"I've realized that..." he started, then took a shaky breath. "Earlier today, when Stanley pulled you aside... seeing you two so close and secretive, I hated it." The words tumbled out in a rush. "I don't like how others make you smile..." He traile...
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°•°Vanessa's POV°•°
"YOU. You did this."
Mrs. Kaspbrak's voice was a venomous whip-crack in the tense air. Her eyes, burning with a mixture of fury and triumph, swept over each of us, landing finally on me with a particular, icy hatred.
"You know how delicate he is," she seethed, her words dripping with accusation as she maneuvered Eddie toward the car.
"We were attacked, M-Mrs. K," Bill spoke up, his voice strained as he tried to explain the unexplainable. But she wasn't listening. She shoved Eddie into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet street.
"No. Don't. Don't try and blame anyone else," she stated, fumbling angrily with her keys. My eyes were locked on Eddie through the window. He wasn't looking at us; he was just staring blankly at the cast on his arm, his face pale and withdrawn.
Her keys clattered to the pavement. "Let me help,"Beverly offered, stepping forward.
"Get back!" Mrs. Kaspbrak shrieked, snatching the keys from the ground. Her glare snapped back to Beverly and me.
"Oh. Miss Bowers," she hissed, her voice low and deadly. "I thought I'd made myself very clear that you're not allowed even a foot close to Eddie." Her gaze felt like it was physically pushing me back. She then turned her scorn to Beverly. "And I've heard of you, Miss Marsh. I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my son."
"Mrs. K, I-I..." I tried, my voice trembling.
"No! You are all monsters. All of you, and Eddie is done with you. Do you hear me? Done!" That was her final word. She got into her car, started the engine with a roar, and sped away, leaving our little group standing shattered in the middle of the road. My heart didn't just break; it felt like it had been pulverized.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The silence was heavier than any of the horrors we'd faced.
"I saw the well," Bill finally said, his voice quiet but firm, cutting through the grief. "W-we know where it is. And next time, we'll be better prepared."
"No!" Stanley yelled, whirling on him. "No next time, Bill! You're insane!" My own head was nodding in agreement with Stan. I had already lost one person today; I couldn't bear the thought of losing another.
"Why?" Beverly challenged, stepping forward. She seemed fearless, a stark contrast to the rest of our trembling group. "We all know no one else is going to do anything."
"Eddie was nearly killed!" Richie shouted, pointing wildly down the empty road. He then turned and gestured to Ben's blood-soaked shirt. "And look at this motherfucker! He's leaking Hamburger Helper!"
"We can't pretend it's gonna go away," Bev insisted, her eyes pleading with Ben. "Ben, you said it yourself. It comes back every 27 years."
"Fine!" Ben shot back, his voice cracking. "I'll be 40 and far away from here! I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town, too."
"Because I wanna run toward something," Beverly fired back, her gaze intense. "Not away from it."
Her remark seemed to be the final straw for Richie. "I'm sorry, who invited Molly Ringwald into the group?" he sneered, looking to Stan and me for backup.
"Richie..." Stanley mumbled softly, trying to calm him.
"I'm just saying, let's face facts! Real world! Georgie is dead! Stop trying to get us killed, too!" Richie's anger was a volatile thing, and he turned to leave.
Bill stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Georgie's not dead," Bill stated, his voice low and dangerous.
"You couldn't save him, but you can still save yourself," Richie spat.
Bill shoved him. Hard. "No, t-t-take it back! You're scared and we all are, but take it back!"
Richie didn't back down. He shoved Bill back. "You're just a bunch of losers!"
The next second, Bill's fist connected with Richie's jaw.
"Bill!" Mike yelled.
The scene erupted into chaos. Ben grabbed Bill, trying to hold him back, while Stanley and Mike latched onto a flailing, furious Richie.
"Fuck off!" "Richie,stop!"
"You're just a bunch of losers, and you'll get yourselves killed trying to catch a fucking stupid clown!" Richie screamed, struggling against their hold.
"Guys! Stop!" I yelled, my voice breaking. Tears I could no longer hold back streamed down my cheeks. "Just stop!"
The fight went out of them momentarily, leaving only heavy, angry panting.
"This is what It wants," Beverly said, her voice cutting through the tension. She looked at each of us, her eyes fierce. "It wants to divide us. We were all together when we hurt It. That's why we're still alive."
"Yeah? Well, I plan to keep it that way," Richie muttered, his anger deflating into a bitter resignation. He roughly shrugged off Stanley and Mike's hands, deliberately bumping Bill's shoulder as he walked away.
One by one, the others followed, scattering in different directions without another word. The Losers Club was broken. I stood there for a moment longer, completely and utterly torn apart, before turning and making my solitary way home, the image of Eddie's vacant stare burned into my mind.
