"We should play truth or dare."
The boys around you all smiled slightly at your exclamation, and Stan spoke next.
"Sounds good n/n, uh, are there any objections?" Both you and Stanley skimmed your eyes over the faces of the other boys, and when nobody said anything, the tall boy next to you spoke again. "Alright, I suppose that's a yes then?" He said, his voice cheery. You smiled, letting your face relax. You glanced over at the clock. 10:30 already, Jesus. Had we really been playing for that long? I suppose we did have like a two and a half hour conversation when we first got to the house, I mean, you were all away from each other for two whole hours, so of course you had a ton to catch up on. You still found it kind of hard to believe that you had spent three hours playing on the NES though. 'Must've been all the times Richie and Eddie had to restart their level because Richie would argue that "sOmeThINg wAs uNfAiR!"' you thought, your smile widening a bit as you recalled his protests from earlier. You shifted your focus back to the conversation, right as Bill spoke up.
"So, should w-we start?" He asked the group, receiving a few head nods and smiles in response.
"Who would like to go first?" You said next, immediately met with an expression of anticipation of Richie's face.
"I'll go!" He said excitedly. "I am the most creative with my questions out of everyone here!" Although you could not think of anything to say to that, Stanley soon began to talk.
"You do realize that creative is not synonymous with loud, don't you?" He said, his witty remark accompanied with that sly smirk of his. You giggled at his words, causing him to shoot you a quick glance and broaden his grin ever so slightly.
Richie sighed in return, replying with a simple "Let's start. Spin the bottle style, as per usual gentlemen? And, well, y/n?" You all nodded your heads, which prompted Stan to grab a half-empty bottle of beer out of the refrigerator that sat in the corner of the basement. You flinched ever so slightly as he did so. However, you soon calmed your nerves. Alcohol only corrupts those who are liable to it, right? Stanley would never... and he wouldn't ever be violent like your father either... Although you told yourself this, you were still not completely convinced of how truthful these words actually were. You quickly shook off your thoughts as you watched Stan walk into the bathroom, observing him as he poured the beer out into the sink, the caramel liquid sloshing around in the basin. He returned just seconds later, setting the bottle down in the middle of the group, your smile resurfacing as he sat back down across from you. Richie took a hold of the bottle with a small smile, his eyes creasing underneath his coke-bottle glasses. He spun it excitedly, and you watched as it moved around the circle, eventually stopping on Eddie. You watched as your brother looked tentatively up at Eddie, letting his usual goofy demeanor fall for just a second. But, before this was seen by anyone else in the circle, he once again assumed his signature cocky expression, gazing up at the small boy. "Alright Eds, the gods have spoken. Truth... or dare?" He questioned, sounding like a gameshow host.
Eddie, as cautious as ever, responded meekly. "Truth," he said, not wanting to fall victim to any of Richie's notoriously over-the-top dares.
Richie scoffed. "Alright then Eddie Spagetti," he said as he tapped his chin. "I truth you to suck my d-"
You cut him off by hitting him upside the head. "Beep beep Richie!" you said, an almost whining tone about your voice. "And besides, you can't just truth someone to do something," you said, laughing a bit. You glanced over at Eddie, who wore an angry blush as his brows steadily drew together in indignation.
"Fine n/n. Eds... Now, be honest..." Richie said, obviously stalling. "How many.. How many pills do you take weekly!" He asked the boy.
"T-thats not even a g-g-good question Richie!" Bill said, laughing lightly. "I t-thought you said you w-were creative!"
"I'm good with dares, okay!" Richie said, holding his hands up in defense.
The conversation was cut off by a grunt from Eddie. "Its fine, Bill. I suppose I'll answer it, I mean it is the rules of truth or dare." You all looked at him in anticipation. You knew the amount of pills he took had to be a lot, I mean he seemed to pop one at least once an hour. You recalled that once you and the other losers had placed bets on how many pills Eddie had taken his whole life, Richie in particular saying one of the highest numbers out of the group. Eddie inhaled as he prepared his response, his eyes shutting lightly. "Twenty-one, on average," he said. You all looked around at each other in disbelief as your brows scrunched together. "W-what is it?" The small boy asked.
"Eddie, theres no way in HELL you only take twenty-one pills a week!" Richie said, smiling. Before Eddie even had a chance to react, Richie reached towards the boy, unclipping the fanny pack from around his middle.
"Hey!" The boy yelled angrily, but his shouts of protest did nothing to hinder Richie from extracting his pill container from the small black back and opening it up. Richie swatted Eddie away from him as he silently counted under his breath. Eventually Eddie gave up his struggling, and simply slouched down in defeat while throwing your brother a venomous glare. Richie continued to mutter under his breath, and you watched as his face grew increasingly distorted at the sheer amount of medication Eddie hauled around with him wherever he went.
"46..47..48...." Richie brought his eyes up to meet Eddie's own. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've got our ACTUAL answer, 49 pills a week!" He said, once again taking on his announcer-like persona. Eddie looked around, glaring at each of our shocked faces.
"They're for my health, okay you dipshit!" He yelled at Richie, even though you could tell that there was just a hint of playfulness in his tone. He snatched his fanny pack back from Richie fastening it back around his waist as you all settled back down.
"Alright Eds, spin the bottle!" Richie said. Eddie gave the bottle a vigorous spin, and it landed on Bill.
"Bill, truth or dare!" Eddie said, grinning at the taller boy.
"Dare," he said, narrowing his eyes with a smile.
"Hm.." Eddie said as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "I dare you to go and ring Bowers' doorbell," he said, his face sly.
Bill looked at Eddie, an expression of shock overtaking his face for a second. However, he soon regained his composure, and matched the asthmatic's smirk with one of his own. "A-alright then, let's go," He said, his voice surprisingly confident. You all giggled lightly as you made your way up the basement staircase, quietly padding through the halls to avoid getting caught by Bill's parents. Instead of going out Bills door, which was known to be extremely creaky to you all from years of experimentation and sneaking out, you opted to make your escape through a kitchen window that was left slightly cracked open. Richie was the last to make it out through, muttering various swears as he climbed over the window sill, which was apparently more difficult than he had anticipated. After he had made it out, you all ran across Bill's lawn, an exhilarating feeling flowing through your chest as you sprinted along the street with the others. You weren't concerned about any curfew, you didn't care about school, your brain was not fixated on bullies, or your father, or even the missing kids. It was summer, you were free, and you were happy, and in that moment, you felt infinite. You hiked up your nightgown, clenching the woven fabric in between your fingers as you gazed at the boys around you. You all took a left onto Maplewood, Bowers' street, slowing down a bit as you approached his house. Your heart slowed down with your feet, the feeling of freedom decreasing right along with it, but you couldn't care less. You, Stan, Richie, and Eddie hid behind the oak tree in Henry's yard as you watched Bill move up to his porch, anxiety bubbling up in your chest.
"Alright Big Bill, do it!" Richie whisper-yelled, causing Bill to turn back around to face you guys, waving a hand dismissively in your brother's direction. Bill's shoulders heaved as he drew in a weighted breath, outstretching a shaky hand towards the doorbell. You understood his reluctance completely- if he got caught by Henry, you would all be dead in less than a second. You flinched slightly as he rang the doorbell. He immediately sprinted at full force out of the yard and towards the group. You all ran, taking heed of the potholes and divots in the road as you did so. You let out a laugh as you tumbled down the street, letting your feet pound against the cold pavement. You all finally slowed down as Bill fumbled with the window leading to his house that was still cracked from before, forcing it back open with a grunt. Each of you made your way back into the quiet kitchen of his home, speaking in hushed tones as to not disturb the silence. After having re-entered the house, you all descended the steps back into the basement, sitting down in your previous spots.
"Jesus Bill, I didn't think you had it in you!" Richie said, his voice breathy, but just as loud as usual. Bill laughed in response, taking hold of the bottle. He spun it, a smile on his face as he watched it revolve. You watched intently as it slowed down, eventually landing on Richie.
"Alright R-Richie, this one's for you! Truth or d-d-dare?" Bill asked him, still smiling lightly despite his tired state.
"Truth," he said. Bill thought for a second, and then turned back to the bespectacled boy.
"Who out of this group, here, right now, d-do you think is the m-most attractive?" Bill said, laughing slyly at the expression of disbelief that now was pervading your brother's face.
"B-but there's not girls here!" Richie said. You scowled at his response, shooting him a glare. "Well I mean Y/n's here, but thats my fucking sister! Bill!" Bill simply laughed at Richie's protests.
"Sorry Richie, you h-have to answer. T-Those are the rules of t-truth or dare!" Bill said, clearly enjoying Richie's reaction to the predicament.
Richie pursed his lips, scanning his eyes over the circle. His gaze landed on Stan, and a playful smirk grew onto his face. "Why, my good man Stanthony, of course!" He said, laughing it off. Richie was known to make jokes in awkward, or even inappropriate situations, but at least he was putting this habit of his to good use right now. You and the other boys laughed at his joke, however, your eyes happened to fall onto Eddie. The smaller boy's face alluded at a bit of...sadness? He looked.. melancholic. Yes, that was the word, melancholic. 'Well,' you thought. 'If my theory is indeed correct, at least Richie won't have to suffer from unrequited feelings.' You thought.
You broke your silence for the first time in a few minutes. "Richie, I can't believe you actually answered!" You said with a giggle.
"Well n/n," He said in a shitty British accent. "I'm no pussy, am I?" He said, laughing. His face once again fell into a familiar smirk as he turned to you. "Unlike SOME people," He said in a teasing tone. You looked around at the group, your mouth agape.
"I am NOT a pussy, Rich!" You said defensively, "Stan, back me up on this!" Stan rubbed the back of his neck with a small smile.
"Sorry n/n, but you do kind of always pick truth," He said, snickering lightly.
"Wh-Wait I.. What?" You stammered. You closed your eyes, inhaling deeply. "Fine," you said, angling your chin upwards, your voice pretentious. "Next time I get picked, I will choose dare, if you all think I'm such a sissy," you said, shooting a playful glare in Stanley's direction.
"Alright Y/n, better not break your word on that one!" Richie said, and you could tell by his sly smile that he must have been planning something. He spun the bottle once again, and you held your breath as it rotated. It began to slow down.. pointing to Stan, then Richie again, then Eddie, then Bill.. then... the bottle stopped on you. Richie looked up at you, raising his brows with a shit-eating grin. You blinked at your brother nervously. "Y/n, truth or dare?" He asked.
You clenched your teeth, drawing in a breath. "Dare," you said, a sarcastic, yet spirited smile finding its way onto your face as you spoke.
"I dare you to..." Richie's smile widened. "Kiss Stanley!" He finished, and as he did, both you and Stan's jaws grew slack in perfect unison. Your eyes widened at your brother's words, and your face was growing pinker by the second. You looked over at Stan, his eyes angry and his ears tinged with a deep shade of red.
"R-Richie you can't dare me to do THAT- just- no!" You said, visibly embarrassed.
"Yeah R-Rich, that's a little e-e-extreme, even for you," Bill said.
"Jesus, fine, didn't realize you would all gang up on me," Richie said, feigning hurt. "I guess I'll pick a different dare then, since you all are such cowards." You looked over at Stan, who had stayed silent during the whole conversation. He was toying with the hem of his shirt, his gaze fixated on his hands. "Hm.." Richie sighed, thinking. "His eyes lit up once again as he jerked his head to meet your gaze. "Y/n, I dare you to jump into the quarry!"
"The quarry?! Rich, that's like a seven minute ride, and its so fucking cold out, and, well," you looked over at the clock on the wall. "It's 12:09 in the morning!" You looked to the others, hoping that they would help you at again, but Bill simply shrugged, while Eddie smiled along with Richie, and Stan gave you a small, yet mischievous smile, his focus no longer on his fingers.
"Come on Y/n, it is the 'rules of truth or dare', isn't it?" Richie said, quoting what Bill said earlier.
You scrunched your nose, exhaling heavily. "Fine," you said indignantly, shooting Richie a look of false annoyance. In reality, you weren't horribly upset about having to jump into the quarry. You honestly felt like you had just been cooped up all year, whether it be in your house, or even at school, and doing something spontaneous like this did not sound bad at all.
"Really!?" Eddie said, shocked. "But it's so late, and so cold i mean- wh- what if you get pneumonia? What if you catch a cold, or get a bacterial infection? Y/n, think about this. Y/n!" You simply shook you head at his rant.
"Eddie, I'll be fine, I can't break the rules," you said with a smile. You once again rose from your spot, beginning your embark towards the staircase. The other boys got up in a rather exuberant fashion, clumsily running after you. You laughed quietly as you ran through the hallway, skidding across the kitchen floor. You made your way out of the window in a rather agile fashion, dropping down to the grass and waiting for the other boys to make their exits as well. After everyone had made it over the window sill, you each grabbed your respective bicycles, and began to ride through the night, the cold night air whipped around your face, blowing your h/c locks around your features. Once again, that rush of adrenaline and the feeling of freedom flowed through your veins, and you hollered out into the blanket of darkness surrounding you and the other losers. You all let out a hearty laugh, and you closed your eyes, grinning from ear to ear.
After a bit of riding, you and the boys had finally reached the rocky cliff that overlooks the quarry. You all dropped your bikes haphazardly, well, except for Stan, who took the time to set his kickstand up before joining you all at the edge of the rocks. You shivered a bit. The nightgown you had on was obviously not meant to keep you warm in any way, was it?
"Y/n, are you seriously going to do this?" Stan asked. He wore a smile, although his face was still slightly concerned.
"I suppose I have to Stanny, huh?" You said, rolling your eyes in a lighthearted manner. You backed up a bit, and began to pull your cotton nightdress off, leaving you in your bra and underwear. Ordinarily, a girl your age may have been at least a little hesitant at stripping down to her undergarments in front of four guys, but you couldn't care less. And besides, it was more like three, because Richie was your brother.
After having discarded the gown, you let your feet carry you to the edge of the cliff, peering over into the grey abyss below. The moonlight dappled itself on the waves, illuminating the dark lake with its light. The cold wind bit at your body as you shivered on the ledge, your stomach bubbling up in anticipation.
"Alright N/n, you gonna go? Or are we just going to stand here all night," Richie said, raising his eyebrows as he smirked. You let out an indignant breath, shooting your brother a glare. Hesitantly, you began to walk backwards.
"Fuck, Y/n, you're actually going to do it!" Eddie said in disbelief. You glanced at Stan. His face was adorned with a light blush, his eyebrows raised, and his eyes wide, his molten brown irises glowing in the moonlight. A small smirk found its way onto your face as you began to run forward..closer to the edge..and..
Butterflies exploded through your stomach as you leaped off the side of the cliff. You felt weightless as you flew through the night air, letting out a small yelp as you made your descent towards the water.
"Holy fucking shit!" You heard Richie scream out right before you broke the surface of the quarry. Ducking under the water, you pushed your hair back and looked up at the four boys. Each of them was wearing a shocked expression, eyebrows raised and mouths agape. After having looked up at them, you realized just how cold the water was, and you yelled out.
"Fuck, the water's so fucking cold!" You wailed. The rest of the group ran down the hill that was adjacent to the cliff side, into a small sandy portion of the land. You swam to meet them, pushing yourself out of the water.
"Ah Y/n, don't be so pissy about it" Richie said in a teasing tone from next to you. You turned to him with chattering teeth.
"What? But I did the dare Rich!" You said in a disgruntled fashion.
"Yes, but the water can't be that cold! Its the middle of June N/n!"
"Oh, its not that cold?" You said in a testy tone, deepening your voice in order to mock your brother. "It's not that fucking cold?" You leaped towards Richie, who was closer to the water to you, and pushed him into the quarry.
"Y/n! Fuck! I'm in my pajam- Y/N!" Richie yelled as he flailed around in the water while you and the boys giggled at his attempts to pull himself out. With a heave, your brother reached his arm towards your ankle, trying to pull you down with him. But before you fell, you were able to grab onto Stan's shoulder, but even your combined weight wasn't enough to resist Richie's surprisingly strong grip, and you both fell into the freezing water with a scream.
"Y/n!" Stan said with a laugh, splashing you. You screamed out as Bill jumped into the water as well, and now you four were thoroughly drenched.
You looked expectantly up at Eddie, who sighed. Carefully, he walked to the edge of the sand, stepping off the small drop into the water as cautiously as he could. He whimpered slightly as the cuffs of his pants grew wet, to which Richie yelled, "Eds come on! Don't be a pussy!" Richie splashed some water at Eddie, to which the smaller boy let out a scream at and ran into the water, splashing the bespectacled boy as much as he could. You all laughed as you enjoyed your time in the moonlit quarry, swimming after and splashing one another.
You pushed your hair back, savoring what was happening next to you. You closed your eyes for a second, just listening to the splashing of water and the bouts of laughter that filled the air around you. You carefully opened your lids back up, only to make eye contact with Stan. You had expected him to maybe turn away after you had caught him staring, but instead he kept his gaze on you, a look of curiosity and adoration in his eyes. His eyelashes were laced with droplets of water, his skin dewy and pale due to the dim light from the moon. Your lips parted slightly to match his, looking at him with what you hoped was an unreadable expression. However, your insides were positively teeming with butterflies, your thoughts were jumbled and your heart was racing at a million miles an hour as he looked you in the eye. Stanley had always been sort of..different to you. Well, not in a bad way but.. you had always sort of thought he treated you a little better than he did to those other people around you, specifically the girls he would surround himself with. You mentally facepalmed at your speculations. 'That's because your his only friend who's a girl, dumbass, of course he's going to treat you differently. Get a fucking grip.' You thought to yourself. 'But.. what if- no he doesn't- he- ugh.' You cringed at yourself. Even your thoughts were awkward. You were drawn from your ever so choppy thoughts by a splash in the face from Richie. You wiped your eyes, throwing a hasty glance at Stan before going after Richie, splashing him back as he tried to swim away from you. It went on like this for a while, you all playing and splashing one another until you decided you were tired of your night swim, and decided to go back onto the sand. The other boys opted to sit down and rest for a bit on the rocks, while you went back up the cliff to retrieve your pajamas.
After you came back down to where the boys were, you noticed that Bill was already asleep, lying against the side of the cliff and the other losers looked at him, most likely unsure of what to do with the sleeping boy.
"S-Should we just sleep here then?" You whispered. You pulled your nightgown back over your head as the other boys turned to you, giggling slightly.
"Why not, I mean it is summer, we haven't got school tomorrow," Stanley said. You had to admit, you were slightly shocked at his agreement, as usually Stan was the voice of reason for the group, and would ordinarily not be too psyched to sleep on a beach. You, Richie, and Eddie nodded, the smaller boy's nod being a bit more hesitant than your and Richie's.
"Alright then," you said, lying down in a patch of sand next to some reeds, the other boys soon following suit. You looked up at the glowing moon for a bit, absorbing its brilliant light. After having done that, you slowly turned your head to the side, seeing that the rest of the boys were already sleeping. Stan was leaning up against the rocks, a content expression on his face, while Richie and Eddie were lying in the sand a few feet away from each other. You smiled lightly, turning your head back to look upwards. You relaxed your shoulders, letting your fingers grasp the cold sand underneath you.
Before you knew it, you were off to sleep.
Word Count - 4160
Hi lovelies! Sorry this chapter took me a long time, it was like really long and I had to rewrite it twice because I wasn't too happy with it before. But so far, I think this is actually my favorite chapter! Make sure you vote if you liked it as well luvs. Okay, that's all I'm going to say for now. Bye everyone!
xx, ur actual mom