Ｓｔｕｔｔｅｒ [ｂｉｌｌ ｄｅｎｂｒｏｕｇｈ ｘ ｒｅａｄｅｒ]

ꜱᴡɪᴍᴍɪɴɢ

"What is- what the fuck is mass?" Richie questioned. All these years in school, he still didn't know what mass was. I chuckled.

"Who cares how far it goes? It only matters how cool it looks, like if it's green or white, or -"

I rolled my eyes, turning around just in time to see Beverly stripping off her dress and tossing it to the side. Right. Bill invited her.

I saw her break out into a grin as she started running. The other boys, still bickering, didn't see her. When she was close enough to hear her bare feet against the rock, we all jumped out of the way. And then she jumped.

"Holy shit," Richie exclaimed, peering over the edge. It was a long way down. If it wasn't for the fear of looking stupid in front of Bill, I would have just climbed down the steep side of the hill. But, I guess there was only one way down from here.

"I guess we're jumping," Stan said, taking a step back. I glanced at Bill.

"Come on! The water's great!" Beverly yelled from below. I saw her duck her head under the water. Richie was next to jump. Then Stan, who was reluctant at first, eventually made it off of the cliff.

"No, no, I can't do it," Eddie said, shaking his sweaty hands. I pressed my hand on his bare shoulder.

"Come on, Eds. It's not that bad," I assured him. He took a puff from his inhaler and a deep breath before stepping off the edge. I held in a laugh as he let out a long, high-pitched scream.

I looked over the edge of the rock and down at the group. They all looked so small from up here. To be honest, being up this high made me feel a bit queasy. I swallowed.

"Are you o-okay?" Bill asked from behind. I nodded, brushing off the nauseating feeling.

"Yeah, uhm, just a little nervous," I told him, inching closer to the edge. I felt my palms start to sweat, and my vision blurred. I looked up at him.

"We c-can hold h-h-hands," he muttered, reaching out his hand. I took it, looking down once more. "I-I'm nervous, too," he continued.

We took a few steps back so we could get a running start. Bill looked down at me and said something, but Richie's yelling prevented me from hearing.

"Are you guys coming or what?" He called. Bill and I let out a quiet laugh before taking off. Here goes nothing.

I grew embarrassed at the fact that I screamed on the way down. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still enough to make you anxious.

We breached the surface of the water, and that's when I realized we were still holding hands. Despite the coolness of the water, my face warmed up. He pulled his hand away.

"Who's up for a game of chicken?" Richie asked, looking around at each of us. We nodded excitedly. I turned over to ask Bill to be my partner, but he was already letting Beverly up onto his shoulders. I frowned. Of course. Every little reaction between him and I was nothing special, even if he called me pretty, and even if he kissed me.

Stan dipped lower in the water so I could get onto his shoulders. His fingers just barely grazed my skin, as if he was afraid to touch me.

Richie and I gave Ben a run-through of the game. He was the judge this round. I noticed how he looked over at Bill and Beverly, his expression saddening. I pressed my lips in a thin line. I understood exactly how he felt.

"Go!" Ben shouted, smacking the surface of the water with his hand. Eddie was the first to fall out, yelping as he went under. Beverly and I went at it for a minute or two before I was pushed off of Stan's shoulders. I wiped the water from my eyes.