IMPULSE {Richie Tozier}

15

Novocane rests her head on her owner's knee.

The summer fest is a dance that happens annually, and it's open to the whole town. Although, middle school through high school are usually the only ones that attend. The festival is mostly to promote good behavior amongst the youth of Derry.

It lasts from 7pm to 12am, and is normally held outside in a well lit and professionally decorated area.

After an hour of adjusting to the environment, the boy's timidly debate whether to ask the girls to dance or not. Everyone else is already doing it, slow dancing and having fun.

Before, the DJ was playing group songs. Songs they could all dance together, but now was slow dance time.

Stan nudges Eddie, whispering something to him. Eddie reluctantly sighs, turning to face Ivy. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Do you– uh– d-do you wanna dance?" He offers quietly.

Ivy grins.

"Yeah!"

She hands Ben Novocane's leash before tugging Eddie to the dance floor. Eddie stumbles behind her, smiling apologetically at Richie who is glaring.

Girls love to dance. That always remains true.

Richie watches as the two laugh and slow dance with each other, whispering who knows what. His jealousy tells him they're probably talking about what he's missing out on, but in reality they're really talking about how Janice has a stain on her dress.

(OKAY BUT ADMIT THAT IVY AND EDDIE'S BROTP IS FUCKING EVERYTHING)

"What's wrong, Richie?" Stan asks with an amused grin. Richie jumps a little, crossing his arms over his chest. "What? Me? What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with me. I'm simply admiring the beautiful outline of Janice Baylor's boobs." He smirks, using his fingers to draw their "outline" in the air around them.

"Boobs? What boobs? She's flatter than a board!" Stan exclaims, laughing. Richie rolls his eyes in response. "It's not about size, Stanley. It's about texture. And I bet they're nice and smooth—"

"Whatever, Richie. Just admit that you're jealous of Eddie!" Stan hums.

"Jealous?! Of Eddie Kaspbrak?! With the fat mom who can barely stand on her own?!" He gasps, holding his heart in fake surprise.

Stan rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you're jealous that he came here with Ivy."

Richie stares dumbfounded at him.

"She's weird, she's contagious, and I wouldn't date her, EVER." He swears, holding his hands up defensively.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Are you deaf?"

Before Stan has a chance to retaliate, the song ends and Eddie and Ivy are coming back to the table in a fit of giggles.

"Eddie Kaspbrak, I had no idea you knew how to dance!" Ivy exclaims with a grin.

Eddie smiles widely, "yeah, my mom use to—"

"Pffft. Any guy knows how to dance!" Richie cuts in, "Eddie just happens to have his fat mom teach him! I bet I could do way better. " Ivy raises her eyebrows, and Eddie huffs. "Well, then, why don't you dance with me?"

Richie's eyes widen.

"Well– uh, I.....I will!" He finally states, silently cursing himself. "When they play another slow song–"

A Song For You, begins to play, cutting the boy off.

Richie swallows as Ivy smirks and holds her hand out. "Dance with me?"

Nervously, he pushes up his glasses and takes her hand. His hand feels perfect in hers. It fits perfectly, and he never wants to let go. When they get to a spot on the dance floor though, he's forced to.

His hands slide to her waist, and her arms wrap around his neck.

At first, he's tense, thinking way too far into every step he takes. Eventually though, he hears her humming along to the song, and finds himself paying closer attention to that then his movements. Her voice is pretty and soft, making his mind drift back to the first time he heard her sing. In the woods.

"I've treated you unkindly, but darling can't you see...there's no one more important to me. Darling, can't you please see through me? Cause we're alone now and I'm singing this song to you..."

The lyrics remind him of his current situation. He really hopes she can see through all his negative words.

Then, he realizes something:

He's falling in love with Ivy Lee Okonma. And it scares him.

His eyes widen at the thought, and he can hear his heart beat louder. His breathing picks up a little at her touch. Suddenly, he realizes how close they are. The world around them seems to disappear, and it's just the two of them. The two of them slow dancing.

"...and when my life is over, remember when we were together. We were alone and I was singing this song for you..."

The smooth saxophone solo gives him an opportunity to spin her, and his heart thumps even louder when she grins. His eyes keep drifting down to her lips. He wants so badly to kiss her. How could he be stupid before? How could he not see her right there in front of him?

".....We were alone and I was singing this song for you.."

As the song ends, Ivy pulls away a little. The world around them comes back.

"I guess you weren't that bad." She jokes.

Richie smiles.

"Wow, sarcasm, that's original."

As the two come back, Ben hands Ivy Novocane's leash. Novocane happily chirps up and sits by her owner once again. Richie sits by Ivy too. The losers go back to talking, deciding to take a break from dancing.

After all, earlier, they had attempted to dance the electric slide. Which ended terribly.

Richie feels a pair of eyes on him, and turns his head to see Stan smirking. He groans and throws his head back, knowing he'd have to admit he was wrong later on.

He definitely is falling in love with Ivy. Stan was right.