You Owe Me | Henry Bowers X reader

Chapter 5

The next day

Breakfast eaten: ✔️
Showered: ✔️
Teeth brushed:✔️
Hair brushed:✔️
Cool clothes on: ✖️

I hopped around my room digging through dresser draws and through my closet looking for acceptable clothes to wear. It wasnt supposed to be to hot today, cool with a cold breeze. I had to think about what to wear. We are going into the barrens I know that. But his gang always wears jeans and leather jackets. I have jeans..

I pulled on a pair of loose fitting jeans and put on a black belt with a small silver buckle. I put on an old blue t-shirt and stood up, gazing around my now messy room. I stepped out of the room and down the hallway. My mom had an old leather jacket I could possibly borrow.. I rushed to my mothers room and swung open the door. My mom wasnt home. She was never home. I looked through her closet careful not to wreck anything. It wasnt there. Great. My mom was either wearing it right now or she got rid of it.

           I knew it would take about an hour to two hours to get to the barrens so I left now, not wanting to be late. A familiar click as the door shut told me that it had locked, hopefully my mom would be home before I got back. I walked down the steps, driveway then street. Dodgeing speeding cars and at one point a very angery chihuahua with a pink studded collar.
The Kissing Bridge stood in all its decaying glory. Four tall figures leaned against one of the twisted posts. I approached, my hands balling into nervous fists.
"Finally," Henry said standing straight up, he walked towards me, his footsteps creaking on the brittle wood of the bridge. I shrugged in response.
        Henry wore black ripped jeans and a white undershirt and pink leather jacket. Belch wore a hoodie, the black sleeves rolled up to his elbows and grass-stained blue jeans. Victor had a white t-shirt and camo pants on.
   
       "Well c'mon then," He waved his hand towards us as he turned away.

       He stretched a leg over the fence that stood between the road and steeped incline of the Barrens. I watched him hop over the fence and slide down the Barrens. Belch next, then Victor and...me. This is not safe.not safe. I tried to bury the thoughts as I hopped over. I felt my feet slide down the dried leaves and wet long grass. I held my hands out to catch the sides of trees to slow me down. I winced as my foot caught and twisted under a straying root. I fell forward bracing myself for landing when Victor caught me. The boy stumbled back as he caught me, his arms wrapping around my waist, he hauled me up.
"T-Thanks," I say gaining balance. He nodded in response. Out of the corner of my eye I seen Henry give him a dangerous look. We followed him in silence . It was hotter in the forest, the breeze non-existent. I began to sweat as we started to walk near a stream. I could hear the faint hushed voices of kids farther in front of us.
       Henry ducked behind a bush and signaled for us to do the same, the voices were just infront of us. I heard one hush the others,
"Now!" Henry whisper-yelled as he jumped up. I stood a little to the left of belch. I watched as seven kids, slightly younger than me, jump up afraid and run in all different directions.
"Run piggies run!" Belch yelled as he charged at the fat kid. Henry ran after a small sickly kid and a girl while I stood in shock. What the hell are we doing?
"Come with me," Victor beckoned me to him and we took off into the direction of two boys, one with curly ginger hair and the other with glasses.
"What are we doing?" I hissed through gritted teeth, focusing all my energy on running.
"Running," He said simply.
"What do we do after?" I asked, he was faster than I was.
"Catching, and then beating them up," He looked back and gave a small strained smile.
"Oh,"
The sounds of foosteps split up into different directions.
"I'll go this way, you go that way," I nodded as he spoke and watched him disappear to my right, I turned to the left and began to run once more. I could hear myself gaining on him, His footsteps getting louder and louder. When suddenly I seen a break in the trees and heard a scream. About 5ft infront of me was a drop,  a mini cliff that dropped about 8ft onto a cluster of pointed stones. The boy with glasses gripped the side of the rock his face scrunched in pain as he tried to keep himself up. Instinctively I fell to my knees and reached out a hand to the boy, he looked at me skeptical before taking it. With all my might I pulled him up. We sat panting on the grass.
    "You dont seem like a bully," the boy said.
     "Because I'm not," I answered lookimg up at the sky, fat lazy clouds drifted across.
     "If you hang out with Henry you're a bully," I stayed silent, not knowing what to say. 
     "I'm Richie," He said.
     "Y/n,"
     "Nice to meet you, now I gotta fly before that pack of wolf friends you got come finish me off," I watched as Richie got up and ran back into the forest.

         I heard a panting sound come from below, for a fearful second I thought it was the wolf, only to realize it was just the little fat boy. He was cornered. Henry and Belch stood ahead of him. He looked to his left and I realized there was a way out for him. I felt bad for letting Richie go and wanted to still help.
        I took a deep breath of air and leaped off the rock. The landing could have been better or worse. I landed with my feet spread apart enough that I landed steadily, but my heels hit the rocks hard, while my toes hit the grass. The boy jumped (so did Belch and Henry) I wrapped my arms around the boys shoulders, he was stronger than he looked, It took effort to keep myself standing. Henry raised a fist and struck the boy in the gut.  The boy wiggled his arms and in pain from the hit, struck his elbows back hard enough to hit me in the ribs. I let go and fell back, slamming my upper back on the side of the cliff. I gripped my ribs in pain, they stung. I stared at the ground, I could just see the sides of the boys sneakers as he ran. Belch followed upon Henrys command. Henry grabbed my right arm and put a hand on my ribs. I winced. He lifted my shirt up just a bit to see them.
      "A little bruised thats all. Pretty sick entrance though," there was admiration in his eyes.
      "C'mon," He wrapped an arm around my shoulders ," Time for me to fix you up."