Boys were hollering and shouting, and no teacher was noticing. All of them were still in their towels from their showers before, and some of them in their undergarments. They had huge smiles on their wet faces, and annoyingly, they were laughing.

Stan, Richie, Eddie and I marched to the circle, as we broke the small gathering to only have more attention caught on to us. And just as we got inside, all of the attention was brought to us. Our attention was focused on Henry Bowers on top of our best friend, Bill Denbrough.

He was punching, just as hard as I had ever attempted. Unlike the others, Henry was fully-dressed. And unlike Henry, Bill was still in a towel like the rest of the athletes.

I charged at Henry and my best friend, watching as they quickly got him off of Bill. And just as quickly, Henry responded to their actions.

"What? You think I won't kill you guys too!" Henry screamed. At his sides, a sharp noise was heard that echoed through the room. In his hand was a switchblade. At one point I needed to think quick. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, not as bad as he did to Bill.

I tapped on his shoulder, only having him turn around with his eyes squinted at whoever was trying to disrupt him from his fight.
"What the he—" and I punched him.

Everyone in the room stood back in shock and some whistling. My best friends were shocked, but I couldn't care less. Bill was lying on the floor as his gaze on me tightened. I quickly leaned down to him, taking his face in my hands and looking closely at what Henry had done.

"Are you okay?" I asked, watching as he hissed. His eyes wandered off to his leg, as I followed them. He was holding it in a light grip. Blood drizzled down, and his leg seemed out of place.

"It hurts," Bill whispered, as a small tear came rolling down his cheek. The boys kneeled, looking at the wound as Henry continued to lay on the ground, too shocked to do anything more.

"We have to take him to the nurse," Eddie said, a look of disgust spreading all over his face. "Help me pick him up."

I draped his arm over my shoulder. The boys helped as well, grabbing his legs.

I looked at him with confusion. Everyone in the locker room was watching us, and yet no one decided to help. "Please," Bill whispered, looking around the room to show half of the school looking at us. I understood, maybe even a little more than I should have. But I insisted I held his hand. And with that, the boys and I carried him out of the locker room, and down the hall. Once we made it to the nurse, she didn't do quite much. She told us to leave and for Bill to stay, but I continued to sit.

It took about an hour of the nurse trying to pop his leg back into place. I held his hand and let him squeeze it, even though he tried not to. He didn't scream, and he hardly made a noise. He kept in all in.

Another thirty minutes had gone by of me putting bandaids all over the bruises and cuts that Henry had given him. I'm not sure what had happened with him, if he got in trouble or got away with it like he had been doing.

The nurse called his parents and gave him a free pass for the next few days. His leg was back in its place, but the pain never stopped. His dad drove from his work to pick him up, and I was left going back to class, not hearing another word from Bill. Of course, he'd have to stay home by himself, probably with his brother.

"Earth to Ariana?" Richie snapped his fingers in front of me, making me come out of whatever coma I was in.

"Oh, sorry..." I blinked, staring at the blank cafeteria table.

"Was Bill okay?" Stan asked, repeating the question they had tried to ask. I shrugged my shoulders.

"The nurse snapped his leg back into place, and he left with a few scars and bruises," I answered. The boys looked down at their trays.  We were guilty that we hadn't found him sooner, or realized he was gone.

The classes were dull and boring as usual. It hadn't been the best day for any of us, especially Bill. I felt like he hasn't been communicating with me like he usually would about his problems. Maybe it was all because I hadn't been with him lately.

School was soon over, and no trace of Henry Bowers was seen. You didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified. I didn't know where he was, or if he had gotten in trouble. Maybe he ran off like a coward. Maybe someone got onto him and he's serving his punishment right now.

Deciding to go to Bill wasn't a choice, it was more of a need. Needing to see Bill wasn't a need, it was a want. Maybe that's why I'd always felt a little lonely whenever he left.

Knocking on a wooden door, I played with my hands that were behind my back, anxious for the knob to turn. Feeling like no one had heard the first time, I reached my hand up and rang the doorbell. And yet again, no one answered. Sighing, I turned my heels, slowly walking off of their front porch.

But with a click and a creaking noise, the door was heard from behind me, opening. My head snapped, turning me around. In my amusement, it wasn't either of Bill's parents. It was Bill's little brother, Georgie Denbrough.

"Georgie?" I asked, frowning.
"Did your parents ever tell you not to open the door for strangers?"

Georgie looked up at me with his green eyes. "You're not a stranger, Ariana." A small smile crept upon his face. I raised an eyebrow.

"You make a good point," I answered, hearing a small giggle coming from his mouth. "Is Bill home?"

Georgie chuckled. "He's as pale as a ghost, Ariana!" He let his eyes roll, walking inside as an invitation to walk in and shut the door. And I did so.

"So what have you been doing?" I asked, a small smile displayed on my face. I was eager to see Bill, but starting a conversation with Georgie wouldn't hurt.

"Bill made a boat for me, see," Georgie raised a paper boat into the air, a large smile on his face as excitement was shown in his eyes.

"That's very nice, are you going to use it?" I asked. Georgie handing me the boat to have a good look. Paper boat, designed the way Bill wanted, and sealed with wax that wasn't completely dry yet.

"Bill says I can't leave the house until he feels better so he can come with." Georgie frowned in disapproval, as I handed him the paper artifact.

"Maybe it's for the best. It isn't that warm outside, anyway." I scrunched my nose, making my words turn into a whispering manner. Georgie nodded his head.

"Georgie, what's going o-on?" A confused voice was heard from upstairs. I'd assumed he was now worried that Georgie was talking to ghosts, but that was out of the essence.

"I'm coming!" Georgie responded with a loud yell, snapping his head towards the staircase. He soon looked at me.

"I think Bill would want to see you." He said with a chuckle, sitting his boat down on the diner table.

"Why would that be?" I responded to his sudden laughter with a smile. If anything, Bill would want alone time. Being gang-beaten didn't exactly give me the intention he wanted company.

"Because he draws you, all the time!"

Before I could answer, another holler was heard from upstairs. "G-Georgie, is everything o-okay?"

"C'mon!" Georgie took my hand, leading me upstairs to their room. I hadn't been here for a while now, and it wasn't because he lived a little ways away from me. His parents weren't necessarily fond of me. Rumors spread around about me, and suddenly it reached the parents. None of the things people say about me is true, most of the time anyhow.

"Georgie, w-what are you—" I heard Bill say, as I slowly opened the door for the both of us. Bill's eyes snapped towards mine, as they nearly popped out of his head. I smiled hopefully, while Bill continued his long stare.

The stare lasted until Bill turned his head in the other way, closing his eyes as he shifted in his spot. "Seriously, G-Georgie?"

His little brother skipped to his bed, as I stared at the ground. Georgie climbed onto the mattress with Bill, sitting on his legs as he looked over to me.

"Come over here, Ariana!"

I looked at both of them. Might as well not make this as awkward as it already was, right?

I walked over to them, sitting on the edge of the twin-sized bed. Bill was covered up with white blankets, and from the looks of it, he had changed into something more comfortable. There was no doubt in my mind when I thought that he wouldn't be coming back to school soon.

Georgie had talked about the things he had built at school in a wood-shop class, while Bill and I listened assiduously. Now and then he'd steal glances, and so did I. Georgie's talking decreased the amount of quietness in the room, and I'm pretty sure we were both thankful.

Without any warning, the seven-year-old jumped off of the bed, catching both Bill and me in surprise. He knelt to a small stand that was connected with a drawer, opening it as he scrambled through a paper that had looked like to be no good.

Colored pencils and crayons were heard smashing up against the wood. This happened until Georgie pulled out a piece of paper that had seemed to be painted on.

"See," Georgie handed me a piece of paper. I snickered, taking the paper out of his hand as Bill stared continually. It took me a second to work the details.

On the paper was a picture that looked like me; a lot like me. A drawing of only half of a face, looking somewhere else. The only thing colored was the light brown hair and the faded eyes which seemed to resemble mine.

"Crap, Georgie!" Bill snatched the drawing away from me, immediately crumbling it between his hands. The sound hurt my ears, and the sight of it being destroyed hurt even more.
"You weren't s-supposed to see that." Bill threw it to the floor.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, though I wasn't sorry.

Georgie looked at the ground. "It was a pretty picture."

"Y-Yeah? Haven't I told you to stay out of my stuff? How did you even f-find that—" Bill rambled on, his words becoming harder to keep up with. His cheeks were red, while Georgie looked up at me with guilt.

"I'm sorry— I should go," I said. I turned towards the door until a loud bang was heard from outside. All three of our heads snapped towards the window that was displayed above Bill's desk. The white curtains stayed in their place, but the weather outside was changing constantly.

Lightning struck, and the rain started pouring. It wasn't a coincidence to me that a big storm formed right before I was supposed to leave. It wasn't just a small amount of rain; it looked like it had taken days to form this big outcome.

Georgie looked towards me, tilting his head to the side as he gave me the eyes that made me melt inside. "Please stay." He begged, gripping his hands together as he rested them just beneath his chin.

I frowned, looking at Bill as I noticed he was watching the water fall outside. But little did he know that he was interested in everything that was being said, and he continued to listen.

"Just for a little while." I answered, looking back at Georgie as a large smile made its way to his baby-like face, only to have it drawn away by a thought that popped into his head.

"We could play a game!" He insisted, eyeing both Bill and I back and forth. Georgie had dragged us downstairs, both of us needing to wrap our arm around Bill to help him out, and we soon surrounded their dining room table, playing The Legend of Zelda.

The game lasted quite a long time, considering that Georgie kept winning while Bill and I kept losing. Bill would tell his little brother that he let him win, though we all knew that Georgie was better at the game.

After a while, Georgie was passed out on the couch, he was put in the middle of Bill and I. Ghostbusters was displayed on the TV screen, making a small patch of light hit our faces in the dark room. Noise came from the movie, making the awkward moment a little less-awkward.

"Ariana." Bill spoke in a hushed tone, looking at me as my head turned towards him, but my eyes stayed on the lit screen in front of us. I hummed, giving a response to him. "Y-You didn't have to come h-here."

My eyes left the screen and focused onto Bill. "I wanted to." I said. He looked away from me, and to the floor. He let out a long, but quiet sigh.

"I think we should be getting to b-bed soon." Bill referred to Georgie, who was leaning on him. I nodded my head, moving to where I could stand up. Bill only stopped me, by putting his hand on the lower part of my arm.

"I-I didn't say you had to leave." He rephrased, shaking his head as I slowly sat back down. All I could do was mutter out an "Oh" as we both looked at Georgie.

"I'm going to go p-put him to bed. Wait a few m-minutes?" Bill questioned. I nodded my head, a small but fake smile hitting my lips. Bill had woken up his brother, and went with him upstairs to tuck him in. Even with a hurt leg, he still managed to do it without hurting himself.

A few minutes had gone by, and I was called by Bill to come to his room. When I had first gone in there, he was making down his bed for him to sleep in.

"Here, I don't really have any m-more b-b-blankets for you, but-" Bill moved out of the way to show his perfectly-drawn down bed.

"Wait- I don't want to sleep on the bed." I told him, frowning as I shook my head. Bill looked towards it, and back to me.

"Is s-something wrong?" He asked, a confused look taking over his face. I crossed my arms, hunching my shoulders forward as I quietly shivered to myself.

"Your leg." I responded as if he was dumb. He looked down at it, chuckling.

"It got p-put back into place. It's not broken or a-anything." His eyes looked into mine, a smirk still on his face as he continued on. "I'll b-be fine."

I didn't think he was telling the truth, he wasn't going to be fine. He needed to sleep in his own comfortable bed, even if he had a "guest" in the house. But just the thought of arguing over it gave me a headache, and I wasn't going to backfire on his kindness.

"I need something to change into." I looked at my feet, as Bill raised his eyebrows. Looking to him, even in the room with hardly any light, I could see his famous flushed cheeks.

"I'll-I'll go get you s-something to wear." Bill spoke softly, as he headed towards the door. "I'm sure I-I can find her something." He muttered to himself, already in the hallway.

I laughed to myself, putting my hands behind my back as I made my way towards his twin-sized bed. I sat down, embracing the atmosphere, that was nothing like my home. It was better than my home.

I wasn't too worried about my dad. He wouldn't know I was gone; he wouldn't care if I was gone. He never noticed if I was at home in the first place.

"So I f-found a long t-shirt, I really h-hope that's okay."  Bill walked in the room, holding a plain white shirt as he handed it to me. I gladly took it, smiling.

"Thanks. I owe you one."

I had gone to the bathroom to take a shower. Having not been here for a while, if it wasn't for Georgie dragging me to places through the house, I wouldn't know where I was going.

Walking into the bathroom, I shut the door. Taking my clothes off only to see a few cuts and bruises from everything that went on at school wasn't exactly the highlight of my day, but not looking in the mirror was another option.

I got in the shower, feeling the hot water that I had gotten used to. The steam was floating all around me. Something about this space made me feel almost protected, and with Bill being in just the other room, it wasn't hard to feel safe.

The long shower was over, and I stepped out, wrapping the towel around me. Drying myself off, I let it go, letting it fall to the floor. I grabbed the shirt that Bill had given me, and threw it over my head, and onto my body.

I had gotten used to washing my face with soap, even if I had taken a shower. Maybe it was something to make myself feel like someone new, or maybe it was just a thought I had. I never really knew.

I opened a drawer that was connected to a mirror, and grabbed what looked like a face-wash. I rubbed it on my hands, and put it on my face. I rinsed it off with cold water, that hadn't gotten any warmer.

I stood up from the sink. Looking in the mirror had caught me by surprise. Holding the urge back to scream, a loud gasp fell from my mouth. Penny was looking at me through the mirror, as if he was in some other dimension I had never seen before.

His green eyes continued to stare into mine, his expression remaining blank. He wasn't here, and at first I thought he really was. But the thought settled into my head; he wasn't really here. It's only my imagination.

I reached my hands to my eyes, rubbing them harshly as I whispered to myself, "You're not here." Over and over again. I opened my eyes, adjusting to the light I had caused to my vision. He was gone.

"Ariana? Ar-Are you okay?" I heard through the door. Stumbling backwards as I was clung to the wall, I blinked to make sure I was back into reality.

"Yeah, just—" I stumbled to find the right words. I just nearly screamed, what would my excuse be?
"I thought I saw a spider."

"Oh—are you o-okay?" He asked once again. What would it take for him to stop worrying about me?

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second." I answered quickly. I grabbed my clothes from that day, including an old brush that was lying on the sink. I opened the door, seeing a surprised Bill standing there.

"Oh, I was just w-waiting and I—" Bill struggled to make his move, but the only thing I could do was smile and nod my head.

"Bathroom's all yours." I whispered, walking passed him. Bill stood there in shock, staring ahead of him as he soon turned around only to see me walking away.

I had made it to his room, and I slowly shut the door. Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the bed, plopping myself flat onto the mattress. The ceiling was printed with these unknown markings that were on the wood, almost as if someone were trying to draw multiple things at one time.

Thinking about what had just happened before made my stomach turn upside down. Having that been real, I would have been scared half to death. But knowing that I didn't know if it actually happened or my mind just playing tricks, I had no way to tell.

It hasn't looked anything like Penny. His eyes were this darker color, his skin was a lot more pale, there were veins going up into his throat that I had never noticed before.

"Ariana." I heard coming from the door. "I'll be g-going to bed now. You n-need anything?"

I shook my head to myself. "No, goodnight Bill." I answered plainly. I was tired and out of breath. Being nice was the least of my worries.

"Y-Yeah, goodnight." Bill responded, his footsteps heard as they gradually got harder to hear. I sighed, looking back up to the ceiling.

I was soon drifting off to sleep in an uncomfortable position. I had these images in my head of that alley I was in