This Town

03

                       "The Quarry"

Beverly had met Evelyn outside her house that day, both wearing only underwear and a bra with a robe like button dress on. They were on their way to meet the boys at the query.

When they had gotten there all of the boys were standing on the edge trying to figure out who would jump first. "Ill go!" Evelyn called out unbuttoning her gown. The boys turned to look at her, jaws dropping as she ran past them and jumped off the cliff into the water. Beverly right after.

"Holy shit! We just got shown up by not one but two girls." Richie points out to all if his friends, new and old."

"Do we have to do that now?" Stanley said worried.

Evelyn looked up at the boys. "Come on!" Ben waved and finally Bill decided to jump. Evelyn smiled at him when he came up and out of the water. She swam over to him. "Was that so hard?"

Bill shook his head. "N-no."

As the rest of the guys jumped down Evelyn splashed water at Richie. He gasped and looked at her. "Oh its on!" He splashed her causing a full on splash war between everyone.

"Chicken fight?" Beverly asked as they finally came to a stop with the splashing.

Everyone nodded. Bill looked to Evelyn and tilted his head as if asking 'me and you?' And of course she nodded. So it was Bill with Evelyn on his shoulders and Ben with Richie on his. "Come on!" Richie said as he and Evelyn pushed each other.

"Ha!" Evelyn cheered as she pushed Richie off Ben and into the water. Bill raised his hand off her thigh for a high five. Smiling when she gave him one.

As they moved more into the lake they messed around. Beverly letting Evelyn on her back so she didn't have to swim. As the boys messed around Evelyn had caught Bill's eye as she talked with Beverly. She looked over at him and smiled. Neither made a move to look away.

"What was that?"

"It just touched my foot, right here."

Evelyn looked away from Bill dragging Beverly over to the boys as Bill came up from the water. "Its a turtle." He called out to his friends.

"Can we name it Bubbles!" Evelyn said loudly as everyone looked at her. Bill noticed the smile on her face and couldn't say no.

"B-bubbles it is."

"Yes!!" Evelyn wrapped her arms around Bill bringing him into a hug. Shocking the boy slightly as Richie whistled at the pair.

——

After some more swimming the crew ended up back at the top. Evelyn and Beverly laying out on a towel, all the boys staring at them. Bill mostly at Evelyn. Beverly opened her eyes and looked over at them slightly, not enough for them to notice. She nudged Evelyn. "Bill's staring at you."

Evelyn scoffed. "Yeah ok."

"He is."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "Lets find out." So she and Beverly looked over at the boys, turning their head. Evelyn caught Bill indeed staring at her and she smiled watching him and the rest of the boys make it look like they were not staring.

Beverly looks at Evelyn a look on her face saying 'i told you so' and Evelyn just shook her head. Richie had grabbed Ben's backpack and started going through it. "News flash Ben, Schools out for summer." He does a weird accent.

"Oh that, that's not school stuff." Ben says as Richie pulls out a card.

"Who sent you this?"

"No one." Ben grabs it from the other boys hands.

Bill looks at Evelyn before looking back at Richie who pulled out a folder from Ben's back pack. "What's with the history project?" Eddie asks.

"Oh well when i first moved here, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with." The boys pass the folder around. "So i just started spending time in the library."

"You went to the library...on purpose?"

"We wanna see." Evelyn stands up and sits down next to Bill, leaning on his shoulder to see the folder.

Bill looks at her and smiles before looking at Beverly. "Y-y-your h-hair."

"Your hair is beautiful Beverly." Ben cuts in for Bill.

The red head smiles at him. "Thank you."

"Here pass it." Richie sticks a hand out for the folder. Bill hands him the folder.

"Why is it all murders and missing kids?" Richie and Stan look through the folder.

"Derry's not like any other town I've been in before." Ben explains. "They did a study, and turns out, people die 6 times the national average here."

"You read that?" Beverly looks at Ben.

"And that's just grown ups." Evelyn looks at Bill a sad look on her face. The boy smiles at her and grabs her hand giving her a soft smile. "Kids are worse. Way, way worse. I've got more stuff, if you wanna see it." Ben offers to the group of teens.

Eddie shakes his head muttering a soft. "No, no."

But no one else objected. So they got ready to leave. The kids all rode their bikes to Ben's house, the boy running inside to clean up his room.

"Don't freak out, just tell us." Eddie says.

"Oh yeah, i heard he has a roller coaster and a pet chimp." Richie says loudly as they walk up the stairs. "And an old guys fucking bones."

"Yeah."

Bill and Evelyn were the first ones into the heavier kids room. They looked around and saw all the news papers on his walls.

"Wow."

"Cool huh?"

Evelyn walks over to Ben's wall and looks at some posters, Bill beside her looking on Ben's desk. Bill picks up a film and holds it up to the window.

Evelyn looks at him and the film in his hands. "What do you think about this?" Evelyn looks at Bill.

"U-uh I don't k-k-know what t-to think."

"Yeah, makes sense. My mom used to have a friend named Emily who went missing when she was a kid. Mom tells me all the time that i have to be careful."

"Y-you s-s-should be c-careful."

Evelyn smiles at him. "Isn't that right boys." Richie says as he holds up his hand but no one says anything.

"Who do you think does this stuff? It's gotta be some creep right?" Evelyn looks to Bill who was already looking at her.

Bill nods. "Y-yeah."

"I just don't understand what kinda sicko would kidnap kids and hurt them." Evelyn frowns. "I mean how could someone do that?"

"I-i d-dont k-k-know." Hearing the conversation that the other boys were having Bill cuts in. "Where was the well house?"

"I don't know, somewhere in town i guess." Ben shrugs. "Why?"

"Nothing." Evelyn lays a hand on Bill's shoulder as he stairs at the missing posters.

"Hey, i've gotta get home, my mom should be home soon." Evelyn gets her bag and heads towards the door.

Bill takes a moment before running after her. "I-ill walk y-you."

Evelyn nods. "Okay."