love ; bill denbrough

22

Cass

"What do you mean, it's not?" Mike asked, we were away from the huge body of water now, we followed upstream to a smaller flow, like a tiny stream.

"I've seen something too." Eddie spoke, almost embarrassed about this situation. It was as if he didn't think any of this was real, as if he was just admitting to his friends that he was crazy. Just like me.

"That something wouldn't happen to be a pair of tits, would it?" I heard his voice like nails on a chalkboard. Henry. "Didn't think so."

We all turned our attention to Henry and his Goons. They were all there, apart from Patrick.

"Fuck off, Bowers." Eddie seethed.

"Speaking of fuck, I think it's our turn with her. We've waited long enough." He gestured to me, but the look in his eye didn't scream enthusiasm as he stared me on. It seemed as if he didn't wanna do this, but I knew better.

"Leave her alone, Henry." Mike defended.

"My bad, midnight. Last time I checked, that's Bill's girl. Why's he the one doing no defending?" Henry teased, poking fun at Bill's lack of speech. That fucker is nothing but scruffy denim and rat tails.

"I know you guys know where Patrick is. What did you do you fucking freaks?" Belch asked.

"I'm sorry," Richie imitated a telephone company call. "Patrick can't come to the phone right now, he's a little busy fucking his mother." 

"You little bastard!" Henry grabbed a jagged rock from the floor and sent it hurtling towards Richie, which he skill-fully dodged. 

"Rock war!" Richie yelled, getting another rock straight to the face. The battle cry set all of us into action as we began throwing rocks at the Bowers' gang, them throwing back. It was so hectic i'm pretty sure Eddie stepped in front of a rock Richie threw meant for Henry, resulting in a hard blow to the back of the head.

Eventually all was done and we'd overpowered the Bowers gang, Bill wasn't done. We all peered on as he crossed the stream and grabbed Henry by his collar, shaking him a little. "Is this w-what you wanted. The t-trash talk you so desperately beg-ged for. Don't even th-think about Cass again, you'll regret it. Oh trust me you'll reg-gret it." He let go of his collar with a slight shove, making his way back over to us. In that moment, I saw something i'd never seen, Henry looked so small. So weak, young and vulnerable. Bill looked so angry. So full of rage, so red-faced and furious.

"Come on, let's talk somewhere else." Stan spoke, walking away with us all in tow, Bill grabbing my hand, Ben grabbing Bev's in a moment of brashness.

:::

"So Eddie's leper, Stan's painting, Bill and Cass seeing their brothers, Mike's fire, Bev's blood and Ben's library phantom. I ain't seen shit." This was the one time I appreciated Richie's sarcastic humour the most. I always loved how funny he was, he never failed to have me in stitches at a simple joke he would tell. Always a mood lightener.

"But we all see one common thing." I muttered, even though we were stood in an alley way, the street fair roaring and trumpets blaring, I did not want anyone to hear. We'd be thrown into a funny farm knowing these Derry stiffs. No one in this town could come to terms with anything they hadn't seen with their own eyes.

"The clown." Bev finished. With this revelation came strength. A sort of unity I had yet to feel with the losers, another level of friendship that I'd never felt in my life, that I didn't know existed. I knew that i'd die for these any one of suckers and that they all felt the same. Everyone's posture changed.