𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒, bill denbrough

fifteen.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

15. reunion.

'Derry welcomes you!' the sign stated as she drove through Maine. In her youth the sign had been painted freshly white each summer and the blue would pop to attract visitors. But now, 27 years later, the white paint was chipped and the sign now read something similar to 'Der y wel mes ou!'

She half expected the houses to be in the same way; chipped paint, unkept grass and deserted. And she was right. Cracks in the pavement, newspaper on the sidewalk and a certain rotten smell seemed to cling in the air. This wasn't the Derry she knew. But then again, she didn't exactly remember much at all.

All Andy could remember were names like Stan, Mike and Eddie; the house she moved into after her parent's died; her aunt's ruthless behaviour; and not much else. Even those memories took hours on the drive to come back, the closer she got to the town, the more she seemed to remember.

Adriana did want to make a few stops on the way to the Chinese restaurant that Mike had sent her to directions for, but she was already going to be late at this rate. So the Greene girl drove straight through the town and right back out the other side, only stopping once she had parked her car.

She waited for a few minutes. Just tightening her palms around the steering wheel until her knuckles were white and the inside of her cheek bloody. Something caught her eye, the golden wedding ring around her finger caught the neon lights of the restaurant. In that very moment, Andy decided to take the ring off and shove it in her back pocket.

It was only in case the conversation of husbands and wives came up over the dinner. She didn't want to talk about Frank, knowing that her other friends were probably in committed, loving marriages or relationships. She wasn't. She was one final push from taking her daughter and moving across the world.

"Adriana?" a muffled voice came, the brunette's head whipped to her right to see a tall man with his muscles practically popping out of his shirt, "It's Ben."

She smiled and got out of the car, locking it behind her and lightly embracing the man.

"Sorry, it's just so crazy to be back here," he remarked, noticing how she still hadn't said a word, "I wasn't even sure if I was going to come."

She smiled, "Me too."

"You look exactly the same, only taller," he smiled sweetly. Even 27 years later, his smile was the same. That's what she remembered first - how his cheeks would always blush and his teeth would show when he was smiling. Then it was his bedroom - the walls plastered in newspapers and books lining the desk.

"I wish I could say the same for you, I almost didn't recognise you," she replied as they started to hesitantly approach the restaurant. Before she could climb the steps, her hand was reaching around in her bag for a pack of cigarettes, "Sorry, it's an ugly habit, I know." She found a box, only to see that it was empty when she opened it.

"I thought you didn't smoke?" he asked, leaning against the wall beside her and letting the shadows of the building hide them from view.

She smiled - not quite reaching the corners of her eyes - before zipping up her bag, "A lot can change in 27 years."

They both looked up to see a red head walking up to the doors, the neon lights making her skin seem pale but her hair look much brighter. Adriana couldn't remember the face at all. Nor could she recall a name.

The absent memories were driving her crazy.

"Wow," Ben whispered and pushed off from the wall with Andy behind him, "Is there a password or something?"