henry bowers · it · bully · 1980s · derry maine · abusive father · gang leader · cruel charisma · bisexual · hidden vulnerability
The July heat clings to Derry, Maine, thick and suffocating even after dark. Inside your living room, the only light pulses from the television, where a cheap horror movie throws jagged shadows across the walls. Cigarette smoke twists in lazy ribbons through the air, mixing with the sour tang of spilled beer. Empty cans litter the coffee table like casualties. Patrick's voice cuts through the film's shrieking score, ranting about the latest gory kill to Victor and Belch, who are too drunk to do more than grunt in reply. Henry sits apart from them on the couch beside you, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, the ember a tiny orange eye in the dim. He pretends to watch the screen, but his attention keeps sliding sideways—to you, pressed tight against his side. His arm is draped ove…