Therapy - Reddie

II. Monster

-Richie's POV-

—

I sat on my bed shaking my head in disbelief once I got off the phone. My conversation with Eddie had left me overwhelmed with mixed emotions. I was happy to hear that his first night back home wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. It made me feel a little better about him leaving. I'll admit, the idea of being apart from him seemed so foreign to me. We're the closest we'd ever been, which is why I was taken aback when Eddie had told me that his mom believed I was the one who had been causing him physical harm. I knew that she had always thought poorly of me because of my not-so-good reputation, but I wasn't an absolute monster.

I was torn from my thoughts when I heard my parents arguing in the next room. They would fight often, usually because my dad would come home late from work and my mother would always pester him about where he'd been. He'd cheated on her once before with his receptionist, and ever since then she's been paranoid that he'd leave her for another woman. I assumed they were fighting for the same reasons, until I overheard my father ask if she had been drinking again.

"Well, have you?" She didn't respond, and instead began to sob violently. My dad was right. Obviously dissatisfied, he stomped down the hallway and past my room as she followed behind him, pulling at his shirt and begging for his forgiveness.

"P-Please, Walt, I'm so sorry!" She cried. He stood in the hallway with his back turned to her, refusing to look her in the eye. She started drinking once she found out that my dad had been having an affair, but she had remained sober over the past few months.

"Sorry doesn't cut it anymore, Maggie!" He screamed, turning to face her. "You threw away everything we've worked for in the last 4 months, all because you couldn't put down the damn bottle!" He had every right to be angry. Since she stopped drinking, everything had been going well for us. But instead of being happy with the way things were, she decided to throw it all away for a few lousy drinks.

She continued to sob hysterically. "Please," she begged, "Give me another chance." Furious, he grabbed her by her collar and shoved her against the wall. My heart began to race as I rose to my feet and watched as he cornered her, his larger frame towering over hers.

"You don't get another chance!" He tightened his hold around her neck, choking her.

"Get away from her!" I shrieked, climbing on his shoulders while trying to free her from his grip. He fell back, crushing me between the wall and his torso. I fell to the floor as he whipped around and picked me up by my shirt. I felt tears roll down my cheeks, fearing what he'd do next. "Let me go, asshole!"

"You," he growled, "This is your fault! If you had just stayed out of trouble with that big mouth of yours..." He raised his right fist and struck me across the face. My vision became blurry as I felt excruciating pain pulsate throughout my skull. For a few minutes, everything went fuzzy. All I remember was my mom screeching as my father retrieved his keys and stormed out of the house. My mom rushed to my aid, wiping the tears that continued to fall from my eyes as my head throbbed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "This is all my fault... I'm so sorry." I smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her breath. She helped me to my feet and held me tight, kissing my forehead gently. I freed myself from her embrace and ran to my room, shutting and locking the door behind me. Once alone, I fell onto my bed and out came the water works.

I laid in bed for a while, replaying the scene in my head over and over again. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear. I could hear my mother crying in the living room. I wouldn't doubt if she had poured herself another drink or two. I wondered if I was really to blame for her drinking. I mean, I did get myself into trouble a lot, all because I could never keep my mouth shut. My friends hated me because of it, too. Maybe everyone was right. Maybe I am a monster.

—

The next morning...

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock chiming in my ear. I reached around to press the snooze button and sat up in bed, feeling an intense pounding in my head. I stretched my legs and stood up to use the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I rinsed my face and looked into the mirror to see the bruise that had formed around my eye and along my cheek. Both of my eyes were swollen, probably from all the crying I did last night. "Shit," I mumbled to myself, thinking about what I would have to tell my friends when they asked what had happened. I decided to deal with it later and continued to get ready for school.

Once I was dressed, I headed towards the front door and saw my dad sitting at the kitchen table, looking through patient files and sipping his morning coffee. I kept my head down as I slipped by him. He didn't look up or say a word to me as I walked out the door.

I pulled my bike around and walked down my driveway, looking across the street to see Eddie's bike parked in front of his house. Usually we'd ride to school together, but I decided to leave without him to avoid being questioned about the marks on my face. Alone, I rode down the streets of my neighborhood towards town. I was only a block or two away from school when I heard a car roll up behind me.

"Hey asswipe! Where do you think you're going?" I turned back to see Henry Bowers and his minions hanging out of the car's windows. Nobody had seen him since the night in the sewers. After Mike had pushed him down the well, we all assumed he was dead.

"You're still alive?" I said, surprised to see him after all this time.

"You think you'd be ever be able to get rid of me, dirtbag? Not a chance." He hissed, poking his head out through the sunroof. "Normally, I'd get out and pound your face in, but it looks like someone already beat me to it." They three of them started laughing as I readjusted my glasses, wincing as my fingers brushed over my left eye.

"What can I say, your mom likes it rough." His smug expression turned sour.

"Talk all you want, trashmouth. Don't worry, I'll get you for that later." He dropped down into the drivers seat and sped away, nearly running me over. I sighed in relief, feeling lucky that I managed to survive another encounter with Bowers. I continued pedaling alongside the road until I rolled up to school.

I chained up my bike and walked towards the main entrance. I climbed the stairs and took a deep breath before heading inside as I made my way to the office to pick up my schedule. I waited in line for a few minutes before I spotted Bill, Eddie, and Stan. I would've called them over, but I didn't want to draw any attention to myself. Instead, I stood waiting quietly with my head down, praying they wouldn't notice me. When I finally reached the window, Mrs. Reyes, the vice principal, asked for my name.

"Richie Tozier," I said, probably a little too loud. She flipped through the schedules until she finally found mine and handed it to me, smiling. "Thanks," I muttered, making my way towards the exit. I almost got away unnoticed until Stan caught sight of me.

"Richie, over here!" He called, waving like a maniac. Fuck my life. I wanted to pretend I didn't hear him and walk away, but I figured I couldn't avoid them forever. I turned to walk towards them, watching as their expressions changed once they saw the bruising on my face.

I forced a smile, pretending not to notice their reactions. "Hey, guys..."

-

Thank you guys for being so patient with me. I've been pretty busy the past few days with work and stuff, but I'll be updating more frequently as the days go by. I know this chapter differs a lot from the other one I wrote, but it will make more sense as the story continues. 

Thank you so much to anyone who's been reading.

Love,

Em