lies || stanley uris x reader

17 || a story's authenticity

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Eddie said, a disbelieving scoff escaping from his lips. He, Bill, and Richie were sitting on their bikes while the rest of you sat slightly squashed together on a small bench (except for Stanley, who was sitting on top of the backrest). "It comes out from whatever to eat kids for, like, a year? And then what? It just goes into hibernation?"

"Maybe it's like... What do you call it?" Stanley looked over at you for help but you just stared back confusedly. A lightbulb seemed to switch on in his head. "Cicadas. You know, the bugs that come out once every seventeen years?"

"Maybe," you shrugged.

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed," Mike spoke up, and your eyes widened at his words. "He says that all the bad things that happen in this town are because of one thing. An evil thing that feeds off the people of Derry."

"But it can't be one thing." Stanley said. "We all saw something different."

"I— I saw a leper. He was like a walking infection," Eddie shuddered, reliving the experience in his mind.

"But you didn't," Stanley insisted. "Because it isn't real. None of this is. Not Eddie's leper, or— or Bill seeing Georgie, or— or the woman I keep seeing."

"She hot?" Richie grinned, attempting to crack a joke.

"No, Richie," Stanley turned on him, completely unamused. "She's not hot. Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense. They're all like bad dreams."

"I don't think so," Mike said firmly. "I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?"

"What'd you see? You saw something, too?" Eddie asked.

Mike nodded solemnly. "Yes. Do you guys know that burned-down house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door, trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the firemen finally found them, the skin on their hands had melted down to the bone."

Everyone went silent afterward, stunned by his sudden revelation and unsure of what to say. You wanted to speak, but hesitated, shifting in your seat awkwardly before clearing your throat, redirecting everyone's attention to you.

"I guess that now would be a good time to tell you guys that I had an experience too, huh?" you said, taking a quick glance at everyone before looking down at your hands in your lap. You noticed Beverly's slight head tilt, an indication that she was puzzled, and Stanley's concerned expression.

"It was the day we went to the quarry. I fell asleep as soon as I got home and woke up at around midnight. I was thirsty, so I went to go grab some water, and when I turned around, my mom was suddenly there. I was excited, of course, because I barely see her, but then she started morphing into this— this— this creature, with these long claws. It probably sounds really dumb but it chased me around my house, and I ran outside to escape it, but its claws dug into my arm before I could shut the door. I passed out on my lawn after that."

Just like what happened with Mike's story, there was complete silence after you spoke. You didn't miss the way everyone discreetly shared looks of incredulity, clearly questioning the authenticity of what you just said.

"Seriously? You don't believe me?" You were slightly offended that they thought you were making it all up. "Fine, then explain this."

You hastily pulled up the left sleeve of your sweater and unwrapped the large amount of gauze you put on that morning. It took quite a bit of effort, but once it was all off, you were able to prove your point, holding out your forearm to show to everyone. The long, jagged scrape there that was slowly but surely beginning to close up elicited audible gasps from your friends, their facial expressions changing to show their shock. Eddie, however, simply gagged and held up a hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the unpleasant sight. The others all subconsciously leaned forward to take a better look at your forearm.

"Oh my gosh, Y/N, why didn't you tell me about this?" Beverly held your arm worriedly, inspecting the nasty scrape.

You shrugged. "It wasn't important."

"Are you okay? Did it hurt? Did you clean it properly? Do you have the correct materials to take care of it?" A flurry of questions left Stanley's mouth as he gently placed a hand on your shoulder. Everyone turned to look at him, which made his cheeks turn the faintest shade of pink, and his hand swiftly returned to his side.

"Yeah, I'm okay," you nodded and shot him an appreciative smile, pretending that your heart hadn't abruptly sped up at the genuine concern he showed for you. "Thanks."

"See, now that right there is proof that these aren't bad dreams. They can't be," Mike said. "I'm telling you, something in Derry is using our fears to scare us. We're all afraid of something."

"Got that right," Richie muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

"Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?" Eddie questioned.

Richie adjusted his large glasses with slight uncertainty before looking up at everyone.

"Clowns."