"Don't Give Up Just Yet...." (Bill x Beverly)

Don't Give Up Just Yet...

BEVERLY'S POV:

The cold weather had finally come. It was rounding up to Christmas time and I snuggled myself up on the park bench. 2 months have passed since the incident with Bill's dad.
He had been put on trial and sent to jail. Bill doesn't like to talk about it but always thanks me for calling the police and Losers. After that is when things truly fell apart.
Ben had never answered my call that night. We actually didn't see him at all unless it was school. Ever since Bill and I got caught together. He didn't talk to either of us. The rest of the Losers reassured us that he was okay.
That's what they had always said. 'Ben's okay.' But then the news came. He was moving. Far away. But that was only the beginning.
Stanley had gotten sick and was in the hospital for a while. I make it sound like he's okay now. But he's not. He's still in the bed. Propping himself up and waiting for his friends to show up. Stan the Man. Locked away in some room.
As for Richie, his mom heard about how he acted at Audra's and he... he's gone away. Some military camp to correct your kids. He won't be the same Richie when he comes out. Not at all. But one can always hope.
I'm going to miss the way he can turn any dark situation into something funny. And it it's a bad joke, then awkward. That stupid grin he gave as he adjusts his glasses. That was my favorite way of seeing him. I hoped that image would never leave my mind. But it did.
Eddie's mom would no longer let him talk to any of us. If he did, his mom would always find out and we wouldn't even see him at school for the rest of the week. He begged us to give up. Saying that, in the future, he can come back to us.
Snow was hitting my head and I raised my hood up. The cold always bothered me. Making me shiver with any contact it made. But it's what I was used to now. That coldness on my body. Not a lot made me feel warm and safe anymore.
Mike was still around. But the farm was rough in the winter. He needed to make sure none of the animals would die. It was a lot of work. So it was almost like he left me. I didn't have a lot to look forward to these days.
I felt a tear drip down my cheek just thinking about my friends. The way they had all cared for me. And I screwed it all up. Ruining the dinner party and calling them over to Bill's house. It's my fault.
Soon enough I was sobbing. I've lost everything. My Aunt is even working more. She hasn't noticed that my friends aren't around anymore. She has asked about Bill though. But the only thing I knew about Bill was that he's been dealing with his dad. I didn't see Bill. We weren't really...Talking. It broke my heart when I showed up at this house. It was a week after the incident and his mom answered. Saying he didn't want any visitors right now.
I just thought of it as his mom keeping him in so I tried the next day and this time Bill answered. His hair all messy and circles under his eyes. He had told me he was busy. Didn't want visitors. And that's the last I saw of him.
I cried harder thinking of him. And the crinkle of snow interrupted me. It was getting louder. Closer. I didn't bother sitting up to see who it was. Too afraid to check. But when an arm was wrapped around me, I knew it was him. Leaning into his chest, I cried into him. He just rubbed my back and comforted me.
I have to see him. Looking up, I saw a sad boy smiling at me. Tears in his eyes. "I've missed you." His voice was quiet and hoarse, but I heard every word. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. Never wanting to let go. He can't leave me. Not this time.
"I'm so sorry Bev." I didn't move or say anything. "I know you've had no one for a while. They are... absent. For a little while." I just nodded into him. "Won't be that bad, Bev. We will all always be friends. Maybe not Ben." His last comment made me laugh a little but now, I even missed Ben.
"They'll come back, Bev. Trust me." I sat up and looked at him. "How? How do you know?" He just shrugged and said, "Just a guess." But he had a smirk on his face. "Bill?" He took my hand in his. "Eddie is coming to stay with me. For good. Next week is when Richie comes back, we'll see how badly he messed up the drill sergeants there." I laughed, realizing no one could break Richie. "And Stanley. They said he's showing progress. Hell, Winter won't last forever! Mike will be back. Can't always be bad times Bev." I just nodded and he let go of my hand. "Don't give up just yet..." and with that, he kissed me. Something I've been missing for the past 2 months. Everything will get better. Just like when he wasn't talking to me. Don't give up just yet...

A/N: And with that, I close out this story. Thank you so much for all the support. I'll continue to progress and write more stories like this. Have a good day everyone!