The Town Nightmare | IT

The Haunting Begins

{EDITED}
JUNE 1989
ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
⁻ ²ⁿᵈ ᵖᵒᵛ ⁻

You stare at the clock that's hanging on the front wall of the classroom, watching the small red
hand tick in anticipation, impatiently waiting for the bell to ring, announcing the start of summer.
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2:57
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2:58
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2:59
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3:00
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You jump out of your seat just like every other kid in the building, running towards the door trying to get out of the revolting school air.

Seeing your friends, Eddie, Bill, and Richie, you run up to them trying to catch up. "They slice the tip of his dick off." you hear Eddie say, moving his hands as he talks about your other friend, Stans, bat mitzvah. "But then Stan will have nothing left!" Says Richie, trying to make a joke. "What the hell are you guys talking about?" you ask, concerned about them talking about Stan and his dick, just as Bill laughs and Eddie agrees with Richie saying "That's true"

"Wait up, you guys!" Stan then runs to catch up with the group before pushing himself between Bill and Eddie. "Hey, Stan, what happens at the bat mitzvah, anyways?" Bill asks, grabbing Stan's attention before he can ask about what the other boys were talking about. Bill continues his sentence while stuttering, "Ed says they slice the tip of your dick off." Richie cuts in before Stan gets to answer, "Yeah, and I think the rabbi's gonna pull down your pants, turn to the crowd and say, 'Where's the beef?'"

You all laugh at Richies joke as you push your way through the crowd of musty and sweaty students, trying to find the door leading to the fresh air. "At the bat mitzvah, I read from the Torah, and then I make a speech and suddenly, I become a man." Stan recalls, correcting the boys on the bat mitzvah. "I could think of funner ways to become a man." "'More fun' you mean." Stan corrects the boy on his grammar. "'Funner' isn't even a word dumbass." you say, mocking the boy. "Oh, shit." Richie mutters, Ignoring your's and Stanley's corrections, looking at Henry Bowers and his group of friends as you all walk past them. Patrick, a tall, older, brown haired boy, makes mocking faces at Richie as he tries not to make eye contact with any of them.

"Fucking weirdos." you say as you all finally walk past the group of older boys. "Think they'll sign my yearbook?" Richie asks, "Dear Richie, sorry for taking a hot, steaming dump in your backpack last March." Greta then shoves her shoulder into Stans as she talks past. "Watch the fuck out!" you yell after her, throwing her a stank look as Stan looks behind him to look at Greta, not saying anything. "Have a good summer." Richie ends.

                ֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
                            ⁻ ³ʳᵈ ᵖᵒᵛ ⁻

Finally outside in good air, the group begin walking towards two trash cans, dumping school supplies and other belongings that reside inside of your backpack, into them. "Best feeling ever." Stan exclaims in relief of the weight in his bag now disappearing. "Yeah? Try tickling your pickle for the first time." "That's actually disgusting, Rich." Carmen says, making a disgusted face at said boy next to her. "Shut up Carmen!" Richie retorts, rolling his eyes at the girl.

"Hey, what do you guys wanna do tomorrow?" Eddie asks as you all start putting your backpacks back on. "Start my training." "Wait, what training?" "Street fighter." "Is that how you wanna spend your summer? Inside of an arcade?" Eddie questions, wanting to know why Richie would want to stay in an arcade everyday. "Beats spending it inside of your mother." Richie retorts. "Oohh!" Exclaims the same boy, trying to hype up his lame joke while holding two hands up, one to Carmen and one to Stan.

"What if we go to the quarry?" Stan requests, throwing his hand up to hit Richies down while Carmen high-fives his other hand, still slightly chuckling at the joke he made a few moments ago. "Guys we have the barrens." Bill reminds the group, stuttering. "Right." Stan comes to the realization "Betty Ripsom's mom" Eddie mutters looking over at a woman who looks in distress, watching in anticipation as herds of kids are still running out the school building, with two police officers and their car behind her.

"Is she really expecting to see her come out of that school?" "I mean, I would be acting like that too if my kid ended up missing." Carmen replies, trying to connect herself to what that woman is feeling right now. "I don't know. As if Betty Ripsom's been hiding in Home Ec. for the last few weeks." Eddie said, voicing his opinion. "You think they'll actually find her?" "Maybe." "Sure, In a ditch. All decomposed, covered in worms and maggots. Smelling like Eddie's mom's underwear." Richie jokes, gesturing towards Eddie. "Shut up! That's freaking disgusting." Eddie says in return, looking disturbed and disgusted.

"She's not dead. She's missing." Bill stutters, correcting Richie on the girl's disappearance. "Sorry, Bill. She's missing" Richie replies, realizing that it wasn't the time for jokes. The group starts to walk away from the two garbages and the awkwardness of the situation, heading towards the nearby sidewalk to start heading home. "You know the Barrens aren't that bad." Richie starts while the girl behind him continues, "Yeah, I mean, who doesn't love splashing around in shitty water?" Just as Carmen ends her sentence, Henry Bowers comes up, grabs Richies backpack and pulls him, making the boy slam into the girl behind him, and making her slam into Stan, creating a domino effect. "¡qué mierda!" screams Carmen as she hits the hard grass. Patrick takes Stanley's kippah off the patch of grass it landed on, mockingly saying "Nice Frisbee, flamer." and laughing as the owner tries to get it back.

"Fucking losers!" The older boy shouts, throwing the small hat into the open windows of a passing school bus. Another member of Bowers' group goes up behind Eddie, burping in his face when he gets there, pushing over the frail boy afterwards. "Losers." Bowers mutters as he shoves his shoulder into Bills. "You suck, Bowers!" Bill stammers after the bully. "Shut up, Bill!" Eddie whispers, scared of what Bowers will do to his friend as the older group turns back around.

"You say something, Billy?" The Bowers boy remarks, mocking Bill's stutter. "You got a free ride this year 'cause of your little brother." He states, talking about Bill's brother that went missing like Betty last year. "Ride's over, Denbrough." He finishes, continuing to walk towards Bill. "You better watch out. You don't want to get in trouble, do you?" Carmen says, her arms crossed, hip popped out, and eyebrows raised, nodding her head towards Henry's father, taunting the older male to do something under his gaze.

"This summer's gonna be a hurt train for you and your faggot friends." He licks his hand and rubs it on Bill's face, trying to get out of his fathers watch as quickly as possible. "I wish he'd go missing." "Me too honestly, i'm over his constant bullshit." "He's probably the one doing it." Eddie theorizes as the whole group watches Bowers and his friends get into a car and speed away. "Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it." announces Carmen, thinking that the boy is probably psycho enough to kill the whole town.

[I'm open to criticism!]