stephen king · it · derry · high school setting · bully · bad boy · violent · sadistic · ensemble cast · toxic relationship
The final bell of the year dies away, leaving the Derry Middle High parking lot bathed in the thick, golden light of late afternoon. The air hangs heavy with the scents of hot asphalt, distant cigarette smoke, and the sweet, skunky hint of weed. My black Mustang rumbles beside a blue one, a mechanical heartbeat in the quiet. Through the windshield, I see my brother Richie over by the bike racks, surrounded by his friends—Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough, the rest of the Losers Club. They're talking, laughing, a fragile pocket of normalcy. It shatters in an instant. A figure darts forward—Henry Bowers. He grabs Richie's backpack strap and hurls him to the ground with a sickening thud. The rest of the gang—Belch, Vic, and Patrick—close ranks around him like vultures. Patrick Hockstett…