Nightmares (slow updates!)

Chapter 20

Poppy's POV

I groaned in annoyance as I clutched the leather seating beneath me. "Could you slow down?" I questioned belch, a panicked tinge to my voice as I held on for dear life. "Quit complaining" he replied rolling his eyes as he shifted gears.

Patrick leaned forward in his seat, tapping the back of his hand against Henry's chest and pointing out the cars window. Henry quickly nodded and nudged belch with his elbow, alerting him to whatever it was they were all so interested in. Belch yanked the wheel, pulling harshly into a parking space in front of the hardware store.

I cringed as I felt the cold metal of Patrick's rings against the back of my neck. He squeezed a bit, a smirk on his face as always. He brought his lips to my ear as he shoved a ten dollar bill into my palm. "Go get some ice cream, flower. Your not gonna wanna see this." he chuckled sadistically. I shivered at his words and pulled away nodding. I knew by now that he wasn't joking and decided against trying to fight him, not particularly in the mood to piss him off.

Patrick climbed his way out of the car and stalked off along with the rest of the gang out of view. I sighed, relieved that I wasn't forced to come along for once. I got out of the car, smoothing out my skirt as I made my way towards the little ice cream shop that sat in the heart of Derry.

A bell rang out overhead as I pushed through the door, the concrete beneath my feet transitioning to linoleum as I made my way inside. A wrinkled old man in an apron gave me a toothy smile, his thick lensed glasses making his eyes cartoonishly large. I giggled a bit.

"How can I help young lady?" He questioned happily, scoop already in hand. I smiled pushing my hair out of my face as I scanned the flavors. I pressed my index finger against the glass. "Can I just have I one scoop of that one, please?" I questioned politely. He nodded, hurrying to grab a cone and get to work.

He gave me a wink as he handed me my finished dessert and rang me up. "You have a nice day now, darling!" He called as I exited the shop, waving until I could no longer see his happy old grin. "You too" I laughed. I turned and scanned downtown, looking for a good spot to sit and enjoy my treat. Finally I spotted a bench near a weird old statue that sat in the grass.

I turned my head left and right checking for on coming traffic before I jogged across the red cobblestone street. The wooden bench creaked ever so slightly as I took a seat, melted ice cream now streaming down my fingers as I tried my best to contain the mess. I shook my hand off in the grass,
groaning as I tried to remove the stickiness.

I jumped a bit as I felt someone sit down beside me. I sat up immediately, ready to defend myself if it happened to be a creepy old man. I turned to see a familiar looking boy, curly hair and a stern looking face. Stanley Uris I believed was the boys name. "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to scare you" he said, his dimples becoming apparent as he laughed.

"It's ok, I just wasn't expecting anyone." I laughed in reply, still clutching my chest from the start the boy had given me. "I come here every Saturday and watch the birds. I know that's lame." he said, setting a notebook down on his lap as he pushed his hair from his face. "That's not lame. At least you have a hobby." I shrugged, doing my best to not look disgusting as I scarfed my ice cream cone, trying to beat the melting rate.

"What are you doing, sitting here all by yourself?" He questioned, glancing over at me as he examined the birds sitting on the buildings. "Oh," I paused, trying to think of something besides 'just waiting for my convict friends to return' I laughed nervously. "Just hanging around"

"Stan" I heard another male voice call from a bit down the street. I turned to see Richie Tozier sitting on his bike, on foot holding him up as he waved the other boy over. Stanley smiled and waved at his friend before pausing. "I'm sorry, do you mind if i-" he stop and jerked his thumb in the direction of the dark haired boy. I coughed, choking a bit on my food as I tried to let him know it was ok. "Of course. Go, go" i waved, politely sending him off as I scooted to the left a bit, having the bench to myself once again.

I turned to see the boys making there way out of an alleyway, blood dotted Henry's t-shirt and he wore a satisfied grin. "Oh jeez" I whispered, rolling my eyes as I watched them making there way in my direction. As they got to where I sat, Belch flopped down on the bench next to me on one side, his weight making the bench creak loudly. Henry sat down on the other side while victor and Patrick stood in the grass directly in front of us, cigarettes in hand.

I felt a hand pull the ice cream cone from my grasp as I whined in protest, Henry took a bite out of the cone, crunching loudly next to my ear. "Hey!" I barked, yanking as his arm as I did my best to get it back. He pressed his palm to my face, pushing me away. I leaned back against the bench, letting out an annoyed growl. He could never just leave me alone.

"Hey," belches voice suddenly boomed as he grabbed Henry by the back of the neck. "Give it back, shit stain" he warned, tightening his grip. Henry rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood to fight and handed it back to me. I glared down at his bite mark, still agitated. "Idiot"

"This is fuckin' stupid why are we just standing here, let's go" victor grumbled, letting out a puff of smoke. Always so impatient. The boys collectively started towards the car, leaving me to scramble after them. "Where are we going?" I questioned as I caught up to the gang. As they climbed into the car they all answered in unison. "Your house"

Typical.