pretty woman - stanley uris

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎

Stan exited his classroom, quickly spotting his friends. Stan was a year below the others, meaning that he had different classes than them. He shouted from behind the group to gain their attention, putting his hands on Bill's and Eddie's shoulders to try and squeeze in between them. The four of them struggled to walk side-by-side in the bustling hallway, carefully moving around other students to avoid a collision.

"Hey Stan, what happens at the Bar Mitzvah anyways? Ed says you slice the tip of the d-d-di-dick off," Bill asked. His face flushed a bright red as his stutter became apparent. Even though he had been friends with the others for years, he was still very embarrassed by his speech impediment. It had only gotten worse over the past few months.

Bill's younger brother Georgie went missing eight months prior. It was a cold, rainy day, and Georgie went out to play by himself because Bill was sick. They never saw him since that day. Bill's parents stopped looking for him—their hearts hardened by the loss of their youngest child—but Bill was sure that his little brother was still alive somewhere.

"Yeah, and I think the Rabbi's going to pull your pants, turn to the crowd and, 'Where's the beef?'" The four boys chuckled at Richie's comment.

"At the Bar Mitzvah," Stan started, elucidating what was going to happen with a proud smile on his face, "I read from the Torah, and then I make a speech, and suddenly I become a man." The others in the group didn't believe the last part of the sentence, all showing looks of doubt on their faces.

"I can think of funner ways to become a man," Richie stated, earning an eye roll from Stan. The friendship between Stan and Richie was something the other members of the group didn't understand. Stan always seemed annoyed with Richie, as most people are, but the two actually cared for each other a lot.

"More fun, you mean," he corrected. The boys quickly lowered their heads as they passed Henry Bowers and his group in the hallway. The Bowers gang was notorious for being bullies to anyone and everyone, no matter what. They were physically and verbally abusive. The four boys were usually their targets.

"Think they'll sign my yearbook?" Richie rhetorically asked his friends in a joking manner as he adjusted the coke-bottle glasses that rested upon his freckled face. "'Dear Richie, sorry for taking a hot, steamy dump in your backpack last March.' "

As they were heading to the stairwell to walk down the steps to the first floor, Stan was rudely shoulder-shoved by Greta Keene. She was another bully that resided in their school, but she was more known for bullying her female classmates. He glared at her when she wasn't paying attention before following his friends downstairs.

They marched through the open front doors, squinting at the bright sun that glared down into their faces. The hot air made their clothes start to stick to their, now, damp skin. The only form of relief was when a cool breeze danced through the thick air, wrapping itself around their bodies before retreating.

The four made their way to the trash cans outside of school and took off their backpacks. Their annual routine was almost synchronized as they unzipped the bags and emptied the contents into the trash bins.

"Best feeling ever!" Stanley exclaimed with a large smile on his face, the dimple on his right cheek appearing. He grabbed a binder that didn't fall into the trash like the others and placed it in the bin as the raven-haired boy glanced in his direction.

"Yeah? Try tickling your pickle for the first time," he commented with a grin. His remark was ignored by everyone else in the group who was used to his inappropriate comments.

"Hey, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" asked Eddie as he put his empty backpack on his shoulders. He looked up at the others as he awaited a response, which didn't take very long.