[ CHAPTER II:
THE SEWERS AND BETTY ]
ALICE SAT on top of the counter as the boys stuffed dozens of items that didn't seem to be needed for a small trip to the sewers but hey, the group was always waiting for something weird to pop up. "Take everything but the delicious deals guys, my mom loves them" Eddie said.
None of the group members seemed to listen to him making him groan before he looked over at Bill. "Hey, first you say the barrens and now you're saying the sewers. I mean, what if we get caught?" Eddie asked.
"We won't Ed's" Richie told Eddie making the petite boy roll his eyes at the nickname.
"The sew-sewers are p-p-public work, we are the pub-public aren't w-we?" Bill said making Eddie nod in agreement.
Alice rested her arms on top of Stan's shoulders and rested her chin on his curly hair that felt almost like a pillow. "Is all this stuff really necessary for a trip to the sewers?" Alice asked the group of boys as she twirled one of Stan's strand of hair around her finger.
Although Alice couldn't see Stan's face, the others could, and if you put a tomato next to Stan's face you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. "I-I guess so" Stan said, his voice cracking making Alice smile softly.
"Hey Eddie" Richie said as he held open a cabinet. "Are these your birth control pills?" Richie asked pointing at dozens of pill bottles with a grin.
Eddie walked over to Richie. "Yeah their for your sister" Eddie said.
"Flattered but you're more of a cousin to me, Eddie" Alice said.
Eddie kept his eyes on Richie, not bothering to tell Alice he was joking. "This is private stuff" He told the trashmouthed boy.
After the group had gotten their supplies, they had barely made their way out the front door before Eddie's mom called for him. "Eddie-bear" She said. "Where you guys off too?" She hummed.
"M-m-my backyard, Krs.K" Bill said. "I got a new,,,a-a new,," Bill was horrible at coming up with excuses.
Richie looked over at Mrs.Kaspbrak. "A new croquet set! Jeez spit it out blubber Bill" Richie said covering Bills back that made the group let out a relived sigh.
"Alright, don't go rolling in the grass if it's already been cut. You know how your allergies can get" The woman said. Eddie nodded as he went to leave but his mothers voice made him stop again. "Aren't you forgetting something?" His mom asked.
The back of Alice's hand was brought up to her mouth as she bit on one of her knuckle's to make sure she didn't laugh, Richie on the other hand was on the verge of bursting into laughter. Bill and Stan only had teasing smiles.
Eddie placed a small and quick kiss on his mother's cheek. Eddie walked back over to the group. "You want one from me too Mrs.K—" Richie was cut off as Eddie began shoving everyone out as Alice bursted into hysterics.
"Bye mommy!" Eddie exclaimed before closing the door.
Alice curled her curly mop of hair around her finger as the group walked closer to the barrens. "That's poison ivy, that's poison ivy, that's defiantly poison ivy" Stan said pointing at each plant.
Richie groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Not every fucking plant is poison ivy, Stanley" Richie said.
Then Richie and Eddie had begun bickering. "This is so unsanitary!" Eddie exclaimed.
"Do you share the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie asked not even bothering to look behind him.
Eddie nodded even though he knew Richie wasn't looking at him. "Yeah, why?" Eddie asked, full of curiosity now.
"Then you probably have crabs" Richie shrugged as Eddies face scrunched up in disgust.
"That's so not funny" Eddie said.
Richie, Bill, and Alice walked inside the barrens it only took a bit of splashing around for Alice to pause and turn to Stan and Eddie. "You guys aren't coming in?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, the waters great!" Richie joked.
Eddie gagged as he watched Richie splash around in the gross water. "Hell no, I'd rather die then step in gray water" Eddie said.
The Tozier twins look at each other confused before looking at Eddie. "What's gray water?" They asked in unison. On most days it surprised the group how Alice was even related to Richie. On others they understood why, today was that day.
Eddie sighed. "It's basically" Eddie waved his hands around trying to find the correct words that the siblings would understand. "Piss and shit" Eddie said as he pointed at the water. "Your basically splashing in hundreds if not millions of gallons of Derry pee" Eddie explained.
Alice lifted up her shoe and scrunched up her face as goo stuck to the bottom of it. "Ew, gross" Alice groaned before stomping her foot down.
Richie has picked up a stick and sniffed the end of it. "Doesn't smell like caca to me señor" Richie said in a horrible Spanish accent.
Eddie held up his hand as he took in a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of a staff infection?!" Eddie exclaimed at the boy.
Richie held the stick near his crotch. "I'll show you a staff infection" Richie mocked. Alice looked over at an annoyed Stan as he stuck his finger in his mouth, not all the way, and pretended to gag. It made Alice giggle.
"G-guys!" Bill shouted.
Richie and Alice looked over at Bill as he held up a shoe, a white converse shoe that was covered in gray water. "Shit, don't tell me that's—"
Alice shook her head making Stan stop mid sentence. "No, it was raining that day. Georgie would've been wearing goulashes" Alice explained, Bill nodded.
Bill held his flashlight to the point where the light danced across the shoe, Alice's eyes landed on two words that made her stomach twist.
"Betty Ripsom" Bill muttered.
Alice quickly turned around and hurled, her schools lunch now floated in the gray water making the girl almost hurl again but she swallowed down the horrible bile. "Oh my god" Alice said as she covered her mouth not wanting the group to hear her shaky breaths or see the tears that started flowing.
"Shit" Stan whispered.
"Shit, oh god! Oh fuck! I don't like this" Eddie exclaimed, it sounded like he was beyond scared.
"How do you think Betty feels?" Richie asked looking at the group. "Walking around these tunnels with only one freaking shoe?" He said as he hopped on one foot.
"Way too soon" Alice said, glaring at her brother.
"What if she's still down here?" Eddie asked.
"Eddie, come on" Alice said as if trying to say 'Don't get my hopes up'.
Eddie took a puff of his inhaler. "My mom will have an aneurysm if she finds out we were hanging out in the sewers. The fucking sewers!" Eddie exclaimed.
"Bill?" Richie asked.
"If I-I-I was-s Betty Rip-Ripsom I would want us to find m-me. Georgie t-too" Bill said.
"What if I don't want to find them?" Eddie asked suddenly. "I mean, no offense Bill but I don't wanna end up like,,,I don't want to go missing either" Eddie said trying to rephrase 'dead'.
Stan was silent for a second. "He has a point" He said.
"Y-y-you too?" Bill asked before he turned to Richie who shrugged. "Al-Alice?" Bill asked.
Alice finally took her eyes off her best friends shoe. "I'll help you find those kids, they don't deserve to end up missing and stay missing. If there's no body, then they're still alive" Alice said.
Stan, Eddie, and Richie were about to tell the girl that she couldn't sacrifice herself to save already dead children but a loud splash from behind them caught their attention.
Richie stepped out and looked down at a chubby kid that was bleeding, making the blue water a dark red. "Holy shit, what happened to you?!" Richie exclaimed.
The boy didn't answer them and only stared at them, silently gasping for air and trying to swallow down his fear.