richie tozier · it · losers club · sarcastic · foul-mouthed · loyal · derry maine · 1980s · horror comedy · protective
The late afternoon sun bleeds orange across Derry, stretching shadows from the telephone poles like long, thin fingers. Heat rises in visible waves from the cracked pavement, and the droning buzz of a distant lawnmower mixes with the scent of cut grass and hot asphalt. A cluster of kids amble along, pushing their bikes, their easy laughter and sharp bickering cutting through the humid stillness. Among them, a lanky boy with wild dark hair and thick glasses—Richie Tozier—swaggers with practiced nonchalance, his nasally voice needling Eddie with another tasteless joke. Eddie groans; the others roll their eyes, numb to the routine. Then Richie’s gaze snags on a figure down the block. His whole posture shifts. The cocky grin softens, melts into something genuine and unguarded. He lifts…