AN: You guys are awesome at reviewing. I can't say enough how much I appreciate all the nice things that have been said

Sadie had a monster headache when she awoke the next morning. She had not slept well. Nightmares starring Castle Rock's town bully had plagued her until the wee hours of the morning. She was supposed to meet Richie though. She didn't want to, she didn't want to be anywhere that Ace could get to her. She couldn't let anyone know though or he would do something to retaliate. And Ace Merrill always got good and even.

She didn't feel like looking pretty today. She might not ever feel like looking pretty again, she thought. She pulled on a pair of jeans that she hadn't worn in about two years and one of Billy's old t-shirts. She skipped putting on any make-up and left her hair naturally straight and down. She looked much younger than her sixteen years without all the frills most teenage girls indulge in. She went downstairs and poured herself a bowl of cornflakes. She didn't eat much, just stirred them around in the milk mostly. She wasn't hungry.

She gave up on the cereal and went into the living room where Vern was watching cartoons. She sat down next to him. "How's it goin', Vern-o?" She asked him.

"Ah, you know." He answered, not looking away from the television.

She reached around and ruffled his hair. He pulled away and tried to look irritated, but his eyes smiled and Sadie smiled back at them. They sat like that until noon, just enjoying each other's company and Sadie's mind ran away to a more pleasant time, when Saturday morning cartoons were the most important thing in her life.

When the sun was high in the sky, Sadie realized she couldn't put off going to Richie's any longer. She got up off the couch and looked at Vern, "Hey, be good ok? Don't go getting into any trouble you can't get out of. I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not doin' anything. Take it easy, Sadie." He stuffed a twinkie in his mouth and continued to watch the television.

She smiled and then walked out the door. The air was humid and sticky. It was probably going to rain. She walked the few blocks to Richie's house and knocked on the rusted screen door. Eyeball came to the door barefoot, bare chested, and in a pair of jeans. He scratched his curly, brown hair and yawned. "I gotta shower." He said through the screen door. "Just wait out here, ok?"

Sadie nodded and sat down on the porch steps. Children's toys littered the lawn. The screen door opened, and Richie's little brother Chris stepped out. He pointed at the spot next to Sadie, "Can I sit down?" He asked.

Sadie nodded and he took a seat. "You ok?" He asked her, "You look sad. Really down, man."

Suddenly, something in Sadie broke. Silent tears began to flow and the whole story of last night came out. Why she was telling this to her boyfriend's thirteen year old brother, she had no idea. He had taken the time to ask her if she was ok, and that small act of kindness broke her mental block on the situation.

Chris put his tanned arm on her shoulders and comforted her. "You can't tell anyone. You really can't. Promise me, ok?" She pleaded.

Chris nodded, "Yeah, ok. Bastard. That guy's got it comin'. Somebody needs to knock Ace Merrill down so far that he can't get back up. If I was bigger, I'd…well..I don't know. I'd do something. Guess I'm just a kid though, huh?"

Sadie smiled sadly at him. "I'm going to run away. It's the only way I'll ever get out of this town." She looked off in the distance.

"How? How will you live like that?" Chris asked.

"I don't know. I'll work at an ice cream parlor. I could do that. I'm not that stupid. No one would know my name there. They wouldn't think I was just some dead brained Tessio, capable of nothing more than getting knocked up."

"You don't really want to do that. An ice cream parlor? You'll get out of this town. I know it, even if you don't. I used to think I wouldn't, that I'd be stuck here forever. My last name has a reputation too, you know. I'll get out too, though. But we'll do it the right way. We'll make something of ourselves. Wanna shake on it?" Chris held his hand out.

Sadie smiled, "Yeah. You know, you're pretty smart for a little kid." She said, taking his hand.

"What can I say? I'm a brilliant, young mind." Chris said trying to keep a straight face.

Sadie felt a little better. She hadn't even wanted to come here today, but she had found a friend in Chris Chambers, and he had comforted her in a way that no one else was able to.

A freshly showered Eyeball stepped out through the screen door. "Let's go get lunch, babe." He said while putting on his shirt.

Chris walked past his older brother and into the house. Sadie stood up and took Richie's hand. He squeezed her to him and kissed the top of her head.

He snaked his arm around her waist and the two set off towards the Blue Point Diner.