hello, it is i again. sorry that this chapter took a while to get up, thanksgiving break ended and i had to go back to that hellhole- i-i mean school! yeah,, school 👀

Bill might've felt like he never left Derry all those years ago, but something still felt off. Something wasn't clicking. The Loser's moved into the kitchen and piled snacks and drinks into the center of the table to keep the noise away from Maggie, who's room sat above the living room.

They resorted to telling stories about their childhood to Bill, hoping it'd all come back to him and they'd be the same group they were back in 1989. "What about us?" Beverly asked, letting her hand fall from her chin to the table, "We used to date back before you left." Bill laughed softly and nodded. "I do remember that. Have we even officially broken up?" Beverly's eyebrows raised in surprise. "No..." She said slowly, "I don't think we have.." Ben glanced over at her. "Wow.. so I have myself a girlfriend?" Bill asked, a smile tugging at his lips. Beverly laughed and shook her head, her arm sliding off the table as she leaned back. "Well, I don't mean to break your heart.. but if we're still together then that means I've been cheating on you for the past few months."

Bill watched as she and Ben shared a look, the two grinning. "For a second I thought you'd leave me, Beverly," Ben said and she quickly shook her head. "After that poem and not ratting out my secret smoking place? I could never!"

Richie dropped the bag of chips onto the table, gaining their attention. "Bev, I never ratted your smoking place to the teachers. Does that mean I just have to wright you a poem?" He asked. Eddie gave him a look and elbowed him in the side. "Where's my poem, Chee? You should start with the person you're already dating, you know," he said and a ripple of laughter spread throughout the group. Richie smiled and leaned closer to Eddie. "I never knew you wanted a poem." He rolled his eyes and looked away. "You never asked."

"Is there any other relationships I don't know about?" Bill asked, his eyes sliding over everyone's faces. "Nope," Richie said, popping the P and flung an arm around Eddie's shoulders, "Eds and I and Beverly and Benny Boy are the only ones with perfect relationships." Stanley snorted and looked up at Richie. "Perfect?" He asked and Beverly nodded, joining in with the laughing. "What about the breakup?"

Bill's eyes snapped over to the two boys. "You two broke up?" He asked, genuinely surprised. Eddie nodded and looked over at Richie. "Care to explain, Rich?" He hummed and met Eddie's eyes. "Gladly." He shifted in his seat and took in a deep breath. "Firstly, I would like to claim my innocence."

"Bullshit!"

"It is not!" Richie shot back. Bill watched with slight concern as the rest watched with amusement. "What happened?" He asked, interrupting the two. "I'm explaining," Eddie said quickly and Richie fell into the chair. "Richie and Beverly got shit-faced drunk one night last year and this idiot came home at the ungodly hours to a house with no pizza rolls."

"We had pizza rolls the day before," Richie said, a hand opening as he talked. "Then, they're fucking gone! How strange is that, Eds?"

He rolled his eyes and ignored him. "Anyway, he fucking blamed me for taking his food and at... what was it?" He asked, looking over to the others. "Four AM," Ben replied. "At four AM and we got into this fight and broke up."

Bill, being extremely invested in the story, motioned for them to continue. "Who broke up with who?" He asked and Richie laughed. "You really think I'd break up with my Eds? No, this bitch broke up with me." Bill raised an eyebrow and looked over at the guilty-looking Eddie. "I apologized in the morning! But I was tired and I didn't want to deal with an angry Richie at 4 AM!" He explained, wildly moving around his hands. Richie smiled smugly and leaned out of his chair to wrap his arms around Eddie. "But you still came back to me," he said and kissed Eddie on the cheek. "Hard to stay away from this body, huh?" Eddie rolled his eyes and pushed Richie off of him.

Mike shook his head and waved his hands in front of himself. "Back on track, guys," he said before facing Bill, "Tell us what you do remember." Bill breathed out and looked up in thought. "I remember the quarry," he said and stuck out a hand to list things off, "I remember.. Bowers.." His gaze fell a little and a finger stuck up. "And.. the Barrens." Another finger up.

Silence fell around the group, the crinkling of chip bags coming to a stop. "And I remember Ge-" Bill abruptly cut himself off, not because of the name of his passed brother, but because of something else. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he continued. "G-Geo- ... Georgie."

And then it clicked.

Everything fell into place.

Everyone stared at Bill in a mixed of confusion and shock. "I thought you said your stutter was gone," Stanley said and he quickly nodded. "I did..! I haven't had trouble suh- ..saying words in a few years," he explained, his eyes flickering up to Stan's. Everyone stayed quiet for a second longer before Richie spoke up. "I guess some things never change, huh B-B-Bill?" Soft chuckles came from almost everyone. Bill breathed in and stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "I-I'm heading to the bath- bathroom," he said. The others watched as he walked to the doorway. "Know where the bathroom is?" Richie asked but Bill was already down the hallway.

Bill closed and locked the door, gripping the doorknob and letting his forehead bang against the wood. He stayed there for a second, letting thoughts bounce around in his head. Panic rose in his chest and he pushed against the door and to the sink. "He thrusts his fists against the posts," he whispered, his confidence building when he didn't stutter, "and in- insists he sees the g..g-ghosts... fuck!" He banged his palm against the counter out of frustration, ignoring the raw pain that spread across his hand.

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. "He thrusts his fi-fists against the-" A knock on the door cut him off. "Bill?" Stan's muffled voice asked, another soft knock on the door. "Are you okay?" Bill reached over to unlock the door, letting Stan open it himself. Concern dusted his eyes as he walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"I'm okay, Stanley," Bill said softly, pushing a small smile onto his face. Stan breathed out an unconvinced laugh and shook his head. "Shit, Bill. You may not remember much but I know when you're lying." His eyes fell to the ground and it went quiet for a second. "Bill?" Stan asked, staring at him.

"That's the thing, Stanley," he said slowly. "I think I-I'm starting to re-remember."