✓ | LOSERS CLUB → richie tozier ¹

seven

ASH WALKED into the kitchen to grab a drink, remembering just in time the unlit cigarette in her hand and jammed it into her pocket before her mom saw it and had a seizure.

"Ashley?" She heard her mom call, and she said, "In the kitchen, Mom."

Her mom stepped into the kitchen, a bathrobe on, and her hair greasy.

Ash sighed. "Mom, what did you even do today?"

Her mom blinked slowly. "What do you mean?"

Ash opened her mouth to answer, and then shook her head. "Never mind. What's wrong?"

Her mom shuffled forward and sat at the dining room table, interlacing her fingers. "Ashley, honey, I'm worried about you."

Ash pressed her lips together, recognizing the "helpful" tone her mom was putting on, and memories flashed in her mind, clouding her vision.

"I'm fine." She said flatly, reaching for the cupboard and getting a glass, turning to open the fridge.

"Ashley, Ted Wilson says he's seen you hanging out with a group of. . .strange kids lately."

Ash halted with the glass in her hand, slowly turning to face her mom. "They're just friends. What's wrong with hanging out with friends?"

Don't do it. She thought furiously. Don't do it, don't you fucking dare-

"He also says he's seen the Tozier boy in that little group of yours."

Ashley clenched the glass with her fingers, the glass sliding underneath the skin of them. "So?"

Her mother's nostrils flared. "So? Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady, you know exactly what I mean. Always getting into trouble, always getting into fights, always running his mouth, and I would bet anything he's the little bastard that set that fire in Abigails's house, just days after she disappeared!"

Ash tried to keep her voice steady. "Mom. Richie didn't-"

Her mother barreled on. "Oh, so you call him Richie now? I've heard the stories about him, and he is no good! I will not have my daughter hanging around with that-that little trashmouth."

And that was what did it.

Trashmouth was a name that Richie hated more than anything. He was constantly reminded of what he was, and he had grown to hate the name so much no one dared even tease him with it because there was no telling what Richie would do. Because when he got mad, you wanted to be anywhere else in the world than where he was.

"SHUT UP!" Ash exploded. "SHUT UP! Richie is not a trashmouth! He's one of the bravest people I know, and if he hadn't come along the other day, I would probably have bled to death by Henry Bowers. Don't you dare act like you know him, and don't you dare try to pin Abby's death on him. That wasn't his fault. So shut up."

Her mother sat frozen, and then said in a very dangerous voice, "Go upstairs."

"No."

Ash had no idea where this was coming from. Was she crazy?

Her mother shoved back her chair, her face white. "Upstairs, Ashley Brenner."

Ash turned on her heel and opened one of the cabinets where she had stuffed pajamas the other day, being too lazy to bring them upstairs.

She faced her mother. "I said no. I don't want to hide the bruises up and down my arms from my friends. I don't want to make up excuses of why I can't go to school to the teachers. I am done letting you control me."

She turned on her heel and stormed towards the front door, but before she could twist the knob her mother grabbed onto her arm, her nails digging into the skin.

"If you go out that door, you will have a world of more pain waiting when you get back."

Ash wrenched her arm from her mother's grasp and snapped, "Who said I was coming back?"

She flung open the door and slammed it behind her, flew down the front steps of her porch and ran down the sidewalk, her feet pounding on the cement, her hair swinging as all the anger and hatred she had felt for her mother coursed through her veins.

Finally making it to where she had wanted to go, she was wheezing tiredly as she climbed the owner's porch steps, knocking on the door.

There were no cars in the driveway, and she feared for a moment that they were out before a click came from the door and a familiar face appeared as it opened.

"Ash? What are you doing here?"

"Can I stay here? Just for tonight? I'll find somewhere else to go tomorrow, I promise, but I-I have to stay here tonight. I can't go back home."

She wiped her face on her sleeve, and Richie Tozier opened the door wider, looking into her eyes.

"Of course, beautiful. What's going on?"

His forehead was wrinkled as she stepped into his house, and she took a shaky breath. "Lots."

About 30 minutes later, they were seated on the couch, his knee brushing hers, as she finished telling him everything.

"I never told anyone. How could I? She was controlling my life." Ash said hopelessly. "She made me think for a long time it was my fault that Abby died. And then when she stopped thinking it was me, she started blaming you."

She shook her head. "I never believed her for a second, because while you might get into trouble, you would never do that. Ever. And I finally told it to her straight tonight. I can't go back there. I don't want to see her face. Or anything."

Richie was silent, and Ash bit her lip, looking at him.

"Rich? A-are you okay?"

A faint smile appeared on his face, and he looked up at her. "It's funny. I never thought I would meet someone with the exact same problem as me."

He slowly lifted up his shirt and revealed bruises, all up his ribs, and Ash's eyes went wide.

"But- your mom- she seemed-"

His laugh was harsh. "Nice? Oh yeah, she seems nice. And then when all my friends are gone and there's no one to impress or put on a show for, she shows her true colors. I can't do anything either."

They were silent for a second, Ash processing this information that Richie Tozier was as broken as her.

"Let's keep this between us." She said finally, and he nodded.

"Great plan. Maybe next we'll find out we're secretly long-lost twins."

Ash laughed, and so did he, but she could have sworn she had heard him say whisper, "But then, I wouldn't get you."

She brushed it aside; she needed to stop imagining things, Jesus.

She had began to explain to him what she usually did in the summer after he had guessed all her daily activites wrong, when they were interrupted by the ring of the telephone.

He glanced up, and said, "Be right back."

She heard him get the phone, and then heard him saying, "What? She didn't say what happened? Okay, we'll be there. Tomorrow."

He came back into the room, a puzzled expression on his face.

"That was Bill. He said Bev wants us over at her apartment tomorrow as soon as possible."

Ash's eyebrows drew together. "What for?"

Richie shrugged. "No fucking idea. But it probably involves another thing to show us up, like at the Quarry."

Ash shook her head at him, and he grinned as he flopped down beside her, a feeling of pure happiness settling in his chest; because even the darkest of parts of the world seemed better with her sitting beside him.

YAY! UPDATE!!!! hopefully i'll update tomorrow or saturday too, i'm so excited!! things are getting real! vote and comment some lovely things for me, i love you!!

ps. stay away from the sewers kids