"WELCOME TO THE LOSERS CLUB" ▶ MIKE HANLON ◀

(ⅹ) Day at the Carnival

⋆JULY⋆
Today was Independence Day. Nothing big if your life is a waste.

I'm at the carnival with the others. Stan and Bill were talking to each other, Beverly and Ben were talking to one another, Eddie went to go get ice cream for himself and Richie while he was acting a fool trying to play an instrument he snatched from one of the parade band members, Mike was just standing there and so was I.

I decided to talk to Mike after getting tired from dragging Richie from the band member multiple times, him going back, and me constantly apologizing. It honestly isn't worth it if you have Richie in your hands.

"Hey, Mike." I said, standing next to him.

"Hi." He replied looking at me.

"Bored, aren't you?"

"No. Not at all."

He stared at me for a few seconds before saying, "This is getting a bit awkward, huh?"

I laughed and told him I was thinking the same thing, so we went on and had a good conversation until Bill pointed at this picture. It was a missing child poster.

Not only that. There was three with the names I strongly recognized: Betty Ripsom, Ernie Cochran, and least expected Patrick Hockstetter.

We stood silently until Ben broke the silence talking about the last interaction he had with Betty. That's when the others added more to the conversation. Even I did.

Truth is, I really miss Betty Anne Ripsom. She was a good listener, a good advice giver, and a person who you can trust with your secrets. She was a good friend. She was the only person to talk me out of my depression when I was suffering the worst. I could've handled my own problems, but she was there to help. She was the only person I'd actually talk to in school. Now that she's gone, I've experienced the worst of what came to me.

I shedded a tear just looking at her poster, but I wiped it really quick so they wouldn't notice. Good thing I wore a little makeup to cover the scars on my face.

"Be strong, June. Be strong. For Betty." I thought to myself.

But then a flashback hit me and took over my mind.

∽Flashback to two months ago∼

It was Betty and I on my porch and we were sitting down. She said to me, "You have to learn that it's okay to cry, June."

I replied by saying, "But I don't want to and I don't feel like it."

"Yes you do. I can see it in your eyes." She laid her hand on my shoulder.

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I can. June, look at me." I turned to her and looked her in the eyes.

"I know you want to be tough, considering how your life's going, but there's also a soft side to you. Let it out. I know you don't the people around here to notice you're weak because you already get enough from them. I get it. They make fun of your race and it's either you stay quiet or you threaten to beat the living crap out of them. Just like how you do to your mom and-"

I glared at her. She knows how I don't like to refer Olivia and Ernest as my mom and dad.

"Oh, sorry." She apologized. "I mean Ernest and Olivia. Yeah, you do the same things to them like how you do to people out here because they're a bunch of inconsiderate racists. But I'm not. As soon as I saw you all alone in school, I wanted to become very good friends with you. I never cared about what my other friends thought about you. That's why I left them and became closer to you because the things they said were so hostile and rude."

"What did they say?" I asked.

"Do you really want me to tell you?"

"Yes. I won't be as upset because at least you didn't say all this."

She sighed deeply. "Alright. They said they never talked to you as much because they thought you were nothing but a raggedy n-word who dresses like a grungy homeless woman and doesn't know how to put her hair in other styles. Not only that. They said your hair looks like it was barely washed and that it was nappy. Don't listen to what they say. You're beautiful and your hair is flawless. Those girls always told their parents and their other friends about you just to gossip. That's why when you always walk with me and pass by people, they give us weird looks. It's pretty obvious why they give them to you." I understood and nodded my head, signaling her to continue. "They give them to me because I hang out with you, but you know I don't mind."

"It's okay. Hopefully I'll find them one day and confront them. I knew they were like this with me besides being so damn stuck-up."

"Yeah. I really don't know what's with them and people of color, but it has to stop. In some ways, I feel your struggle. I cry every night because I think of the horrible things you're going through. I pray for you everyday, hoping everything gets better. My parents taught me to not be a racist and I'm glad they did. I'm here for you, June."

"I know you are, Betty and thank you. I believe you're the only person who cares about my wellbeing to live."

"There are so many people who love you, including me. As I said, I'm here for you. Don't just believe it. Think upon it, embrace it, know it. Know that I'll always be there for you along the way."

"Betty, you are such a generous person. You're heaven on earth. Why does such a person like you like to waste your time with me when you can be doing better things besides dealing with an emotional mess?" Tears were flowing down my cheeks.

"It doesn't matter. At all. I'd rather be with you than any sick person in Derry."

"This is why I love you so much." No matter how hard I forced myself to not bawl out, the tears kept flowing down.

"I love you too, Junebug. Like you're a part of my family. Come here." She had her arms out. I hugged her so hard to the point where I lost strength.

That was the last moment I had with her before she went missing.

The fact that it happened so soon always got to me and shattered my heart into millions of pieces.

∼Flashback over∽

"June." I heard someone call.

"June." They called again. I looked up to see Mike face to face with me and everyone else behind him.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

I felt there were too many words. What an excuse 🤦🏾‍♀️. But hey, it's not like I can think of a better one 🤷🏽‍♀️. Anyways, part 2 is coming up on the next chapter.

Let me know if y'all are enjoying this so far.

Sincerely,
the author herself 🌼