Chapter 63

"I only have you in my heart, no one else. You have to believe me; my feelings are genuine…"

(The scene is set to this song.)

Mike changed out of his police uniform and parked in front of the Chinese restaurant.

Today was the day for their Losers' Alliance reunion of seven, and Mike wanted to personally welcome all his friends. Due to busy police duties, he hadn't had a chance to leave until now.

Fortunately, the town was relatively peaceful today. Besides the three child abuse cases in the morning, there had only been one family massacre case, still being handled by Jackson.

"I'm still late; it's almost seven."

Mike jogged into the restaurant. It was the most popular spot in town, and even though it was not yet the weekend, the place was bustling with customers.

Guided by the staff, Mike made his way through the main hall to the private dining room.

When he entered, the room was already filled with people.

Though everyone had changed a lot in the past twenty-seven years, Mike still recognized all of them.

Bill was attentively pouring tea for the old friends.

The once-chubby guy had now become quite handsome, but he still hid in the corner, sneakily observing Beverly.

Andy was carefully explaining to the waiter: "Even if my napkin is unopened, it needs additional disinfection. Also, I have severe allergies—I can't eat eggs, chicken, or pork, and there are many vegetables I can't eat. Oh, and nuts, too. If I accidentally eat any of those, I could really die."

The sarcastic Richie teased, "Come on, Andy, are you trying to scam insurance by eating here?"

Beverly burst into laughter, her mood brightened by having so many old friends around.

Then she saw Mike, who had just arrived.

"Mike, you're late."

The others also stood up to greet him.

"Mike, Mike!"

"Long time no see! My dear brothers!"

Mike smiled and took his seat.

Soon, the waiter brought the dishes to the table. As they laughed and reminisced about past events, they toasted and enjoyed the festive music. The sense of unfamiliarity quickly faded, and it felt like they were back in their youth.

The lively atmosphere was still driven by the sarcastic Richie. He noticed Andy's wedding ring and seemed momentarily surprised, then smirked and asked, "Andy, are you married now?"

"What's so funny, you jerk?"

"No, I was just wondering if same-sex marriage is legal in New York State now?"

He intended to mock Andy's effeminate mannerisms, implying he might be gay.

"F***!"

Richie joined in, "F*** too!!"

The others also laughed at this exchange.

Bill, no longer stuttering, asked, "Trash mouth, what about you? Are you married?"

"Richie can't possibly be married," Beverly quickly interjected. As the only female in the group, she was aware of Richie's tendencies.

"No, I'm going to get married."

"Oh?"

Everyone looked at him with curiosity.

Tim laughed and defended Beverly, "Richie is definitely lying. Beverly says you can't be married, so you definitely can't be."

"Tim, didn't you know?"

Tim looked puzzled.

Richie helplessly rubbed his forehead, "I'm going to marry your mom. Oh, maybe your mom hasn't told you yet."

"Pfft."

Bill immediately spat out the drink he had just taken.

Tim quickly flipped Richie off, "F***!"

"Don't be like that. I'll be a great stepdad; at least I haven't been in jail."

Andy pounded the table, "This is hilarious."

"Andy, don't laugh. My ex-girlfriend was your mom."

"Pfft!"

Bill spat out his drink again.

Tim suggested, "Andy, we should beat this guy up."

Andy nodded, "I agree."

Richie quickly waved his hands, "No, let's get back to talking about you guys. Tim, what happened to you? You've changed so much?"

"You're definitely a lot more handsome, like a movie star."

"Don't tease me!"

Tim, shy, quickly took a sip of his drink and stole a glance at Beverly, "I've just lost a few pounds."

"A few pounds? How is that possible?"

"A few pounds less than when I was younger."

Richie continued to taunt, "Tim, you're so cool now, like Beckham. Beverly, which version of Tim do you like?"

"Hahaha."

Everyone knew about Tim's little crush.

Before Beverly could respond, Tim couldn't hold it anymore and quickly changed the subject.

"OK, OK! Stop making fun of me. Let's talk about Stan! There are seven of us, right? Why isn't Stan here yet?"

After this comment, everyone was taken aback.

They started to recall and think.

"Stan? The coward?"

Mike also realized something was off, "Beverly contacted Stan; he said he would come. Why didn't I think of him earlier?"

He had only seen the other five when he entered and had subconsciously assumed everyone was there.

Beverly's hands tightened around her cutlery because there was only one explanation: Stan was dead. Influenced by Pennywise, people who died would slowly be forgotten by others.

This morning, she had woken up from a nightmare where Stan had committed suicide.

The group had a vague sense of unease, and the atmosphere at the table grew suddenly cold.

At that moment, a little boy walked into the private room, "Hey, Richie!"

Richie turned in confusion, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

The boy had a strange smile on his face, "The show has just begun, right?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Richie, on edge, stood up angrily, "Are you declaring war on me?"

The others quickly intervened, "Calm down."

The boy, looking frightened, said, "The show has just begun; this is your opening line. I like your stand-up. I'm a fan."

Richie finally calmed down and awkwardly said, "Sorry, kid. Do you want a photo?"

"No, thanks."

The boy, gasping in fear, quickly took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over, "Someone asked me to give this to you."

Then he left.

Richie, puzzled, placed the letter on the table and opened it. Inside was a short message:

"Guess where Stan was cut—on the neck's carotid artery or the wrist's artery?"

"It's it!"

Mike's hair stood on end as he stood up, "It knows we're back!"

The others were puzzled, not knowing who Mike's "it" was.

"What does this note mean? Is Stan in danger?"

"He wouldn't have committed suicide, would he?"

Fear began to spread among them.

Beverly immediately got up and dialed Stan's number again, wanting to confirm her old friend's situation.

Bill spoke up with confusion, "I don't know if you've noticed, but since I left town, all my memories seemed to be sealed. Even you, my close friends, I couldn't recall."

"I only started remembering slowly when I came back."

"Me too."

"Us all."

"It's a deep-rooted fear…"

Bill suddenly started stuttering again.

"Fear!"

Mike finished Bill's thought.