๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐๐
(CHAPTER ONE: SCHOOLโS OUT FOR SUMMER)
warnings: swearing, bullying, the use of the word โslutโ used, and thatโs about it
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๐ซ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฆ 13๐ต๐ฉ, 1989
stephanie palmer stepped out of the door of the gray, two-story house on kansas street and sniffed the air. it was warm and fresh with a bit of coolness and spice to it. to the pre-teen girl, it felt like it had a special significance: it marked, in her own mind, the official start of summer. if it hadnโt been for the fact that the school year wasnโt over just yet, she would have honestly thought that the summer season was really here. but, unfortunately for her, it wouldnโt end for another seven hours and forty-five minutes. at least the last day of school was today, even if it seemed so far away.
nevertheless, steph thought about how she felt her summer break might go. she felt that same mixture of eagerness, excitement, and slight dread that most teenagers that lived in derry, maine felt about the season.
she was a very pretty girl of twelve years (although she would be turning thirteen the next month), slim and angular with messy, blonde hair falling without fanfare right to her shoulders. there were a lot of crazy hairstyles in the 80s, but steph just thought it was a trend; she had tried herself but it was a fucking pain in the ass for her to keep up with. she wasnโt like those colorful girls at derry middle school, and she wasnโt the most beautiful young lady โ at least, in her mind โ so she honestly never understood the mess. in her opinion, there were more interesting things to do in life, like reading, than spending all that time washing, blow-drying, teasing, or just doing whatever to your hair that would just ruin it.
stephโs life as a pre-teen was more simple and boring than all that stuff and that was just fine with her.
she was dressed in simple school attire, although she was wearing clothing that was slightly warm for the hot weather on the horizon: a print skirt, leggings underneath that, tennis shoes, and boyโs shirt under a jean jacket. loaded down with a heavy backpack, she appeared to be round-shouldered and flat-chested, but that didnโt worry her at all. today was a school day and there was no way you could look glamorous when you went. so you do the best you can and if your friends tease you about how you dress, you grin and deal with it.
she was slightly surprised to see several children around her age already rushing out their doors and riding their bikes to school. even though she was a very proud loser, she sometimes couldnโt help but feel as if she didnโt belong in this shitty town, but she always ignored that feeling. she was quite happy with her friends.
her unusually dark blue eyes crossed over two young girls with their mother as the woman put them in the car. they had bright smiles on their faces, and steph knew that they were happy that summer would be arriving by the end of the day. she herself knew that neither of the girls was amber oโconnor, one of the children she often babysat from time to time; that young girl lived down the street, not right across from her.
ah, babysitting: the number one boring job in derry. to every single teenager, with the exception of steph herself, babysitting was a fucking chore to get through! but the pre-teen really didnโt mind watching over her two hosts that she would be in charge of every now and then, from once a week to every two weeks: justin and amber oโconnor. and that was exactly what she was going to be doing tonight, just like she always did. but she at least never got bored of it, unlike the other teenagers that had the same job as her.
teenagers always used babysitting as an excuse to get money, and sure, steph needed some money for whenever she needed to get groceries for her and her mother, but she never begged for it like the others did. she genuinely cared about justin and amber; in fact, she could even call the children her friends. and, because of this, she would happily be spending another evening supervising justinโs strange addiction to horror movies (although she was the same way), reading amber ๐ด๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐บ for the millionth time before putting her to sleep, and satisfying their craving (and hers) for popcorn and soda.
โstephanie, stephanie,โ she said under her breath, shaking her head as she chuckled, โat this rate, youโll end up being like laurie strode. oh, how far youโve fallen!โ
โwhatโre you daydreaming about, sweetie?โ came a voice from behind her and steph whipped her head around. she grinned when she saw who it was.
jamie palmer, a woman of forty-three and who was stephโs mother, was standing on the front porch with the door open a little. she was a beautiful middle-aged woman who had wavy and messy brown hair that complemented her sea green eyes perfectly. while stephโs eyes were often compared to an arctic glacier, jamieโs were like a clear lake in a dark forest; if you looked closer at that lake you could see a round shallow crevice filled with completely transparent water. they were the prettiest part of her kind face that looked a lot like her daughterโs.
โoh, you know,โ steph replied merrily, โthe usual: going to parties and acting stupid with my friends.โ she knew that her mother wouldnโt take her seriously.
โoh, thank goodness!โ jamie exclaimed, sighing with fake relief. โi thought you were thinking about getting a good education and actually studying in school. phew!โ she pretended to wipe perspiration off of her forehead and the two both laughed.
โoh, donโt worry about me,โ she retorted playfully. โmy mother raised me to be a good girl. just like the awesome person she is!โ
the two stood on the porch for a moment, just appreciating how dazzling the still rising sun was. its rays filled the sky with shades of pink, amber, and orange; the sunrise signaled a brand new day, another opportunity to live (possibly the billionth chance). The light shone upon their faces so impeccably that they didnโt even notice that it was glittering in the orbs of their eyes.
โwell, i donโt want you to be late for school,โ said jamie, patting her only child on the back. โdonโt forget, you have to be home a little earlier today so you can be at the oโconnorโs by 4:00.โ
โi know,โ replied steph, tugging her backpack straps closer to her.
โokay, you have a good day at school, sweetie.โ
steph nodded with a smile, leaning forward to give her mother a goodbye kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. it was so simple and she did this every day, but it was always the best part about leaving her home when she showed her mother affection; it was more important to the young girl than jamie thought, especially considering what the woman was going through currently.
steph set out down kansas street after grabbing her light blue bicycle, pulling it along with her since she couldnโt ride it. on her back, her bag was slung over it, weighing down her body like it was the planet earth itself. she suddenly found herself thinking about the fact that this was her last day of middle school; after today, she would never have to step foot into that horrid place ever again. she hated it there, so she was glad that it was ending for her and she would go on to high school. rumors had it that derry high was a much more pleasant place, and she couldnโt wait to be a freshman.
but she also thought of the nice teachers that she would be leaving behind โ for example, mrs. douglass โ and it kind of made her sulk a little. those people helped her get by when times were tough at school with the bowers gang running around and all. despite this, her tiny sliver of sadness at the thought couldnโt overpower her excitement to sprint out of the school as fast as possible when the bell rang, to catch up with her friends (the losers club) in the hallway and talk to them about summer plans.
and that was when a slight feeling of misery crept into her emotions, and she inwardly winced.
it had been eight months since georgie denbrough had vanished into thin air, and she was still deeply saddened by the news, but not as much as she had been when she had learned it on that fateful october day. she had sat in her room for days on end, not saying a word, just thinking about the fun times she and the little boy had since she was best friends with his older brother, bill denbrough.
she began to think about bill, and a wave of sympathy washed through her soul at the thought of the boy. she had been trying her best to help him through the tragedy, trying to make him smile and laugh like he used to; it mostly worked, but she understood how he felt when it didnโt. she couldnโt even imagine losing a friend or a family member like that, even if georgie was โmissing.โ
yeah, steph honestly thought that the boy had long since died after his disappearance. she didnโt dare say this to billโs face, not wanting to break the boyโs heart even more, knowing that it would break hers as well. she thought about the look on his face if she ever told him that and it was horrifying to her, which made her shake her head, breaking herself away from the thought. it was unspeakable, unthinkable!
๐ซ๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด, ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฉโฆ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข ๐จ๐ณ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง, she thought in her mind.
rarely had she been so relieved to be pulled out of a fantasy. she sighed with genuine relief, unlike her mother earlier, and she turned to her right, a happier grin forming on her face as she saw a small boy jogging towards her. a part of her was confused as to why he hadnโt waited for her to get him so she could walk him to school. ๐ฐ๐ฉ, ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, she thought. it was just last-day-of-school shenanigans.
the boy that ran up to her was justin oโconnor, the boy that she often babysat along with his little sister, amber. he was a bright-looking nine year old with tousled brown hair and bright blue eyes, and he had two or three books in his left arm, which made steph giggle a bit. this boy was just like her sometimes; it usually amused her, but she would be curious at other given times. she was feeling the former today as he reached her.
โhi, justin,โ she replied brightly, ruffling his hair; this was something she always did, and it used to annoy the boy greatly. he was used to it now, although he faked irritation.
as they walked side by side for several paces, he looked up at her. โyouโre coming over tonight, right?โ he inquired. steph nodded instantly.
โlike i always do,โ she answered modestly, slowing down her walking pace a little so he could keep up with her. justin oโconnor was not a very fast walker, she learned very quickly, since he had a lazy step to him. this never bothered the both of them, especially steph (she was normally a very patient person unless you made her mad).
justin smiled even more, satisfied with this answer. โare we gonna do the things we always do?โ he asked. steph sighed inwardly; this was the exact same question he asked every time she came over to watch over him and amber for a few hours. nevertheless, she nodded, the grin never leaving her face. she then, once again, reached out her right hand to mess up his hair, and he chuckled.
amber oโconnor was being taken to school by her father, since her parents didnโt trust her enough to start walking the few miles to school yet. steph had definitely understood this when justin had mentioned it to her a year before, but she couldnโt wait until the little girl could start walking with them to school as well.
steph and justin continued walking, joking around and laughing like they did every day. the pre-teen, if she were honest, loved the young boy and considered a friend, not just a boy that she looked after on a weekly basis. she hoped that he never lost his innocence, although she knew that it would eventually happen, which made her sulk slightly on the inside. if he didnโt lose his innocence, he would forever be a good person that was kind and would help others. but if he did, he could use that to a good advantage and still be a nice person, but he wouldnโt be an angel like he was right now.
she ignored that thought, scolding herself for even thinking such a thing. she wanted to smack herself in the face, but she restrained herself from doing so, not wanting to do something stupid. steph decided to be wise and keep the happy look planted on her face, and justin wasnโt able to see through it, much to her relief.
after twenty minutes, the two kids finally arrived at derry elementary school, which was justinโs stop for today. steph was a little bummed that she wouldnโt be able to talk to him more, but she knew he had to deal with the last day of the school year. and she had to do the same.
โwell, this is where you stop,โ she announced jokingly. โtry not to let those idiots put you down.โ as she said this, she softly punched his shoulder, making him laugh.
โyou donโt have to worry about that,โ justin responded with a proud smirk. โi can take care of myself.โ
steph nodded. โyouโre a smart boy, justin. because of that, i believe you. now, go on and enjoy your last day.โ she gave him a friendly hug, like she did every time they arrived here.
โokay. you too. iโll see you tonight,โ justin said, breaking away and running towards the schoolโs open doors.
after she had continued walking, steph paused on the corner, feeling odd, as if someoneโs eyes were boring into the back of her skull. she turned and gazed back at the school and her eyebrows knit in confusion. was she crazy or was there a shape standing behind a tree, staring at her?
she rubbed her eyes and looked again; there was nobody there. good. her imagination was just working overtime again. so, ignoring her increasingly worrying thoughts, she turned back around and continued her stride to school, pulling her bike alongside her like she did every single day.
god, she was looking forward to a good day.
โi hope you all have a wonderful summer,โ mrs. douglass said in a rather chipper voice as she stood in front of the classroom. there was a true grin on her face while she went over to the blackboard. โnow, there are a few things i would like to remind you all before the bell rings.โ as she said this, she took the side of a piece of chalk and began writing on the blackboard in large bold letters. she started making a list for all of the children so they would know what to do over the summer. there were only four bullets, so it really didnโt look like much to the young teenagers.
steph had not been paying much attention for most of the class, although she acted like she was; and, if you ever examined the blonde-haired girl from time to time, you wouldโve thought she was a great actress. and she was. if she was zoned-out, she pretended that she was actually focused on whatever you were saying, although she never truly understood the words. for the time being, she was just sitting at her desk in the back of the classroom, glancing between the clock and her notebook sitting in front of her.
there were now two and a half minutes left of class and, in turn, the school year as a whole. and, although she was beyond happy to see it end for good, she was a little too focused on what she was doodling in her notebook: her own sketch of the poster for the movie, ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต. it was her favorite horror film, despite the fact that she never let the kids watch it whenever she babysat them. steph was afraid that it would spook them a little too much, and who could blame her? nobody that young should watch something like that.
the young girl eventually realized that she had been doodling for too long and that she was doing it so absently, and this made her finally sit up attentively when she noticed the bulleted list that mrs. douglass had made:
- ๐ด๐ผ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ.
- ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ.
- ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐.
- ๐๐ข ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ:๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฝ.๐บ. ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐!
steph sighed to herself as she read that last one; in her mind, the curfew never seemed to stop all of those children from going missing. they were still dropping like flies and there was nothing that the police could do about it, much to her dismay. it caused her to look away from the blackboard and back down to her notebook, quietly drawing her breath in sharply. she finished her final touches on the sketch until she was satisfied enough. after this, she began writing something in giant letters.
๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ฌ. ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ฌ. ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ฌ.
steph glanced back up at the clock.
she turned back to her notebook.
she ignored the stares she was getting from some of her classmates that loved to pick on her; she was used to it by now and she didnโt give a flying fuck about them. she was just sucked into her own little world and she was just waiting for that loud bell of freedom to blare through the room. for godโs sake, she was even glancing out of the window because of how bored she was, and she smiled at the several kids who had already gotten out of class and who were dumping their school supplies into the garbage bins that sat beside the bike rack.
๐ช ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, steph thought to herself. ๐ช ๐ค๐ข๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅโฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ช ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐บ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ด.
she turned her head ever so slightly.
the pronunciation of her name came like a thunderclap, and she jumped as if a bolt had struck her seat. โyes, maโam?โ she replied in a shaky voice, hearing the snickering of several students.
โwhat are you doing for summer vacation?โ asked mrs. douglass as she stared at the blonde girl expectantly.
steph was aware of the eyes drilling holes into her. ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ, she silently thought. but, instead, a small but fake smile formed on her face. โi donโt know as of yet, mrs. douglass,โ she replied smoothly.
her teacher nodded and turned to the rest of the class. โnow, i just want you all to be safe and i hope you have a great four years at derry highโฆโ
steph zoned out once again, turning back to her notebook to finish writing the words she had intended to print. after she was done, she started tapping her pencil against the desk, although she did so very silently. her midnight blue eyes were set on the classroomโs old clock that was hanging on the wall. time mocked her as it went by super slowly, ๐ธ๐ข๐บ too slow for her liking. she tried to be patient, but this was one of the rare occurrences where she couldnโt be when she wasnโt mad. she wasnโt even angry, but she was growing a little impatient to get out of this hellhole as fast as possible.
the summer was calling her name, and she wanted to follow that voice so badly.
steph glanced back down and read the giant words that she had written in her notebook:
๐โ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โฆ
and, the bell finally rang, blaring throughout the building with shrill finality, and many students bounded out of the classroom with joy and relief. steph was one of those kids, although she wasnโt as hyper as the rest. somehow, she was able to get her mixtape in her walkman and she put the headphones over her ears as she kept walking down the hallway, trying to get to her locker. she pressed Play on the walkman, and heard the blissful lyrics of alice cooperโs ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ต fill her ears.
๐ช๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ช๐ต ๐บ๐ข ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐จ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด
steph rounded the corner of the hallway and froze instantly as she still heard the voices of her peers booming in her ears, bouncing off of the lockers in a rough manner. a tiny bit of fear flooded her for a second, but she managed not to show it, proving how great she was at hiding her true emotions. she locked eyes with henry bowers, and chills ran down her spine when her gaze caught his. the silent exchange only lasted for three seconds before she spun around and decided to take the long way to her locker.
luckily for her, it seemed as though bowers had decided to not go after her, and she sighed to herself, feeling immense relief. she couldnโt get the way he had smirked at her out of her mind and it made her sick to her stomach when she pictured it. she had used to be terrified of him and his gang, but after some advice from jamie, she learned to ignore those assholes and only stand up for herself and others when absolutely necessary.
jamie palmer was a very smart woman. she had learned a lot of things that she eventually taught steph. i guess thatโs what happens when youโve been a widow for thirteen years.
๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ญ๐ด, ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ด
๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณโ๐ด ๐ฅ๐ช๐ณ๐ต๐บ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ด
๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ
๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ
steph stopped at her locker after the little encounter with the bowers gang; her excitement overpowered the slight worry she had felt for those few seconds as she barreled through the chattering students to get to her locker. she conquered her combination in next to no time, grabbing her backpack and slamming the locker door shut. she would never see it again after this, and she didnโt care. all she cared about was getting to her destination: the girlsโ bathroom.
she just wanted a small break from the loud-mouthed students for just a few minutes before she left the school and caught up with her friends outside. surely, they must have been joking around or discussing summer plans without her, and she was perfectly fine with that.
๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ
๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ
after what seemed like forever, steph finally entered the girlsโ bathroom, putting a hand to her chest; she was so happy to be rid of the swarm of students that were annoying her like a fly normally would when it buzzed around your head. she leaned the back of her head against the cool brick wall for just a second before pushing herself off of it as if it were a stool. she then made a beeline for the second stall in the room, the smell of cigarette smoke filling her nose; she resisted the urge to cough, since she hated the smell. she gently shut the door behind her and sat on the toilet, turning to the metallic wall beside her as she did.
she gently raised her hand and rapped on the wall three times. โbev?โ she called out. โitโs me.โ
โhowโs it going, little loser?โ came a musical voice in response. steph giggled slightly, trying to stifle her laughter as best as she could. beverly marsh ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด made her laugh, whether it was her very nonchalant manner, or how she liked to crack jokes every once in a while. the blonde-haired girl loved her best friend and hung out with her more than she did with her other friends.
โoh, you know, just glad this damn school yearโs over,โ she replied jokingly, and both girls laughed at this remark. โyou okay in there?โ she added, her amusement switching to slight concern. she couldnโt see if beverly nodded her head or not, but she heard a reply seconds later just as she heard new voices enter the bathroom.
โyeah,โ replied beverly. โjust excused myself to smoke for a minute.โ
๐ฐ๐ง ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ, steph thought humorously.
out of nowhere, the girl heard a loud groan of anger before someoneโs door furiously made contact with the door of the stall next to her. steph jumped so suddenly that her head smacked against the wall out of shock; she held a hand against her forehead, begging for the pain to go away just as quickly as it had arrived.
โare you in there by yourself, ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ-๐ญ๐บ?!โ shouted a female voice that contained a lot of sass in it. โor do you have half the guys in the school with you, huh, slut?!โ
stephโs blood boiled, but she didnโt dare move, knowing she would regret it if she did. she winced despite this, wishing she could comfort her friend, even if beverly marsh was beyond used to the bullying at this point; the girl had to deal with it every day, just like steph had to. even if the girls felt like it was everyday life now, that still didnโt take away from the fact that they hated it with a burning passion. and that was something that would always resonate with them.
โi know youโre in there, you little shit, i smell you,โ the girl continued. โno wonder you donโt have any friends.โ
๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐ข ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ช๐ต, ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต๐ข, steph thought angrily.
it was that curly-haired ๐ฃ๐ช๐ต๐ค๐ฉ, greta keene; she was the mean girl of the school that always took the chance to bully anyone that came across her path. sure, she wasnโt as bad as henry bowers or patrick hockstetter, but she was bad enough for the girls to deal with. every time she saw them, she wouldnโt hesitate to call them horrible names that they themselves never had the courage to say, and that always infuriated steph, although she barely said a word to her.
as she heard the taunting go on and on, steph began to hear one of the sinks running water, and she tilted her head in curiosity. but, at the same time, she was hoping that nothing bad would take place, even if she had the slight feeling that it would. she stayed still, frozen to where she sat, not moving a muscle; she began to panic slightly when she heard beverly speak up.
โwhich is it, greta?โ she sighed, tired of hearing the insults over and over again. โam i a ๐ด๐ญ๐ถ๐ต or a ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ต? make up your mind.โ
now, greta wasnโt the only person in the school that was spreading rumors about the infamous beverly marsh. pretty much ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ in the school, with the exception of steph and her friends, thought that the girl had slept with nearly every boy around their age. this was not true in the slightest since, according to the girl herself, she had only been kissed by one boy, even if it was on the cheek. so the rumors were complete and utter bullshit.
โyouโre trash,โ greta replied, now genuinely angry with the girl. โwe just wanted to remind you.โ
just as steph stood up, ready to open the stall door to defend her best friend once again, it suddenly swung open, much to her surprise. she saw sally mueller, a girl just a little older than her with dirty blonde hair, holding a garbage bag that seemed to be filled with lots of trash. her eyes widened to the size of saucers, especially when sally met her gaze.
โwhat are ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ doing in here, you loser?!โ shouted sally, briefly letting go of the trash bag to grab steph. she jerked the blonde out of the stall and the poor girl ran into the wall, grunting when she made contact with it.
โohโฆ well, well, well,โ came gretaโs voice from behind her. โif it isnโt the little brace-faced ๐ฃ๐ช๐ต๐ค๐ฉ.โ
steph bravely turned around and glared at greta with such intensity that she wouldnโt be surprised if it scared the female bully. โget the fuck out of here and leave bev alone,โ she growled, gritting her teeth in anger. โshe doesnโt deserve that.โ the girl in front of her didnโt back down; instead, it seemed as if she had gotten even more furious.
โwhat are ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ gonna do about it, palmer?โ sneered greta. โyou standing up for your trashy friend here? why ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ you her friend anyway? you deserve far better than that filth!โ as she said this, she pointed to the stall door that beverly was residing behind.
the blonde girl sighed, her face twisting into an expression of emotional agony. โjust please leave her alone,โ she pleaded.
โsuch a loser,โ sally taunted as she lifted up the garbage bag while standing on the toilet of the second stall. she tilted it over and steph saw disgusting trash raining down into beverlyโs stall, and she gasped quietly to herself in appallment. she turned to greta and shoved her harshly.
โget the fuck out of here!โ she screamed at the top of her lungs, jutting her finger to the hallway. greta chuckled, ignoring how angry steph was as she tilted her head, motioning for the other girls to leave.
โletโs go, girls,โ she told them before sending a kick to the back of stephโs right leg when the blonde turned around. โhave a nice summer, ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ-๐ญ๐บ. same goes to you, ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ-๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ฆ.โ
โjust because i have braces doesnโt give you the right to tease me about it!โ steph shouted after her. she didnโt even care if greta replied to her retort as she turned to the bathroom stall. she tentatively placed her hand on it, knowing it was locked. โyou okay in there, bev?โ she asked in a softer voice.
the door opened almost immediately after she had spoken, and her best friend came into view from behind it.
beverly marsh, in stephโs honest opinion, was one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen. she was pretty tall for an average teenage girl, and she had a slim form that went well with her long, fiery red hair that reached her waist as well as her blue-green eyes. she had a body that even made the most beautiful of girls jealous, although the redhead didnโt know this. sure, stephโs closest friend may have been poor with barely any money to get by, but she didnโt judge her at all; she saw her for who she was as a person, and it made beverly grateful.
โitโs nothing new,โ she replied with a small smile. โdonโt worry about me.โ at that moment, steph realized that only beverlyโs fingers were slightly covered with filth. nothing else was, besides her backpack, which was drenched in sink water and had several pieces of trash on it. it made the blonde grimace slightly, but she barely showed it.
โwellโฆ she shouldnโt do that to you, anyway,โ said steph with a huff. โi gotta go and get home early. babysitting and all.โ
beverly nodded. โof course,โ she responded, giving steph a one-armed hug. โsee you tomorrow, little loser.โ
steph chuckled. โyou too, bev.โ
after they parted ways, steph walked back into the hallway. her flower-designed skirt fluttered against her slightly bony legs, her hair blew behind her and thudded against her neck, and her blue eyes were focused on the front doors of the school as she took each step forward. and, as she opened them, a feeling of happiness and relief settled in her mind; knowing that she was leaving school for at least three months was relaxing to her. she took a deep breath and smiled, walking down the steps of derry middle school.
a few seconds later, she spotted her friends and jogged over to them, a novel clutched in her right arm. as she approached them, she ignored the conversation the other kids were currently having about whatever. she didnโt really pay attention to them as she finally approached the four boys.
โhey, guys!โ she greeted cheerfully. โwaitโฆ whatโs wrong? you seem like you just went through trouble.โ a mildly concerned look formed on her face as she said the last sentence.
her four best friends were standing in front of her: bill denbrough, eddie kaspbrak, richie tozier, and stanley uris. and they all either looked pissed off or overwhelmed. this worried her even more, since she was now wondering if something bad had happened to them.
โbowers and his asshole gang,โ richie answered her quite easily as he adjusted his glasses and steph rolled her eyes.
โof course,โ she sighed heavily, rubbing her temple in annoyance. โyou guys okay?โ
all of the boys nodded and she smiled in relief. โnow, whoโs excited that the summer is finally upon us on this glorious day?โ she said more dramatically, making all of the boys laugh, especially bill. after she was done, she giggled a little as well, finding her terrible acting kind of hilarious.
โall i want is to just go play ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ and not have to deal with you losers this summer,โ richie said sarcastically, still chuckling slightly.
โbeep beep, scumbag!โ steph yelled at him playfully in a warning manner.
โseriously, richie! shut up!โ eddie said, a little irritated by the bespectacled boyโs behavior. and richie fell quiet, much to their relief.
โd-d-duh-did you have a g-g-good day, steph?โ bill asked. the blonde girl grinned at him because of the polite question.
bill denbrough was a tall and kind boy of thirteen, and he had a lanky build that nobody judged him for. he also had cropped brown hair and sky blue-green eyes that always brightened whenever steph was around, although she didnโt know this. he looked like your regular teenage boy in everyday society. if it hadnโt been for his stutter, that would have been considered so.
โyeah, i did,โ she replied genuinely. โthanks, bill.โ
โnuh-no problem,โ he said.
after this, all five of them grabbed their bikes and rode away from the school. steph looked around them to make sure that they were not being followed by the bowers gang and, much to her elation, they didnโt seem to be anywhere in sight. ever since the day she befriended the boys, she grew a motherly and protective nature over them, but it wasnโt overbearing. instead, she truly did care for her boys and didnโt want them hurt, even if it was by any bullies.
she ignored the thought for now, just appreciating the bliss she was feeling as she and her best friends rode towards home on their bikes, grins planted on their faces.
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