He Likes Boys//It (2017)

t h i r t y e i g h t

Chapter Thirty Eight:

Hom broke out into a full run, blood from his face already streaming down the front of his shirt. He knew he would only get beaten up worse, but he needed to save Stan. This was his fault. It was his problem and he should be the one to deal with it.

Beverly's eyes widened as she realized that she had used her last rock trying to shoot Henry Bowers the last time, when she was trying to get him off Hom. Now, he had Stan raised high by the neck into the air, Stan gulping for air and struggling against Henry's grip. His face was turning slightly purple, and after the last time that Stan had been choked by It, she couldn't imagine this happening again so soon was a good thing.

Frantically Beverly searched the ground, looking for something she could use as ammo. She saw a small shard of glass, shining on the ground, but she couldn't use that, for fear she might seriously hurt someone. At the same time, if she didn't find something soon, Henry might end up seriously hurting Stan. And with the insane look in his eyes as he strangled him, she suspected that he was already planning on doing so.

She looked around some more, hoping she could find something else to use, but the more she looked around, the more Stan's gasping become more and more faint. She knew he was running out of breath.

Hom tried to fight off Henry, hoping to get him off Stan, he ran towards Henry, but before he could actually swing a punch at Henry, Hom was pulled back by Henry's friends.

They laughed as tears started to fall from his eyes.

"You're going to have some fun now." Henry whispered quietly. "You'll have some fun while you watch your friend die!"

He screamed and laughed manically. The laughter sent shivers down Hom's spine, as he quacked with fear, watching what was about to happen to his friend. He saw Stan's eyelids flutter close, and his body begin to go limp.

He struggled harder against the grip of Henry's friends, but it was no use. He couldn't fight against them. He couldn't take them. He trembled as the gruesome scene continued to play out. He'd never thought that they would go after Stan. He thought no one knew about them. He thought they were safe.

But they were never safe. There was always someone who would find out. Someone who would go around telling everyone in sight, so that they would know what a dirty pervert Stan and Hom were too.

"S-stop." Hom begged him, pleading to be forgiven for whatever it was they had done to deserve this. "Punish me instead." Hom offered. "I'm the one who deserves it!" He screamed. "Please." Henry turned towards him, a small smile on his face. "Please." Hom continued to beg. He stopped struggling against the people holding onto his arms and legs down.

Henry's smile widened. He dropped Stan onto the ground. "Sure!" Henry agreed. But then he pulled out his switchblade. "But don't think you're going to get it easier than Stan here." The look in his eyes darkened. "I'm gonna kill you Hommie." He'd been fantasizing about it for a long time. And now Henry was finally going to do it. He had everything planned out. If they found out Hom was a faggot, he would be just as much of a criminal as Henry was.

"No." Hom cried. Trembling where he stood, although he knew he had to take this. He had to do this for Stan.

"Oh?" Henry asked, raising his eyebrows. "So you would rather I carve my pretty little knife into Stan?"

Hom shook his head. "Why can't you just leave us alone?" He couldn't stand the broken sound of his own voice.

Stan coughed, trying to steady his breathing. He had to get out of here. He had to get help. Something told Stan that Henry might really be planning to kill Hom.

Beverly couldn't find a stone.

She would have to use that shard of glass to hit them. She tried to think of where would hurt Henry the least, and settled one hitting his arm. But it was still too dangerous, and Hom might move at the last moment.

She sighed. It was a risk she would have to at take.

She placed the shard of glass gently on the elastic, careful not to cut herself, and let go.

Henry screamed as the shard hit his upper arm. "Fucker!" He yelled. Glaring with wide eyes at Beverly. Henry's friends let go of Hom.

"Stan!" Hom walked over to where he was laying down, and coughing on the ground.

"Don't worry about me." He wheezed. "I'm fine." 

Henry and his friends had already long gone, attempting to rush Henry over to the nearest hospital. It was certain that he would need stitches. And that he wouldn't be able to help out that much on the farm this summer.

Beverly glanced at the two lovers, and knew that she should leave. It wasn't right for her to be here. She and Hom were over, and they would never love each other again.

Stan and Hom, on the other hand, would go on to love each other for the rest of their lives.

Even when people thought that their love wasn't right.