streetlamps | richie tozier

chapter three

Lunch with the "Losers" was fun. I was the only girl of the group. Richie told me there was a girl but she had left Derry over the summer to stay with her aunt. He told me that she had issues with her dad.

There were five boys, Bill, who seemed to be the leader of some sort. He had a bit of a stutter. He was tall and good looking; the stutter seemed to humble him a little bit. Bill's brother had been killed by Derry's serial killer almost a year ago. I remember seeing a poster for little George.

There was Stan, who, of course, I had already met in Home Ec. Stan was a really neat guy. He liked bird watching. I didn't ask about the scars.

Then there's Eddie. He was the smallest of the group. There was an aspirator sitting on the table beside his lunch. I asked about it and he told me that it was bullshit. He didn't actually need it but kept it anyway. Apparently his mom is super over-protective. Which I can understand.

I had sat next to Ben. He was chubby, no doubt. But he was overwhelmingly sweet to me. I'm not really an easy person to make friends with but he was someone I took an immediate liking to right away. His lunch was huge, but he'd also told me he was trying to cut down. He offered me a homemade whoopi-pie. I politely declined.

There was another member I was told about. Mike. He was described as a nice kid. He was also homeschooled and spent most of his time doing chores on his parents farm.

And lastly, there was Richie. His friends called him Trashmouth. Well, actually, the whole school does. I don't remember how long he's had this nickname. Probably since grade five. He made a lot of jokes about sex. Some came out smooth, as most of the jokes from Richie do. But several of them were rushed and awkward. But a few of them were directed at me, which made me blush. I pulled locks of my auburn hair to try and cover my flushed cheeks.

I'm sitting on my bed at home, waiting for the gang to pick me up. We were heading to the local diner, grabbing some food (milkshakes are 20% off for students after 4 pm) and then going down to the Barrens. I've never been to the Barrens. My mom always told me it wasn't safe. But I was excited to go with my new friends. They did cool things, I spent most of my time at home.  I walk down out of my room and onto the front porch. There's a pack of my fathers cigarettes on the chair next to the door and a lighter. I take the opportunity of both my parents still being at work and light one.

The losers ride past me on their bikes a minute or two later, they all slow down but keep moving. Richie stops and I climb on to the back of his bike. "You smoke?" he asks.

I crush the cigarette under my shoe on the road. "Shut up." And we take off.

"W-w-what do y-you guys want?" asks Bill from the counter of the diner.

"We're getting fries, five small milkshakes and five sandwiches." replies Eddie. We're all waiting in a booth. Crammed in. I'm basically sitting on Eddies lap. I try to make myself as small as possible. Richie is on my right. His hair brushes my face and as I push the strands away his eyes turn to meet mine. The contact holds long enough for the rest of the table to notice there's something between us.

"Sorry, sweet cheeks." says Richie, blushing hard. He's broken an awkward, booth-wide silence.

"Watch it Tozier." I say back.

"He's got a thing for you." says Eddie after he pulled me aside from the group. We've been at the Barrens for nearly an hour. Playing in the creek.

"What are you talking about?" If I had time to think about what I was going to say I would've played it cool. But Eddies words catch me off guard and my voice sounds sharp and quick. I try and ease my way back into nonchalance.

"He does. Trust me. I've seen him with other girls. He's kind of an ass to them. He says," Eddie pauses awkwardly, "sexual things to them." Sounds like Richie to me. I've seen him around other girls at school too.

"Yeah, so?"

Eddie sighs. "He's flustered with you. He's never like that. I'm telling you, Spencer, he likes you."

I think back to the Diner booth. Sweet Cheeks.

"What are you two chatting about?" asks Stan, walking over from the creek.

"Eddies trying to convince me Richie likes me." I sigh. I want to believe it but I also don't want the rest of the group thinking I like Richie. I've always been like this. Even though I don't want the guys thinking I like him, I'm trying to ask myself; do I like Richie?

"No doubt about it." says Stan. "He's into you."

"See?" says Eddie. Following this, Richie and Ben come over. Before Richie, or Ben, can say anything, Eddie and Stan and I depart.