"ready?"

pt. one

: chapter energy :
everywhere - fleetwood mac

it was finally friday, about a month into school. 5:30am- it should be illegal to force students to get up that damn early. nonetheless, it is a requirement. the rest of the small town still waking up, students made their way to school. one-by-one they filed into the barren classrooms of derry high school.

one hour later, they file out and in once again. until lunch, they continue this mundane musical chair act. as everyone swarms the echoey room- most in search of their prison-like sludge, formed into pizza squares and chicken kernels. the losers swarm their table, tucked away in the corner of the cafeteria.

the gathering grows steadily- first beverly, who was camping out in the auditorium during her former period instead of picking apart lifeless frogs for her science class. next is stanley, books spilling out from each arm, sitting down with a clatter and a loud sigh. then eddie storms over, nearly wiping out a new freshman leaving the lunch line in a hurry. followed, shortly after by ben, muttering something to himself and looking a bit lost in thought. mike wasn't there that day, his grandfather made him stay back to take care of the farm while he went out to bangor.

"everything alright ben?" says bev, fidgeting with the bands laced around her wrist.

"yeah," he says with a stern look,"this school just never fails to baffle me."

"elaborate, please," says bev, resting her chin on her hand and leaning onto the round table.

"alright, i was coming out of my period, ok?" says ben, not pausing for an answer,"some kid, who i've never seen or interacted with ever,  grabs me by my collar and shoves me onto the floor. then tells me to 'watch where the fuck im going'." he pauses, in complete bewilderment as bev stares with a look of complete disgust displayed across her face.

"the privilege of these derry dickheads," bev nearly shouts,"he's clearly got some fucking issues ben, are you alright?"

"i'm fine," he says, pausing for a brief moment,"just shocked i guess."

"that's understandable," she says, nodding to him.

eddie is scrawling away rapidly at his calculus work. stan is nose deep in some biography about tom veto. suddenly, richie throws his backpack down on the floor and slides into the last empty seat.

"ello ello," richie announces, surveying the table.

"hey rich," says beverly, showing a brief smile.
"hey there, a bit busy sorry," stan responds, swiftly returning to the book in front of him.
"hi richie," ben utters, still deep in thought.
"hiya rich," eddie replied,"how's it going?"

"quite alright, if i do say so myself eds," he smiled,"and i do of course. yourself?"

"just fine," he said, obviously sarcastic.

"ah what troubles you," rich starts in his fortune teller voice, clasping one of eddie's hands in his two.

eddie quickly withdraws- rolling his eyes so dramatically, some losers might have guessed he'd been caught in the dead lights like bev.

"this is no palm-reading matter, asshole," he said quickly,"my moms trying to shove yet another useless medication down my throat."

"how she manages to get mr. keene to give you all those gazebos is beyond me doctor k," richie remarks.

"for fucks sake, i should have never told you about that trashmouth," says eddie, his face in his hands.

"sorry, sorry- i couldn't resist," he states, still snickering slightly,"what the hell could they possibly be giving you now?"

"she wants me to take.." he exhaled roughly,"benzodiazepines, some anxiety medicine i guess."

"good god, she's trying to zombify you eds," said richie, his eyebrows furrowed,"no way you're taking that shit."

"that's what i said but she doesn't want to listen," eddie answered.

"just throw that shit away or flush em every morning," he stated nonchalantly,"fuck, i do the same shit with that ritalin bullshit my parents try to make me take."

"that's all i can do- wait what," eddie said shaking his head,"rich is this why you've been making me 'help with your homework' since school started?"

"shh shh shh," richie shushed him,"don't change the subject. fuck sonya, she can suck my d-"

"WHAT THE FUCK RICHIE," eddie shouted, as all the losers broke out laughing, he just laid his head in his arms. smiling despite his frustration- though he made sure no one else could see.

once he lifted his head back up the conversation quickly switched to something about the 'insane' amount of work being assigned, only 3 weeks into the new year. before they knew it, it was time to meander back into those holding cells they called classrooms.

thankfully, as quick as that lunch seemed to end, the rest of the day seemed to fly past. as that final bell rang, the losers were already fleeing out the south exit and clambering onto their bikes once again.