Richie woke up with a startle, which was something he did often. He never had nightmares, but somehow he was always startling himself awake. He looked out his window, seeing that the sky was outcast and it had most likely rained the night before. He was cold but he didn't have a jacket, so he wrapped himself in his blanket and went downstairs.

A sweet smell filled the air as Richie walked into the kitchen. Standing at the stove, was Andrea, cooking eggs and serving them on plates. He saw that Beverly and Stan were sitting next to each other at the table, an empty seat next to them. They were having a conversation and as soon as they saw Richie, Beverly smiled and patted the empty seat.

"Good Morning sleepyhead," she said and Stan giggled as he sat down.

The three were starting to become more comfortable with each other, and had even gone for ice cream the night before since Richie could drive and Andrea suggested they get dessert.

"I hope you like french toast, Richie," Andrea said with a smile as she set three plates down on the table.

"Yes ma'am I sure do" he responded in a half-assed southern accent, making everyone laugh.

The kids all ate quickly, and Richie could've sworn it was the best breakfast he'd ever had. It was Saturday, which meant they were going shopping, so they got ready and went into town. It was about a fifteen-minute drive to the town shopping strip, and once they got to a clothing store, Andrea went with Bev to pick clothes while Richie and Stan went on their own.

Richie was hesitant to get anything at first, and Stan had to force him to pick out a good amount of clothes. Something about making the Uris's spend money on them felt wrong. They had already done so much for the two. They were letting them live in their home for Christ's sake. Beverly was hesitant too, but Andrea assured her that since she was now a part of the family, she would be treated as so.

The two got decent wardrobes, but Andrea said they still needed other things. They both had dressers in their rooms, but neither had actual bedding and room decor, so Andrea insisted they get those things. Richie chose light gray bedding and a few other things for his room, and Beverly picked maroon for hers, getting a mirror for her wall as well.

Once they were done shopping and home, the kids added their new possessions to their rooms. The one thing left was putting up Richie's photos. Richie had started to put them up, but he ran out of push pins.

"Hey Stan the Man," he said, standing in Stanley's doorway "Do you by any chance have some thumbtacks I could use?"

"Yea, I've got a box right here actually" he replied getting up and walking over to his desk to grab them and hand them to Richie "If you don't mind me asking, what do you need them for?"

"When we were living in Oregon, I had started this photo wall in my room. I was able to bring all my pictures with me and so I was hanging them up but I ran out of push pins so I needed more"

"Do you want some help putting them up, I'm not busy or anything and you'll get done faster unless you didn't want help or..."

"Sure Stanny Boy," Richie replied with a smile. It was the first time he'd smiled in a long time, and it felt good. "I'd love that"

The boys had spent an hour hanging up pictures, Stan had asked about a couple of pictures, but the last one stood out to him. "Tell me about this one," Stan said as he handed it to Richie. In the picture was a woman, looking almost exactly like Beverly, but still a little different. She had fiery red curls and beautiful brown eyes. A smile so pretty it could melt your heart was worn across her face.

"That was my mom" Richie spoke softly. Hot tears began to roll down his cheeks and he smiled a soft smile.

"She was beautiful," Stan said.

"She really was," Richie replied "She was on the inside too. That was the first picture I ever took. She gave my camera to me on my ninth birthday. Once, she told me 'One picture can say a million words, you just have to read it carefully'. Ever since I made a promise that I was gonna be the one to take those pictures."

"I don't mean to overstep boundaries, but what happened to your parents?" Stan asked.

It didn't bother Richie that he asked, it was like he finally had someone to talk to about it.

"Our mom passed away in a car accident when I was eleven, and our dad was abusive towards us for years, more specifically Bev. It was like he couldn't take it anymore once our mom was gone. It was like he snapped. One day I came home to him beating the crap out of her and something told me that I wasn't gonna take it anymore, I was tired of watching him hurt the one thing I had left, so I knocked him out and called the cops. Next thing you know, he goes to jail and we end up here." 

"Damn," Stan sighed. "That's pretty shitty" 

He sat and thought for a moment.

"Tell you what," he said and turned to face Richie "We make a pact. A vow almost, that no matter what, we watch out for each other." He held his hand out to shake Richie's.

Richie smiled and shook the other boy's hand.

"You've got yourself a deal, Uris," he said.

"One other thing," Stan said. "The school newspaper club needs a new photographer, and I'm sure that they'd love to have you fill the spot once they see your work. My best friend could probably get you an interview with the director if you want..."

"That would be great, Stan the Man," Richie said as pulled Stan in for a hug. "That would be more than great"

~

I'm sorry it took me so long to update I've been off schedule because of break and I'm lowkey ready for school so I can back into my routine again.

But guys,

1,044 words

That's double what I usually do and I'm sorry if this chapter sucks cause it's too long but I'm legit so tired I need to sleep so yea

Goodnight ma peeps😘😘😘❤❤