Villains ➵ bill skarsgård a.u.

twenty one

I used to be enthusiastic over such topics when I was a kid. Despite my father's constant reminders that ghosts and curses weren't real, I remained an avid researcher. Nevertheless, after the incident I’ve just forgotten everything I was before it. It was like a piece of me was tore off and replaced by only painful memories.

“Haven’t you been in a school before?” I ask out of curiosity, watching his eyes scan the ceilings before landing on me. Surely he has right? Even if he hadn't been to high school or college, he must've stepped on an elementary school before. Almost everyone in this town has, unless he's from another state and just happened to stumble upon this place.

“I have.” He answers, “It’s just that— it didn't necessarily look like this.” his eyes going back to pondering over the walls. “Also, I never finished High School.”

“Good.” I murmur under my breath, and resume walking, “You shouldn't.”

“Why not?” I hear him behind me, Mary's rubber slippers squeaking against the tiles as he follows me.

Why not? His obvious question bounces off the corners of my ears. It was the most simple inquiring I've ever heard in my life. Yeah, why not? What has highschool done to me that I hate it to the moon and back? Am I really that pathetic to suggest illiteracy to a homeless guy? Nonetheless, I couldn't blame myself. “High School isn't really a paradise, if you haven't been informed.” A lump rises at the back of my throat, my voice trailing off as the past four years flash before my eyes, including the multiple times I have cried inside bathroom stalls with a stolen scalpel in my hand from biology while I bled on the toilet. It wasn't a great sight and every time I remember it makes me want to ask myself why I’ve done such a thing. If I could count the numerous amounts of times I wounded myself for hearing my name be soiled by other people, it’ll be a while, and remembering it in the middle of the hallways wasn't the best idea. “There are a lot of people who can hurt you around here.”

“I’ve experienced worse, maybe I can handle them.”

I look back at him, gripping the strap of my bag as my eyes meet his. I could just imagine how difficult it probably is to be homeless for good knows how long and being morally bullied would probably the least of his worries. Although I asked myself the same thing when Ericka and Ella first fucked my life. I was so wrong. I couldn't handle them. It's been four years and I still can't handle them. I was a naive little girl to think I could.

I took a deep breath, momentarily closing my eyes to give space to the bees whispering into my ears. I’ve had enough of those for today alone. I quickly scan the entirety of the corridors for traces of Georgie or Jumper or anyone at all from the pack and I still don't find them. Surely they’re in class, or they've decided to roam town without me. As much as I didn't want to leave him by himself to give way for the inevitable providence that he’d stumble upon my cousins, the best option now would be to attend classes for I haven't been taking attendance seriously for the past week and uncle Ron might notice and it's not like my grades were fixing themselves from the impending doom of failing high school. I’d just have to improvise if I want to make this work, and constantly reminiscing about the past wouldn't be helpful in my situation.

I continue walking and he follows, the bells ringing again as we reach the library entrance at the edge of the Hallway, the glass doors opening automatically as we step on the black doormat in front of the entrance. It was even colder in there, almost like winter, however it was emptied of people except for the librarian by the front desk and three people on the computers researching something. I’ve been there an unhealthy amount of times before I met Georgie, although lately I never found the time to read again. It was a huge room as far as I could remember. This would be a good place to leave him. Ella never goes there so that's a plus, but Ericka does surprisingly. I’d constantly find her borrowing horror books and the histories of Hillside.