Insanity // Henry Bowers [ON HOLD]

Three - "I'd never let bugs eat you."

When Lydia arrived home from Richie Tozier's house at midnight, it was completely empty. The lights were out, her mothers cigarettes lay unsmoked on the kitchen counter, and a note was pinned to the fridge.

It was the same as always, her parents were rich snobs who at least once a month decided they needed a "vacation" or went on a "work retreat". Really it just meant they could get out of the depressing neighbourhood of Derry without having to take their nuisance of a daughter with them.

Lydia knew that, she knew how they'd never wanted her, let alone a second child. Her older brother had died as only a baby and by having Lydia her parents felt as if they were betraying his memory, that was why they were so neglectful of her. She knew this too and that was why she acted out all the more. Initially she'd only became friends with Patrick, Belch and Henry to piss off her parents, but before she could even stop it the boy's became her best friends and she fell for Henry. It was all one huge accident waiting to happen.

"Dear, Lydia

Work called and we have to go away again, money for food is on the counter. We should be back in a week, don't trash our house.

From, Mom and Dad."

"Fucking bullshit." The blonde girl mumbled, "That's all it is."

With an annoyed sigh, she threw herself down onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling, counting not only the cracks but also all of the things wrong with her life.

Her parents were corporate assholes who didn't care for her.

Despite loving her friends, they were psychopaths.

She let her best friends bully the losers club, the guilt was inexplicable.

Her and Henry were trapped playing games once again

And finally, she still had feelings for the boy who broke her heart, she always had and always would, but the poor girl would never admit that. Not to herself and certainly not to Henry.

Lydia was almost asleep, lost in a dream of the time when her and Henry had been at their best, laughing and shoving one another into the Quarry whilst Vic, Belch and Patrick watched on. That had been the January when it had all started. They were only fourteen then, being the oldest two, it was a terribly cold month but that didn't stop the Bowers Gang from putting on their bathing suits and swimming in the ice cold water. Just as she reached the edge of sleep, she heard a tapping sound that woke her from her slumber.

"Need to stop dreaming about that mullet wearing asshole..." she mumbled, completely forgetting about the tapping noise and instead headed into the kitchen to retrieve her mother's Marlboro cigarettes.

Silently, she grabbed the carton and a lighter from Patrick's jacket he'd left there only two days earlier and she headed out onto the front porch to smoke.

She had to get him out of her head. She hated what he did to her, but she hated herself more for still thinking about him. They were just friends now, nothing more, nothing less.

Lyds hands shook as she flicked the ash off of her cigarette and brought it back up to her lips. The pink gloss she'd painted on earlier stained the end of the stick.

"I didn't think you'd still be awake!" Victor slurred as he, Belch, Henry and Patrick all approached her from across the street.

"He drunk?"

"What does it look like?" Patrick smirked to himself, "The guy had eleven shots, was fine for ten minutes then puked down his shirt."

"Jesus Christ Vic... God, take him inside I'll deal with it."