ugly // richie tozier

t e n

slothrust - 7:30 am

//

i watched stan and casey interact without an air of awkwardness for ten minutes. they had things in common, they had inside jokes, they had chemistry. i wasn't too cut by the discovery of casey's secret courtship, i was disappointed. every now and then i'd be distracted by eddie singing along to whatever song was playing, rubbing his nipples and swaying his hips to the beat. richie was watching a group of jocks play various drinking games, no doubt thinking of ways he could make fun of them.

"remember that time when you cut your hair and glued it to your chin so people would think you were masculine?" casey asked stan, leaning on the wall and playing with her blonde hair. i noticed that she'd stopped speaking in third person whenever cindy or cheyenne were missing. maybe she was just as bad as me, posing in a crowd that i never would belong in. stan laughed and fired back a witty remark about socks and training bras. i slowly faded out of the conversation and refilled my cup for the third time. richie tapped my shoulder. i looked up at him with eyes filled to the brim with hatred.

"you should probably slow down." he pointed to the red cup in my hands and i brought it closer to my body protectively.

"you should probably stop forcing yourself into other people's business." i chugged the cup, scrunched up it's hollow corpse and threw it in his face.

"for someone who has issues with letting people in, you sure as hell didn't struggle letting that alcohol into your stomach." he grabbed a drink and chugged, matching my speed from before. i crossed my arms and looked back at casey and stan, who were flirting with each other easily. she was tracing up and down his bicep, telling him a story about cindy. i stepped closer to richie and mimicked her actions. he furrowed his eyebrows and eventually started laughing. "what the fuck are you doing to my arm?" i pouted and stopped.

"casey is doing it to stan." i said bluntly, gesturing over to the pair.

"but casey is trying to hop onto his dick. if you missed the message, we hate each other." richie was reminding me of things i'd rather forget, so i wandered away from him. bill was leaned up against the wall near the stairs with an angry look on his face.

"what's up, buttercup." i popped the p and joined him on the wall.

"richard green's cock." bill was furious about something, obviously. so, my drunken self took liberty in prying in his business.

"richard green's cock who?" i had forgotten the first part of the question and assumed that i had started a knock knock joke. bill was amused, showing his pearly, symmetrical teeth.

"i took your advice and searched the bedrooms, only to find a lump under the duvet. i had assumed it was cindy, all naked and turned on, but she wasn't alone?" i threw my hands over my mouth in shock, although i wasn't took shocked. i thought it would make bill feel better, if i reacted in awe and anger.

"how could she?!" i shouted, catching the attention of a handful of party-goers. bill shushed me, placing a finger over my lips. his finger outlined my features while i wondered if he was drunk or completely sober.

"you don't get enough credit. everyone spotlights the cretins you hang around, but you're the real star of the show. i'm jealous of the guy who gets to take you home." his voice was quiet next to the blaring playlist, so i leaned in closer to hear what he was saying. he mistook my hard-hearingness for lust, and layed a passionate kiss on the lips he was tracing seconds ago. it was an honest accident, but the part where i kissed back wasn't. making out with bill was messy and very wet. it also helped me lose track of time and where i was. minutes felt like seconds and before i knew it, i was on a bed with him upstairs. he whispered sweet nothings as he laid soggy kisses on my neck and face. luckily for me, bill was respectful and had boundaries.