Lisp • Richie Tozier (1)

16 • Ending

September

"Swear it. Swear that if it isn't dead, if it ever comes back... we'll all come back too." Bill said, grabbing a shattered piece of a coke bottle.

And so we all stood and waited as he came and cut a slice in our skin. Bev hardly flinched, but the rest of us groaned in pain.

We joined hands with each other. Richie on my left, Bill on my right.

For once, we we're okay. Not happy— okay. Not normal kids in the summertime— just okay.

For a while, we stood there, hand in hand. I don't why, but I finally felt it. Right then and there. I was with them, not just someone who followed them around everywhere.

I was a loser, nothing else.

We dropped hands. "I gotta go. I hate you." Stan said. We all laughed and watched him walk off. Then, went Eddie. "Bye Eddie." Mike was next. "We'll see you around."

Richie and I left next.

I've never known what it's like to be so in love with someone that you go everywhere with them, yet, that boy, he made feel different.

What I didn't know at the time, was that I made him feel the exact same way.

"Julie! Julie, wait!" I turned around and saw Richie running after me. "I just wanted to say—"

I cut him off by kissing him on the lips. I swear he almost passed out. "I love you too."

He smiled bigger than I'd ever seen him smile. "I just wanted to say that I hope you're in some of my classes next year. But you know what? I love you too." He didn't even give me time to be embarrassed because he kissed me back.

It was the best kiss ever and I'll never forget it.

"Eww." I heard Beverly's voice. She had been standing behind us the whole time. She was laughing. "Oh don't act like you and Bill weren't doing that after we all left." Richie said. We laughed and Beverly turned red. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, but she was smiling.

We were all smiling. It was like we were kids, finally... we could just be kids.