𝐻𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐼𝑁 𝐺𝐿𝑂𝑉𝐸 - 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘 ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟

10 ~ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡ℎ

carrie straightens instantly, trying to act as casual as possible and maybe emulate sternness that will encourage the boys to leave.

she's surprised when she looks up though, she'd only heard three voices and assumed that was all. however, meeting all of their gazes she realises there's double that. she recognises them all very vaguely apart from bill, who she knows by name. he stands of the front of the group, looking very apprehensive; followed by one slightly shorter than him wearing large square glasses and a Hawaiian shirt, he looks at her with a mixture of disgust and intrigue, a combination she's never seen before; beside him is an even smaller boy who just looks terrified, his face is littered with freckles and his hair is styled much neater than the other boys. finally, three stand at the back, one with very impressive curls, topped with a kippah and a crisp clean shirt; another who appears much more built with milk chocolate skin and lastly, a rather tubby boy with rosy cheeks and side swept hair. all three wear the same tense smile that simply states, 'please don't hurt us.'

carrie puts on her most uninviting expression, hoping to just tell the boys to leave her alone so she can go back to wallowing in the residue of all the wild emotions she's just felt. and she thinks it might work until the one with the glasses pipes up again.

"are you some sort of crackhead or something?" he asks, with a complete oblivious confidence, all carrie can do is blink at him.

"richie!" the small one beside him whispers harshly, smacking him on the arm, eyes snapping back to her as though scared she would pounce.

carrie almost finds herself laughing at the absolutely alien interaction happening before her and briefly wonders whether she hit her head on a tree branch on the way into the woods and is currently lying passed out on the ground, this being an extremely bizarre dream.

"who the hell are you?" carrie finds herself asking, confusion written on her face as she looks over the boys once more. she dares to make eye contact with the gobby one in the funky shirt and instantly regrets it.

"richie tozier." he steps foward, hand held out for her to shake, she doesn't and he attempts to play it off by swinging it back towards him and itching the back of his neck. "everyone calls me trashmouth, but you can call me daddy."

carrie grimaces openly at his comment and spots the one in the back with the kippah wretching, she stifles a laugh.

"what's your name?" she asks him, the ghost of a grin on her face. despite the strangeness, she can't help but enjoy this interaction.

he startles briefly, before muttering out: "stan."

"nice to meet you, stan." she responds and he smiles.

the group then take turns introducing themselves and she finds out the small, scared one is eddie; the buff, black one is mike and the cute, chubby one is ben. the introductions finish with bill stuttering out his name and finally carrie introduces herself.

"d-do you wa-want us to walk you back i-into town?" bill asks nervously when a silence falls across the group, eyes flitting up to carrie and falling to the ground once more. "a-a-are you lost?"

carrie can't help but smile at the boys obvious selflessness, bill's kindness taking her by surprise considering his friend just asked if she was a junkie. she's about to politely decline his offer, just out of instinct, when she realises that may not be the best decision. turning slightly on the spot, she takes in the thick emerald woods surrounding her and notices how, despite recalling running in from the left of her, every single direction she turns in the foliage looks exactly the same. she heaves out a quiet sigh and admits quite sheepishly: