He Likes Boys//It (2017)

f o u r t e e n

Chapter Fourteen:

Beverly sighed as they sat outside on a bench in an empty park. She was still nervous. She was still afraid. She was afraid of everything.

She realized that this was soon going to become about kuch more than jyst what he father might do to her. Soon it wpuld become about the monster that was eating children in Derry. Soon it would become about It. About It feeding off her fears, and Beverly was afraid that, unless she faced them now, It might try to use them against her.

"You said there was something you had to tell me?" Hom asked, concerned for her well being.

Beverly nodded. "Y-yeah it's j-just kind of hard to talk about." She tried to explain through the tears.

"Just try." Hom encouraged her.

"It's....it's about my father. H-he..." she trailed off, lost in a tidal wave of old, broken memories. She'd kept this imside her for so long.

Beverly looked around her. The park was completely empty. No one but Hom would hear what she was saying. She took in a deep breath, and looked back up at Hom. She didn't want to be a burden to him, but she also didn't want to hold this all on her own shoulders.

"Can you keep a secret?" She asked him. "Just promise you won't tell anyone?" Beverly begged him.

Hom nodded. "I promise Beverly. Whatever you need to talk about, I'm here to listen." Hom put a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her pain. Her voice sounded thick with emotion. As though she was in pain, holding all her emotions deep within her and never letting them out. Hom could see the broken glass behind the facade that she put on to pretend she was okay, that everything was going fine, when really the world was falling apart around her.

He wanted to aide her in any way he could. He wanted to comfort her, and banish the darkness that lurked in the dark corners of her mind, Hom wanted to ease away her fears. But he couldn't do that until she told him what was happening. What was wrong.

Beverly inhaled a deep breath, and spoke once again. She tried not to break as she said it, she tried to hold back her already flowing tears, not wanting to seem weak in front of Hom.

"My father m-molested me." She finally said it, her voice was thick with emotion, no longer holding back of hiding the pain she felt. Hom wanted to take her broken pieces and fit them back together perfectly, he wanted to take all the havoc his father had wrecked on her, and restore her to before. Before any of this happened.

Beverly continued to tell her tale. She wanted to say it all. She wanted to tell Hom instead of keeping it locked within her. She inhaled another shaky breath. "I-It k-keeps happening. My mother doesn't know she-" her breath hitched, Hom rubbed her back. "He does it before she comes h-home from work." The tears streamed down her cheeks, she was unable to stop them. Remembering all the things his father had done to her, her mind sunk deeper and deeper into darkness.

"I don't want t-to go home." She cried. She knew Hom probably couldn't help her escape. She knew he probably couldn't stop what was happening before, but she stated it out loud anyway.

"He...he pushes me down, over powers me, and then he puts his hand over my mouth so that no o-one will h-hear me cry." Beverly let it all out. She was strong. She could live through this, she just needed to let it out of her, she needed to stop keeping the secret within her.

Hom looked into her eyes. He admired her so much. He admired her strength and her beauty. He didn't understand how she could possibly stand to go through all of this and still be strong. He could never he as strong as she was. He would have never been able to admit those sort of things out loud.

"You can stay with me." Hom offered. "My mom will understand." Beverly shook her head. She couldn't stay with Hom. That would mean putting him in danger. If her father found out she was missing, and the neighbours told him that they'd seen her hanging out with Hom. Her father already knew about all her other friends, already they were in danger too. If she ran away he might only go after them. If she ran away, he might try to molest some other little girl. Some other little girl who'd been just as innocent as her when all this started.

She didn't want him to do these things, but every option only seemed to he the wrong one.

"I don't want to p-put you in danger." Beverly explained. "If I stay with you, he might end up going after you if he finds out I'm missing. He might end up raping some other little girl." She looked up at him, pleading with him to understand. "I couldn't stand for that to happen to anyone else. I know that you just want to help, but I need you to stay safe." She said gently.

"Thank you so much for letting me talk to you." She said to Hom. "You don't know how much you helped."

She was so grateful.

"You can talk to me anytime you need Beverly. I'm always here for you." Hom said softly. He desperately wanted for her to let him help. He couldn't care less about putting himself in danger, so long as she was safe. So long as she was happy. So long as this god awful thing didn't keep happening to her.

"Thank you." She loved him. More than words could possibly describe, she felt in love with Hom. He was one of the most amazing people she'd ever met.

She loved him so much.