chapter two: Stand Up For Yourself

June 1989

Mike

I couldn't stop shaking. This was not who I was, I was not the kind of person who could easily take the life of an innocent animal. It felt so wrong, to take a life.

I just didn't have the guts.

The sheep stared back at me, and I bit down hard on my lower lip. So innocent! And so clueless.

"Pull it, mike."

I heard my uncle's voice, urging me to pull the trigger, to end the poor sheeps life.

"Go on now, pull it."

I can't. Doesn't he see how much I am shaking. I'm not a killer. I'm not.

The gun was suddenly snatched right out of my hand, making me jump in surprise.

Joe put the gun to the sheeps forehead, pulling the trigger without a second thought before he threw the empty holder into the trash can.

"Get it reloaded." He hands the gun to his partner. Then turned back to face me with an unpleasant look on his face.  "You need to start taking more     

   responsibility around here mike."

"Your dad was younger than you when h-

"I'm not my dad ok," I blurted.

He sighs. "Look at me, son."

I didn't look.

"Look at me!'' he said louder.

I reluctantly faced him, feeling as miserable as I'm sure I looked.

"There are two places you could be in this world." He began, staring at me hard. "You can be out here like us, or you could be in there, like them!"

"You waste time himmin' and hawing and someone else is gonna make that choice for you, except you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes."

With that being said, he turns and walks away leaving me to think about what he had just said.

Billy

The bell had just rung, signaling that school was over. Both me and my friends hurriedly grabbed our bags and rushed out of the classroom.

The hall was packed with kids as we pushed our way through.

"I can't believe you did that, richie, that is so unbelievably stupid, I mean not to brag but I'd have done something way cooler than that if I were in your situation," Eddie rambles on about something to richie.

I listen to them shout at each other back and forth, not stopping to take a breath.

"Like hell you would!" Richie said, jutting out his finger in eddies direction.

"You wouldn't have lasted five seconds if time were somehow reversed and put you in my place, hell, I bet you'd have puked your brains out." He laughs, giving stanley a high five as he reaches us.

"Hey Stan, were you t-there? By the millers house, I m-mean?" I questioned, just as richie slightly shoved me to get to eddie who was taunting him about something.

Stanley shakes his head. "No, but I did hear that richie pooped his pants when he got that rachel chick to kiss him," he snickers, earning a slap upside his head from richie.

I giggled at the both of them, but stopped when I noticed victor and his gang giving us glares as we walked by.

They were the schools bully, which basically means that they pretty much bullies any and everyone they come across, which, unsurprisingly, is us, the group of losers. I mean, we tottally fought back, but they were much older, stronger and meaner. So it's best not to mess with them.

*

We dumped our school supplies into the trash can as soon as we were outside.

It was truly the best feeling.

"Best feeling ever," stanley said.

"Yeah, try tickling your pickle for the first time," richie suggests, making me roll my eyes. There was nothing but dirt in his head, literally.

"Hey what do you guys wanna do tomorrow?" Eddie asks, pulling his bag over his shoulder.

"Anything but see your face " Eddie laughs, giving stanley a high five, but he only slaps his had away.

"How about the query?" He asked, looking between everyone.

"Guys we have the d-dead berrans," I said and Stanley slowly nods in understanding.

"Right."

Eddie sudeenly looks at something down the road. "Betty rupsins mom," he mumbles, making us all turn to watch in that direction. There she was, standing out of the side walk staring at the school doors.

"Is she really expecting her to come out of the school?" Stanley said.

"I don't know," Eddie said.

"You think they'll actually find her?" Stanley aks.

"Sure, in a ditch all decomposed covered in worms and maggots smelling like Eddie's moms underwear," richie said.

"Shut up, that is frickin disgusting," Eddie grimaced, staring down the street.

"She's not dead she's mi-missing." I cut in, making him look a bit guilty.

"Sorry bill, she's missing." He said softly, looking down.

We began to walk when richie starts to talk again. "You know the berrans aren't that bad, who doesn't mind splashing around in shitty water- richie was abruptly cut off as victor grabbed him by his collar and threw him into Stanley, knocking them both down to the ground.

"Nice frisbee, flamer," his other friend joked, picking up Stanley's hat.

"Give it back!"

He threw it into the passing school bus's window. Snickering to himself.

I was super pissed, I hated those idiots with a passion that I could no longer contain.

" You sh-sh- shove off!" I spat at them, making them stop in there tracks to turn and look at me.

"Don't, bill "

I heard richie say something, but I was to furious right then to care, not stop and back down like a coward. I hated these guys and I was gonna make them know.

"You s-s-s- say something? B-b-b-b- billy " victor said, mocking my stutter as he always does. " You got a free ride this year because of your little brother," he steps even closer to me, making my blood boil.

"Rides over, denbrough." He was right up in my face, but then hesitated, looking past me to where his father was.

His father was staring at him intently, yanking off his shades to get a better look at what was going on. His dad was a policeman.

Victor averts his gaze back to me.

   "Summers gonna be a hurt train, for you and your faggot friends." He said lowly, before licking his palm and passing it on my face. I grimaced, wiping my face from the foul stench as he walks off with his friends, sickering like idiots.

We watched as they crossed the street to climb into victors dark blue vehicle.

"Wish he'd go missing," Eddie says, voicing my very thoughts." He's probably the one doing it." He adds, disgusted.

*

The front of my house was coming into view as I walked up the side walk, I could hear my dad working in the garage.

I parked my bike outside and walked in.

He turned to face me, taking off his glasses as he looks me over.

"Need some help?" I asked. "I c-c-.. "

"I thought we agreed." He said sternly.

I bit my lip, looking over to what he was referring to. It was the drain pipe that I created. "Before you say anything-

"Bill," he warns.

"Just let me sh-sh- show you something first."

I went over to the pipe, taking up my action figure to put it through the top opening.

I then picked up the hose and flushed it down, watching as the action figure go all the way down through the exit and into the basin. My father said nothing.

"The barriers, i-its the only place that georgie could have end up-

"He's gone, bill," dad cuts in.

"But if the storm swept g-georgie in we should have gone a-

"He's gone! He's dead!" Dad yells, standing up. "He's dead, there is nothing we can do, nothing!"

"Now take this down before your mother sees it.'' He storms over to the blueprint of the sewers that I had on the wall, ripping it down angrily. " The next time you wanna take something from my office, ask."

I watched sadly as he walks out of the garage, not sparing me a second glance.

I turned to our hamster in it's cage.

"Guess you get your tunnels back," I mumbled.