...the Coke bottle eventually stopped as it pointed at the host of the party: Richie Tozier. He shot up from his feet with joy.

"Yea!" He cheered. Then imitated Elmer Fudd, "That's wight, wabbit!" Then he pointed to himself, "Me..." Then you, "You...closet! Seven minutes!"

You shook your head in a mixture of amusement and exasperation as you got up from your seat. Richie puffed out his chest to make himself more confident. He took you by the hand and pulled you towards the closet with eagerness. He was willing to prove himself to his friends that he was a big stud.

Once inside, he pulled the cord to shut the light off. You turned it back on. The two of you have a fight over the light being turned on or off.

"Richard Tozier!" you snapped annoyed. "Stop it! We're not playing this game!"

"What game? Seven Minutes in Heaven?" he said innocently. "I think we're supposed to play since I got chosen to be with you, (y/n)."

"No! I'm talking about you turning the light off! You remember what happened last Halloween in 4th grade?"

"It was a joke," Richie reasoned chuckling. "All I did was dare you to run down my basement and come back up."

"It wasn't funny," you argued. "You shut the light off...and then you jumped out from the top of the stairs, wearing a mask and made monster noises. You scared the shit out of me."

"And you pissed your pants, (y/n)," Richie laughed.

"You better not fucking tell anyone, Richie," you growl, feeling your cheeks redden.

"Maybe..." he teased wicked grin. "But I'll keep quiet if you'll let me get to second base, (y/n)."

"OR maybe I'll tell everyone about the time you ran out of my birthday party screaming when you saw Chuckles the Clown in kindergarten."

Richie instantly shuts up. Yup! You knew Richie's secret: how he was deeply afraid of clowns. He knew yours: how you were scared of the dark and basements. The two of you stare at each other while in the closet. Richie looked at you through his thick glasses, his raven hair hanging over his eyes slightly as he flipped his bangs back.

"OK! OK! Truce?" he said.

"Truce!" you agree. "Can you not be a jack ass sometime?"

Richie shrugged. "I can't help it. I like make people laugh."

"I'm surprised you still have your teeth...given how many times you've pissed off Henry Bowers," he said.

"Good thing I know how to run fast," Richie said. "I remember one time at lunch, he slipped in mashed potatoes...and slid across the cafeteria on his ass!"

"Oh my God!" you laughed. "I remember that! You yelled 'smooth moves, banana heels!'"

"Yea! He broke my glasses after that, but it was totally worth it!"

The two of you are laughing as you reminisce how embarrassed Henry was that day: how his pants were covered in mashed potatoes and gravy while everyone laughed at him. Richie's quip was just the icing on the cake.

You look at each other again. You didn't want to admit that you had a crush on Richie since kindergarten either. He was really cute and funny.

"So...are we gonna play the game?" Richie asked. "I'd like to have my first kiss with you, (y/n)."

"You told me you kissed lots of times, Richie," you said surprised.

"No. I just said that so everyone would think I'm cool," the bespectacled boy said embarrassed.

"Well, you shouldn't lie about shit like that, Richie," you scold.

"I know how to do it. I just never did it with someone."

"How?"

"I saw it in one of my Dad's dirty movies," he said.

"Dude, ew! That's definitely NOT how you kiss. You should kiss like this..."

You step up to the raven-haired boy and kiss him on the lips softly. Richie closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He got into kissing, cupping the back of your hair. As you continue to kiss, Richie begins to feel overconfident and shoves his tongue into your mouth. You push him away for a moment.

"Richie," you said. "Don't jab your tongue down my throat. It's not a porno. You want to use a little tongue."

Richie wiped his drooly lips and chin, looking embarrassed that he pissed you off. He shuffled his foot a bit and then looked up.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's OK," you tell him. "Wanna try again?"

The bespectecaled boy nodded. You two stepped up closer and try to kiss again. Richie parts his lips and the two of you use a small amount of tongue this time. He pulls you in and you feel his thin body. Your fingers thread his raven curls, massaging his scalp. He lets out a small moan and begins to run his hands down your back to your bottom. Your breathing becomes so heavy that it fogs his glasses.

"TIME'S UP!" Eddie calls. "And I hope you two have clothes on because I'm not opening this door if you don't."

"Fuck off, Eddie!" Richie yelled through the door. "Just so you know, nobody likes a cock block!"

"Dude, you went OVER seven minutes!"

"Let's go, Richie," Eddie said. "I think we should let someone else have a turn. You're getting too greedy."

"Just like your Mom!" Richie shot back.

The two of you walk out of the closet together. Richie is strutting through the living room looking quite proud of himself.

"Looks like someone had a good time in there," Beverly said chuckling.

"Yup. I let him get to second base," you said.

Richie's mouth dropped open as he was surprised by this response. You gave him a secret wink, knowing you were kidding. He smirked playfully.