GIRLS LIKE GIRLS

chapter twenty.

july 4, friday. 1989.

CASS WATCHED AS BILL SET UP the projector, hands shaking slightly. she didn't want to do this.

but she did. she wanted to know.

bev pulled cass' hand into her own and sent her a reassuring smile, pressing a kiss to the brunettes forehead. bev pulled cass down next to her onto a stool, giggling when cass slung her legs over bevs. stan watched then with envy, but tore his eyes away when bill spoke.

"look," the stuttering boy pointed towards the screen and everyones eyes followed, "it's where g-g-g-g-georgie disappeared." cass shot bill a sympathetic glance. "th-theres the iron works. and the blackspot. ev-everywhere it happens, its all connected by the sewers. and they all meet up at the-"

"the well house!" ben interjected. cass shot bev a scared glance and bev rubbed circles into the girls soft hands. the redhead admired the way cassandras hands were so small, and the fact that her nails were always painted a light yellow.

"thats in the house on neibolt street," stan added.

"you mean that creepy ass house where all of the junkies and hobos like to sleep?" richie asked. eddie pressed his aspirator to his lips and pressed it down, breathing in the 'medicine' while wheezing.

"i hate that place. it- it always feels like its watching me," bev squeezed cassandras hand with her words, and cass squeezed back harder.

"i've- i've never heard of it," cass spoke, "i've never had to go by it."

"consider yourself lucky babe," bev muttered.

"thats where i saw it," eddie rasped, "thats where i saw the clown."

"th-th-thats where It lives," bill stated. eddie took another puff from his aspirator.

"i couldn't imagine anything ever wanting to live there," stan said. cass nodded in agreement.

"can we please stop talking about this?" eddie asked, standing up in front of the other losers. "i-i can barely breathe! this- this is summer! we're kids! - i can barely breathe, i'm having a fucking asthma attack!" eddie turned around quickly. "i'm not doing this!" he yelled, ripping the map off the wall.

"what th-the hell! put the map back," bill commanded.
then the projector clicked.

eddie shook his head.

it clicked again. and again. and again. a picture of georgie and zack denbrough showed up on the screen, eddies shadow blocking half of zacks face. cass gasped.

it clicked again.

"what happened?" bill asked.

click. a picture of the denbrough family on a water ride.

click. it zoomed in.

click. it zoomed closer.

click. georgie and bill smiling at a camera.

"guys?" mike asked, trying to fix it.

click. a picture of georgie.

click. a picture of georgie and bill holding fishing poles.

click. a picture of the denbrough family at church. sharon denbroughs hair was flying in front of her face, her red hair glowing in the sunlight.