Baneful | H. Bowers

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Joellen walks through the halls of Derry High school with her books clutched to her chest. She dodges the many bodies occupying the hallway trying to get from point A to point B.
Her Chuck Taylors squeak against the linoleum flooring as she reaches her locker. After putting in the combination she trades her algebra books for her psychology books. Her locker slams closed and she turn to the culprit to see it's none other Henry Bowers himself.
  "What do you want Henry?" Joellen asks.
  "I'm walking you to class," is his reply.
  "You don't need nor have to," Joellen rolls her eyes and walks away.
     Even after the obvious dismissal Henry still follows her. It's odd not seeing his followers hanging around him, she wants to ask but instead remains silent ignoring his presence.
     They make it to her class, he holds the door upon for her, she takes her seat and from the doorway he calls to her,
  "See you after class princess."
     He indeed did see her after class, and the class after that. He proceeded to walk her to her every class and she proceeded to ignore him. When the final bell rang Joellen rushed out of her class, she saw Henry down the hall making his way towards her but this time his goons were with him. Knowing that the niceness was all an act and that his real plan was to beat her up all along, Joellen turns in the opposite direction.
     She weaves in and out of the crowd and enters the library doors knowing that Bowers and his gang wouldn't enter here. Having spent a lot of time in the library Joellen knows every nook and cranny.
     Making her way to the back of the library she goes through some aisles and finds a book. Sitting down on one of the couches she kicks her feet up, her book bag on the floor beside her, and gets lost in her book.
     The rays from the Sun entering her vision causes her to squint which in turn brings her back to reality. Looking at the clock her eyes widen to see it's past dinner time. Rushing out of the library Joellen runs out of the school and doesn't stop.
     Her feet pound against the concrete of the sidewalk and she pants in rhythm to each stomp. The book bag hits against her with each step, the corner of one of her books hits into her lower back. She makes it to her house to see a cop car in front of it, a groan escapes her lips.
     She sees her mother on the porch with Georgie on her hip talking to an officer. Joellen walks towards her house her brother turns and spots her and cries out her name. This alerts both her mother and the officer to her presence. Georgie escapes his mothers arms as she finishes up her conversation with the policeman. Joellen is glomped into a hug by her youngest brother, due to her lack of breath she is knocked back onto the sidewalk.
     Yells echo the Denbrough household that night. A fight between mother and her teen daughter neither listening to what the other has to say. The fight that lasted a good half hour ends with Joellen stomping to her room and her mother with a glass of wine in her hand.
     Slamming her door Joellen paces around her room, hands in hair, muttering to herself. Tears of frustration fall from her eyes. She makes her way to her window and rests her head against the cool glass. Joellen sinks to her knees and cries, having never gotten into a fight with her mother before.
     When her tears dry up and her throat is tight is when she sees Henry Bowers making his way down her street again. Something in Joellen posses her to go to him so she does. Whether it's to rebel or to make her mother even more mad she doesn't know but she doesn't bother trying to be quiet.
     Ignoring her mother's protests she exits her house and makes her way towards Bowers. Hearing feet stomp towards him Henry stomps and waits for her to catch up, once she gets to him she lets out a huff and he smirks.
  "What's got you in a mood?"
  "My annoying mother," she replies.
  "So you came to me," he inquires.
     Before she can answer her mother makes her way onto the front porch yelling for Joellen to get back her. Taking Henry's hand, ignoring the sparks that tingle all the way up her arm, she yells a "run" and they both take off to an unknown destination.
     Their legs bring them to the Quarry panting. They sit at the edge of the small cliff and Henry lights up a cigarette. He takes a drag then offers it to her, she looks at then decides 'why the hell not' she takes a puff and immediately starts to cough. Henry, laughing at her, takes the cigarette back.
  "I don't know how you smoke those on a daily basis."
  "You get used to it," he shrugs.
     They sit in silence for a while before Joellen starts laughing. As she gets louder Henry looks at her like she's a mad woman. She clutches her stomach and leans forward, but she leans a little to far and falls into the water below. Once she resurfaces she is greeted with the unrestrained laughter of Henry Bowers.
  She floats on her back and yells up to him, "Come join me the waters great."
   "Fuck you it's probably freezing," he calls back.
  "Is Henry Bowers scared to get a little wet?" She teases.
     Her only response is a few moments later a large splash which results in water spraying over her.