Float

Chapter 3 || Emma

I picked through the cabinet in Eddie's kitchen. We were preparing for the barons. 

"Take everything but the delicious deals, guys. My mom loves those." Eddie instructed us.

We grabbed packs of snacks from the shelves, stuffing them greedily into our bags.

"Hey, so first you said the barons, and now your saying the sewers. I mean, what if we get caught?" Eddie asked.

"We wont, Eds." I reassured Eddie.

"The sewers are p-p-public works. We're the public, aren't we?" Bill added.

"Hey Eddie? These are birth control pills?" Richie joked, pointing to some bottles of pills in the cabinet.

"Yeah, and I'm saving them for your sister. This is private stuff." Eddie snorted.

"Glad that's not me." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

We closed up the cabinets and zipped up our bags, making our way to the front door. Eddie's mother was watching television in the living room as we walked out of the kitchen. Eddie stuffed his pills into his fanny pack.

"Eddie-Bear. Where you kids off to in such a rush?" Mrs. Kaspbrak called after us.

We paused in front of the door, and I gave Bill a gentle shove.

"Uh, j-j-j-just my house. My backyard, Mrs. K. I got a new..." Bill started.

He paused, glancing to me frantically.

"A new croquet set. Yeesh Bill, spit it out." I finished.

"Okay." Mrs. K replied, watching us closely. "Oh and sweetie, don't go rolling around on the grass, especially if it's just been cut. You know how bad your allergies can get." 

"Yes Mom." Eddie answered, pushing us out the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Mrs. K called after us.

Eddie stepped back inside, followed by Richie, Bill and I. Eddie briskly walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek. I shoved Richie as he giggled, and Bill gave him a glare. Eddie slowly walked back to us.

"Do you want one from me too, Mrs. K? I was-" Richie started, but was interrupted as Eddie shoved him out the door.

"Sorry Mommy." Eddie called as he closed the door.

***

"That's poison ivy, that's poison ivy, and that's poison ivy, and that's poison ivy." Stan pointed to basically every plant in the vicinity.

"Where? Where's the poison ivy?" Eddie frantically asked.

"No where. Not every fuckin' plant is poison ivy, Stanley." Richie called as he began to follow Bill and I into the sewer.

"Um, well, I'm starting to feel itchy now... and I'm pretty sure this is not good for my-" Eddie began.

"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie interrupted.

"Sometimes, yeah?" Eddie answered.

"Then you probably have crabs." Richie finished.

"That's so not funny." Eddie replied.

Bill shined his flashlight around the dark tunnel. I gulped, scared that we would find... find Georgie. But not living.

"Aren't you guys coming in?" Richie asked, facing Eddie and Stan, who still hadn't entered the sewer.

"Nuh huh. It's grey water." Eddie declared.

"What the hell is grey water?" Richie asked.

"It's basically piss and shit so I'm just tellin' ya. You guys are splashing around in millions of gallons Derry pee. So..." Eddie looked up at Richie, who was holding a stick from the water. "Are you serious?"

"Doesn't smell like caca to me, señor." Richie gave the stick a theatrical sniff.

"Okay, I can smell that from here." Eddie argued.

"It's probably just your breath wafting back into your face." Richie retorted.

"Have you ever heard of a staff infection?" Eddie yelled.

I rolled my eyes as far back as I could. These idiots. I turned to Bill and he shone the flashlight around some more. 

"Ah!" Eddie squealed, and I heard a splash as something landed in front of him. 

"Oh wow." I felt queasy as Bill lifted up a soaked white converse. 

"Guys!" Bill cried, catching everyones attention. They turned, and saw Bill shining his light on the shoe.

"Shit, don't tell me thats..." Stan started.

"No. G-G-Georgie wore galoshes." Bill stuttered.

"Who's sneaker is it?" Eddie asked hesitantly.

Bill shined the light into the sneaker, revealing B. Ripsom written in sharpie on the inside.

"It's Betty Ripsom's." I said, looking at the guys around me.

"Shit. Oh God. Oh fuck." Eddie muttered.

"How do you think Betty feels? Runnin' around these tunnels with only one frickin' shoe!" Richie joked. We all just glared at him, and he looked down.

"What if she's still here?" Stan asked.

We all looked at each other, then Bill turned and continued down the tunnel. Richie and I followed him, calling back at Stan and Eddie to follow.

"Come on!" Richie hollered.

"My mom will have an aneurysm, okay? If she finds out we're playing down here, I'm serious. Bill? Emma?" Eddie cried. 

Bill and I slowly turned around. 

"If I was Betty Ripsom, I would want us to find me." I replied.

"G-G-Georgie too." Bill added.

"What if I don't wanna find 'em? I mean... no offense twins, but I don't wanna end up like Geo-" Eddie paused. Everyone turned to look at Bill and I. The mention of Georgie's name like that made me feel sad. Anything to do with Georgie broke a part of me. But Eddie was taking it too far. Bill looked so sad.

"I don't wanna go missing." Eddie finished.

"He has a point." Stan added.

"Y-y-you too?" Bill stuttered.

"He has a point! It's summer! We're supposed to be having fun! This isn't fun... this is scary and disgusting." Stan cried.

Suddenly, there was a splash behind them, they whipped around and I rushed over to see what happened. There was a kid in the water. He tried to get up, but ended up stumbling back into the water.

"Holy shit, what happened to you?" Richie yelled.