Ｓｔｕｔｔｅｒ [ｂｉｌｌ ｄｅｎｂｒｏｕｇｈ ｘ ｒｅａｄｅｒ]

ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʟɪɴᴇ

♧♧♧

I slowly sat up in Eddie's bed. He was peacefully sleeping on the floor, snoring softly. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and got out of bed, stepping around him. A pain shot through my legs. Right.

I let out a quiet whine, leaning back on the bed. I couldn't help but wonder, still, why the thing was targeting me. Was it because of my connection with Bill? I shook my head.

"Y/n..?"

Eddie rolled over on his makeshift bed, sleepily looking up at me. I sighed.

"Do you feel okay?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. I shrugged. He stood up, looking down at my bandaged legs. "Can you sit back for me? I wanna see how the scratches look," he said calmly. I sat back on the bed, wincing as he peeled back the bandage. The cuts were a lot deeper than I remember them being.

"I'm going to rewrap them. Make sure you wear jeans out of the house so Mom doesn't freak out," he whispered, leaving the room. He turned into the bathroom. I heard the squeak of the sink cabinet as he grabbed new bandages.

I sat still as he unraveled the bandages from last night and re-wrapped them, taking caution not to touch the cuts on my legs. They would leave scars for sure. When he was finished, I stood up again. It hurt a little less this time. I would have to manage.

"I'm gonna go change," I said, hobbling down the hall to my room. He ducked into the bathroom. The shower came on. I shut my door and opened my closet, shuffling through the clothes.

♧

"Y/n! Come down quick!" Eddie yelled. I set my book on my desk, and as quickly as I could, skipped down the stairs. He was leaning against the wall, frantically playing with the phone chord. When he saw me, he practically shoved the phone into my hand and hurriedly started tying his shoes.

"Kaspbrak! Please, you guys gotta come over! There's... there's blood! Everywhere. I'd been sitting here for ages trying to move, but I was too scared. Whatev- Please!"

It was Beverly. I could barely understand what she was saying. I glanced at Eddie, who was reaching up into the cabinet and grabbing us granola bars for breakfast.

"Wha- Bev? What do you mean by blood? Slow down," I said. She let out a racked sob on the other line. I frowned.

"Just hurry!"

The phone clicked. I set it back on the hook and slipped on my shoes. That's when I noticed our mom coming down the stairs in her slippers and robe.

"Kids, where are you going?" She asked, glancing between each of us. I tried to formulate a response as quickly as I could.

"Bill called," I blurted, "He wants to show us something cool he found!"

I even smiled to sweeten the lie. She nodded, taking the final step down the stairs. Eddie reached over and handed me a granola bar.

"Be careful," Mom said, plunking down in her recliner. Eddie and I scurried out the door and grabbed our bikes from the side of the house. I reached up to turn on the radio. Eddie quietly hummed along.

♧

Eddie and I arrive at the same time as the others. We let our bikes fall into a pile, except for Stan, who always takes good care of his things. He puts it up on the kickstand as Beverly hops down from the fire escape, a smoking cigarette between her lips. She stands before us in the dead grass and pulls it from her mouth.

"I need to show you guys something," she said, shuffling her boot-clad feet.

"More of what we saw at the quarry?" Richie said, a laugh present in his voice. Stan swats him on the shoulder.