."

Richie, for some reason, after that little episode hadn't spoken to Eddie the rest of the time.

When they had walked out, Eddie had stopped her and looked over at Bill, Stanley, and Richie.

"If you wanna hang out with us again, that's okay. I mean, it's pretty cool talking you."

The smile he had shot Ash was crooked, and she remembered blushing and biting her lip before nodding and saying, "Yeah, that would be great."

Now, she was walking home, humming Sweet Caroline under her breath. She glanced around her street, and then stopped in her tracks.

Had someone just disappeared into the bushes?

She squinted, and then slowly took a step forward.

Almost instantly, someone rolled out of the bushes, and she said cautiously, "Uh, hi? What are-"

A gasp escaped her mouth and she stumbled backwards.

It was Richie.

He was being held by another person, his face bloody and bruised, and his glasses nowhere to be seen.

"Ash-" He choked out, and the person holding him hit him again and he slumped forward, more blood pouring from his nose.

"Richie!" Ash said, taking off in a run towards him; the person saw her coming and dragging Richie with him, disappeared into the bushes again.

Ash reached the spot seconds after they had disappeared and dove into them, coming out in a yard, trees growing on either side of them.

She landed in the grass, breathing hard, and then slowly got to her feet.

"R-Richie?" She asked, the image of him bruised and bloody still burned into her brain.

Stan had said he had gotten hit by Henry Bowers because he had been sticking up for her; what if the same thing had happened again?

She looked wildly around and then she almost stopped breathing, letting out a shrill scream.

Because standing in front of her, smiling menacingly, was a clown.

"Heya, Ashes. That's what all the kids call you, huh?" His voice was hoarse and he was holding a red balloon in his hands.

"Lookin' for Richie? He's not here. But don't worry. You'll float too. We all float down here."

Ash felt a squeak come from her mouth as she turned and bolted for the bush she had come through, her heart racing, her palms sweaty.

She felt tears stinging her eyes and she tripped trying to get to the bush, seeing the clown come closer and closer and then she felt a hand close around her ankle.