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39

recap: it's fourth of july, elle and bev were playing in her room, bev slipped, and somehow didn't fall but elle got a nose bleed. stan and bill agreed they'd stay in their cabin after fireworks. they played a game and elle got another nose bleed. richie and the losers stole beer from steve's cabin and decided to get drunk once dinner was over. 

Saturday. July 4, 1987

Sweaty palms and an empty bottle. The first bottle they opened and it was tossed aside like chopped liver. The losers gathered around in cabin b4 with an empty bottle in the center and for once, Eddie wasn't terrified of the possibilities that such an object could pass to his little circle of friends. It was still early in the afternoon to where none of the kids wanted to drink. They'd just gathered the drink from Steve's room a few minutes before and thought they'd pass time before fireworks by playing a game in solitary. So Eddie wasn't exactly terrified, knowing they'd all be sober for the next few hours. That, however didn't stop the sweat from gathering on his palms as he tapped his fingers to his head, waiting.

"What should we play?" Beverly asked the crowd and everyone kind of shrugged. It seemed like they could only sit and anticipate what would happen in only a few short hours. None of them had ever been drunk before and the idea of it was scandalous. They all knew they'd enjoy it, however. They all had each other. That would always be enough for comfort.

And yet, most of them could only focus on the anxiety they felt. What had changed? Shifted. In a day, with their knowledge of possible upcoming outcomes. They all felt it, without words of confirmation, they were all thinking the same thing. They knew that whatever happened in the next few hours would be moments to remember. Cherish. Moments to hold onto. It scared them shitless, that was the only certainty.

"Truth or dare, losers." Richie suggested, for once, not with a huge amount of confidence.

"We always play that." Mike said, bored. Eddie panicked for a second.

"It'll be fun!" He cried out, surprisingly. He blushed, his friends all shocked at his sudden interest in the immature game.

"Fine, let's just hurry up. Dinner is in an hour." Stan could wait for dinner, though. He was much more keen on spending time with his boyfriend, than with the entire group. He liked Bill, more than he thought he ever could. He only wanted to be with him and the fact that he had to hide their relationship was draining his energy, making him unable to deal with Richie's nonsense for another minute.

"Alright, Stanley." Richie smacked his lips, annoyed.

"Someone has to start." Beverly muttered.

"That's why we have the bottle. Spin it." Richie said matter-of-factly.

Beverly leaned forward, gripping the bottle before giving it a twirl. She watched as it spun, thinking of her and Elle's spinning from only a few hours before. She recalled how she'd nearly fallen and suddenly regained balance as if a force had pulled her upright. It was strange. She tried to wrap her head around the events but was interrupted when she noticed the bottle had slowed down and was pointing right at Ben Hanscom.

"Benny boy," Richie crossed his arms. "What'll it be?"

Ben hardly missed a beat. "Truth." Safe. Predictable. Richie was too smart for that, though.

"How old do you want to be when you lose your virginity?" Richie questioned, Ben felt his face heat up instantly. He stammered for a moment but Richie's fun wasn't over.

"Oh come on," He laughed. "You know you've thought about it. We all have. We're young." Richie shrugged.

Ben shook his head, still embarrassed.