Innocence attracts the blackest of evil - and as a seemingly endless spate of unaccountable child disappearances terrorize the otherwise peaceful late-1980s community of rain-soaked Derry, Maine - a bold octet of pre-teen school pariahs, or The Lose...
This chapter will focus on what has been going on with Braden's life since the losers went their separate ways.
Expect awkward encounters and many pop culture references. Good luck finding them all.
Just a heads up there is a trigger warning somewhere in this chapter.
You have been warned.
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Braden's POV.
June 23rd, 1989.
Ever heard the song "This Time Tomorrow" by The Kinks? Well, fun fact about that song, it's one of the only songs that can make me happy.
Now, Are there other exceptions? Yes. Like "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra or "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles just to name a few. They are very uplifting, however, I always preferred "This Time Tomorrow. Mostly due to its title.
Because maybe This Time Tomorrow everything will be alright. Maybe I'll just wake up and we will all be friends again. Maybe we would all get together for ice cream or go to The Capitol Theatre and see the tenth anniversary for The Deer Hunter five times in a row despite it being a three hour movie. Hell, maybe we'll go back to the quarry and hang out and do stupid shit until our lungs collapsed and our legs gave out.
But it still felt like tomorrow never came.
Thats why I found myself standing in the empty school parking lot on June Twenty Third, approximately ten days since I last spoke with the losers, on a rainy summer afternoon, wearing a raincoat. My hat was slightly tilted to the right. The last loser I talked to was Ben and I didn't even ask if he was alright. No, we just sat in the alley as I fixed him up. The only words that were said was "Goodbye", and we parted ways. I haven't seen him since.
I also had to return to my own home, as Richie would no longer welcome me. Ms. Tozier was less than pleased when I told her I wouldn't be staying there any longer. When she questioned why, I thought up a lie and I thought it up quick.
"Oh, uh . . ." I blanked, thinking of something to say. "Some man, who for some reason or another was bare butt naked with steaks strapped to his legs, ran his paraglider into our house. Why was he wearing steaks? Beats me. All I know is, since my dad is still in the hospital, I kind of need to be around and you know, be the man of the house."
She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow. "Do you think I'm that stupid, hun?"
". . . No?"
"Hm. Good answer." After a few more minutes of conversation, mostly her asking if I need anything, to which I politely declined, she gave me a hug and asked me to call her if anything was wrong. I walked down their driveway and took one quick glance at the home, wishing for nothing more than to stay and not return to my own house.
