youngblood // p. hockstetter // 0.1

//seventeen

•••

Rosemary lived with her three brothers peacefully.

She rarely if ever asked to go out on the weekends. They knew most of her friends, and she attended church every Sunday with no issues. She got perfect grades and unlike their brother hadn't complained once since their arrival in Derry.

Which was why almost none of them had qualms with her going to Henry's bonfire get together. Sat at their circular dining table the Monday after her talk with Mr.Creedus, she gently stabbed at the stir fry cooling on her plate. Still in her running clothes, she was slightly sweaty and Jude made a point of telling her repeatedly to bathe after dinner. A deliberately placed look of conflict on her face, she made eye contact with Nathaniel who cocked an eyebrow at her in amusement. "Something bothering you Rose?"

Putting her fork down slowly, she looked at Nathaniel and gripped her hands tightly under the table. "I was wondering... Would I be allowed to go to a party this weekend please?"

All three of them looked up at her in surprise, having not expected such a request to come from her of all people. Jude definitely, but not Rosemary.

"A party? How long've you known about it?" David asked calmly, scooping more food into his mouth.

"A while, I just didn't know whether I wanted to go"

"Do we know anyone that will be there?" Nathaniel asked, glancing at Jude whom was staring intently at his plate. "I don't want you there with a bunch of strangers"

"I think most of them will just be classmates"

"You think or you know?" Nathaniel asked, giving his full attention to Rosemary.

"Jude knows the boy throwing the party and the guys who invited me?"

"It's that Bowers boy isn't it?" Jude snickered, though his face was void of amusement, "Harry or whatever his name is"

"Henry..."

"No way" Jude shook his head, "You aren't going to a party if those boys are there" Rosemary scrunched her nose in anger, staring at the table as she boiled with anger.

"What's so bad about these boys?" Nathaniel asked in disbelief, eyeing his younger brother from beside him.

"They're violent and inappropriate to be around" Jude leant back in his chair, shrugging. "What more do you want?"

"That's not true!" Instantly she wished she hadn't defended the boys whom honestly meant so little to her. Jude looked at her with a look in his eye that was terrifyingly similar to that of his mother and David quickly noticed her retreat from her statement, lowering her voice as she avoided eye contact with Jude entirely. "Victor brought my homework for me last week and Belch gave me a lift home yesterday because he was worried about the recent disappearances"

Nathaniel suddenly snapped his fingers, frowning slightly in concentration as he pointed at Rosemary. "That blonde boy" He looked at Jude, "Is that Vic? The one you yelled at the other day Jude?"

It was the way he said his name that made Jude tuck his lip in slightly and turn his murderous gaze to Nathaniel as he sharply inhaled. "What the fuck do you think?" He grabbed his fork, stabbing at his stir fry with more force then necessary. "Course it was. How many friends do you think Rosemary has?"

"More then you" David chuckled quietly. "Though she also attends school for more then twenty minutes a week so that probably helps. Maybe you should try it sometime" Jude's chair scraped against the floor as he shoved forward on the table, scattering his stir fry and cutlery over David's food as he swiped anything close to him at his second brother whom didn't react.