Shit, this kid is bleeding pretty badly. Bill's friends and I rode our bikes all the way to the pharmacy. The bleeding kid held on to me tight. I gave him my jacket so it could be pressed against us while I rode my bike and so his cut could get a little pressure on it.
"I think it's great that we're helping the new kid," Eddie started, "but we also need to think our own safety. I mean, he's bleeding all over and you guys know that there's an AIDS epidemic happening right now. As we speak, right? I mean, my mom's friend in - in New York City got it by just by touching a dirty pole on the subway."
I ended up ignoring Eddie the rest of the way. I really blame his mom for his health scare. There's nothing wrong with Eddie and she wants him to believe that he's got all these diseases so he wouldn't leave her.
Now, w didn't exactly stop in front of the pharmacy, more like the back alley near it. We can't have a beaten kid standing in the middle of the street. The cut wasn't even that big. I figured if we clean it up and put a gauze over it, the wound would heal a few days' time.
"Ok, Richie, you wait here," I told the boy as Stanley, Eddie, Bill and I ran towards the pharmacy.
"How come I got to wait?!" Richie yelled.
"Because I don't stare at her ass like you do!" Eddie retorted.
Once inside, I grabbed the small basket before we went to the health aisle. I grabbed one of the alcohol bottles and one of the gauze tapes before putting it into the basket. Then I felt more boxes of gauze and cotton balls being thrown in. I gave Eddie a confused look before taking a few of the boxes out and placing them back on the shelf.
"It's just a cut. He's not going to die," I said. Then I saw a bottle of ibuprofen and took that.
"He could be," Eddie said.
"Do we even have e - enough to a - afford all of that?" Bill stuttered.
I checked my pocket. "Shit. I forgot my wallet," I said.
"We m - might have some."
Bill and Stanley checked their pockets and pulled out some crumpled up one-dollar bills. So far, I've only counted $7. Shit, it's not going to be enough for all of this.
"That's all we got," Stanley said.
"Are you kidding me?" Eddie scoffed.
Bill glanced at Eddie. "Wait, you have an account here, don't you?"
Eddie gave him a look that says we're stupid. "My mom finds out that I bought all this stuff for myself, I'll spend the whole rest of the weekend in the emergency room getting x-rayed."
I sighed. "Your mom is a lunatic," I muttered under my breath. I looked up to see that creepy old pharmacist at the counter. I crinkled my nose in disgust but it's the only thing I could think of. "Ok, guys, I need you to do something you should never do."
"We're gonna kill someone?" Eddie asked in horror.
I gave him a look. "No, you idiot. I'm gonna distract the perverted geezer while you three run out with the stuff, ok?"
"So stealing?" Stanley clarified.
"No. No, not stealing." I tried to think of another word. It can't really be borrowed since we're keeping it. "Ok, fine. It's stealing."
I looked back to see the man reading his magazine with his hand in front of his pants. I felt a creepy shiver go down my spine as I turned back around and flipped my hair, you know to give it volume.
"Wait?" Stanley said before he walked over and lowered my tank a bit so more of my cleavage is showing, unaware of yellow eyes growling in the shadows.
Eddie pushed Stanley out of the way. "It's not low enough," he said before grabbing my shirt and lowering it more to the point where my boobs will actually pop out.
Bill's eyes widened. "Guys, stop pulling her sh - shirt down," he stammered as he pulled it back up.
Eddie gave him a look. "She's trying to give the guy a boner. It needs to be down." Eddie pulled my shirt down more.
"That's not what I'm trying to do," I said as I pulled it a bit more up.
"Not with that attitude."
Eddie pulled my shirt down some more and I pulled it back up. Then Stanley was helping him pull it down a bit more while Bill was trying to push the guys away. I kept slapping their hands to keep them off me but somehow it ended with us getting into a big hand slap fight. The only reason we stopped was when this girl with reddish/blonde hair appear in the aisle. She hid the box of tampons behind her back and looked at us. Eddie's hand was still on my shirt, Bill's was trying to get his hand off, Stanley's hand was in my hair while I was pushing Stanley off me.
"You ok?" Bill asked.
"I'm fine. What's wrong with you?" she asked us.
"None of your business," Stanley stated rudely. I slapped the back of his head for that.
"There's someone outside really hurt and we're just trying to clean him up," I explained. "But we don't have any money so I was going to distract the perv."
"Which we think she needs to lower her shirt to do so," Eddie finished.
"Ok," the girl finished slowly before walking over to us. "She doesn't need to fix her shirt though."
She pried the guys off me before putting my shirt back in place but fixed my bra to the point the boobs look a bit perkier. Then she ran her hands through my hair to make it a bit messier.
"There," she said.
"Thanks," I replied. I looked at the clerk before looking back at the girl. "I'll repay you later but for now, could you help them leave when I give the signal?"
"Get me a box of free tamps and we're even."
I grinned at her before it turned to a scowl. I spun around and walked up to the pharmacist, who quickly hid the magazine away. I gave him a flirty smile and tried not to be disgusted when his eyes looked at my chest.
"Hey, Mr. Keene," I greeted as I grabbed a random box from the shelves below me.
"Jenny? What can I do for you today?" he asked. "Last I've heard, you were getting ready to leave for college."
"I know, I have so much packing to do. But I couldn't finish knowing I didn't say goodbye to my favorite pharmacist," I pouted as I leaned against the counter and made sure my chest was pressed together.
"Ah, you haven't needed my assistance since you were 16."
Yeah, that's because you're a perverted old man.
"I know and I feel really bad about it," I said. "I thought I'd stop by one last time and buy a box of tamp..." I set the box on the counter and my eyes widened when it was a box of large condoms. Oh, crap. "...condoms."
"Oh, didn't know you were dating someone," he stated sadly.
"I'm not. I just..." Ok, time to bring out the waterworks. I started to cry. "It's just that...I've been so lonely these past few days. There's so much I wanted to do, so much I wanted to experience before I leave."
I heard Eddie letting out a fake gag from behind.
"Oh, really?" Mr. Keene grinned. "Like what?"
"Like spending time with my younger brother one more time. Or riding around Derry with someone very close to me." Ok, this next sentence really made me want to barf. "Or go skinny dipping with someone much older and sophisticated than me."
"Really?" I could have sworn Mr. Keene just got a boner. I'm officially creeped out.
"Really. A few of my friends and I were having a last hoorah before I leave and are throwing a party." I let out a fake gasp. "Would you like to come with me, Mr. Keene?"
"Oh, I possibly couldn't -"
"Please, all my girlfriends, and I would really appreciate it."
Mr. Keene gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, I guess I could just drop on by -"
Ok, here goes. I let out a loud squeal. "Really?! Thank you, Mr. Keene! You're going to make my last day memorable!" I finished before accidentally knocking the small display case off the counter. My hands went over my mouth. "Oh, my, God. I'm so sorry."
Mr. Keene grinned. "Don't worry, I'll get it."
The moment he turned around, I waved my hand at the boys to leave. The girl grabbed them and yanked them out of the store. When I looked back at Mr. Keene, he was trying to bend over to show off his "stuff."
I tried not to gag before I turned around and practically ran out of there. Not before grabbing a quick candy bar.