I reached for the paper, confused and startled, and started reading. It was only a simple statement.
"Not so clever now".
That asshole Henry had taken everything out of my locker to get back at me for my stunt earlier, and I was not pleased about it. What sort of person goes that far with a harmless little joke? And where the hell did he put everything?
I must admit it was slightly funny knowing the effort he must've gone through to get all that junk out of there and I was pretty happy to have him clean it out for me, but I seriously needed some of that stuff. The last thing I wanted was to go and confront him but what choice did I have? Knowing Henry he would've thrown it in the nearest river any chance he got. I was just praying he didn't look through it all because I kept spare underwear in a bag as well as all my other useful essentials. If he found that I'd lose my mind!
I searched around until I recognized the back of his head at a bench. He sat lazily with his legs spread wide and his arms sloppily hanging in front of him at the table and there was absolutely no sign of my stuff.
"Henry, where the hell did you put my stuff!" I whined, trying to hide the amusement I was feeling somehow.
"We hid it," he shrugged, smirking.
"If you want it why don't you go find it?" Patrick grinned in a creepy manner.
"Unbelievable! I have some really important stuff in there, Henry!" I added, pushing him on the shoulder.
"You mean like these?". NO! He did not do that to me. I stood frozen and I felt my mouth start to open, linear with my shock.
"HENRY!" I hushed, almost begging him to stop.
He held them higher.
"Stop it, asshole!" I yelled at him, but as quietly as I could as I didn't want to draw any attention to it.
"Well if I'm an asshole..." he almost stood up with them as high as he could but I pushed him down.
"Stop! I'm sorry!" I pleaded, trying to hold his arm down. I reached for the pair of underwear and snatched them out of his hand, shoving them into my bag. I collapsed into the seat of the bench and sighed.
"I hate you!" I pushed him again, and then let out the tiniest breathy laugh. It was more relief than anything.
"I know," he said proudly while stretching his arms.
Meanwhile, all three of his friends were laughing uncontrollably under their breath.
"Whatever, can you please just tell me where you put everything?" I pleaded, pressing my hands together.
He didn't say anything but just stared out the window smiling, and then I saw it.
Right at the top of the tallest tree outside it hung and I almost screamed right there and then.
"No. Way!" I mumbled, standing upright within a second. "Henry, I am not climbing up there!".
"That's too bad. I thought you might like your bag back but," he sighed. "I guess not," he sighed, getting up to walk away. "Come on," he gestured his friends to follow him too.
I grumbled.
"Wait!".
We stood at the bottom of the tree staring up at the height for what seemed like hours before I spoke again.
"I can't believe you would do this," I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.
"Genius, I know," he admitted.
"Well if you could get up there, so can I!".
"Actually, we threw it up there. Well, victor did," he laughed in a not so encouraging manner.
"Crap" I mumbled to myself.
He laughed.
"Well, here I go I suppose," I huffed.
I placed my right foot up on a particularly thin branch and hauled myself up with a slightly higher one and then lifted my left leg up too. Within moments I was flat on the grass agroaning.
I looked up to see the four faces looking down on me.
"You might wanna think about using the thicker branches," victor said, raising an eyebrow.
"Y'think?" I glared.
I helped myself up and noticed how far up the thicker branches started to reach out and without hesitation raised my leg up to climb. It was a good meter and a half off the ground at least but I just about managed to lift myself up with struggle. Before I knew it I was about half way up and foolishly i had made the mistake of looking down.
"Keep going!" Patrick yelled up, followed by a clap from Belch. I could see them all laughing with each other closely.
I took a deep breath and braved the rest of the way up while taking very careful steps. If I took a single climb wrong I could fall, and it would be messy.
I wanted to try and reach the bag from as low down as I could but I knew the reality was that it would fall to the floor and everything inside would get damaged. I didn't trust Henry enough to catch it but there was no way in hell I'd be able to get back down from this huge tree WITHOUT a bag in my hands let alone one full of my most important belongings. I planned to throw it down and just pray he would actually catch it. I mean, he wouldn't go so far to throw my bag up the top of the highest tree he could see and then not even help get it down again right?
I took one last step and then grabbed the hanging strap from the branch before looking down. Holy shit I was high up.
"Guys! I need you to catch my bag!" I shouted, waving the bag in the air but holding on tightly to the tree with my other arm. I wasn't about to fall now.
"What?" Henry called out, chuckling.
"Catch my..." I started.
Asshole
"Oh, forget it!" I muttered.
I now had to clamber down this gigantic maze with a heavy bag of junk in my arms. Great!
"We need a better place to watch the show!" Henry grinned, moving over to a spot of grass where he sat down followed by his heard of sheep.
"When I get down there I'll beat you so hard you'll want to end yourself!"
"That's if you ever do!" Patrick laughed.
I held up my middle finger and started to carefully make the same route I did up the tree backwards and I'll admit it was a little less stressful than I'd thought until I met the particularly big gaps.
I was just smooth sailing through the branches until I heard a shout which almost made me fall to my death.
"Julie?" A male yelled out. I looked down to find one of the many teachers I'd met this week staring up in shock surrounded by several others and a few students giggling and gasping.
"Julie is that you?!" The math teacher I'd met earlier called out. I said nothing for a while but just glared at Henry and his friends hard and angrily. "Good heavens are you alright?".
"Never mind whether she's alright, what the hell is she doing up there in the first place!" The man looked furious about the situation aswell as a couple other teachers while others were more on the concerned side.
"Alright, I can hear you! Why don't you ask Henry Bowers?" I screeched. I was furious with almost everyone around me.
By this time they were all looking over at him, once again some were on my side while others not.
"Don't you start blaming other people for this!".
"I can't imagine she would throw her own bag up there just to go and get it again!".
"Julie, get down from there!".
"Don't hurt yourself!".
I couldn't focus on getting down now. I had voices surrounding me, yelling at me. Saying good things and bad things and it was making me crazy. I just wanted to let go.
I had blacked out for a while but woke, staring up once again, but this time at a much larger crowd.
I was in my bed and I could see my friends all sat at the end of it along with my mother who sat slightly closer holding a cold cloth to my head.
I groaned at the pain but also at the uncomfort of the cold.
"Don't tell me I actually let go?".
"It appears so, Julie. How on earth did you get up a tree that high?" My mother tutted, lifting her reading glasses onto the top of her head. I rolled my eyes.
"Does nobody listen? I told almost everyone down the bottom of that tree and still nobody believes me! It was Henry Bowers!" I whined. My mom crossed her arms.
"Well, whatever caused you to climb up a tree that high must've been very important. Now get some rest and don't lift your head so much, Julie! That was a nasty fall," she raised her eyebrows at me and pointed before wondering out the door.
Beverly sat at the end of my bed while everyone else stayed standing.
"How did Henry encourage you to do something that dangerous, Julie? You could've got killed!" She said, leaning on her left arm.
I continued to tell her how the day started and how it escalated to me climbing up a huge tree and even threw in the part about the undies which she didn't hesitate to laugh at no matter how worried she was for my health.
"Holy. Shit. Can I see?" Richie asked, being genuinely serious.
"I'm going to have to pass on that one. Sorry," I chuckled, shaking my head.
"Ugh. Richie you really are disgusting," Stanley scowled.
"Hey, Eddie. You know this whole situation makes you seem like a huge drama queen!" Richie giggled.
Eddie rolled his eyes and faced the other way.
"Hey, Eddie?" Richie questioned, poking him on the shoulder multiple times.
"What?!" He screamed.
"Why did Eddie get mad at Richie?" He asked jokingly.
"Why?" He glared.
"Because Eddie didn't want to admit that his intelligent friend Richie was right. Obviously," he shrugged.
All of us were laughing at this point apart from Eddie who tried to ignore it, although he looked extremely pissed off.
"Fine. You know what? I don't have to deal with this abuse!" Eddie stomped before walking outside the room.
"He's just mad because he hasn't got any illnesses to get attention from at the moment," Richie continued.
"He never has any!" Mike added.
I could tell they were winding Eddie up even more baring in mind he could still hear them and soon he entered the room again.
"I'm staying in here. The abuse is much worse when it's behind my back,".
"Oh, come on. It's hilarious!" I laughed.
"Well. I'm glad My suffering can make you feel better!" Eddie said sarcastically with his eyes squinted.
"Not to seem... rude, but I think I'm suffering a tad bit more than you!" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Anyway, how are you? Can you move and stuff?" Ben asked sweetly, moving forward to sit on the bed too.
"I don't know. I think I'm okay. My head is killing me though!" I sighed, lifting myself higher on the pillow.
"We shouldn't have trusted this stupid plan!" Beverly frowned, placing her hand on top of mine. She turned and looked at Bill who seemed to look apologetic for the idea.
"Hey, none of it was a bad idea! It was my fault for trying to be smart with Henry. I suffered for it!" I smiled trying to cheer the both of them up although it didn't work so well.
"Don't ever let henry make you feel that way! He started it by taking your bag in the first place, it was his fault. You're suffering now. It's not okay, Julie!".
I stared into her eyes and upturned one corner of my mouth.
"I know but I should've seen it coming. It's not like I didn't know what I was dealing with!" I gulped adjusting my position only to get a sharp pain down my back. I gasped in agony and slowly soothed myself back into my recent spot.
"I'm not so sure we should keep you away from us any longer. Look at you! You can't stay out of trouble for a single damn second without us!" Beverly chuckled, standing up to give me more leg space. Ben did the same.
"I know, I know. I'm a complete mess!" I added, laughing along with her.
A short moment later, my mom called up to us from the kitchen where I could smell the hot soup she was preparing for me.
"Julie, you need to rest now. You're friends should be on their way home, anyway!".
"Just a few more minutes? Please!" I yelled out, with a begging tone in my voice. She objected.
"I promise you'll see them again soon! Maybe even tomorrow. Come on down now, kids!".
My perfect crew of friends exited the room one by one, each making their own goodbyes to me before I heard the door press gently behind them. I could hear their mumbled chatter outside the house through my open window however, and it made me relaxed and calm. In fact so much so that I drifted my way off to sleep with complete independence and ease.
