✓ | LOSERS CLUB → richie tozier ¹

twenty

"I'VE ALREADY explained to you all a million times!" Richie said exasperatedly into the phone. "Ash and I don't want to waste our time going to that stupid dance!"

"Fuck it, Richie, you know she wants to go."

Richie blinked. "Actually, I know she doesn't! She thinks that they're lame and stupid—"

"Are you sure that's not just you?" Stan asked.

"I– you– that's not the point!" Richie pressed. "The point is that why would we want to celebrate school starting back? That's fucking stupid!"

"We'll pick you up in 30 minutes, Richie. Be ready. Tell your girlfriend I said hi."

"MY GIRLFRIEND IS NONE OF YOUR—"

But then there was a click and the line cut off. Stan had hung up.

"Fucking asshole!" Richie fumed, slamming down the phone.

"Was that Stan the Man?"

He looked up.

Ash had entered the room, leaning against the doorway.

Richie sighed. "He wants me to take you to the stupid dance."

She wrinkled her nose. "The one celebrating school starting back?"

He nodded, and she made a retching noise. "Why the fuck would we want to go to that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Beats me. All the Losers are going though, and he's coming to pick us up in like, 30 minutes. And they're not gonna take no for an answer. I told him he can't tell me what my girlfriend wants and doesn't want to do but he wouldn't listen!"

"Girlfriend?"

Richie paused and felt his face go red. "I– that wasn't–"

She grinned. "So we're official? No beating around the bush?"

He smiled sheepishly. "If you want."

Ash walked towards him, slipping her hand into his. "I do."

"Yes! Bragging rights!" He crowed. "Everyone is gonna know I am now doing Ashley Brenner—"

He stopped abruptly as she raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Dating! I meant dating not doing, don't know how that slipped out." Richie said quickly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If I get even the slightest impression from anyone at school when we start back that I am 'Richie Tozier's Slut' we are through. Clear?"

He nodded. "Crystal."

She gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Good. Now go put on a suit or something. And for God's sake, make it coordinate for once. Meet you back here in 20 minutes."

She turned and left the kitchen, and he called, "You're evil, beautiful!"

"You love me, Tozier!"

He shook his head, and then he too left the kitchen.

~

"I can't believe we biked to this thing." Ash said, stumbling off her's and leaning it up on the bike rack.

"How could w-we not?" Bill asked. "We biked ev-everywhere for the whole s-summer!"

Eddie snorted. "What, you thought our parents were gonna get in their cars, toot their horns and say, 'Time to go pick up our precious angels and bring them to their first high school dance!' Dream on, princess."