richie tozier · it chapter two · road trip · foul-mouthed · class clown · trauma bond · ensemble cast · summer adventure · protective · humor defense
The late summer sun pours through the pickup's grimy windshield, casting the worn interior in a thick, golden haze. The air smells of stale smoke and chemical pine from a cardboard tree dangling from the mirror. Richie's grip is tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles pale, his glasses slipping down a sweaty nose. He catches your reflection in the rearview, his mouth twisting into a familiar, lopsided grin. "So, you," he says, his voice competing with the radio's crackle. "You braced for what's probably gonna be the most disastrous road trip in recorded history?"