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IT WAS THE NEXT DAY when Cordelia's adventures truly began—when she started feeling like an actual kid. She woke up the next day at five in the morning, as her usual schedule would go. Her calloused fingers pressed down on the strings as she practiced her violin for the next hour. Piano practice soon followed after.
She quickly ran downstairs at exactly seven o'clock and started to prepare her mother's breakfast. Cordelia bit her lip in anticipation as she awaited her mother's arrival. The eggs and bacon grew cold with Martha's absence, and her daughter soon grew disappointed.
Her feet started to take her to Harold's old office door before she could even think about what she was doing. Her small hand rapped on the door. Martha's cold voice echoed in the room, asking what her daughter wanted.
"I made your breakfast," she timidly answered back. The door swung open to reveal Martha, heavy bags under her red and swollen eyes. Her icy blue orbs narrowed at the young girl before her. Skinny fingers gripped the plate before it was yanked from Cordelia's hands.
After staring at the breakfast before her, Martha dropped the plate to the floor. The glass shattered on impact as it collided with the hard wooden floors. Cordelia jumped and shut her eyes tight at the loud sounds. The glass pieces cut open her skin on her ankles, successfully ripping her white tights.
"It's cold," her mother sneered. "Pick up this mess. I'll make my own food when I'm hungry." The door to the office slammed in the young Watson's face. A few tears slid down her rosy cheeks before she bent down to pick up the glass shards. The eggs were embedded into the wood, and Cordelia frowned at the extra work she had to do.
After taking a wet cloth and wiping up the mess in the hallway, Cordelia stepped outside. Immediately, the humid air caused her breathing to become more heavy and strained. The sun beat down on the earth, heating up her skin on impact. Her cheeks flushed as she sat in the front yard reading her book. The heat was getting worse, but she ignored it as she relished the little amount of free time she had.
A door to her right slammed shut and she saw her neighbor Eddie and two of his friends leave the house. Her blue eyes focused on them as they grabbed their bikes. She noticed the backpack on Bill's shoulders and furrowed her eyebrows. She wondered where they were going.
As Eddie turned his head over to look in her direction, she snapped her head back down to her book. Her already rosy cheeks flushed even more in embarrassment. Eddie let out a small smile at the sight of Cordelia. He turned to the others, and he didn't even say anything before Bill ushered Eddie towards the young female.
Eddie let go of his bike, letting it hit the pavement, and ran over to Cordelia. He casted a small shadow over her, and she felt a sudden cooling over her body. She looked up at him and smiled at him.
"Hi, Eds," she greeted, her British accent interrupting the silence she had embraced before he came over.
"Hey, Lia," smiled Eddie. Cordelia grinned at the nickname he gave her. He glanced back at the other two—Richie gave him a thumbs up and a big grin—before turning back to the brunette. "Um, we were wondering if you wanted to come with us. We're going to the barrens."
Cordelia's grin grew wider at the offer. She had never been invited to anything before, even if it was something as small as going to the barrens. But it suddenly vanished.
"Eddie, I would love to, but my mother. She wouldn't allow me to go out." Eddie's smile dropped as well.
"Could you at least ask?" Cordelia bit her lip before turning back to the house. She nodded her head before turning and running into her house with her book in hand.
She set the book down in the living room where her granny was sitting reading the newspaper. She was about to walk to her mom's office before she turned on her heel to face her Grandma Ruth. She started rocking back and forth on her heels as she grew nervous.
"Granny Ruth?" The elder looked up from her paper and smiled at her granddaughter who was awkwardly fiddling with her fingers. "I, um, was wondering if I could... go play with Eddie and his friends?" Ruth let out a chuckle at Cordelia and her nervous state.
"Go. I'll cover with your mom," she winked. Cordelia lifted her head—she had been staring at her black Mary Jane shoes—and grinned. After a plethora of 'thank you's and hugs, Cordelia raced outside where the boys were waiting for her patiently.
"I can go!" she squealed. The boys laughed at the girl's reaction before Richie asked where her bike was. Cordelia frowned, "I don't have a bike." She used to ride a bike back when her dad was alive—he was the one that taught her how to ride one. But after he died and Cordelia grew out of her old bike, Martha never got a new one for her.
"T-th-that's okay," Bill stated. "You can r-r-ride on the back of mine." Cordelia frowned immediately.
"I don't have shorts on," she admitted as she looked down at her skirt. Once again, Eddie dropped his bike and grabbed Lia's hand. He pulled her into his house and into his room. Pulling open his dresser drawer, he grabbed some of his shorts. He knew that they would fit her because she's worn some of his clothes before.
He left the room and let her put the shorts on before they took off towards the sewers. While on their way, Stan met up with them on his bike. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the Watson girl clinging onto Bill. Not only was he surprised that she was joining them, but he was also extremely jealous of his friend.
"Hi-ho, Silver, away!" Bill cheered, pedaling faster down the street past the library where a lonely boy stared at them through the window. Lia let out a small shriek and gripped on tighter to Bill's midsection. She pressed her face hard against his back, his warmth seeping through his shirt.
"Your old lady bike is too fast for us!" Richie chuckled at Bill as he, Eddie, and Stan peddled faster behind the Denbrough boy. Lia slowly lifted her head and let out a breath as she admired the passing buildings and trees. She let out a breathy laugh before loosening her death grip on Bill.
They arrived at the barrens, and Bill halted his bike 'Silver'. He rested his feet against the ground to balance the bike in order for Cordelia to get off the bike. She thanked Bill for the ride, giving him a small pat on his shoulder, before walking over to Eddie.
They all started walking their bikes down the hill, and the brunette furrowed her eyebrows at the boys. They were marching towards the sewers with Bill in the front followed by Richie, Stan, Eddie, and Cordelia.
"I thought we were going to the barrens," she stayed as she started following them. Eddie sheepishly turned back to Cordelia with a guilty expression on his face.
"We're going to the sewers, Queenie," Richie told her. Cordelia grew confused at the new nickname.
"'Queenie'?" she repeated. Stan rolled his eyes at Richie and walked a bit slower. He did not want to hear whatever Richie was going to say to his crush so he distanced himself.
"Well, yeah. You're British. And the Brits have a queen," he said as if it were obvious. Cordelia giggled at his explanation. She thought that it was a unique nickname. She skipped over to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled.
"I love it." Richie had a dopey smile across his face as she started walking next to Bill.
"Hear that, Stan the Man?" he smirked at the curly-haired boy. "She loves it."
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THEY STOOD IN FRONT OF the sewer entrance as Stanley pointed to several plants, claiming that they were poison ivy. Cordelia backed away from all the plants and towards the boy. He was a boy scout. He had to know what he was talking about, right?
"Where?" shrieked Eddie as he glanced warily at plants that surrounded the group. "W-where's the poison ivy?" Stan pointed up at one of the trees, which caused Lia to furrow her eyebrows. She didn't know much about plants, or nature in general, but she did know that poison ivy wasn't a type of tree.
"Nowhere," Richie groaned, turning around to face the other three. "Not every fucking plant is poison ivy, Stanley." Cordelia giggled once again at Richie, and Stan glanced over at her. He frowned. He didn't want her to laugh at Richie's jokes and comments.
Bill walked into the sewers, soon followed by Richie. Lia looked down at the water and nearly gagged. The unpleasant aroma of the murky water and the objects that lied in it flooded her nostrils. It was overbearing.
She also didn't want to dirty her new white socks.
"Okay, well, I'm starting to get itchy now," Eddie started complaining, scratching his left arm.
"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie asked him as he marched into the water after Bill. He internally groaned at the feeling of wet socks and shoes.
"Sometimes, yeah."
"Then you probably have crabs," joked Richie. He turned to see Cordelia's reaction—wanting to know if she would laugh at that joke like his others. But instead he was met with a confused expression.
Cordelia had no idea what crabs were.
"That is so not funny," spat Eddie. Bill and Richie took a few steps further into the sewer. The latter was hearing a lack of splashing water behind him, so he turned round. He was met with Cordelia, Eddie, and Stan standing by the entrance, the girl completely in her own world.
"Aren't you guys coming in?" Richie asked, peering at the three who hadn't ventured into the sewer. Cordelia glanced at the other two, not realizing that she wasn't the only one that didn't want to venture in there.
"Nuh, uh," Eddie shook his head. "That's grey water." He pointed down at the murky liquid that two of them were standing in, and Lia scrunched her nose in disgust.
"What the hell's grey water?" groaned Richie, annoyance and confusion clear on his face.
"It's basically piss and shit. So, I'm just telling you," Eddie stated as he raised his hands up in mock surrender. "You're splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee."
"Gross," Cordelia mutters, taking a step backward. She glanced over at Richie who was sniffing a stick that he found in the water. "Ugh!"
"What are—a-are you serious?" Eddie asked him, scrunching his freckled nose in disgust.
"Doesn't smell like caca to me, Señor," said Richie with an accent that Cordelia couldn't quite place. She assumed Spanish because of the word 'Señor' but wasn't entirely sure seeing as she knew French.
"Okay, I-I can smell it from here," stuttered Eddie.
"It's probably just your breath wafting back into your face." Eddie took a deep inhale before sticking his hand out and shaking it in frustration.
"Have you ever heard of a staph infection?"
"I'll show you a 'staff' infection," Richie grinned as he waved the stick around between his legs. Stan rolled his eyes as Cordelia awkwardly stood there. She had never seen an actual conversation between Eddie and his friends, but she did not like hearing conversations between him and Richie. They disgusted her, but she should've known that because of Richie's already very crude nature.
"That's so unsanitary," scolded the small Kaspbrak boy. "You guys are like swimming in a toilet bowl right now. Have you ever heard of listeria?" Eddie didn't notice Richie picking up something, most likely a plastic bag, from the grey water. It was only after Richie threw the wet bag that Eddie noticed what he was doing and shrieked in disgust. "Are you retarded? You're the reason why we're in this position right now."
As Eddie was ranting, Bill noticed a dirty shoe that was in the water. He assumed it was originally white, but the color was so dirty that he didn't know if it was gray or white.
"Guys!" he called out in order to gain their attention. He successfully stopped the argument between the two boys. Stan's heart dropped when he noticed the shoe in Bill's hand.
"Shit," he croaked. "Don't tell me that's..." He couldn't even get the rest of the sentence out. Cordelia frowned. She knew about Bill's brother that went missing and based off of the reactions of the other boys, she could tell that they were close to the youngest Denbrough.
Lia placed a hand on Stan's shoulder and could feel him tense under her touch. She immediately withdrew her hand, and Stan frowned. Even with the heat of the sun glaring down on him making him sweat, he missed the warmth of her hand. He then realized how ridiculous he was being. His best friend's brother was missing, and he was upset over a girl?
He took a step to his left to distance himself from her. Cordelia grew upset at the action. She didn't know what she did wrong, and Stan distancing himself from her hurt her feelings.
"No," Bill denied, snapping Stan from his thoughts. "G-G-Georgie wore galoshes."
"Who's sneaker is it?" Cordelia spoke up. She was curious, but she also didn't want to find out. Bill shone his flashlight onto the shoe as Richie looked over his shoulder.
"It's Betty Ripsom's." Cordelia's body tensed up. She knew that Betty Ripsom went missing from all of the posters that were scattered recklessly throughout the town. She gulped at the situation at hand. It just became very real, and the brunette wasn't sure if she was ready for that.
"Shit. Oh, God. Oh, fuck!" Eddie cursed earning a disapproving look from Cordelia. "I don't like this."
"Me neither," the Watson girl frowned. Looking between the two, Richie found a perfect time to make yet again another joke.
"How do you think Betty feels? Running around these tunnels with only one frickin' shoe?" He let out a chuckle and hopped on one foot. His smile faded as he noticed the looks he was getting from the others.
"What if she's still here?" Stan asked, peering into the sewer but not taking a step forward. Bill and Richie took a few steps in order to find her, but the others didn't move. One, they didn't want to walk through the disgusting water that most likely carried a few viruses. Two, they didn't want to go find Betty. They wanted to have fun.
Richie turned around and called out, "Eddie, come on!"
"My mom will have an aneurysm, okay, if she finds out we were playing down here," Eddie protested, glancing over at Cordelia. He knew that Martha wouldn't be happy with her daughter if she found out where she was and what she was doing. The two were similar in the aspect of overprotective mothers. "I'm serious. Bill?" Everyone turned towards the 'leader' of the group to see what his response was.
"If I were Betty Ripsom, I would want us to find me. G-G-Geor-Georgie too." Cordelia looked down at her white socks and frowned. She realized she was being selfish. People were missing, and she was worried about getting her socks dirty.
"What if I don't want to find them?" asked Eddie, causing the group to snap their heads towards the smallest boy. He looked like he was in pain as he continued, "I mean, no offense, Bill, but I do not want to end up like G—I don't want to go missing either." He quickly corrected himself before he said Georgie's name. The others noticed, and Bill's eyes watered.
Lia frowned as Stanley added, "He has a point."
"Y-y-you too?" Bill asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe that one of his closest friends wasn't willing to help him find his younger brother. He thought Stan cared about him.
"It's summer," Stan protested. "We're supposed to be having fun. This isn't funny. This is scary and disgusting." Before anything else could be said, a sudden splash came from behind them which caused the group to jump. Cordelia brushed her hair that stuck to her face out of the way.
There was a boy that appeared to be around the same age as the rest of them in the stream. He was covered in dirt and blood. There were scratches all over his arms, face, and especially his stomach. Bill and Richie rushed out of the sewer and stared open-mouthed at the boy in front of the group.
"Holy shit, what happened to you?" The boy glanced up from his wet shirt to look at the four boys and one girl. Cordelia was the first person to rush to his aid with Stan and Eddie following. They ushered him back over to the bikes, careful to not touch his wounds.
Lia frowned at the fact that Bill had the boy ride with him on Silver. Stan pulled up beside her and gave her a small smile. He offered a ride on his bike which she accepted with a grin. Cordelia climbed onto his bike and wrapped her arms around his stomach.
Stan tried to control his erratic heartbeat as she scooted closer towards him. She didn't mean to get too close to him because of how he was behaving earlier towards her, but it was a smaller seat than Bill's. She had to get close to him.
"Thanks, Stanley," she hummed as he started pedaling along with the others. The five races off towards Keene's Pharmacy, a place Cordelia knew all too well.
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