Unwritten 🎈Ben Hanscom Fanfiction🎈

~🎈27🎈~

🎈CHAPTER 27🎈

•°Corinne's POV°•

The mood at the Derry Town House was a toxic mix of grief, fear, and frantic energy. Some of us were far more eager to leave than others.

"Let's get our shit and get the fuck out of here," Richie stated, his voice tight with a determination that bordered on panic. He was already heading for the stairs.

"Did you leave your stuff here?" Eddie asked Ben, hovering by the door as if ready to bolt at any second. "No,my stuff's still in the car," Ben said. But I knew he hadn't followed us inside to pack; he’d come for answers.

Beverly, moving on autopilot, went behind the reception desk and found a bottle of whiskey. She poured two generous glasses and handed one to me. I downed it in one go, the burn a welcome distraction from the cold dread in my veins.

Ben sat on the edge of the reception desk, directly in front of me. His gaze was intense, unwavering. "Tell me," he said. It wasn't a demand, but a soft, earnest plea.

I looked up at him, my heart hammering. "What am I supposed to tell you?" "Whatever it is you're afraid to tell me right now,"he said, his eyes searching mine. It was obvious this wasn't just a hunch; he knew Beverly and I were hiding something monumental.

I put my empty glass down with a shaky hand and moved toward the reception counter, needing to do something, anything, to avoid his gaze. "Cori.Bev." Ben's voice stopped me. He stepped in front of us, blocking our path. "Back at the Jade, when Beverly was on the phone with Stanley's wife... Stop." He took a breath. "She told you that she found him in the bathtub. But I saw you two. I heard it. Both of you said it first."

Whatever you guys are talking about, let's make it happen faster, all right? We gotta go," Richie interjected, reappearing at the bottom of the stairs with all his luggage. "Eduardo, andale! Let's go!" he yelled up the staircase.

But Ben wasn't distracted. "There's something you two aren't telling us. You guys knew how Stanley died. You knew." His eyes were wide with a sad, dawning horror. That line finally grabbed Richie's full attention. "Wait,what?" he asked, dropping his bags.

"I can't do this," Beverly whispered. She tried to walk past Ben, pulling me with her. "They knew how Stanley was going to die?Is that what they just said?" Richie asked, his confusion morphing into alarm. I could hear Ben's footsteps right behind us as we retreated into the lounge.

"You guys can't just walk away from this," Ben insisted, his voice rising. Beverly started ringing the bell at the reception desk pointlessly,a nervous tic. "How did you know where he killed himself?"Ben pressed.

My nerves were fraying. The pressure was immense, a weight crushing my chest. "Cori.Bev."

I walked around the counter, pretending to look for something, anything to avoid this. But Ben wouldn't be deterred. "Talk to me. Just talk to me, Corinne, like we used to. Come on, how did you know?"