The Town of Derry

Laura + Henry

I walked behind everyone as we headed back to Eddies house, his mom said if he comes home before 6:30pm we can stay over.

I thought about everything that came to my mind; IT, us splitting up, Stanley, mike in the hospital, how Henry Bowers has a crazy obsession with me...

Stan, mike, Richie and Eds were already up ahead of me a good way, I could hear their conversation faintly In the distance, Richie looked back every few minutes to make sure I was still there, when he did I gave him a wave, or a weird dance movement, something silly.

I felt a body grab me from behind. I stopped at looked forward at the guys who havnt looked back yet. "Hey there pretty girl" I heard bowers say, I turned to look at him "one, get the fuck off of me, 2 why the fuck did you do that to my friend!" I yelled, hoping richie or Eddie or someone would hear. Still they haven't checked back on me yet.

"Come on Laura" he said turning me back around to face him. I refused to look him in the eyes, he's psycho.. "you promised me this summer if you didn't have a man, you would go on a date with me" he begged, holding my forearms up in the air so he had control of me.
"Word on the street is you are still available for my pleasure" he pulled me in closer to his body, I still havnt made eye contact with him.

"I-I have a boyfriend Henry" I said trying to pull away, he grasped my arms tighter.
"Who?" He said getting angry, "Laura?" I heard Stanley's voice, and bikes pull up behind me.
"Not one of these losers?" Henry said jolting me around to face them as he grabbed around my waist to hold me back.

I mouthed 'I'm fine' to the guys and Richie tolled his eyes. "Laura Hanscom tells me she's taken, breaking our promise" bowers scolded again the guys. "Definitely not little homeschool, Laura's mom is Christian and would shame her from that" he said gripping around my waist tighter and pushed his body up against mine.

The guys stayed quiet as bowers spoke "wheezy for sure is a fairy" he spoke, I tried to back kick him in the gut as I saw richies and Eddies faces lower to the ground.

"Stan" I said, he looked at me and got the clue,
"Speak up Uris" bowers yelled, "yeah yeah" Stanley said, smiling "Laura's uh, my girl.." he said again walking closer to Henry bowers,
This is the closest he's been to a bowers before, I could see his hands shaking. "Go" bowers said pushing me away into Stanley.

I looked at the ground, "thank you" I said, Richie looked at me and crossed his arms.
"What the fuck promise was he talking about" Richie yelled at me, I backed up because his face was turning red. "Richie back away" mike said, I stood there shaking still from Henry.

"Last day of school, we got into a really bad fight because I protected Bev, and to make him stop harassing her, he made me promise if I didn't have a boyfriend by summer I was his property" I explained, I looked at Richie who's face was still beaming red "and before you say something rich, he made me swear not to tell anyone" I added before walking past him as he rolled his eyes at what happened.

"Well now he thinks you and Stanley are dating" Eddie said as he sped up to me.
I stopped in my tracks and stared right down the street, "I seem to always bring people into my mess" I said, I turned around at them whose faces frowned, I began walking again and turned onto eddies street.

Eddie ran into his house and told him mom we were here for the night. She came out and greeted us, "hello Laura!" Her face lit up at the sight of me, I smiled and gave her a hug "hi miss K" she held me back, and shook her head at my dirty clothes "I got something just for you" she walked back into the house.

I sat on the step beside mike "you know Stan was a little bit surprised you used him as a boyfriend" mike said playfully nudging me, I looked at him and shrugged.

"Laura come" eddies mom said to me as she stood in the door way, I followed her into the spare bedroom, "I bought these incase my little Eddie bear ever got a girlfriend and spent the night without a backup bag, but since he's still my baby boo, try these on" she smiled at me handing me a small floral pink summer dress.

I walked back out and tied my converse,
"So Stan the man" I said walking over to him, we was sitting on the porch railings.

"Thanks a lot, I didn't mean to get you guys involved" I leaned against the pole just before the steps, that held up the roof of the porch.
"And mike, my mom would not hate me if I was dating you, just because Shes Christian doesn't mean she's like that.." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Guys here's some money to order a pizza, no sodapop though! I have water and sugar free juice in the house" Eds mom said as she passed eddie $20. Eddie ran inside with Richie to phone the pizza shop.

"Incoming, connors and Patrick" mike said, Stanley pulled me close to him and smiled. "Can't get caught" he chuckled, Patrick and connors slowly rode past Eddies house as looked at us with anger on their faces.

"Thanks mike" Stanley said as they finally past and went down another street. "You know you don't have to do this" I said sitting on the step "I'm not letting Henry get you" he grinned down at me as Eddie and Richie came back outside.

"Oh by the way, we ordered from the one bowers works at" Richie said laughing as he sat down, "the fuck?" I said, Mike chuckled and called me over to help him with something, he was over at his bike.

"I told them to, you and Stan need to just make it official, everyone knows you like each other" Mike said as I helped him fix his bike up. "He doesn't, trust me, I know Stan" I said, Mike looked up at me, and rose his eyebrows "oh yeah? Then why's he just watching you and totally ignoring Eddie talking to him" I looked at mike straight in the eyes, "you better not be fucking with me man"

I stood up and wiped my hands on mikes shirt, I didn't wanna ruin the dress. "Stan" Eddie yelled finally snapping Stanley back into reality, I walked over and sat beside Richie putting my legs on his lap. "Get the plan?" Eddie repeated to Stanley, he shook his head no, "what plan?" I asked, mike sat into the steps, Eddie and Stanley were on the railings and Richie and I were on the couch swing.

"When bowers comes with the pizza, you guys have to make him super jealous" Richie said, I looked at Eddie "dude that's just gonna piss him off" I moved my hair into a pigtail, "I agree, that's just asking for trouble" mike said, I looked at him confused. "Well let me sit there, we're not gonna make him jealous because he will go into a fit of anger, but if he thinks somethings up, than we could lose Laura" Stanley said motioning for Richie to stand up.