i'm sorry for this dumb chapter 😪
no rights
Carn bounces her knee anxiously,
making her silver graduation robe flutter at her ankles. Occasionally she sneaks a look over at Bill's parents and her own mother, awkwardly separated by Mike, holding and playing with Claire. The three look extremely uncomfortable, like they're smelling rotten eggs. Mike, however, is having a ball with the infant.
Carn can't help but suppress a giggle, turning back to face Bill- or, rather, the back of his auburn head because Denbrough is before Holland alphabetically. Instead, she turns to Ben, two seats away from her.
"Look at Mike!" she exclaims over the racket, causing Ben to chuckle.
The noise starts to disperse, however, and eventually fade out when the principle reaches the mic. He taps it obnoxiously.
"Welcome to friends, family, and class of 1994," his voice booms throughout the gym. "Thank you for attending the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. I would like to invite the valedictorian, Eleanor Woods, to say a few words."
Carn claps politely as the girl walked onstage. Her speech is cliché, mentioning the amazing experiences she had in high school and the wonderful friends she made and so on. Finally, the time comes for everyone to get their diplomas. Bill is the first of the Losers to be called up, and as he walks off stage, he gives Carn a loving smile. She returns it by blowing a kiss, and he reaches out his hand to catch it.
Walking across the stage feels surreal for Carnation when her name was called. It's really the end of high school. She and Bill and Claire are leaving for New York and, quite possibly, will never come back. But of course they'll see their friends again. Of course.
After the ceremony, the Losers find themselves in a pod, all smoking cigars.
"Guys, if my mom found out I was doing this, she would break all of your necks. She'd probably think you were forcing cancer in my lungs."
"Eddie!"
"It's tradition!" Bev laughed.
He shrugs and inhales some smoke.
"I never said that I didn't want to."
Carn spots Mike in the distance.
"Hey, Clara. You can have the rest of my cigar," she hands it off, running to Mike and hugging him from behind.
"Oh my goodness! You did it Carn!! Congratulations!"
"Thank you!" she squeales, taking her baby from his arms. Claire smiles and moved her arms energetically.
"Carnation?"
She turned, Claire in hand, to face her mother.
"Hi," she responds hesitantly.
"You look very nice."
"Thank you. And thanks- thanks for coming."
"Well, I didn't have to work tonight, so I figured I'd drop by."
"Ah."
"I came to say congratulations and good luck. I'm very impressed that you managed to graduate."
"I'm sorry?" she frowns.
"With the baby and all."
"If you think, for one second, that I was incompetent enough to not finish high school, with or without a child, then you must be pretty insecure in your parenting."
"Carnation, I didn't mean-"
"Why did you come here? Because you've made it really clear that you don't want to be part of my life anymore. You offered to babysit Claire, calling it a business transaction."
"I wanted to say goodbye. We probably will never see each other again. So goodbye."
"Goodbye, mother. Thanks for coming."
"Of- of course," she mutters, shoving a card in her hands and leaving.
"What an A hole," Carn rolls her eyes. "Come on Mike, let's go talk to our friends."
He takes her hand and follows her to the group, sans Stan and Eddie.
As everyone hugs Mike, Bill goes to take Claire from Carn and give her a kiss.
"Where are-"
"O-over there," Bill nods to the two boys, having a heated discussion. Eddie looks devastated.
"Oh no."
The party at Richie's that night is awkward, to say the least. Richie, Beverly, and Carn take turns on duty to comfort a weeping, newly-dumped Eddie. Stan refuses to talk to anyone, guilty and embarrassed about his actions. He couldn't handle a relationship with a male, he said. He wants to go to college with a new start, where no one will know that he's attracted to girls and boys. He wants to be closeted his whole life.
Carn and Bill get so sick of everyone being sad that they sneak off and have sex on the concrete floor of Richie's unfinished basement. Then Carn feels guilty for doing it in his house, and cries the whole way home.
Little did the Losers know that Eddie and Stan are the first of many breakups to come over the course of several months. Only Bill and Carnation will stay together, remembering each other.
Everyone else in the group will slip their minds, though, and every person's memories are to be wiped.
YOU ARE READING
Yellow Dress//Bill Denbrough
Fanfiction"Shut up and love me." As if Bill hasn't already had to grow up too fast, Carnation has some news that will forever alter their lives and test their relationship. Sequel to Catholic Girl//Bill Denbrough
