Stenbrough Nights

|Shot 4| • Aspects Of Tears •

° ° ° °

STAN'S POV

It's not that I hate Beverly, we all love her and love hanging out with her, but lately Bill has been infatuated with her. I clench my fists and bite my tongue to keep from screaming every time I catch them looking at each other, or when I notice how she touches him when they laugh together. My heart ached every time I heard Bill laugh, realizing his smile is for her and not me.

But then again, who am I kidding? Bev is perfect for him. She's sweet, open-minded, brave, strong, funny...what am I? I'm just an OCD freak who can't speak one fluent line of Hebrew; but then again, I could care less about my faith. It's my father's faith, not mine.

But I digress.

If I were Bill I wouldn't even look at me. I'm fortunate enough to be his friend. I just hope one day I get to tell him how much I adore him, because I don't think my pillow can hold anymore tears.

BILL'S POV

I smiled contently at Beverly as she held my hand while we walked. She rubbed circles on my hand with her thumb. She turned her gaze to me and blushed, making me smile more.

It was Beverly's last day in Derry, and I wanted her to remember her last day with happiness. We stopped to get ice cream, and disappeared into a puddle of joy and laughter as we got our hands and noses covered in the frozen treat.

STAN'S POV

It was just my luck to find the one thing that hurt me most instead of cheering myself up with some ice cream. I felt an ache in my chest as I watched Bill and Beverly lose themselves in each other's eyes and laughter.

He hadn't even noticed me, he was too distracted by Beverly wiping ice cream from his nose and watching her giggle.

I was happy for them, seeing Bill happy made me feel warm because his happiness was everything to me...but it hurt so bad that I wasn't the one in his arms, sharing an ice cream, touching him and making him laugh.

I can't think of a greater pain than watching the one you love find joy in another's company...and you have to watch as they're ignorant of your pain, ignorant of what you feel for them, oblivious to the world around them and the affections of the one who loves them most.

It wasn't fair, I loved Bill first, I knew him first...but I guess what counts is who shows it first...

But have I not shown my affections, Bill?

I couldn't watch anymore. I could feel my face heat up, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I wiped them away, comforting myself with no one to coax me. I cursed at myself under my breath and stumbled away, not caring who saw me. I just had to get away.

BILL'S POV

Despite being distracted by Beverly's grin, Stan came to my mind. We used to hangout and get ice cream together frequently, but lately we haven't talked much.

While grabbing napkins for Beverly, I glanced over my shoulder and watched Stan walk away. He looked distraught, but he never turned around, instead he walked off, his head down and his hands clenched tight into fists.