Sympathy For The Devil

Reunion

The bike ride home was long. Longer then Bill would have liked. Georgie seated a top stands handlebars talked nonstop the entire way. Eddie who gave Bill his bike and was perched on Richie's scolded Bill the entire way for not being smart enough to get an escort home and for splashing around in the sewer and his condition.

" I mean you could have gotten HIV or a staph infection maybe even tetanus I mean who's to say how clean Bowers is knife is you have AIDS of God you most definitely have AIDS!"

"Ed's." Richie rolled his eyes as they turned down Bill's street. "If anyone has AIDS it's you."

Eddies face turned a bright red and he turned around to scowl at his boyfriend. "That is so not funny and you know it."

"Guys if we wanted to know about your freaky sex adventure we'd ask." Stan sighed.

"Guys we have a kid here!" Ben interjected. Georgie who is kicking his legs was oblivious to the conversation ignored them.
" Jeez don't be a prude Ben." Beverly smirked. "Georgie's a big kid now he faced down the Bowers gang and that stupid clown."

"Does that make him a loser now?" Mike asked as they skid to a stop in front of Bill's house.

"Please." Stan rolled his eyes as he helped Georgie off his bike "Georgie's too cool for that."

Bill hopped off Eddie's bike and hurried inside after Georgie "Be right back!" He called over his shoulder.

"Mom we're home!" Georgie kicked off his sneakers and bolted into the living room his mother was stretched out on the couch watching a movie. Bill ambled in to the kitchen to find his father cooking.

"Want some lunch Bill?" He asked Got a BLT with your name on it."

"S....save it for m...... me?" He asked grabbing a water bottle. "I want.. wanted to go out ri ri riding with the guys for a bi... bit."

"Sure sure." His father waved him off. "You know the drill be home by 10."

"Yeah thanks Dad." He finished his water and ran into the living room to tell his mother goodbye. He smiled at the image of his brother safe and sound at home with his parents. Hopefully he wouldn't blab about what had happened to them. Then his parents would never let him go out again.

One alcohol rubbing and roll of gauze later he was ready.

A few minutes later his garage door opened and he rode out.

"Took you long enough!" Richie protested. "Could you have gone any slower?" Ignoring him Bill took off down the road his friends behind him. The wind in his hair help clear his head and he couldn't help but whoop with happiness at his near brush with death and surviving it.

His friends joined in his cries ringing bike bells and yelling. Their shouts of ecstasy and youth echoed across the buildings and down streets as they triumphantly rode down the street heads held high. For a few minutes Bill forgot his troubles and his new discovery that it was awake and might be looking for him. All that mattered was him and his friends. It was summer vacation and he was ready to have fun.

"Where we headed?" Beverly asked as she pulled up beside him laughing.

"Let's go down to the yogurt joint." Stan suggested.

"Nah the arcade!" Richie said.

"You spend every weekend there trash mouth let's go to the movies." Eddie argued.

As they passed a lamp post Bill stopped, a paper fluttering in the wind catching his attention. He reached out a hand to smooth it out and read it better while his friends bickered.