derry, maine | it imagines ✔️

20. rumors - henry bowers

Requested?:
Yes: [✔️] ; by @Charolette_12
No: []

Song?: No

Most people would expect beautiful and popular girls to be bitchy, like Greta Keene. At Derry High School, yes, there were those girls. But, there was also an anomaly walking through the halls each day.

Her name was Serenity. Not a day passed where she wasn't smiling or saying hello to everyone. Her bright blue eyes were always shining, and her sleek brown hair always flowed behind her perfectly. She had a special piece of everyone's heart.

Everyone knew her, not only for being kind and sweet, but also for her dresses. Every single day of the year, Serenity was wearing a dress. No rain, snow, sleet, or hail could stop her. Some were long, covering her feet, some came to her knees, and some ended at mid-thigh. No one could ever guess which one she would wear next.

One person in particular took a special interest in Serenity. Henry Bowers. For some strange reason, he was drawn to the girl, and enjoyed talking civilly with her, which was rare for him. He would even go as far as to call her his friend.

Yet, he was afraid. Afraid of what people would think of him if he showed a care for the girl, so, in public, he bullied her. It wasn't much, what he did to her, only hitting her books out of her hands or tugging lightly at her hair. It didn't bother Serenity much. She knew why he did it. She did, however, attempt to encourage him from bullying everyone else.

One day, Henry Bowers and his goons were tormenting the boys of the Losers Club: Bill, Eddie, Stan, and Richie. They were a usual target since they stuck out in many ways. Bill with his stutter, Eddie with his fear of germs, Stan with his Jewish background, and Richie with his big ass mouth.

The gang had cornered all four of them. Patrick was holding Stan's kippah above his head, forcing the boy to jump up in attempt to grab it. Belch was burping in Eddie's face while throwing trash at him. Victor had stolen Richie's glasses and the poor boy was blindly trying to take them back. Henry was only staring at Bill, as the stuttering boy watched all his friends struggle.

"S-S-Stop Buh-Bowers!" Bill told him, his voice cracking. "It isn't fuh-funny."

Henry stood in front of him, leaning in. "Wh-Why Buh-Buh-Billy?" he mocked him. "Why don't you try and stop me. Or are you too sc-sc-scared?"

At that point, a crowd of kids had gathered around, only watching, not helping the boys out. Some gave pitied looks, while kids like Greta Keene snickered and laughed at them. Serenity, one of the kids in the surrounding group, wouldn't take this any longer.

"Bowers!" she called at him. Henry turned around and glanced through the crowd until he locked eyes with her. "Cut the bullshit and leave them alone!" The crowd looked nervously at one another, whispering. No one ever stood up against Henry before.

Henry's eyes softened a bit at her expression, which was stern, but he could see the pleading undertone to it. He snapped his head back to his friends. "Come on, let's go." They stopped and gave him confused looks. "I said come on! Are you fucking listening?"

The boys followed Henry away, and the crowd dispersed from the hallway. The group of boys thanked Serenity, but she waved it off. Everyone would get about what happened by the next day.

Oh no. Not at all. A rumor had spread throughout the school overnight. Henry Bowers has gone soft. After listening to one opinion and request of Serenity, Henry had backed off the younger boys. Henry Bowers has gone soft all for a girl.

Boy, was Henry pissed off. More pissed off than ever before. He needed retaliation. He didn't know at who, so he chose the one who caused the rumor to spring off. Serenity.

Even though she hadn't been the one to come up with it, Henry still spread a rumor about her, to get any attention off of him. And, this rumor had people talking faster than the one about him: Serenity only wore dresses because she's a whore, and she's used it to sleep around with an undetermined number of boys. Everyone had heard it before the second class was over.

The girl got tormented. Everyone ignored her. Greta and her friends threw paper at her, and followed her around to trip her and scream horrible names at her. Someone painted "SLUT" on her locker door. One of the boys tried to cut the skirt of her dress off, leaving a tear in it.

She hid in the bathroom for the rest of the day. Hugging her knees to her chest, she sat on the floor, locked in a stall in hope that no one would find her. No luck. At the end of the day, group of girls pulled her out and slapped her arms and back as she walked out of the school.

She walked home in distress, but no one followed her. It was the first day Serenity wasn't smiling. No, instead, she was crying. She cried and cried and cried. Why her? Why her? Why her?

Footsteps echoed behind her, and she knew someone was running towards her. She waited for a name or for someone to hit her, but it never came. However, someone placed their hand on her shoulder. She swiveled around to face Henry Bowers himself.

"What do you want?" she growled through clenched teeth, her cheeks stained with tears as more threatened to spill out. He didn't answer. "Are you happy? Are you fucking happy? Was it worth it? Was this worth it?"

He stared at her red face. Her hair stuck to her wet cheeks, and her eyes gleamed with pain. She looked so hurt. So broken. "Serenity," he whispered. He hadn't even thought about what he said; he had been so angry, that he just said it. He hadn't thought about the repercussions that would fall on Serenity.

She shook her head. "Save it," she breathed, quiet and angry. "I don't want to listen to this bullshit. I don't have to listen to you." He was going to accept what she said, until she continued, "Just go the fuck away. I hate you, Bowers."

He let out a breath unexpectedly at her words. He, all in one movement, took her face and kissed her. She pushed him at first, but finally gave in and kissed him back. When the broke apart, he spoke, "I know, I fucked up big time. I know saying I'm sorry won't be enough. But I would do anything, I would kill someone, even, if it meant I never have to see you crying again. God, I regret it. I'm so, so sorry."

She didn't forgive him immediately. It took a while to reform their relationship, but it did happen. He stopped the rumor, and no one dared say anything about her again. Not with him around, after all.