I sit outside the school, waiting for the bus with Charlie, who has become more unbearable than usual.
"I think you should get started on that book report-"
"I think you should shut the hell up. I got it covered," She scoffs. "Jesus Lorraine. You are the biggest pest." I huff. "You know, I'm just trying to help. You aren't exactly the light of my damn life," The brunette girl crosses her arms. "Oh?" I nod.
"Yeah. I've got my own shit going on and I don't need your bitching," I say before muttering, "Rory deserves a god damn medal."
She stands up and looks down on me. "What the hell did you just say?" Suddenly I'm in her face. Even though Charlie is two years my senior, I'm still just as tall as her. She stares me straight in the eyes with rage all too familiar.
"What are you going to do? Are you gonna hit me too?" She smirks, looking me up and down. "I should. I should beat the shit out of you." She says. Suddenly I hear a familiar rumbling and a sudden honk. We both turn to the direction it came from, slightly startled.
Belch looks out the open window of the Trans Am. "Lori! Come on, let's go!" He hollers. I see Victor and Patrick in the backseat, and Henry in the passenger seat.
"Lori? What are you now, their groupie?" Charlie snidely remarks. I ignore her, grabbing my backpack and walking towards the car. "Where the hell are you going?" I don't have a straight answer for her so I just turn and give her a shrug. I open the door.
"Lorraine!" She yells again.
Before disappearing inside the car, I blow her a kiss.
-
My fingers dig into the leather cushioning on Belch's seat as we speed down the street of Derry. My hair whips wildly in the wind that pours through the open window. Judas Priest blares over the stereo. Patrick whoops and hollers as we turn a sharp corner. Henry and Belch are cracking jokes I can't hear over all the noise. Even Victor is laughing at the disgruntled adults we speed by.
Belch speeds onto a dirt road and dust flies all around. I contemplate feeling scared. Scared that we would wreck, scared that my father would find out where I was and what I was doing, scared of the fact that I felt more alive, more myself with these four incendiaries than I have in a long time. But I'm not scared. I'm so excited.
For what, I have no clue. But I'm happy, and that's not something I'm in a place to take for granted.
We all finally arrive at a house. I had no idea who's it was, nor why we were here, but I figured it best not to ask.
I get out and run a hand through my mussed hair. Henry leads the boys inside and I follow suit.
The air is heavy in the house, due to the air conditioning not being on. "My dad's taking an extra shift tonight so he should be gone all afternoon," Henry says going into the kitchen and opening the fridge. I stand behind him as he does this, and see at least three six packs of Busch. He grabs one and I give him a confused glance.
He tosses it to Patrick and grabs two root beers handing, them to Belch and Victor. Henry grabs another beer and holds it out to me.
"You want one?" I stare at the beer in his hand and shake my head. He hands me a root beer and takes the beer for himself. I watch as he cracks the beer open and takes a large swig. What could possibly drive someone our age to drink? There was no possible way he actually enjoyed the taste of the beverage. I grimace at the loud burp that resonates from his throat.
How charming.
Henry leads us back to the living room where Henry flops onto a big green armchair and turns on the television. I sit on the sofa next to Belch, crossing my legs and drinking my root beer.
