𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 ~ 𝐛𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡

Chapter Seven

THE FIGHT

  Maya sighed as she threw the bike down in the yard. She stared in fear of the old, creepy, and decrepit house. She sighed, hearing the others dropping their bikes. Maya frowned and felt worry course through her veins as she watched Bill walk up the steps of the house. 

"Bill, come.. come on don't do this!" Maya tried to reason, stepping forward and trying to grab his arm. He jerked away as he turned towards her with an expression she couldn't quite pinpoint. 

"Don't touch me." He snapped, glaring at the girl.

"Okay, okay, I won't." Maya took a few steps back quickly, accidentally backing into Beverly. 

"Sorry, Bev." Maya mumbled quickly, before taking another look at the stuttering boy. "I'm sorry, Bill.. I just don't think you should go in there alone."

"Come on, this is crazy!" Beverly agreed, taking a slow step towards him. Maya felt some relief when she heard the rest of the losers bikes.

"Look, you don't have to in with me." Bill explained, looking towards Beverly and back to the rest of the group. "But what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty, or another Ed Corcoron, or one of us? Are you just gonna pretend it didn't happen like everyone else in this town? Because I can't.. I go home.. and all I see is that Georgie isn't there. His clothes, his toys, his.. stupid stuffed animals. But he... So walking into this house, for me, it's easier than walking into my own."

 "Wow," Richie said, his jaw slightly open. 

"What?" Beverly asked with concern lacing her voice. 

"He didn't stutter once." Richie explained. Maya scoffed and hit him on the chest.

"Not the time, Richie." She sighed, with a shake of her head. Maya looked at Richie and the two of them made their way up the stairs to follow Bill in. 

"Wait!" Stan called, fear evident in his tone. "Um.. shouldn't we have some people keep watch? You know.. j-just in case something bad happens?" Stan looked around the group, most likely looking for back up.

"Who w-w-wants to stay out here?" Bill asked, his hand slipping off of the doorknob. The group, apart from Bev and Maya, raised their hands. Maya wasn't exactly sure why she didn't raise her hand. Maybe she wanted to impress Beverly by being brave or maybe she wanted to protect her friends. Maybe even both, she didn't know. 

Richie looked around the group, who had all kept their hands up. Richie sighed as he turned around and faced Bill. 

"Fuck.." He muttered as be began following the small group up the stairs. Bill slowly pushed the door open, to reveal the old house covered in cobwebs. 

"Can't believe I pulled the short straw. You guys are lucky we aren't measuring dicks." Richie huffed, looking around the room. 

"Shut up, Richie!" Eddie groaned, taking a puff of his inhaler. "I can smell it.."

"Don't breathe through your mouth" Richie looked towards Maya, who had a tough exterior, but he knew her all too well. She was freaking out on the inside. 

"How come?" 

"Cause then your eating it!" Maya giggled quietly as she heard Eddie's gags from behind her. The brief moment of joy left all to quickly as realization fully set in of what she had gotten herself into.