Oh No! [IT 2017 Reader Insert]

06 | House of Horrors

𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟸𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟿.

─

"Parry this, you fucking casual!" You shouted loudly, hands rapidly clicking at a variety of buttons. You were currently indulged in one of the many arcade games you played almost daily, in both Derry and your hometown: Missile Command. You had made a pit-stop to the arcade before you had to get to Ben's house since all had to get home to get dressed anyway (besides Beverly, who'd come with her clothes). In other words, you had ample time to fuck around.

     "Hey? Are you, uh, done?" You swiveled around to the source of the sound that had come from behind you, being faced with a dark-skinned kid around your age. You returned your gaze to the screen, which read 'GAME OVER' in large, almost taunting letters, and then your hand. You cursed quietly, realizing you were out of arcade tokens.

     You sighed and looked at the boy with a wry smile. "Yeah, I'm out of money. Have at it." You said, letting him take over and play the machine. You took him in for a moment- he wasn't familiar, but that didn't come as much as a surprise since you barely knew anyone besides your newfound friends and those Bowers fuckers. "Hey, who are you, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen you at school- or, anywhere, really..." You said, twiddling your thumbs.

     "Oh, I'm homeschooled." He said, his focus still on the game. You were quite impressed with his skill, but you weren't struck out of doubting your own abilities- no, you had the high score on the game, your initials etched into a digital surface. [Y/N.L/N]. You grinned proudly.

     "Okay, homeschooled," you snickered loudly, even though he looked irked at your quip. "I'm [Y/N]. What's your actual name, if I may ask?" You continued, leaning against a Donkey Kong machine as you gnashed your bottom lip.

     "Mike. Mike Hanlon." He said flatly, and you nodded.

     You grabbed the bag you were carrying along with you. "Well, it was nice meeting ya', Mike. Maybe I'll see you around." You said, exiting the arcade with a skip and a salute, Mike waving at you in return.

     •••

     You were somehow in time to catch up with Richie, the first to begin his trek to Ben's house. Everyone else joined you two along the way. You and all the others failed to notice a woman pinning a 'MISSING' poster to a pole upon arriving; then again, it was doubtful any of you would've cared if you did happen to notice it, considering the name printed in bold read 'PATRICK HOCKSETTER'- 'goodbye and good riddance' would've been your only thought, collectively.

     You all went up the stairs of Ben's home, entering his room in a clustered formation when he opened the door. You noted that it looked quite neat, unlike your unruly one, with your NES and SEGA Genesis being surrounded by clothes and Micro Machines, your many other belongings strewn across your floor in other spots. Maybe this could inspire you to do some tidying. You looked around some more, ignoring whatever Richie and Eddie were discussing. You had to say, you liked the room. It had an...interesting feel to it, with news reports and other informatics pinned to the walls and covering every other viable surface.