"But maybe we can make some new friends" Sharen Denbrough said to her son, both hands on his small shoulders. He smiled a bit, nodding. Bill looked down at his freshly cut palm, his spirits falling at the thought of leaving his best friends. He gave in however, following his mother, in her dark blue dress, to the car.

"I'll muh-muh-make new friends." He whispered to himself as he drifted off to sleep in their small car, the lulling sound of the wheels against the bumpy pavement sending him into a drowsy state.

"William's a good boy Zach, he'll....he'll be okay."
His mother's voice woke him. The brunette kept his eyes closed as he listened some more.
"I know Sharon...but, you know he's not gonna ever find something like those kids."
"Zachary."
Bills eyebrows furrowed. He's hated hearing his dad say things like that. And as much as he wanted to disagree, the worst thing was, that he was right. Bill never would find someone like his old friends. But there wasn't anything he could do. And he'd never get his brother back, so he blinked back the tears and drifted back to sleep.

"Thanks for Visiting Derry Maine. Come back soon"

This time, Bill was woken by his mother's cold hands against his shoulders. "William. We're here."
She said, using his birth name like always. He blinked a few times before climbing out of the car, coming face to face with his new house. It was a small one, cute and cottage like. The house sat on top of a small hill, a long driveway leading up to a small garage. It would have been a nice house, but Bill wasn't sure.
"Go on. Your rooms the first one on the right, your bathroom should be connected."
Sharon said, nudging him to go on in. "Th-tha-thanks mom."

He grabbed his small suitcase, his feet carrying him into the garage. The pale boy brushed his hair from his eyes, turning the knob of the door and stepping inside. The kitchen was the first thing he saw, yellow walls and dark wood counters. A small round table sat in the middle next to a clear sliding door, three chairs surrounding it. He let himself out of that room quickly, a strange feeling overtaking him when seeing those three chairs as if something was missing. He sighed before heading to, as his mom instructed, the first door on the right.

His room was small, dark blue walls and an empty twin mattress on a brown headboard. He threw his suitcase down onto the bed, heading to the bathroom. This was, much like the rest, small. A dark brown wooden and granite vanity sat under a mirrored- cabinet door. He sighed, running his hands along the curtain of the small bathtub. It was late, so the moonlight shown through the window above the tub, hitting his pale skin. Bill turned to the bedroom again, taking his pajamas out of his suitcase quietly and heading for the bathroom to shower and change.

However, when he unfolded his sweatpants, a small Polaroid picture fell out. "What?" He muttered, examining the picture and the seven people in it. Six boys and one red-haired girl took up the space in the frame, one of them Bill recognizing as himself. "B-but who ar-are you?" He asked the picture, running the palm of his thumb against the face of the curly haired boy. He flipped the picture over, attempting to get anything else from it and seeing the words "call me" along with ten digits. He threw himself to the phone attached to the wall next to his desk and slamming the numbers in.

The boy tapped his sneakers against the wooden floor, curiosity flooding his vains.
"Hello?" A drowsy voice spoke through the speaker. "Uh...h-hi m-my names Buh-Buh-B-B-.... arg!" The voice on the other end of the line let out an audible gasp. "Are you Bill?" It asked, now being recognizable as a males voice. "Uh...y-yeah...who a-are you?" "My names Stan. Stan Uris."

Bills heart rate sped up for a reason he couldn't understand. "I'm glad you called, I was kinda worried I was losing my mind." 'Stan' chuckled. Bill laughed, not sure why he had already felt connected to this boy. "So uh...do you want to tell me why I had a note saying I'd get a "call from Bill"?
He asked, his tone becoming more serious. Bills eyebrows furrowed as he let out forced laugh. "I uh..I hu-hu-had a picture with a n-nuh-number in the back. Are you Uh...a-are yuh-yuh-yuh-"
"It's okay....take your time." "Are you in the picture?" He asked, the tapping sound if his foot becoming more aggressive.
"I...I don't know." Stan sighed through the phone, both of their hearts sinking at the lack of remembrance on both their parts.

"Well...then. Hi, my names Bill Denbrough. I j-ju-just moved here from....from...I...I don't know where...."
"Thats okay. I just moved too. You already know but, I'm Stanley Uris, you can call me Stan. I'm 13, just had my bar mitzvah a few weeks ago. My mom died a few years ago, so it's just me and my Jewish dad."
Bill smiled for an unknown reason, happy to just hear Stans voice. "Oh...I'm 13 t-too, although I-I turn 14 in a few weeks. I'm sorry to hear about your muh-mom. As far as I know...I-I've never lost an-anyone. It's just me and my puh-puh-parents." Bill said, looking down at his feet, that overwhelming thought of something missing returning again. "Well...it's nice to meet you Bill, I appreciate that, my mom was...she was a really great person."

Stan sighed, and Bill frowned, feeling a need to be there with him. "Thi-this suh-sounds strange but...where do you live?" "Oh...my dad and I just moved to Virginia. What about you?" Bill sighed, now realizing why Stan sounded so tired. "I'm so sorry! D-did I wuh-wuh-wake you up?" Bill asked with worry, only now realizing how different the time difference was. "Oh...no no it's fine. I'm just glad you called, I couldn't sleep anyway." "Oh...good w-well it's el
even here, I live in California." "You should get some sleep then." Stan said, feeling protective over the boy he was talking to. "Haha it's o-okay I slept on the way here. I'm not tuh-tuh-tired." "Guess that just means I get to ask you a bit more about yourself."

The two boys talked the rest of the night, and Bill had to move his bed over to the phone as to not get too tired and fall asleep on the floor.
"Hey...Bill?" Stan said, breaking the comfortable silence the two had been in. "Yeah St-Stan?"
"Just wanted to make sure you were still there." Bill yawned once before laughing lightly. "Yeah...y-yeah I'm still here Stan."

The auburn hair boy woke the next morning with the phone laid across his face, a small beeping noise coming from it as the phone call had ended. He groaned, lifting it off and sitting up to stretch. The morning sun shone through the window across the room, his lack of curtains finally having an affect. The lanky boy shuffled out into the hall, turning his head to look in to the kitchen where his parents sat, drinking coffee and reading the new newspaper. Sharon looked up from her gaze out the window. "Good morning William. How was your sleep?" "G-good Mom. What about you?" He smiled slightly, walking over to take some eggs from the pan. "Good, good." She responded, looking back out the window.

Bill took a seat on the counter, eating his plate of eggs before thanking his mom and heading to his room.

The next few days, bill found himself staring at the photo, trying to dig through his memory and decipher who of the boys in the picture were his best friend. Yeah. Bill had taken to calling him that, considering he didn't seem to have any friends he knew of. This was the third time today that he had layed on his bed, feet up against the wall as he held the Polaroid up to his light, examining the curly hair of the honeycomb eyed boy in the middle. Stan. Stan. Stan. Stan. His mind taunted over and over, until he threw the card, hands finding their way to his hair. Stan. Stan. Stan. Stan. Bev.

He sat up straight, looking over at the picture. Bev? Who's Bev? Bill ran to the phone, slamming in Stans memorized number. "Stan!" He yelled, when the ringing stopped. "Woah, someone is excited, what happened-" "Bev. Wh-Who is Bev? Do you remember a B-Bev? Wh-what am I s-saying? Y-you might not be-be in the puh-puh-puh-puh-" "Bill, breath. No, I uh...I don't really remember a Bev. Are you okay?" Bill sighed, placing his hand against his forehead. "Yeah...y-yeah I'm fuh-fine."
"Hey, what happened? Where'd this name of 'Bev' come from?" "Heh...I duh-don't know, I was just looking at the puh-picture."

Stan sighed through the phone. "I dunno. Maybe...maybe there was a Bev but...Bill I don't even know how I would be in the picture...." he muttered. Bill frowned, "yeah I know....b-b-but what if yuh-yuh-you are?" "Well....I guess we'll have to wait. I gotta go Bill, my dads taking me to synagogue." "Bye Stan...." Bill whispered, hanging the phone onto the wall.

Bill crawled back under his blankets, sighing. He had known he was bisexual for  awhile now, but he was a little worried that he may be falling for a boy he had never even seen. Well....from what he could remember.

"William!" A mans voice called from down the hall, waking Bill from a nap he hadn't realized he had taken.
"Y-yeah dad?" He said back, walking to the door of his room.
"Your mother is taking you out to get school supplies. Go get ready." Bill nodded, heading back into his bedroom to change. However, just as Bill brought his brush through his hair, the sound of the phone ringing blared through his room.

"Hello?" He said unto the red machine, hearing a "hello?" Come from his end as well.
"Mom!! G-get off the phu-phu-phone!!" He called, knowing already that it was Stan.
"What?!" She called back. "Guh-get off the phu-phone! I g-g-g-got it!"
The auburn haired boy didn't hear a response so he held the phone back to his ear. "Hey St-Stan, whu-whu-what's going on?" "BEVERLY HER NAME WAS BEVERLY!" Stans voice yelled from the speakers. "Who's Beverly?" Sharons voice came throwing the phone again. "M-Mom!!" "Alright Sorry!"

"Anyway. I think....I think I remembered something. Red hair, short, curly, red hair." "Yes!! Yuh-yes! That's the puh-picture!"
He grinned, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. "Wha-wait, how do y-you remember?" "I dunno, I was just in the car on the way home with my dad and I just...boom there she was." Bill laughed, closing his eyes and breathing deep. "So I'm not cr-cru-crazy." "No, you're absolutely not crazy...well maybe insane but who's to say we both aren't." The curly haired boy laughed through the phone. "William! It's time to go!" His mom called again. "Bye St-Stan. I'll t-ta-talk to you later."

Bill slid on his shoes, toeing down the hall to the front door. "You okay sweetie? You look a bit shaken." His mom asked as he pulled the door open. "I'm f-fine mom." Bill smiled, "let's g-go."

When the Denbroughs arrived back to their knew house, bill thanked his mom before running off to his room. He placed the bag of supplies onto his wooden floor, sliding his shoes off and falling onto his bed with a sigh.

"Hey S-Stan..." Bill muttered into the phone later than night. "Hey Bill, what's up?" "I was just..-yawn- thinking." He said, twiddling the small photo in between his index and ring finger. "You know, I can tell you what I look like if you want to be able to tell if I'm in the-" "No!- I m-mean. N-no. I uh...I think I'll just try t-to see if I can re-remember." Bill stuttered. The truth was, he did want to figure it out on his own, but more, he had gotten attached to the noodle haired boy in the picture and found himself not wanting to know if Stan was or wasn't him.

The boy on the other side of the line snorted, "okay Bill, whatever you say." Stan heard Bill yawn through the line. "Hey, are you tired? You should get some sleep." "W-well so should y-you." "Touché, but I never sleep. I'm always up doing...stuff." This time it was Bill who let out a snort. "Awww now Stan. I know we're b-boys but I don't nuh-need to hear about-" "stop it stop it stop it!" Stan laughed loudly into the phone, causing Bill to laugh on the other side. "You know that's not what I meant." "Yeah, y-yeah I know." The boy giggled, twisting the cord of the phone around his thin fingers.

"Seriously though, you should get some sleep Bill." "I c-can't. My mind is ru-running too f-fast." "What if I....what if I stay on the line? Will that help do you think." Bill closed his eyes, nodding tiredly before realizing he was on the phone. "Y-yeah. Yeah that'll help." "Goodnight Bill, I'm here if you need to talk." "Goodnight Stan" Bill yawned, turning on his side, his body tucked into his pillow as he hugged himself.

The both of them took to this as routine. Each night one of the boys would call the other, not being able to get sleep, until eventually they took to just calling eachother to say goodnight and fall asleep with the phone pressed to their ear.

Soon enough, Bills first day of school had crept up in its arrival.

"I j-just feel l-li-like I didn't ha-have-have good ex-experience at scu-school before Stan!" Bill rambled to Stan the night before the big day. "Wha-wha-wh-wh-wha-" "Hey, I'm sure they'll love you B." Stan comforted, using his nickname for Bill. "Okay. Okay. You-you're ri-right." "Of course I am. Now, get some sleep okay? You'll do great tomorrow, call me when you get home, yeah?" "You'll b-be the f-first to know how it gu-goes." He assured, sending a warm feeling through Stans body. "Goodnight S-Stan." "Goodnight Bill."

The first day at school was NOT fun for Bill. He had spent less than 10 hours on the grounds and had already earned the nicknames "Buh-Buh-Buh-Billy" and "Twink" which had hit a specific nerve that he couldn't identify. He walked home that day, fighting the tears in his eyes before slamming the front door and rushing to his room.

"Hey Bill! How'd it go-" "Horrible. H-h-h-horrible." He sobbed into the phone, pulling one of his pillows to his chest. "They h-ha-h-hate me!" "Shhh shhh deep breaths. Your gonna be okay. Shhh." Stan comforted, the phone pressed harder to his face in an attempt to get closer to Bill. "Th-Th-th-th-" "Shh Shh dont talk. Just take a deep breath." The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Bill sniffling occasionally before Stan spoke up. "Hey, don't let them get to you, you don't need them, you've got me." He smiled. "But I don't e-even k-know you."

That stung.

"W-what?" Stan stuttered. "Look. I-I'm not tr-trying to b-be rude but we d-don't even know eachother Stan." The curly haired boy stared into space, Bills words finally setting in. They hurt. But what hurt most. Was that he was right.

"You're right. We don't know eachother. I'm gonna go. I'll see ya later." He choked, slamming the phone onto the wall before sliding down the wall and placing his burning face into his pale hands.

Meanwhile, Bill laid in shock at the conversation he had just brought apon himself. What had he done? Stan was the only person he had And now, he threw it all away.

The boys didn't talk the next few days and Bills birthday was approaching faster than either of them wanted to imagine. The auburn haired boy had developed dark, purple circles under his green eyes, contrasting against his pale skin. He had barely slept that week and found his eyelids getting heavier each class he took.

"William!" Bills head shot up from the desk, the bright lights stinging his eyes. "Su-suh-suh-Sorry. I-I-I-" "Enough. Just don't let it happen again." Mr. Tucker said, turning back to the board. A few snickers were heard behind Bill. "Oh well look at Buh-Buh-Billy now, fuh-fuh-falling asleep in class. Nightmares keeping you a-a-awake?" The pale boy sighed, sinking further into his chair. He felt hopeless, but at the same time, it was as if this was all he'd ever known.

That night, the sound of bills bare feet could be heard, pacing his room back and fourth. He would stop each time that he passed his bed, the urge to call his best- former best? Friend pounding at the back of his head. Eventually he gave up, toppling onto his bed with a loud thump. The auburn haired boy would be turning 14 in two days, and to be honest, he wasn't looking forward to it. What was he supposed to do? He didn't have any extended family. He didn't have any friends. Oh well. Just another year of his life gone by.

Meanwhile, Stan was sitting at his fathers desk, bags already packed and the large computer shining onto his face. He blinked a few times, finishing the last of his third cup of coffee. A train ticket to California, yeah, it was going to be a lot. But hey, just think of it as a birthday present.

"Happy Birthday sweetie!" Sharon Denbrough called, knocking on her sons bedroom door. "Tha-thanks mom, I'll be out in a muh-minuet." He said, still curled up with the photo in his hand. "M-man, you buh-buh-better he Stan." He whispered, stroking the image of the honey-hued boy in the center. He placed a light kiss to the picture, sliding it beneath his pillow and heading into the kitchen. "And there's our boy. How does it feel to be 14 son?" Zachary asked, walking over pat his son on the back. Bill attempted a smile. "Puh-pretty good."

"Surprise!" His mom yelled, handing him a small box, Bills thin fingers wrapped around the thin wrapping, "thanks Mo-Mom." He tore off the wrapping, the leather fabric of a new writing notebook coming into view. Bill smiled, hugging his mom, "thank you." He managed without a stutter.  "Anything sweetie, now go get ready for school." She smiled, kissing his head.

That night, the setting sunlight shone through his room as Bill laid against the wall, his face turned to the phone. "F-forget it Bill. H-he's not gonna c-call." He muttered. "William someone's at the door." His mother called. He sighed, sliding out of bed in his navy sweatshirt and sweatpants. "Hey, wh-what bring you-" he stopped, eyes wide and mouth dropping open.

"Stan?"

"Surprise?"
Bill jumped into stans arms, the boys curly hair tickling his cheek while he laughed. "I th-thought you f-forgot." Stan pulled away from the hug. "About your birthday? Never!" He grinned, pulling Bill back into the tight hold. "H-hey Stan, wh-why dont we go to my room?" He asked, already pulling away to grab one of Stans bags. "H-how long are you sta-staying?" "Not sure B, your mom said I could stay as long as I like. And uh....I can get those." He muttered quickly, looking down. The auburn haired boy gave him a worried look. "A-are you okay?" "Yeah!! Yeah, I'm fine. Just....it's nothing Bill." He reassured with a smile, taking off his shoes and placing them neatly by the door.

"Fuh-fuh-first door on the right." He smiled slightly, holding open the door for Stan who piled in, placing his bags in a perfect line and hanging his coat onto the small hanger on the wall. "Y-youre very neat." Bill commented, smiling. The lanky boy plopped onto his bed, patting the space next to him. Stan looked down, "OCD..." he muttered, taking the spot next to his friend. "Oh, that's c-cool. I m-mean I'm sure it's n-no-not to yuh-you but you know-" "yeah, yeah I get it" Stan smiled.

A silence fell over the room, and Bill felt his eyes begin to dart around, trying to think of something to say. "I'm suh-Sorry." He frowned, looking anywhere from Stans gaze. "Hey, it's okay. I know it's hard for you. I really do get it. But we're in this together, right?" The noodle haired boy comforted, putting a hand on Bills shoulder with a smile. "Hey....why don't we uh...play truth or dare?" Stan suggested before his eyes lit up and he leapt off the bed. "Wait wait wait! I almost forgot about your present."

Bill looked up in anticipation, turning his head to the boy he had finally gotten to meet. Stan pulled a small box out of his bag before bringing it back over to Bill. "Happy fourteen B." He smiled. Bill carefully took off the paper, knowing it may bother Stan's OCD. He watched Stan smile at the small action, before sliding the lid off. Inside the box lay a second picture, this one being a drawing saying "Merry Christmas Losers Club" Bill gasped, "St-Stan I....where di-did you get this?" "I drew it, I know it isn't much, I don't even know why I drew it. One day I just woke up and....I had this memory? I dunno." He said, shaking his head, the curls bouncing around his face. "I love it." Bill smiled, standing up to place it on the mirror next to the picture. Stan appeared in the doorway, walking behind Bill and placing his head of curly hair on the shorter boys shoulder. "I hope this is fine...I don't have much experience with friends." He whispered, tucking his nose into the crook of Bills neck, who smiled. "Of course St-Stan," Bill replied, shivering at the feeling of Stans breath on his skin.

"Sooo truth or d-dare?"
——

"Okay okay okay. Uhhh, truth." Stan giggled from his spot on Bills bed, legs pressed up against the wall. "Uhh....if y-you were the o-o-opposite gender f-for a d-day, what w-would you do first?" "Uhh kiss a bunch of guys because that's acceptable for a girl?" He laughed. Bill stiffened. "You're gay?" He asked, causing the taller boys eyes to widen. "....uh....yes?" He answered sheepishly. Bill smiled, "oh...that's c-cool, I'm b-bi." A slight silence fell over the room until Stan spoke again. "Truth or dare, William." He said with a smirk, after talking with Bills mom, he knew what Bills real name was. "Sh-sh-shut up." The pale boy fake pouted before giggling. "Dare."

"Do you have a crush?" "Stan! Th-that's a truth! I s-said dare." He giggled. "Fine then, I dare you to....tell me the answer to the question I asked," he snorted, smirking at himself. Bill huffed, "fi-fine. If you mu-must know. Yeah, I du-do...I think." "Ooo tell meeee!" Stan grinned, giggling. "Haha...n-nope my turn."

The two played for awhile until it had reached 2 am and with Bills lack of sleep, he was having trouble sitting up straight. Then again, he had trouble doing anything totally straight. "Hey...." Stan whispered, the moon through the window being their only source of light. "You need some sleep." He reasoned, motioning for Bill to lay down. He complied, curling into his natural position of hugging himself for comfort. "you -yawn- do too. Sleep on the b-bed with me?" He asked, drowsiness clouding his mind. "Whatever you want, just let me change okay? I'll be right back." The taller boy stood, grabbing his folded pajamas from the bag and going into the bathroom.

When he came back, he was met with the adorable sight of Bill curled under the covers, still trying to hug himself to sleep but fighting unconscious to make sure Stan did come back. "Scooch over." Stan cooed, sliding next to Bill and wrapping his  arms around the smaller boys waist. "It's much better than hugging yourself to sleep I promise." He assured, letting Bill melt into the touch. "Thank you..." The green eyed boy muttered, finally giving in and letting sleep take away his mind.

Stan laid in the dark, his head resting in the crook of Bills neck. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't be able to sleep, no matter how tired he was. So, instead he stayed quiet, occasionally reaching up to play with Bills hair, until the sun started to come up and his mind gave in, letting him drift off.

When the shorter of the two woke up, he found himself in the same position, although his hair was a mess. Bill groaned, turning in Stans arms to look over at his honey-hued face. "Stannn..." he whispered, bringing a hand up to brush a small curl from the boys face. He blinked a few times, groaning, before opening his sleep-clouded eyes. It was only then that Bill noticed the dark circles resting under Stans golden eyes. "St-Stan...did you get any sleep last n-night?" The golden eyed boy yawned. "I'm fine Bill, don't worry about me. I slept some. How did you sleep?" He asked, shimmying over to the end of the bed to stand up. "I slept fuh-fine. But Stan..." "if it means that much to you, I'll take a nap later, yeah?" Stan asked, pulling a button up sweater and pants out of his bag. Bill nodded a bit, still looking skeptical but he let it slide, walking over to his dresser.

"Y-you can change in the b-b-bathroom. I'll l-l-l-l-" "let me know when you're ready?" Stan asked, the corners of his lips curving up. "Yeah. Sorry, I uh..." "don't apologize. It's not something you control." He comforted, nodding before walking into the small bathroom.

Bill changed quickly, sliding on his short sleeved red-black flannel and cuffing his jeans. Meanwhile the taller of them stood in front of the mirror in Bills small bathroom, examining his features. A frown tugged at the corners of his pink lips. Stan had always hated mirrors...well as long as he could remember. They made him feel as if he was trapped, like a painting. The honey hue shuddered, closing his eyes and turning away. "Stop it Stan. You're supposed to be having fun."

"Hey Stan, I'm dressed so y-yuh-you can come out." Bill said, tapping his fist against the bathroom door. "Oh uh uh okay, uh give me a minute." Stan unfolded his light blue, collared sweater. He slid his lanky legs into his knee-length kaki shorts,  carefully making sure his socks were at an even length. The tall boy opened the bathroom door, walking back into the bedroom to find Bill laying across his bed, looking up at the ceiling. "You okay?" Stan asked, causing the auburn haired boy to jump. "I'm fu-fu-fu-" "fine." Stan offered, tilting his head and sitting down next to Bills legs, placing them in this lap. "Anything you want to do today? We should get things done sooner before my dad questions where I am. I'd say we have maybe a week or two." He chuckled.

Bill looked over at Stan shyly, "you uh...yuh-you said you liked to bird watch...right?" The curly haired boy nodded, a grin stretching across his face. "Yeah, yeah it's great." "Why do-don't we do that today. M-my parents have work so let me make us some breakfast and then we c-can go. How's t-tha-that sound."

Stan nodded, trotting over the door to open it for Bill. He cleared his throat, "after you your highness." The noodle haired boy joked in a fake-fancy accent.

Bill laughed, strutting out the door in an attempt to look more proper. The two only