Yellow Dress//Bill Denbrough

T w e n t y - O n e

I highkey hate this chapter and think it sucks, but, hey, what else is new?
no rights 😔

"Hey! Carnation! Party at my house tonight. Eighteenth birthday," Autumn gives a sickly sweet smile to Carn as she passes her in the hallway. "Bring Bill!"

Autumn? The gorgeous, popular girl that Bill crushed on for ages, inviting Carn to her party? Something doesn't seem right. Unless people are beginning to realize that social status in high school is literally meaningless. Quick to assume the best in people, Carn convinces herself that Autumn really does enjoy her and Bill's company. After all, she asks the two of them about their baby regularly during AP lit.

"We'll be there! Thank you!" she beams back, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. She just got invited to a party!

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"A p-p-party? Puh-please t-t-tell me you're j-joking," Bill puts down his pencil in exasparation.

"Come on! It'll be fun, and we deserve a break," Carn persuades him, completely ignoring her homework.

"W-w-we just took a m-month off sc-school, r-r-remember?"

Bill is hopelessly unshakable.

"Can we just have fun for an hour? Please?" she begs, giving him that adorable smirk.

"Are your duh-daughter and m-m-me not good e-e-enough f-for you?"

"Don't try to guilt me."

"Why d-d-do you ev-even wuh-want to go?"

"We never get invited to big parties. I feel like we should at least go to one before we graduate."

"We huh-have a kid to take c-care of."

"Just for an hour, Bill. One of our friends can babysit. Please? We'll even be back by the time Claire will need fed."

Bill lets out a sigh, knowing Carn won't back down. She is, quite possibily, the most stubborn person he had ever encountered.

"F-f-fine, b-but n-n-no longer than a-a-an hour."

"Yes!" she tosses her pencil above her head in celebration and jumps up, rummaging through the chest of her clothes.

"What n-now?"

"I'm finding something to wear. And before you ask me what's wrong with my outfit now, I am not wearing this to a party," she gestures to her green and pink sundress.

He shakes his head but doesn't protest as she pulls out some jeans.

"It's sooo nice to fit into these again! And can I please borrow your Bowie shirt? Ooh, and one of your flannels."

"I g-g-guess so...."

"Thank you!" she throws her dress at his head, pulling on the jeans and t-shirt and tying the flannel around her waist. "How do I look?"

"Cute, but unlike y-y-you."

"Hm. What are you wearing?"

"This."

"Okay! Are you ready to go?"

"Not y-y-yet."

"Alright. Well, I'll just reapply my makeup, then."

Bill sighs as he returned to his homework. Carn isn't acting like herself, and he has a really uneasy feeling about the party. Why the hell would he and Carn, the previously victimized teen parents, be invited to a party of his popular ex-friend/ex-crush? (Especially because she befriended him out of pity). But he promised he'd go for an hour, though he regretted those words the second they left his mouth.