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❝ it is no surprise that your heart is the size of your fist, you are meant to fight. ❞
—K.P.K

RICHIE'S TAUNTING voice echoed through the thinly structured walls of Ben's house, causing me to wince in agony.

As we arrived into his room, Richie who had been recalling the events of some story to Eddie snickered at the sight of Ben's walls; each blank space occupied by articles identical to the ones in his binder.

"Wow," Richie exclaimed sarcastically.

"Cool huh?" Ben asked, not detecting Richie's mockingly tone.

"No, nothing cool," the bug-eyed boy replied to a now embarrassed Ben.

"Oh, this is cool," Eddie spoke up, skimming the walls. "Oh, wait no—no it's not."

Beverly and I stood together side by side, skimming the horrifying articles that displayed the countless situations that initiated in Derry.

Stanley pointed to an article with his slender index finger. "What's that?"

"Oh, that?" Ben questioned the blonde, "that's the charter for Derry's township."

"Nerd alert," Richie squawked.

I peered over to the other side of me and swatted his twig-like arm, earning a growl from him.

"Touch me again and I'll make sure you lose your only source of pleasure," his vibrations of aggressive tones causing me to laugh.

"You're one to talk, I bet you have to fiddle your fingers to wack off such a tiny dick," I cried in laughter.

"Do you ever shut up?" He groaned.

"Do you ever shut up?" I mocked.

"Why don't both of you shut up?" Stanley piped up.

He turned his torso to adjust right in front of me, shouting insults in my face with every ounce of rage that consumed him. I returned the gesture as I started yanking his shoulder, screaming out every form of anger that pulsed through me.

"If I'm the trashmouth, you're the recyclelips," he shouted.

"That's not even a thing you illiterate son of a bit—" I began.

"Okay." Beverly got in between us, guarding my wrath toward the irritating four-eyed freak. "We get it—you hate each other. Can you both please just try to keep your comments to yourselves until we exit Ben's?"

"Depends, can Tozier here choke on Eddie's dick?" I snickered.

"Why must I always get involved in your insults, Stef," Eddie whined.

"I'm sorry, Eds."

"Don't you start with me," Eddie barked towards me as I planted my attention back on the articles.

"So, what's this about Derry's township or whatever?" I asked Ben.

"Whatever it is, it must be boring for Ben to be so thrilled about it," Richie interrupted as he voiced his annoying thoughts.

"No actually, it's really interesting," Ben explained, "Derry started as a beaver trapping camp."

"Still is, am I right boys?" Richie exclaimed, his arm shooting right up for an unrequited reaction to praise as Stanley rolled his eyes towards him.

Ben continued, discarding Richie's unnecessary commentary. "Ninety-one people signed the charter that made Derry, but later that winter they all disappeared without a trace."

"The entire camp?" Eddie spoke with utter disbelief.

"There are rumors of Indians, but no sign of an attack," Ben elaborated, "everybody just thought it was a plague or something, but it's like. . . one day everybody just woke up and left."

"They didn't find any evidence at all?" I asked nervously.

"The only clue is a trail of bloody clothes leading to the well house," Ben stated.

"Jesus, Derry should be on unsolved mysteries," Richie said, his glasses easing off of the perched position on his pointed nose.

"Yeah, you should really be on that show, Richie," I added, "it's a mystery why anyone in their right mind would want to willingly give birth to you."

"Yeah, your dad should be on that show since his disappearance is a mystery," Richie replied icily, causing a prick of sadness to puncture my heart at the thought of his cruel words.

I discarded the comment as I recalled its source being someone as unintelligible as Richie Tozier.

Beverly made violent eye-contact with me as she was trying to indicate that she wanted me to glance at whatever Ben was hiding behind his door. With a replaced façade, I strode over to Beverly to be met with a New Kids on The Block poster.

Ben glared at us with horror as he shook his head for us to keep our mouths shut. With small eruptions of giggles, we placed the door back to its original position of being wide open.

"W–Where was the well house?" Bill interrupted our taunting of Ben.

"I don't know," Ben spoke with a questioning tone, "somewhere in town I guess, why?"

"Nothing," Bill replied with overbearing sadness perched over him.

I had only heard stories about the event that took place about a year ago. The disappearance of little Georgie Denbrough being the talk of the town. I gazed at Bill's pained yet somewhat still hopeful expression as I realized that he was battling an internal conflict within himself over the flee of his little brother.

I made my way over to Bill; his eyes gazing into the small map of Derry with a blank expression.

"Bill," I chimed warily, "what are you thinking?"

"In all h-h-honesty, I don't know, this all
s-s-seems connected to Georgie, but I can't
f-f-igure out why."

"Maybe you're right."

"I'm really h-h-hoping I am, it could f-f-finally lead me to him," Bill claimed with his last ounces of faith.

I sympathized with Bill; the disappearance of his younger brother taking an extremely harsh toll on him.

I wanted to stand there and agree with Bill that'd he'd find him, alive, but I couldn't—I could not pour a sentence from my mouth that I didn't entirely believe myself, so I just stood there next to him as he continued to observe the small map with a painful grace of hope.

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I decided to walk the distance to my house alone, the quiet diverting room for my thoughts.

As I recounted today's events, I felt the familiar burning of someone's breath delicately dancing upon my skin.

"You'll float, Steffi," the chilling voice cooed, "you'll float with us."

My neck thrashed backward in horror as I gestured to see what spoke to me in such a treacherous manner. Expecting to be met with a vile creature from the car—the hollering of Richie and Eddie came into sight.

My body was rigid as I glanced at them—hands shaking with petrifying fear.

"Step on me, what a pleasant surprise," he spoke with mocking enthusiasm.

"Was that weird voice you, Richie?" I asked anxiously.

"What are you babbling about, I just caught up with you."

"You okay, Stef?" Eddie asked with genuine concern painted upon his features.

"So, you two weren't here before saying creepy shit?"

"Are you on drugs, Copperhead?" Richie asked as his eyebrows shot up in confusion.

"Did you see something off?" Eddie pondered.

"I—uh. . . never mind." I changed the subject abruptly, shaking my torso of the piercing images that resurfaced through my thoughts. "Is there a reason you guys are following me?"

It's just your imagination, Stef. You're being a coward. Man up.

"Well if you must know, I usually walk this way to my house, so you're in fact following me," Richie clarified.

"I've never seen you go this way."

"He's actually walking me halfway then going on some stupid walk all the way around to his house," Eddie interjected.

"I decided to take this way because I figured it'd give me more of a chance to piss you off and walk Eds home," he admitted with a bashful grin, "a kill two birds with one stone situation."

"Very funny, Tozier," I rolled my eyes, "why don't you walk on the other side of the road."

"No."

"Fuck off, Tozier."

"No."

"Richie, you're fucking annoying, do you get that? People don't put up with you because they like you, they do it to fulfill their own internal guilt," I shouted, suddenly very irritated by his presence, "you drive me fucking mad."

"See, I don't understand that part," he simply stated, playing with a toothpick that he had been digging into his pearly white teeth.

"Understand what?"

"You have this hatred for me—toward my every moment—yet, you can't state a reason why," he said, voicing his observations.

"Because you're a dick, you're obnoxious, and you think that everyone cares about your vulgar thoughts," I explained.

"Okay, but then what does that mean for you? Shouldn't everyone despise you as well then?"

"If you are trying to compare me to you, then you need a reality check."

"No, I think you're in need of a reality check."

"Guys!" Eddie shouted over us, "can I please walk in peace without your childish bickering, I agree with the part of Richie being a dick, but I just want to get home."

"Okay," I groaned, "can I walk by myself in peace then—if you really don't want to I'll cross the road to walk by myself."

"Okay, I'll just walk ahead of you, it's fine."

"Thanks," I muttered as his scrawny legs carried him ahead of me.

I strode next to Eddie as we made our way down a long street leading to where Eddie would turn to his short-cut home.

"So Edward," I spoke up, "how's your summer?"

"Don't call me, Edward," he growled, "and, it's been anything except boring."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Well, don't mention this too much to Bill because it'll set him off," Eddie began to explain, "but, Bill has this prolonging fantasy that Georgie is out there somewhere, so his plan is basically for the losers club to find him."

"The losers club?" I asked with confusion dancing upon my features.

"Yeah, that's what everyone at school calls us," Eddie admitted, "it used to bug me, but now I think it's kind of cool I guess."

"It is cool, being like the rest of those unoriginal bastards at school is boring," I said, causing Eddie to smile at me kindly.

"You know, despite what Richie says about you, I think you're pretty badass, I mean—for a girl you know," Eddie mumbled bashfully.

We made our way to the crosswalk that Eddie had to cross in the opposite direction. "Thanks, Edward."

"Don't call me that." Eddie hissed as he left me and Richie by ourselves.

Richie continued walking in the same direction as me, his torso a few feet up ahead of me.

My eyes plastered themselves upon his back as he began hopping, singing the tune of a song under breath his breath—each word gradually becoming louder within each passing moment.

"I'm a fool to want you," he chimed, "to want a love that can't be true, a love that's there for others too."

"Awe Tozier, who broke your stupid heart," I asked with a smile resembling a Cheshire Cat.

"Someone I used to know," he shrugged, "she was probably allergic to your repulsive disease."

"Fuck you."

"You would."

"I swear to fucking—" I shrieked as I lunged on to him from behind, his torso violently running down the streets of Derry trying to discard me off his back.

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An;
I keep picturing the fight scene with Pennywise when I listen to something to die for by the sounds and I'm so excited to write that scene out, uGH

P.S listen to that song!