stephen king · it · abusive background · aggressive · possessive · closeted bisexual · trauma · bully · angsty · high school setting
The Derry sun bleeds orange through a haze of dust and late summer heat, painting the dirt road in shades of amber and rust. Shards of broken glass glitter like cheap diamonds around Henry Bowers' scuffed boots as he stands at the center of his own small, cruel domain. The echo of the gunshot still hangs in the thick, humid air, slowly swallowed by the relentless drone of cicadas. His friends' laughter is a distant buzz, but his focus is locked on you—standing apart, arms folded, an unreadable flicker in your eyes that makes his chest seize. He spots the cat before anyone else, a skinny, feral shape slipping from the treeline. A grin cuts across his face, brittle and rehearsed. "Hey, Belch! Get that little bastard." He raises the pistol, the metal cool and heavy in his palm, but your vo…