american teen (reddie)

Ch. 8

The bright ball of light pushed against dusk, creating morning once more. Bright rays of sun shone through the white curtains of Richie Tozier's room, rousing him out of bed.

He threw off his comforter, feeling the cool air hit against his bare legs, causing goosebumps to erupt onto his pale skin.

As Richie began to get dressed into his denim jeans, the thought of band practice crossed his mind, carelessly throwing aside the pants and grabbing a pair of black sweats. Since it was nearing the end of august, it was getting cooler. A blue nike sweatshirt lay neatly on his dresser, throwing it on before rushing down the stairs.
 
  His sick clad feet pounded against the stairs as he ran down into the kitchen, woolen socks hitting tile floor.

Black coffee spewed from the coffee machine that sat on the black granite counter top of the kitchen, falling into Richies red mug. Next to the Keurig stood Richies younger sister, who began eighth grade this year. It was rare to see her here since she always stayed at her friends, or left early in general.

"Hey, Will", Richie greeted her, taking his mug from the machine.

"Rich, you know I don't like that name", she told him, raising her eyebrows at her older brother. "It's Willow"

He laughed, going over to ruffle up her light brown curls. She took more of her mother's features- lighter hair, lighter eyes, but still takes after their fathers curls.

She laughed at his antics, pushing him off and combing her hair with her nimble fingers.

"You want a cup?", Richie motioned to the coffee pot on the counter.

"Nah, I already had some", she said with a smile, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Richie narrowed his eyes. "...how much?"

She was about to answer, then scrunched her eyebrows in thought, counting the ounces in her head. "Well, there were like, 4 or 5 cups", she mumbled, mostly to herself. "So like- um, 32 ounces?", she told Richie, looking up at him. They were only about a year apart, but the eight inch height difference got to them.

"Willow!", Richie screeched, snatching her mug away and tossing it into the sink. It clonked loudly against a few plates, but nothing chipped or cracked.

"Listen, I gotta go meet up with my friends now. I'll see you after school?"

Richie sighed. "I don't know, will. I got band after school"

"Oh", she said, her eyes dropping slightly. "Well, I'm gonna talk to ya later. Love you", she told her older brother, wrapping her long arms around his torso.

Richie planted a kiss onto the top of her head, hugging her back tightly. "Love you, too. Be back no later than 8 to eat and get ready for bed". Their parents were on a business trip, so he had to take charge.

She saluted him, a playful, crooked smile gracing her features. "Ay ay, captain"

Richie laughed lightly watching her bounce out the door and bound down the steps. He loved his sister to death, they're the bestest of friends, but they barely see each other any more even though they live under the same roof.

He got back to his coffee, the steam from the cup billowed into the air like a chimney, steaming up the glasses he has yet to take off and switch to contacts.

The bitter black liquid slid down richies throat, the caffeine boosting his groggy mood. What was left of the coffee was downed by the teen, bounding back up the steps when it was finished to quickly brush his teeth with the scarce amount of time was left on his time schedule.