Behind the Clouds ✔️

011

"Thanks, guys, but shouldn't have done that. They'll be after you guys, too now," Mike said, worriedly. Stanley hurried as best he could to catch up to his friends.

"Oh, no. Bowers? He's always after us," Eddie stated, leading them all back to their bikes.

"I guess that's one t-thing we all have in c-common," Bill added, inclined to become friends.

"Yeah, Homeschool," Richie said, as they reached their bikes, "Welcome to the Losers' Club."

Before any of them could get on their bikes, Stanley came out behind them holding an unconscious Violet in his arms.

"Eddie, any chance you could save her life, again?" Eddie took one look at her ankle and neck and sighed.

"Yeah, but she's gotta stop getting in their reign of fire. I mean, how many times have we all seen her bleeding to death in front of us? And where the hell am I supposed to take care of her? If my mom sees us enter the house with Violet like that, she'll never let me near you guys again," Eddie continued to ramble, until Mike lifted up his bike and Stan placed Violet gently in the basket where meat would usually go.

"We'll go to my place. We've got supplies and my granddad's supposed to be out with the guys at this point in the day," Mike offered, getting on his bike and leading the way.

Ben picked up Violet's bike and began to walk with his bike and her's towards his house.

"Ben?" Beverly asked, as the others fled after Mike. He turned to his crush.

"I'm gonna take it back to her house. No use keeping it here," He continued towards home, now with Beverly beside him.

"I'll join you. We'll go to Mike's together once we get her bike home," Beverly insisted. Ben and Beverly shared a smile and headed onward.

As the rest of the gang reached Leroy Hanlon's farm, Violet began to stir. Stanley picked her up out of Mike's basket and they all ran inside. Mike led them to a room that looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"This is my dad's old room. We can tear the sheets off and fix her up on the mattress. That way we'll only have to wash the mattress," Mike explained, as Bill and Richie got to work.

"Mike, where do you keep your bandages? And what's the largest size bandage you've got?" Eddie called from down the hall. They could all hear him opening cupboards after cupboards. Mike nodded at the guys and went to go help Eddie.

Once Bill and Richie had finished with that, Stanley placed Violet on the mattress. Richie grimaced once he saw all the blood staining Stanley's clothes.

"Dude, if you're trying to imitate what a girl's period looks like, you're not doing it right. Don't tell me this is your Halloween idea for next fall?"

"Shut up, Richie," Eddie interrupted, as he and Mike entered the room with their arms full of supplies for Violet's injuries. Richie turned and smiled at Eddie.

"Come on, Dr. K. Your patient needs you. Suck the wound. Get in there," Richie said, trying to crack more jokes at Eddie. The British accent just made Eddie want to punch Richie, but he never had the guts to hit his best friend.

"Do you mind, Richie? I can't focus when you're doing your British accent. One, it sucks, and two, I'm tired of you getting on my nerves. You got on my nerves the other day when I helped Violet and now you're doing it again. What happens if I do something wrong, huh? Do you want her to die or end up in worse condition? 'Cause I sure as hell don't," Eddie glared at Richie, who's cheeks were beat red from the constant babble. Bill, Stanley, and Mike just stood to the side, in silence.

"Maybe we should say, 'Beep beep, Eddie'," Richie said, hopefully breaking the tension, "'Cause you seem to babble a little too much. I have no filter. It just means that all the crude stuff you all are thinking, I end up saying just to make you laugh. You just don't know when to shut up."

Eddie had quit listening to Richie the second he started talking. Eddie was fuming as he worked on Violet. He couldn't help but notice what little life he saw in Violet's face. Her cheeks were extremely pale under all that blood and he could clearly tell where her face was sunk into her skin. That's where he saw her cheekbones.

"Eddie?" He turned, thinking it was Richie again. Ben sat across the bed from him and Beverly now stood in the doorway. "Is she gonna be okay?" Eddie and Ben shared a look, before he went back to work in peace and quiet.

"Hey Ben," Stanley broke the silence, "Do you know why Violet's brother and Bowers gang always seem to be around her?" Beverly stood up, from leaning on the door frame, wondering the same thing. Ben didn't know how to respond at first. He gulped, trying his best not to sell out his best friend.

"Even though she's my best friend, she still doesn't talk much," he started, "I think you all agree with me in saying the most she's ever said at one time was when Richie wouldn't shut up about the whole Bowers and Beverly story," Beverly's head went down, just thinking about what they might have been discussing.

"Yeah," Richie agreed aloud, "I'm beginning to regret saying anything after she went off."

"I remember when I first moved here," Ben continued, "There was one day when I was sitting on my front porch, not having anyone to hang out with, and these girls walked past me. Violet was outside her house with Ashton." Everyone's head's hung at the mention of the now missing boy. "They walked up to her and started talking to her as she continued to play catch with Ashton, and the one part I could clearly remember hearing was from Greta. She told Violet that she could become so much more if she didn't hide underneath her backpack. I-it was like she was asking Violet to join the popular girls.

"Now I figure, it had to be because of her brother and his gang. Greta probably just wanted to show off to Bowers and wanted to worm her way through Violet and Patrick to get there." Ben gazed at Violet the way he usually did Beverly, feeling like he was missing something.

"S-she is friend's with us now," Bill mentioned, "M-maybe we're the ones p-putting her in harms way."

"It's like she's protecting us," Beverly stated what everyone was thinking.

Violet opened her eyes, not recognizing where she was. She hissed as something wet hit her neck. Her vision cleared and she saw the Losers standing all around the room, with Ben and Eddie by both sides of the bed she was on.

"Vi?" She locked eyes with Beverly, who pushed passed Eddie and wrapped her arms carefully around her friend. The rest of the Losers joined in on the hug and for the first time, in a long time, Violet felt safe in people's arms.