Chapter Text
Richie should have been with Ruth and Pete at the starlight theater when the meteor struck.
He would have, if his uncle Paul hadn't made it home late because he was flirting with that Barista at Beanies.
He had to admit, he felt bad. Ruth's whole production was ruined.
She was helping do the lighting for Mamma Mia and he wasn't there to comfort her when it got fucked up by a meteor.
Stepping out onto the street, he noticed... People seemed more... energetic? And... they were singing?
What Canadian holiday was it?
He shrugged it off and put his headphones in, turning on some random music Pete had recommended to him. He bumped into someone who was mid jump, causing them to fall onto the pavement. He let out a gasp and immediately apologized.
Then he continued walking. He walked for a bit longer till he paused outside the entrance of Hatchetfield High and stuffed his headphones back into his bag, adorned with lots of anime pins.
He stared at Max Jägerman, who stood next to his friends, Kyle and Jason, who also were dancing.
"What the hell are you fucks doing?" Max asked, staring at them before turning to Richie. "Oh heyyy shitlips~" He said condescendingly.
"THAT'S NOT NICE MAX." Kyle and Jason said in unison, still dancing.
Max stared in confusion and rolled his eyes, then punched Jason in the nose. Some weird blue shit leaked out his left nostril, causing Max to stumble back. "What the fuckkk?" He murmured.
Music began playing. And then Kyle began singing, strutting towards Max and Richie. Jason snapped his fingers and was dancing.
"Max. Max somethings wrong. We need to—" Richie exclaimed, grabbing his bully by the arm. Max slapped his hand away and gave him a glare. "Dont touch me, shitlips. I think you deserve a–"
"MAX, WE HAVE TO RUN!" Richie screamed, voice cracking and pulling Max through the school halls. "Back exits this way!" He explained.
"Why the hell do you know this?!" Max asked.
Why did he know this?
Max's fault.
Every weird thing Richie does is Max's fault, to be fair.
"BECAUSE OF YOUR CONSTANT BULLYING–! I leave school through this exit to avoid you!" Richie screeched, continuing to pull Max till they were outside the school.
"OKAY, WELL, I WOULDNT BULLY YOU IF YOU WERENT A NERDY PRUDE!" Max scoffed, fully prepared to give Richie a flicket ticket.
"Not now! We have to run! M- maybe we can go see my uncle Paul—!" Richie suggested.
"Oh i loved Paul. He made those really good sandwiches for us when we were younger." Max added.
"Not the time!"
They contemplated for a few seconds before hiding behind the dumpsters. Richie took his bag off and began to rummage through it. "Alright. Uh. I got nothing to defend us."
"Well. How do we know they're dangerous? What if it's just like... a elaborate prank? If so, that'd be the nicest thing anybody had done for me." Max suggested, taking off his football jacket and wrapping it around his waist.
"One you weren't apart of? One Ruth and Pete are apart of?!"
"Woah woah woah wait a second. Flemwad and Micro-Peter were singing to?"
"Yeah they were singing during our discord call this morning."
"Imagine having discord.'
"imagine listening to what I said."
They sat in silence for a moment, picking up on the noise of singing and—
"Do you hear that?" Richie asked.
"Hear what, shitl— ugh. Richie?"
"Crying. Someone's crying." Richie got up and put his bag back on.
Max followed suite as Richie rushed over to see a crying girl, no older than thirteen at most with two braids in her hair and a hat. She was backing away from somebody who looked like her sister based on apperance, and some man who Richie had to assume was the older sisters boyfriend.
Max was about to lunge in when Richie stopped him. "Dont just go in. See that? The guy had sharp things on his clothes, you could get stabbed."
"Well what do I use?!"
Richie rummaged through his bag and sighed before handing Max his laptop. "Go for the head." Richie suggested.
Max nodded and then hit the man over the head, causing him to thud to the ground. The older girl turned to them and Max did the same to her.
The thiryeen year old began to cry louder. "Bad blood— bad blood—!" She sobbed. Richie rushed over and kneeled beside her. He contemplated for a moment before taking off his bad and handed it to her. He began to explain where each character on each pin was from. "And this is Levi from Attack on Titan." He explained.
"Bad blood. Singing. Apotheosis..." She murmured.
"Uh. Shitlips. We got a problem." Max pointed out, gesturing to the bodies on the floor.
"OH MY GOD IS THAT HER BRAIN?!" Richie pointed to the older girl, who's head was cracked open.
"Uh. No. It's blue."
"WHAT THE FUCK IS IT THEN?!"
"I don't know!"
"Lexi— Lexi and Ethan singing. Bad. Webby said—" The girl was cut off by Richie gently putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Okay. Okay slow down." He said softly. Richie gave her a soft smile and took off his favorite jacket, gently handing it to her to put on.
"What's your name?"
"Hannah..." The girl greeted.
"My name is Richie. And that as– ehem... guy over there is Max." Richie explained.
"... Webby said that... that you guys could help me..."
"Who's Webby?" Max asked, wiping the strange blue goop onto his pant-leg.
"... My friend..." Hannah explained. Richie stood there for a moment and smiled.
"Alright. So... Let's uh... find somewhere to go. Fuck this school. Let's go to... hm... Lakeside mall?" Richie suggested.
"Bad. Bad place. To much singing." Hannah added.
"Starlight theater?" Max suggested.
"Worse place."
"Okay... hm... We run for it and figure out where we go later?" Richie suggested.
"Works for me." Max explained, picking up the thirteen year old who looked petrified at her sister—probably this 'Lexi'— and her sister's boyfriend's–who they guessed was Ethan— bodies on the ground. Max pulled her hat over her eyes.
This was going to be a long day. And a confusing one too.