FOURTY-NINE: Losers
Words: 1955 (including non-story related words such as these)
Author's Note: and there we have it. The very last chapter. I know I probably owe you all more chpaters to end off this book that i owe a lot to, but i really tried to get more out of it but i couldn't. mot because of writers' block or a lack of motivation but just because i really think this is a fitting end to the chapter.
so thank you to all who have stuck by, read and voted and added this book to your lists even though it has been discontinued for a while. like honestly thank you so fucking much you are amazing.
anyway, i hope you all enjoy this story very very much as much as i loved writing it.
till next time again <3
***
~September~
Months have passed since the incident but the losers have never been the same.
After they left Neibolt, they all went their separate ways and went to their own homes. They never discussed what the hell they had just done and gone through.
They all hung out as usual and they tried to keep up a facade and front that everything was just fine. Like nothing had ever happened. And they were all good at it too.
They all had planned out their excuses for their parents as to why they showed up to their homes soaked in sewage water, blood, and countless other things and though they got punished for them, it wasn't that bad -aside from Eddie who's mother had sent him to the hospital for two weeks.
They all never said a word about what happened at Neibolt. Nothing about the clown, nothing about the sewers, nothing about Henry Bowers - who last time the losers had heard of him, had been arrested and tested for first degree murder on account of the murder of his father, Oscar Bowers and his two friends, Belch Huggins and Victor Criss. - nothing about Betty Ripsom and all those other missing kids
Nothing about any of it.
Not to their parents and not to each other either.
As soon as the next day after the incident had arrived, the losers met up and hung out as normal and talked about normal things like baseball and movies.
But none of the losers felt anything normal.
They were still stuck on everything that had happened. The group, it didn't feel the same.
It was like there was this unwritten but recognizable tension between everyone.
They all didn't want to talk and discuss about it. But their souls longed for it.
And so, they decided they would.
They needed to, or they were afraid that tension might just kill them all.
And so, on this fine sunny summer day, instead of spending the day away at the quarry like they usually would, the losers met up on a hill to discuss everything.
They met up all at once in silence. They then drove up to that hill on their bikes, in silence. And they settled onto that hill in silence.
It wasn't until Bev spoke that everybody remained silent.
"I can only remember parts of it." She told the group. "But it felt like I was dead."
She and Ali exchanged a look.
"That's what it felt like." She continued. "I saw us. Us all back together in the cistern. We were older. Like, our parents' ages."
"W-w-wh-what were we all doing there?" Bill asked.
"I just remember how we felt." Beverly looked sad all of a sudden and the losers tensed up. "How scared we were. I don't think that I could ever forget that."
The losers then all turned to Ali.
She had seen something as well.
"Um..." Ali cleared her throat. "Well, what I saw. It didn't have anything to do with us. Us as in 'the losers.' But..."
Ali felt a small squeeze by her hand. She turned to see Eddie who gave her a comforting smile.
She nodded.
"My dad died when I was a kid and It had me reliving that past. Only...I witnessed the scene of my dad when the accident happened and I watched him..."
The losers all shared silent murmurs of sorry.
"As soon as I looked into those deadlights." Ali continued. "The only thing I felt was pure and utter..."
"Fear." Bev and Ali said in unison.
The losers stayed quiet a moment before Bill plucked something off the grass and got to his feet.
Ali took a closer look and saw it was a shard of glass.
"Swear it." Bill told the group. "S-swear...if It isn't dead, if it ever comes back..."
He took a hard, long look at everyone.
"We'll come back too."
The losers stated quiet once again, only staring up at Bill. Until Beverly made the first move. She got to her feet, then was followed by Ali.
Eddie stood up next, then Richie. Then Mike and Ben. All turned to look at Stan who looked a little hesitant but soon he was up on his feet too.
They gathered around Bill.
What do you want us to do, Bill?
Their eyes told him.
They watched as Bill took the shard in his hand and dragged a thin, slightly long cut on the palm of his other hand. He winced at the pain but kept a calm self.
Blood spilled out of his hand and some dripped to the ground.
A blood oath.
Eddie let out the quietest whimper.
Ali drew closer to him and put an arm around his shoulder.
Richie reluctantly held out his hand when Bill was finished, his eyes wider than ever.
Bill dragged the shard to make a cut on his palm like he did on himself prior.
Richie gasped and waved his hand around as Bill moved on to Eddie.
He handed one hand to Bill while his other hand held Ali's very tightly. If Eddie didn't look so mortified, Ali would've told him to loosen up or her fingers will turn blue - which she wouldn't be surprised if they would. Eddie was holding on incredibly tight.
Eddie let out a small gasp as Bill finished the cut. The small watch-like thing on his arm - as Ali had called it - that kept track of his stress levels, beeped a few times before stopping again after Ali gave his hand a few squeezes.
Bill then moved onto Ali.
Ali and Eddie stared into each other's eyes as Bill did her cut. She didn't think she felt any pain when she stared into his eyes.
Bill then moved onto Ben, then Mike, then Stan, and then Beverly.
When he was finished, they all gathered up together.
Bill linked hands with Beverly and Richie while Richie connected hands with Eddie, Eddie with Ali, Ali with Ben, Ben with Mike, Mike with Stan, and Stan with Beverly, creating a circle.
The blood in their hands began to drip.
A gentle breeze surrounded the losers as their blood oath was sealed.
They held hands for at least a minute but that minute seemed an hour as everybody looked at each other.
Memories, the bad and the good, zoomed through all their minds as they stared at each other.
They were losers. And they always would be.
It wasn't until now that Bill noticed Eddie's cast. Instead of 'LOSER', there had been a V over the S.
'LOVER'
Bill's eyes glanced over to Ali.
Alright then.
The losers finally broke contact when Stan let go.
"I gotta go." He told them.
He then looked at Bill.
"I hate you."
Stanley looked serious and Bill bowed his head down slightly in sorry and shame.
But then Stanley began to laugh, then so did Richie. Then Eddie and Ali, then Ben, then Mike, then Bev and Bill.
"I'll see you later." Stan smiled at the group.
"Bye, Stan."
Richie was the next to leave. He gave Eddie and Ali one last group hug and high-fived Bill before walking off.
Mike went next. He said his polite goodbyes and Ali thanked him for saving practically everyone's lives.
"You all saved mine first." He smiled.
Ben was next.
He smiled sweetly and gave everyone a hug but Ali could see his eyes were really glued onto Bev. Bev and Bill.
Her heart ached for him but she knew one day, if fate really destined it to be, he would get his chance.
She smiled at him knowingly. Ben nodded and took off.
"And then there were four." Ali said dramatically.
They all shared a laugh.
"I head off to Portland tomorrow." Beverly announced.
"Oh."
The smiles were shunned off their faces at her announcement.
Ali stepped up and gave her dear friend a hug.
"We'll miss you so much."
"And I, you." Bev told them.
Beverly looked up at Eddie while she and Ali hugged.
Treat her right for me, eh?
Her eyes told him.
His cheeks went scarlet red and Beverly almost laughed but she nodded knowingly.
They all said their goodbyes and hugged their see-you-laters before Ali got ready to leave.
"I'll see you around, Eds." She said.
Eddie watched as she walked off.
Bill and Bev watched them both.
Was he gonna do something about it or what?
He did do something about it.
As soon as Ali was out of view, Eddie hugged Bill and Bev in a rush before running off after her.
"I'll see you guys around!" He hollered, running faster than he ever had his whole life.
By the time Eddie had caught up with Ali, she was already on the street.
"Ali, wait!" He called out for her. "God, you're a fast walker! Wait up!"
Ali turned around.
"Eddie? What are you-"
Eddie gasped for breath when he got to her and held up a finger, telling her to hold on a second. Ali almost laughed at the sight if it weren't for the nervous look in his eyes.
Once he'd finally calmed down, he looked up at her.
"Eddie, what's going on?" She asked him. "Are you okay?"
Eddie stood up and drew close to her. Ali froze.
She knew what was about to happen.
Eddie leaned in and kissed her for a second.
He pulled away to see how she would react.
She stared into his eyes, stunned. But in a second, the stun wore off and she smiled.
"Yes. I would've."
Eddie looked confused. "Pardon?"
"That day." She told him. "That day at Neibolt, before we entered the house. You asked me if I'd still have moved to Derry after knowing of It if I knew that you and the losers would be here too."
Ali pulled him in and rested her arms on his shoulders.
"If I knew you were here." Ali smiled. "I would've moved in and fought Ronald Mcdonald's fucked up crackhead cousin all over again."
Eddie swore his heart beat had dropped when Ali drew nearer and nearer.
Ever since day one, back at school when Henry was being a dick. He knew he liked her. He always, always had.
(CRINGE WARNING AUTHOR DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO WRITE KISSING SCENES)
The watch on his hand beeped rapidly as Ali reached his lips. They kissed as passionately as they think they ever could in their lives. Eddie ran his fingers through Ali's hair and Ali ran her fingers through his.
And as a new bond between them formed, this bond as lovers, that gentle breeze returned and surrounded the pair.
Through losers, they had connected and won what Eddie would call if he weren't making out with Ali-
A Happily Ever After.