{{ warning ! strong & mean language later in the chapter, skip the part where you see the star thingys (it's like 3 paragraphs or smthn) }}
with a heavy heart, bill dressed for school.
the hurt in his soul, in his gut, was worse than the pain in his head had been the day before. he knew that the hurt was so large that, if his soulmate happened to be alive, he wouldn't want feel them. so, he shut them out.
bill could no longer feel his soulmate's emotions.
bill didn't want to know if his soulmate was alive or dead. if his soulmate was alive, them not taking the pain was a signal that they didn't want bill, either. it meant that they chose someone else.
it was easier to assume they were dead. either way, they were dead to bill.
a person without a soulmate may think bill was overdramatic. why was he acting like his soulmate was dead? maybe they just didn't want the pain? but in this world, a soulmate not using what they were equipped with to meet their other half either meant they rejected their soulmate or they were dead.
bill really, really just wanted to forget.
his mother told him that he didn't have to go to school. she could take bereavement leave and stay home with him. bill said thank you, but no. he just wanted to see richie. alone. without stan and eddie. god, stan was the last person bill wanted to see.
you : meet me @ the student parking lot. 7:15. need 2 talk to u. alone, pls. no eddie/stan. just for a few mins
trashmouth : kk. might b a lil late
you : as always. ok.
bill smiled slightly. his best friend was already making him feel better. 7:15 was a bit early to be at school, but he needed to talk to richie before eddie or stan or anyone else got there.
"i'm luh-lea-leaving now, m-mom!" bill called behind him as he opened the front door.
his mom walked out, drying her hands with a kitchen towel. bill guessed she was making him a pity breakfast. "bill, i made breakfast!" yes, he was right. "hold up, let me make you a plastic bag. two seconds, seriously." bill shut the door, and in a few minutes, she was back.
she kissed the top of his head, as if bill was a child. bill gave her a tight smile. "here, hun. have a good day at school, okay? tell your friends i said hi. stay safe. love you!"
he rolled his eyes at the unnecessary goodbye. "bye, mom. love you too."
with that, he slammed the door shut and made his way to the school.
bill stood outside in the warmth of may, shuffling slightly as he looked at his feet. it seemed that richie was late, again. it was 7:30, fifteen minutes after they were meant to eat. bill sighed and sat on the sidewalk, munching on his breakfast. his mom gave him bacon, scrambled eggs and bits of pancake. bill hated when his food mixed, but he hated wasting it even more.
*** warning !! ***
"hey buh-buh-buh-bill!" he heard a taunting voice behind him, and bill knew that it was none other than henry bowers, his bully since childhood. "what's up, fag? waiting for someone to come rent you out for a night? you got a dick to suck somewhere, buh-buh-bill?"
bill didn't know why henry called him these names. faggot was an old word to call people who had a soulmate of the same sex. they read about it in textbooks at school. no one used that anymore- except henry.
bill shook his head. "n-no, i'm waiting fuh-for ruh-r-rich-ri-"
"spit it out, bitch!" henry laughed and kicked bill in the stomach. a blinding pain went towards his liver, and bill realized that it wasn't smart to stay in a seated position. he fell back onto his elbows before rolling to his side. his elbows now scraped up and his hands to his stomach, he winced. silent tears streamed down his face.
henry's eyebrows went upward. "woah," he blinked before masking his surprise with a smirk. "no prince charming to save you now? well. this'll be fun."
bill really, really missed his prince charming right about now.
"what the fuck?" a familiar voice screamed behind them. "get the fuck off him, bowers! how many times do i gotta say it?"
*** warning over :) ***
thundering footsteps came from behind them, but not before henry could stomp, hard, on the inner side of his left elbow. and he ran.
bill cried out in pain, throwing his body over his left arm.
"it's okay, bill. it's okay, it'll be over in a sec." richie comforted him, rubbing a hand over his shoulder.
he shook his head. "n-no, ruh-richie, it won't. c-call an ah-ambu-ambulance. my suh-soulmate is duh-d-dead."