"Come on, Richie!" Wanda dragged Richie down the sidewalk. Richie didn't even think Wanda knew where she was going. She had stomped off with him in tow after the whole "Sugar Mama" incident that Richie was pretty proud of. Wanda? Not so much. She hadn't even stopped for directions before taking off in a random direction. Now, he was pretty sure they were lost. Richie contemplated saying something or keeping his trap shut. He took a look at Wanda with her pinched up face and scowl. If he concentrated enough, he could see the leather on the handle of her bag begin to tear because of the tight grip she had on it. He quickly decided that the latter was the best choice. He had already caused enough trouble for the day and was quite tired so he didn't protest. But, it didn't mean that he couldn't argue.

"It was just a prank! A meaningless joke! Why do you have to take it so seriously? You'll never see me again anyway." Richie groaned and grumbled. He yanked his arm away from Wanda and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Wanda paused. She picked her next words carefully. "Is that what you want to be known as here? The one and only Trash Mouth Tozier," she spread her arms and made sarcastic jazz hands, her bags jiggling from the movement, "Is that what you want for your family–"

"I don't have a family!" Richie shouted. Wanda stopped walking. Richie cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the tightness in his throat. "The only family I have are spread across the fucking country. And I'm not changing myself just to-to impress some people I haven't seen since I was a kid!"

Wanda didn't say anything. She gripped the handles of her bags tighter and continued walking down the sidewalk. "Come on. We've arrived earlier than expected. They're probably having dinner right now."

Richie wiped his hand over his face and sniffed. Even though he knew she didn't mean to, and even though she was probably right, Wanda had made him feel like an asshole. He had a reason for pulling pranks and shit. He just didn't do it for fun. Okay, maybe 50% of the reason he did it was for fun. The truth was, Richie pulled pranks and told jokes to avoid being forgotten. Years of having his parents ignore him eventually led to him gaining that fear.

They had eventually stopped at a bus stop where Wanda dropped her bags and began to count coins in her wallet. Richie hung his head, looking at the gum stained concrete below him. He gazed at his shoes as he scuffed the heel of his left shoe against a rock. His shoes were old and dirty. Richie's mom had bought them from a thrift shop for five bucks. He had them for over a year now, but he wouldn't get rid of them until his toes were bursting through the tips. He averted his eyes to Wanda's heels. They were nice and clean, without a scratch. The boy sitting on the bench wore the newly released Converse's. Richie looked back at his own shoes and noticed how much they stood out from the rest. Richie lowered his head until his chin was touching his chest. He vaguely heard Wanda call his name and followed behind her neat shoes onto the bus.

They took a seat towards the middle of the bus near two teenagers that looked a little younger than Richie. Richie sat in front of the two, leaving Wanda to sit directly beside them as it was the only seat left. The two boys curiously gazed at Richie. Hawkins rarely received new people, especially teenagers that looked oddly familiar. They decided to ignore the boy in favor of the lady. Richie watched as their eyes lowered from Wanda's face to her chest. They looked at each other appreciatively. Richie flared his nostrils, something he did when he was angry or annoyed. He looked down at their shoes. They were clean and new which probably meant they were rich and spoiled and thought they could get away with anything. Richie whistled innocently, though his eyes shined dangerously. He gained the attention of the two boys and held eye contact with them until they started to squirm.

"You got a problem?" One of them asked. Richie shook his head.

"Nope." He said, popping the 'p.' Wanda glanced at Richie, squinted her eyes, and looked away.

"Well, it seems like you do since you keep looking at us like we're freaks or something." The other boy said, glaring at Richie.

"Well, it's just..." Richie shook his head, "Nevermind, it's nothing."

"No, no, please tell us." He urged.

"Yeah, share with the class, why don't you."

Richie inhaled and let out a huge sigh. "I just couldn't help but notice that your heads are abnormally large," Richie stated plainly. Wanda snapped her head towards him.

"Richie!" She whispered harshly as the two boys scowled at him. "Apologize! They did nothing to you." Richie sighed mockingly, "Fine. I'm sorry..."

The boys didn't say anything. They just leaned back in their chairs.

"...that you two have colossal domes."

"That's enough!" Wanda exclaimed. She gripped Richie's arm for the tenth time that day. "Come on this is our stop." She completely ignored the boys, gathered her things, and walked straight past them. Richie made sure he flipped the boys off before getting off the bus, gaining disapproving looks from some (a lot) of people.

The two walked down the sidewalk, an awkward silence surrounding them. Wanda walked with quick and precise steps while Richie stumbled behind her. The houses were all two-story and fetching, the definition of cookie-cutter. The lawns were perfectly cut and the mailboxes were clean which was the exact opposite of Richie's in Derry. His lawn was always littered with trash, mostly beer cans. And his mailbox was vandalized with words that would surely make his uncle's family blush. Richie cleared his throat, desperately trying to get rid of the thought of his house in Derry.

"They didn't do anything to me," Richie said. Wanda didn't turn around, but she did hum in acknowledgment. "Those boys on the bus, they did nothing to me."

Wanda shook her head, "And yet you insult them as if they did."

Richie gulped. "Because they were staring at your tits." He said all in one breath. This time, Wanda did turn around. She blinked, "What?"

Richie repeated himself and dropped his head. "Oh," Wanda cleared her throat, "Thank you." Richie nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground. They continued walking, but the awkwardness that was present before was gone. They soon arrived in front of a house identical to all the others.

"You ready?" Wanda asked. Richie let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Sure, if you can count ready as having sweaty palms," Richie replied as Wanda chuckled. Richie actually didn't notice how nervous he was until now.

"Everything's going to be okay," Wanda said softly. Richie smiled as she flicked her head towards the door. They began walking to the door and Wanda glanced at Richie before ringing the doorbell. As the sound of footsteps became louder, Richie's anxiety grew. The door opened revealing his aunt who gained only a few laugh lines over the years.

"Richard! Oh, you've grown so much," Richie felt his cheeks grow warm even though he had no clue why. "Look how tall you've gotten! Come in, come in!"

Aunt Karen ushered them inside the warm house. As she spoke with Wanda, Richie took the time to gaze around his new home. Family portraits hung on the walls surrounding him along with wooden signs with cheesy quotes about happiness and family. Everything was perfect and spotless except for a few crooked picture frames. He flinched when Aunt Karen placed a warm hand on the small of his back and told him to take his shoes off. He glanced down at where the other shoes were aligned perfectly. Again with the shoes, Richie grumbled in his mind. Once he removed his shoes, he made sure to nudge his away from the others. His dirty shoes would look awkward beside theirs.

"Is there anything else I should know before you go?" Aunt Karen asked Wanda. The social worker shook her head, her bags rattling in her hands.

"Well, at least let me drive you to the station." Richie's aunt insisted, but Wanda was stubborn and politely declined.

"Please, let me call a taxi." Before Wanda could protest, Karen was already on the phone, dialing the number for a taxi. Wanda turned to Richie, dropping her bags.

"I guess this is where we part." She said softly. Richie felt like someone was squeezing his heart. He would miss Wanda. He didn't like her at first, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't got attached. She was like the big sister he never had, annoying and loveable at the same time.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Richie swallowed the lump in his throat. Wanda let a smile bloom on her face as she slowly pulled Richie into a hug.

"You're a strong young man, Richie. I know you can get through this. I believe you can. And don't think for a second that I'll forget about what you did for me on the bus." She whispered the words in his ears but they were loud in his head, echoing throughout his brain. The sound of a horn pulled Wanda out of the hug.

"Well, that's my ride." Wanda picked up her bags while Richie watched longingly. Before she could leave, Richie grasped her arm.

"Thanks. For Everything." Richie mumbled. And with one last smile, Wanda left Richie broken and alone in a perfect house that wasn't built for him.

"Richard, are you ready to meet the others?" Aunt Karen asked. She gave off mellow vibes which calmed Richie's nerves. He nodded reluctantly and followed her into the living room.