Pennywise And I

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.