The Days That Passed
________________________
1 week later
_________

A week later, and nobody had seen Richie at all since they all were told the news. Of course, the rest of the Losers were worried about the Tozier boy, especially after what had happened to their good friend so recently. Beverly had been called and told the news, and had come down for Stanley's funeral that was set for another week. Bill had also returned for the funeral, as he and his parents moved away a year ago. He'd be living with Ben for the time being, while Beverly holed up in a hotel room.

Eddie and his mother had moved away not too long after that summer in 1989 had happened, and the smaller boy had to all but run away just to return to Derry. Of course, he returned in the hopes of staying with Richie, but nonetheless ended up sharing Beverly's hotel room due to said Tozier boy avoiding everyone.

Richie had bundled himself up at home, ignoring the world and trying to rid the memory of his friend in such a state from his mind, unsuccessfully. He ignored his usually drunken mother, and his father whenever he came home from — or was leaving for — work.

He couldn't face anyone. Not after what he had seen. Not this soon. Under different circumstances, Richie would have been more than glad to see everyone. But... Not these circumstances.

He just wanted to be away from the world.

He didn't feel brave enough to go to his best friends funeral. He hadn't eaten much the past week, and anything he did eat came right back up the moment the image of Stanley snaked it's way back into his mind.

So, by the time Stanley Uris' funeral came around, everyone dressed up in their funeral attire, and attended the funeral.

Except Richie.

He just couldn't bring himself to go. He'd dressed in his outfit for the funeral, stood by the front door, but couldn't get himself to leave.

Maybe if he didn't go, and pretended Stanley was still alive, then everything would be alright. He'd still be alive.

Everyone else, without the knowledge that Richie had seen Stanley only moments after he died, just thought Richie was being rude and thought he was too good to attend their friends funeral. It was only after a week had passed since the funeral that Richie had managed to persuade himself to leave his house, and see Stanley's grave.

It was raining, and he was wearing his nicest clothes. The ones he would have worn at Stanley's funeral. He stayed by the gravestone for hours, reliving childhood memories he shared with Stanley. Hell, he even cried for a while, and occasionally would break out into more tears.

By the time darkness started to fall that first day, Richie's outfit was soaked with rain and tears, and he was stumbling home to get some rest. That night, when Maggie Tozier was passed out drunk on the couch, Richie snuck into her stash of alcohol, and stole some.

The next day, the process repeated.

And the next.

Two weeks had passed, Richie assumed that the rest of the Losers had left town again already, as he hadn't crossed paths with any of them the last few weeks. He was returning to Stanley's grave, as he did every day for the last two weeks.

Today it wasn't raining.
Richie wasn't dressed in his nice clothes, as they had been torn from a tumble the teen had taken the previous day, which also caused him to have bandages wrapped tightly around his left arm. He figured, to onlookers it probably looked like he had some self inflicted wounds on his arm covered by the bandages. He just laughing in his own mind about how he probably would have done it himself if the fall hadn't.

Still, he made his way towards Stanley's grave, and only stopped in his tracks when he heard a familiar stutter.

"R-R-Richie? What are y-you doing he-here?"

The dark haired boy turned slowly to look in the direction of the voice, letting his blue eyes that had lost almost all the light in them — and had now formed dark circles under them — come level with the taller male who had only seconds before walked past him.

"...Bill? Uh- hey, I'm just... Going home. I uh- was just taking a shortcut..."

Technically he wasn't lying, he would be going home after a quick pit-stop, Richie figured what he said would be easily believed, since there was a shortcut to his house through the graveyard.

Bill didn't look so sure, though, and instead raised an eyebrow, proceeding to ask more questions.

"R-really? B-because if I r-remember c-correctly, y-you ha-hate going home, and S-S-Stanley's g-grave is right over th-there."

To go with his words, Bill pointed in the direction of Stanley's grave, which was now only a few feet away.  Richie stayed silent, as he realised he was caught in his lie.

Of course Bill remembered how Richie hated being at home when his mother was drinking, which was almost always, and if their friends grave was only a few feet away, and Richie was walking towards it, it was obvious where he was going.

With a sigh, he finally replied, "fine. I wasn't going home. I was- visiting Stan."

A look of triumph crossed Bill's features, before his eyes travelled to Richie's bandaged up arm, and curiously asked, "what ha-happened to your arm? Y-yuh-you didn't...?"

The Tozier male's eyes travelled to said arm, before he shrugged slightly, and muttered, "had a bit of a fall yesterday. It looks worse without the bandages. But I didn't do it myself, no." Although I thought about doing it a lot.

The two boys continued their conversation for a while, before they moved to Stanley's grave and paid their friend respects, during which Richie cried as per usual, before Bill suggested they go meet up with the rest of the Losers, since he was planning on going anyway and Richie didn't seem like he didn't show up to Stanley's funeral out of not caring. He didn't show up because he was the most broken up over it.

Richie agreed hesitantly.

"As long as you promise not to tell everyone that I actually cried, okay?"

Bill promised, and the two headed out to meet up with the rest of their friends. He assured Richie he wasn't mad at him for not showing up at the funeral, or for not speaking to any of them for so many weeks. He was just worried. He knew how close Stan and Richie were; best friends, since kindergarten. And he knew how Richie could get at times, and didn't want what happened to Stan to happen to Richie. And out of all the losers? Bill picked out Richie to be the most susceptible to that, he wanted to avoid it as much as possible. Maybe they could help Richie before it's too late.