September 1989
"I can only remember parts, but. I thought I was dead." We all sat listening as Bev explained what happened when Pennywise 'killed' her. "That's what it felt like. I saw us, all of us back together in the cistern. But we were older, like, our parents ages."
"W-what were we all doing there?" Billy looked at her.
"I-I just remember how we felt. How scared we were. I don't think I can ever forget that." She whispered.
Billy let out a sigh, picking up a piece of broken glass out of the grass as he jumped to his feet. "Swear it," he held up the piece of glass. "S-s-s-swear, that if it isn't dead, if it ever comes back, we-"
"Come back, too." I stood up next to him. I grabbed his hand in mine and squeezed it gently before letting go. I held out my palm flat. He slid the faded green shard across my palm. I felt my eye twitch from the pain as the dark blood soon covered my hand. From being around that bastard all summer, it was unfamiliar to see blood not float, but fall to the grass, dripping off my hand.
Everybody else pushed themselves to stand, as Bill slid the shard across his own palm. He passed around the circle, starting with Richie.
Richie hesitantly gave his hand to bill, scrunching his body from the pain. He waved his hand to try and distract himself from the throbbing newly formed cut.
Bill then went to Eddie. Eddie's watch started beeping as Bill slid the glass across the palm of his unbroken arm.
Mike let out a grunt as Bill cut his hand. Bill slid the glass across Stanley's hand. Stan closed his palm and scrunched his face, trying to drown out the pain. Ben turned his head away so he couldn't see it as Bill sliced his hand. You'd think by how many times he's gotten cut and wounded this summer, he'd be used to it by now. Bill turned to Beverly. She held out her palm, her eye just twitching from the pain. She smiled at him.
He turned around so that he was between me and Bev now. He held out his hands down by his side.
Him and Bev linked hands. Then ben, and Stan, and Mike and Eddie and Richie. And lastly, Richie took my hand as I took Bill's, going around the opposite way that Bill had cut our hands.
Our blood dripped off our hands as we all just stood their, connecting each other into a circle. We all dropped our hands, but I held onto Richie's for another second before letting go.
"I gotta go." Stan squinted his eyes because of the sun behind us. I stared at the bandages wrapped around his head and how at the front was a little puff of hair coming out. "I hate you." He stared blankly at me and Bill. He glanced around the circle, stifling a laugh. We all started laughing. "I'll- see you later." He smiled one more time before walking through the extremely overgrown grass and through the woods back home.
Eddie left next, hugging me and Richie before walking off as well. Mike walked off next. Then Richie. "See you around, guys." He stepped through the tall grass. He was getting farther and farther away.
I bit my lip. "I'm gonna go catch Richie!" I said. I ran through the grass, just as we hit the edge of the woods I reached him. I grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"It's now or never." I mumbled to myself, earning a confused look from Richie. I yanked his wrist gently, his body fell into mine. I forced my lips against his, dropping his wrist and cupping his cheeks. He was shocked at first, I don't blame him, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground, spinning me around and keeping our lips sealed. He set me back down and I unsealed our lips.
I dropped one hand down by my side. He grabbed it and mixed our fingers together. We kept our faces just an inch apart, our noses just barely touching. "Hi." I whispered, biting my lip.
He pecked my lips. "Hi."
"Y'all! That's the cutest shit I've ever seen!" Mike came up behind us, Eddie was right behind him.
"What are you guys d-doing here?" We kept our hands together. Richie awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.
"Oh! We're gonna watch what Bill and Beverly do! We're gonna spy on them hopefully they do some romantic shit! Like you two!" Eddie ducked behind a bush to watch them.
"Oh my god!" I mumbled, laughing. "Let's do this shit." I ducked in the bush with Eddie and Mike. Richie sat beside me.
Ben was already gone, so it was just them two. They talked for a second. She smiled at him before standing up and walking off. He sat for a second, by himself, before running after her.
He took a step back before kissing her. She was in shock as he pulled his lips away. She leaned in this time, cupping his cheeks. "Oh my god! Real shit!" I whispered to them. She pecked his lips before pulling away to stare into each other's eyes. She whispered something, walking off and leaving him there dazed and in love. He smiled to himself.
"Let's go before one of them catches us." I stood up. "Well, see you guys at school I guess." I smiled, walking down the path.
"Bye, Brook."
"Goodbye, lyn." Richie said, making me stop. He hadn't called me that since the second grade. I turned around and smiled at him.
"No goodbye, that means for ever. Just- bye." I smiled. "Rich." I added before continuing down the path and out of the woods.
"Goodbye, Georgie. I love you." I whispered to myself as I got to the edge of the woods and to the start of the town. "Goodbye."
