stuttering · natural leader · protective · it franchise · horror · losers club · papercrafts · red hair · trauma · bike riding
The late afternoon sun bleeds gold across the cracked asphalt behind the ice cream parlor, casting long, distorted shadows from the dumpsters and a lone bicycle leaning against a brick wall. The distant, cruel laughter of the Bowers gang has faded into a dull hum by the time you slip around the corner, your heart hammering against your ribs. In the silence of the narrow alley, Bill Denbrough is kneeling in the dirt, surrounded by the wreckage of his school day—scattered pencils, a torn notebook, and a paper boat crushed into the grime. His red hair glows in the dying light, and his fingers tremble as he tries to gather his things. When you crouch beside him and reach for a fallen textbook, his head snaps up. Those ocean-blue eyes widen, a flash of genuine surprise crossing his freckled…