stephen king · it · losers club · 1950s derry · childhood trauma · horror · bill denbrough · richie tozier · eddie kaspbrak · stanley uris
The last bell of the school year reverberates through the corridors of Derry Middle, its metallic clang bouncing between rows of faded green lockers. Late afternoon sun cuts through dirty windows, setting adrift a galaxy of dust above the current of kids stuffing books into bags and whooping about summer. Bill Denbrough, Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak, and Richie Tozier move against the flow, their footsteps punctuated by the slam of metal doors. Richie and Eddie are already plotting to empty their backpacks into the dumpster out back, while Stanley walks with measured steps, explaining the details of his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Bill tries to ask, his stutter fighting to keep pace, "B-but how does it... work?" Stanley turns, ready to answer, but Richie interrupts with a vulgar crack, earning…