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in complete silence, the group rode back to eddie's house. delilah didn't know what they were going to say to mrs kaspbrack, but she knew whatever they did say her reaction wouldn't be good.
even though bill tried to explain what had happened to eddies arm, eddies mother wasn't having any of it.
"you!" she screamed, pointing her finger at the group, "you did this! you know how delicate he is!"
bill's face dropped at the comment made by eddie's mother. bill didn't want anyone to get hurt. all he wanted to do was find his brother and bring him home back to his family, where he belonged.
"we were attacked mrs. k." bill tried to explain to the woman.
"no! don't try to blame anyone else." she shouted pointing at all of them but mainly at bill.
whilst trying to hurry into her car mrs kaspbrak dropped her keys. beverly knelt down in an attempt to pick them up before they were snatched from her hand.
"oh, i've heard about you miss marsh. i don't want a dirty girl like you touching my eddie." tears suddenly sprung from beverly's eyes and delilah felt a protective instinct immediately.
"hold on, do you think just because you're an adult that you get to speak to her like that? well you don't. so why don't you take your fat ass and drive your son to the hospital, which should be your main concern instead of judging people based on things that you've heard." delilah said, not being able to hold her tongue any longer. all of the group stared at delilah with wide eyed and opened mouths, all except beverly. beverly stares at delilah with a wide smile, tears of happiness and gratitude in her eyes instead of embarrassment or sorrow.
mrs kaspbrack stared at delilah in disgust and shock. she had no words, no one had ever spoken to her like that before but it was certainly time someone should.
annoyed at mrs kaspbracks staring, delilah made another comment. "off you go sonia." delilah said whilst making a shooing gesture with her hands.
mrs kaspbrack scoffed at delilah and then got into her car and drove away, but not before hurling more abuse at them out of her car window.
"you're all monsters!" mrs kaspbrack screamed out of her window. delilah was no longer focused on her but on the boy in the front seat. he was in tears and delilah didn't blame him. the whole situation was completely overwhelming. "eddie's done with all of you, he's done!"
the group watched the car drive away, not knowing when they'd be able to see eddie again. they stayed silent until bill spoke up.
"we saw the well! we-we know where i-it is, and next time we will be better prepared." bill said, with hope in his voice. delilah stares at him and shook her head in disbelief.
"no!" stan yelled, shocking everyone. "no next time bill, you're insane!"
"we all know that no one else is going to do anything." beverly tried to convince the other members that they should stick with bill.
"bev-" delilah began trying to reason with her until she was cut off by richie.
"eddie was nearly killed!" richie shouted, mainly at bill. "delilah's lucky to have an arm and look at this motherfucker! he's leaking hamburger helper."
although richie's points were all valid, he was slightly rude in his delivery. ben's face dropped at the comment about his weight. delilah had a soft spot for ben, knowing that all ben wanted was to do this summer was make friends. she also knew about his evident infatuation with beverly. delilah made her way over to ben and, as she was slightly taller than him, wrapped her arm round his shoulder and leaned into him.
"we can't just pretend it's going to go away!" beverly said. "ben, you said if yourself. it comes back every twenty seven years."
"fine, i'll be forty and far away from here." ben disagreed with beverly, shocking delilah and probably the rest of the group. "i thought you wanted to get away too." delilah herself planned on leaving derry as soon as she could.
"i want to run towards something, not away."
richie laughed at beverly comment. "i'm sorry, but who invited molly ringwald into the group?" in return beverly flipped him off and beverly let out a slight giggle at richie's face when she did so.
"richie..." stan trailed off. richie couldn't control what he was saying sometimes and stan knew exactly where this was heading, as could delilah.
"i'm just saying, let's face facts." richie said looking around the group. "georgie is dead. stop trying to get all of us killed too." richie had finally said it. he had said what everyone else had been thinking the whole time. "you couldn't t save him, but you can save yourself."
"t-t-take it back!" bill said, getting in front of richie. " you're scared and we all are but take it back." bill said pushing richie forcefully.
richie pushed bill back and as a result bill punched richie in the face, causing him to fall to the floor. delilah gasped with her hands covering her mouth. the friendship group was unravelling before her.
mike and stan were holding onto richie's arms trying to keep him away from bill. "you're just a bunch of losers. you're going to get us all killed."
"hey! richie that's not fair." delilah said trying to make richie realise what he was actually saying, but her words seemed to make no impact.
"stop! can't you see this is what it wants, it wants to divide us. we're all together, that's the reason why we're alive!" beverly shouted trying to make the boys see sense.
"yeah? well i plan to keep it that way." richie said whilst walking towards his bike, making sure to knock bill's shoulder in the way.
stan and ben followed richie. delilah was next to go.
"i'm sorry, bev. you'll always be my best friend, but i can't handle this. i don't want to die." delilah said getting on her own bike before cycling home to an empty house.
delilah was left alone with her thoughts, the house completely silent. the silence probably added to delilah's anxiety and she felt tears trickle down her cheeks. for the first time in years, delilah didn't care who saw her cry.
