Every second of every day
Summary: Henry corners you after school one day and makes you doubt your importance to Richie.
A/N: sorry i haven’t posted in like the last two weeks, i’ve been mega busy. but i imagined richie as like 17-ish in this but its whatever. also sorry almost all of my fics have like the exact same plot, i’m just a slut for some angst. also the endings kind of shit but i couldn’t think of a single good ending so sorry :(
Warnings: bullying, physical abuse lowkey, insecurity, cussing
I felt excitement swell in my chest as the dismissal bell rang. I rushed to pack my bag and exited the room swiftly. As I began walking out of the school I felt someone grab onto my backpack, pulling me back. Suddenly, I was face to face with Henry Bowers. He began to drag me to the side of the building and I felt my heart begin to beat rapidly.
“Richie!” I called out, hoping him, or anyone, would help me. Henry let out a mixture between a scoff and a chuckle before pushing me against the brick wall.
“You think he’s gonna save you?” He questioned. “You’re nothing but a burden. All your little loser friends hang out with you because they pity you,” he spat. I shook my head softly as tears began to blur my vision. “Are you gonna fucking cry?” He grabbed a chunk of my hair and pulled on it, forcing me to look up at him. “You mean nothing to your pathetic little four-eyed boyfriend.”
For the next week I avoided everyone, especially Richie. The idea of facing them with Henry’s words constantly ringing in my ears was too much. Everyday I got home as fast as I could, avoiding them in the halls and pretending I wasn’t home when they knocked on the door. I spent all my time locked away in my room, and today was no different.
I let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. Being alone in my room was starting to feel suffocating. I needed to get out. So I decided to go to the Quarry.
Once I got there, I sat at the edge of the cliff, watching as my feet dangled above the water. I sat there, lost in my thoughts before someone sat down next to me. I looked over and saw the boy I was trying to stay away from, Richie.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, confused as to how he found me.
“I could ask you the same thing.” I didn’t respond, in fear that whatever conversation we had would only hurt me more. Although it seemed Richie didn’t pick up on that.
“I’ve barely seen you all week,” he stated, “Was staring to feel like you were avoiding me.” He tried to play it off as a joke but I could tell that he was being genuine.
I shrugged my shoulders, staring at the water below.
“Have you been avoiding me?” He asked, his tone a bit hurt. I stayed silent. “What’d I do?”
“You didn’t do anything,” I responded quickly, feeling guilty for making him blame himself.
“I’ve just wanted to be alone,” I tried to lie.
“Bullshit! You’ve never wanted to be alone for more than a couple days,” he replied. I silently cursed him for knowing me so well.
“It’s complicated,” I mumbled.
“That’s never stopped you before.” I let out a sigh, knowing he wasn’t going to give up.
“Henry cornered me after school on Monday,” I whispered.
“Holy shit! Are you okay? What happened?” He quickly placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me over for any injuries.
“I’m fine, he just talked to me,” I told him.
“What’d he say?” He asked softly, his hands slowly falling off my shoulders, one of them resting on my leg. I bit my lip, feeling anxious about confessing what I’d been upset about all week. As if he could sense it, he took his hand in mine, rubbing circles on the back of it with his thumb.
“He told me the Loser’s Club didn’t actually like me, but it’s whatever,” I mumbled.
“What?” Richie questioned, anger replacing the previously concerned expression he had. “Who does he think he is?”
“It’s not a big deal, Rich,” I whispered, feeling tears begin to build up in my eyes.
“Aw shit, doll,” he whispered, all traces of anger vanishing. “You know that isn’t true, right?”
I simply bit my lip and silently cursed myself as tears began to slip down my cheeks.
He said my name, trailing off softly. Before I knew it, a sob slipped through my lips.
“All week all I wanted to do was talk to you but I was so scared that Henry was right and you wanted nothing to do with me,” I got out between hiccups and sobs. I spared a glance at him to see him staring at me with the most devastated look I’ve ever seen.
“Listen to me, alright?” He questioned, placing his hands on my cheeks and searching my eyes for an answer. I nodded my head, sniffling. “I could never want nothing to do with you, sweetheart,” he whispered, “I mean, every day all day I want everything to do with you! I want to be with you all the time, doll. Henry is a sack of shit that knows nothing about how I feel about you.” I felt my chest swell with warmth at his kind words.
“You really mean that?” I asked softly.
“Of course I do,” he whispered, wiping my tears away with his thumbs. I suddenly realized how close I was to his face and couldn’t help but glance down at his lips. “Like what you see?” he teased, smirking at me cockily. I felt my cheeks heat up and rolled my eyes.
“You wish.” I felt myself slowly inching even closer to his face.
“Can I kiss you?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Please,” I whispered. He pressed his lips against mine, using his hands still placed on my face to pull me even closer to him. When I pulled away I smiled softly, breathing heavily.
He laid down on his back and I followed suit, laying next to him and basking in his presence. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before I spoke up.
"Do you really want to be with me all the time?”
“I want to be with you every second, of every day, sweetheart.” He stated.
“Well I’m not gonna stop you, Tozier.”
