❝ so NOW i RISK it ALL,
just for the FEELING of JOY
you BRING me ❞
[ bill denbrough x oc ] [it 2017]
-
in which the sunshine girl of derry
offers six boys and one girl a friendship bracelet each,
ending up in a mess of a friendship and summer of...
APRIL AMRBOSE WAS SURE TO PRACTICE TWO THINGS for her entire life. One, to take things with grace and secondly, to always have faith. These two things were what had practically kept her afloat while she lived in the gloomy and lonely town of Derry, Maine.
The days were dreary as they led up to summer, teachers finishing up report cards, grimacing at the thought of having to return during the summer in order to teach one of the unfortunate children who happened to fail a course and children looking forward to the boring days of summertime sun. Sure, April was excited - to say she was elated would be incorrect, though. She wished dearly that she had someone to hang out with during the vacation other than her know-it-all sister Holden.
Slinging her canvas backpack over her shoulders, she begins to walk to the exit of the small classroom - there was only one day left of school and honestly, April didn't see the reason why she kept turning up. After all, all they did was watch movies on the projectors and play card games - she never really played, more so observed off in a corner while she threaded coloured strings together. Nonetheless, she still came, still smiled.
Her peers bustled passed her, hurried to get home as she slowly creeped to the front, playing with the multicoloured bracelet on her wrist. "Goodbye, Ms. Hammon. I'll see you tomorrow," She smiles softly at her dark-haired homeroom teacher who cleaned up her desk.
Ms. Hanmon looks to her, not noticing the usually quiet girl at first, and returns the smile. "See you, April," She responds as April nods, exiting the class, her bag hanging off her shoulder loosely.
Coming into the hall, she stares around. It was packed. Probably would've been considered inhumane had the children not have chosen to be in the hall. She scrunches up her nose, listening to the loud chatter of her fellow students as she begins to walk through the cramped spaces, pushing passed classmates and mumbling out, "Oh, golly. I'm sorry," and "Excuse me," and "Pardon me," very quietly.
She rushes through each crevice between the crowd of students and is out to the front in no time, breathing out a sigh of relief and biting her thumb nail. April didn't have a bike, she didn't even know how to ride one and even if she did, she was pretty sure her parents wouldn't even allow her to bike home alone because of the circumstances. Sighing, she sits herself down on the side of the front staircase. Letting the sun seep into her skin as she places her backpack in front of her.
Listening from behind her, she hears the sound of students shouts and paper rustling and the meta doors being thrown open. She pays no mind to it as she unzips her bag, pulling out a bracelet she had been working on and continuing. Holden was staying after school, she recalled - to use the schools darkroom. So, she was on her own until her mom showed up. Humming a soft tune to herself, she continues to twist and twirl the thread - her peers rushing past her, giving her little to no mind.
Her eyes drooped, looking up from her thread and at the groups of people walking past. 'There are quite a bit of kids who live in Derry despite the small population', she thought to herself, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The flood of kids was getting smaller, barely anyone walking passed her now and she relished in the silence for a moment, letting her eyes slip shut and small sigh escape her pink lips.
That is, until she feels someone smack the back of her head, her head getting pushed down as she drops her unfinished bracelet in shock - her work becoming undone. "Look, it's the loner!" April listens from behind her, recognizing the voice. Gretta Keene. She bites her lip between her teeth, shaking her head softly before shutting her eyes and tucking a hair behind her ear once again. Saying nothing. She doesn't retaliate.
"Hey, freak, I'm talking to you," Gretta goes on, sauntering down the steps, two girls following faster her with a smug smile. They turn to face April who simply stared back, she didn't really feel anything from the bullying. Nothing but boredom.
'It's a shame they aren't happy', She thought to herself, pondering. 'Perhaps, that's why they're mean,' Her mind wanders before she shakes them away.
She watches as Gretta scoffs, picking up the unraveled bracelet from the ground where it fell, looking at it before throwing it at April's face with a look of disgust. "What the fuck is this? A friendship bracelet? For who? You have no friends," She laughs and April flinches at the sudden toss, her head backing away before she stares back once again.
"Hello? Anyone in there or are you just a mute?" One of the girls behind Gretta asks. Hailey, April thinks.
The other girl laughs, an ugly laugh, nodding with Hailey. Her name was Abbey. "She's weird," She comments, sticking her hand out as if to touch April's face.
Before she could, April snatches her things up, tossing everything into her bag messily and slinging it over her shoulder before she could even zip it up. She stands, carefully maneuvering herself passed the girls who stared at her. "She's boring," Hailey says, looking to Gretta who watched as April began to rush down the steps.
"She's fucking stupid, that's what she is," Gretta responds, following after April and grabbing her open backpack and tugging at it harshly causing April stumble back onto the concrete with a thud, a groan escaping her as she rubs her left arm which had made contact with the rough ground.
Her backpacks contents spilling out as Gretta and her group to begin laughing at the sight. April's dress spread out around her, revealing the tight black shorts she wore under them. "It must suck to be a friendless freak, huh?" Abbey snorts, kicking at April's leg.
She remained on the floor, dazed for a moment before she began to collect her things. The three girls finding themselves satisfied with the damage down, walking away with a sway to their hips as they chattered and laughed and gossiped about Derry's resident friendless freak. Aprilcouldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes before she shook her head, no. 'You will not let them get to you.'.
