.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

xvii. rock war!

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AN HOUR PASSED SINCE APRIL HELD HIM IN HER ARMS, it was 9:30 and his parents still hadn't shown. She didn't mind, she loved being his in presence, especially after the incident the night before. It felt so much safer with him, it was almost as if nothing could ever hurt her. Not when she's with him, anyway. He was quickly becoming her safe place and she was becoming his.

Her parents didn't mind either, too busy chattering off about how April, their April, had her own friends and how that boy, Bill Denbrough was so clearly her best. Cain babbling to Josephine about how the boys eyes glazed over speaking about her, the nickname he had called her and how since April began to spend time with the boy she seemed so much happier.

The two teens spoke of anything and everything in between, after the initial shyness and tears — they were able to find a place of comfort, quietly giggling at each other's comments as they unknowingly fall deeper and deeper into each other.

Both were laid down on her bed and staring at the ceiling, their hands touching one another's lightly due to the lack of space. The only sounds filling the room being their breathing and occasional shifting before suddenly Bill broke the silence. "W-Why d-d-didn't you... Y-Y'no, h-have any f-f-friends before u-us?" He asks shyly, scared that he was prodding at a subject that shouldn't be prodded at.

She just seemed so loveable, so full of life. The fact that he'd see her alone to her thoughts made him wonder why she was always so lonesome. What she made him feel was indescribable, this feeling he felt for April. He felt connected to her in ways unimaginable, especially in the short time they've had.

She's quiet for a minute, looking away from the ceiling and turning her head to the side, staring at the curve of his nose, his long lashes and what he could see of his green-blue eyes and she swore this was like a movie. Some silly teenage one which she would watch with Holly during the evenings, when they'd throw popcorn at the box television in annoyance at the main characters bad decisions. She memorized each and every flaw which she deemed a perfection on his face as he patiently waited the few moments it took for her to respond.

Humming as she rubs a piece of her bedding between  two of her fingers, she breathes out. "I tried to think," She starts, still looking at him and realizing that he's looking back now too and she's thrown straight into the pools of colour his eyes were. Her heart doing a small flip as she breathes in shakily, staring at him — him staring back.

Looking at her in this way, her smile knocked off and
replaced with a mellow expression of parted lips and bedroom eyes, he wondered if this was the April Ambrose her father spoke about — that glisten in her eyes still there. Her curly hair a halo above her head spread across her pillow and it almost felt as if he was staring at an angel herself.

"I've got nothing," She mumbles on, her hand closest to his accidentally brushing against his, setting a feeling of warmth and comfort through the both of them. "I don't... Know why I never really had any friends. I remember not having any despite how hard I tried," She bites her lip, her eyes averting from his nervously.

He frowns, staring at the way her face contorted as she spoke. She shakes her head, a small smile on her face as she looks to him, "Never mind that, I'm glad I found you guys. I'm glad we're friends," She goes on, poking his hand with her finger softly.

Bill looks down at her finger, lingering by his hand for a bit too long and he couldn't help the way his hand reached out for hers and intertwined their fingers. Staring back at her, he smiles shyly. "I'm glad we're friends too, Sunshine,".

"Your hands cold," She mumbles, gripping his hand softly and rubbing circles against it with her thumb.

He hums, laying on her bed in comfort. Being around her, in her room, surrounded by her things and engulfed in the scent of strawberries and vanilla — it made him feel safer than he has ever felt. There was something about her, something that made him swear that he'd always feel safe as long as he had her by his side.

He swore to himself, right here, staring into her glistening eyes — that he'd do everything to keep her safe. It would always be her above him. Bill wasn't sure what love was but maybe, just maybe, that's what he was feeling for April.

Her fluffy hair that puffed up into feathery curls and eyes that glistened for him, he brought out that sparkle and it only made him more devoted to her. The smile that played at her lips no matter what and the carefree nature she carried. She was his Sunshine and he swore that he'd be damned if anything bad happened to her.

Laughing softly, he shakes his head while looking at her still. "Maybe, y-yours are j-just warm," He teases as she giggles softly and closes her eyes, shaking her head.

"Maybe," She whispers as her other hand pulls the blanket up onto her and kicks it onto him as well. "Thanks, again, Billy," She hums lightly.

He shakes his head. "I t-told you that y-you d-don't have to-" He starts but is cut off by her intervening.

"That's the last time," She mumbles, closing her eyes as he leans his face closer to hers.

Sighing, he nods gently as he smiles. "I-If you insist," He says as she smiles back, opening her eyes and seeing how close their faces were.

She could practically feel his breath on her cheek and it made her face burn up. "I-It is," She goes on, her voice shaky as her eyes flicker from his to his lips.

They were just so close. If she leaned just a bit more... Oh, God! Stop it, April. This isn't a fairytale! There was a lull, silence taking over them as they stared at one another with curious eyes, flushed cheeks, and hearts pounding. It was all so new, being this close to someone.

Bill heard stories of feeling electric while close to someone and it's what he expected. Yet, here, with her, with April, his Sunshine — it was calm waters. Everything going smoothly and it felt almost as if they were made for this moment.

He hums, brushing some hair from her forehead before leaning closer to her and pressing his lips against her forehead softly and swore he felt her eyelashes flutter shut against his cheeks, it was like a butterflies kiss. He smiles at the feeling before pressing his lips against her cheek and pulling away completely, laying back down and letting the silence engulf them and it was most comfortable they've ever felt in a really long time.

♧

Bill had gotten picked up just a mere fifteen minutes after his lips were pressed against her skin and April fell back into bed after he had left with aight airy feeling in her belly, a small smile on her face because he had kissed her. Well, not on the lips. But, his lips kissed her forehead and that was enough to make her heart swell. Maybe, she was falling to deep into him. Maybe, this wasn't just a friendship.

The next day was no different than any other day, April getting up and getting ready for the day. She wasn't sure what would be happening but was positive something would be happening, if that made any sense. She just had that feeling.

And, she was correct. Stood on the trail leading up to the outdoor metal staircase of Beverly's apartment with the others, they watch as Beverly's eyes light up from the step she sat on, tossing a cigarette off the side of the stairwell and rushing down the stairs.

She makes it down, looking between her friends and taking in a deep breath. "You made it! I-I need to show you something," She sputters out, her eyes flirting around nervously.

"What is it?" Eddie asks, tossing his bike down.

Without missing a beat, Richie interjects. "More than we saw at the quarry?" He asks, the entire group looking to him lamely.

"Shut up! Just shut up, Richie!" Eddie snaps, rolling his eyes and Beverly inhales sharply.

Ignoring the question, Beverly sighs. "My dad will kill me if he finds out I had boys in the apartment," She looks between her friends as April shrugs, unwrapping her arms from Bill's waist and hopping off his bike, walking towards Beverly with a smile.

"Then we'll leave a lookout," Bill adds on, feeling an odd coldness wrap around him at the absence of April's touch. "Richie, s-stay here," He goes on, the group nodding and dropping their bikes to the floor, rushing towards the stairwell.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! What if her dad comes back!?" Richie speaks up, raising his arms up in shock as they all begin filing up the stairs after Beverly.

Looking back, Stan stops. "Do what you always do! Start talking!" He says, following after his friends.

"It is a gift!" Richie shouts to the group, voice flattering as he watched them hurry up the steps.

♧

The apartment was dark. That was the first thing April noticed when Beverly lead them through it, the only light being from windows and even then, they spilt little to none. It was lacking happiness, the feeling of security April thought all homes should have and she wondered if the home was a display of what Beverly lives through in it.

Leading them down the hall, the floor creaked beneath them before they came to a stop. Staring at a door with light emanating from the crevice beneath it.

"In there..." She says, her voice shaky as she stares down the dark hall.

Taking a deep breath, Stan bites the inside of his mouth nervously. "What is it?" He asks.

"You'll see," Beverly answers.

Swallowing, April looks to her before grabbing onto Eddie's arm fearfully. Bill leading them closer towards the door. "I'm not sure if I like the animosity of this," She whispers to herself as they all follow after Bill.

Eddie nods, holding onto April's arm as well and beginning to ramble. "Are you taking us to your bathroom? Just want you to know that 89% of worse accidents at homes are caused in bathrooms and-and-and-and... That's where all the bacteria and fungi are. It's not really a sanitary place,".

The walk towards the door felt all too long, inching closer and closer towards the room before finally, Bill grabs the door knob, turns it and pushes it open on Eddie's last word.

Instantly, red light fills the hall they stood in, staring into the bathroom of the dark apartment. Each and every single inch of it covered in blood. The window splattered, floor stained. It was like a scene from a horror film and April felt Eddie hold onto her tighter as he gags.

"You see it?" Beverly asks, looking to the horrified faces they wore.

The group collectively nods, Eddie looking to her and whimpering. "Yes," He whispers.

"What happened in here?" Stan asks.

Beverly shrugs. "My dad couldn't see it, I thought I might be crazy," She dodges the question as April looks to the ground, pressing the bottom of her shoe into the bloodied floor — leaving a small shoe print in it.

"Well if you're crazy, we're all crazy..." Ben nods, voice shaky.

Bill speaks up, looking down at the floor and towards the ceiling before looking to his friends. "W-We c-can't leave it like this" He says, taking a step into the bathroom.

April bites her lip, noticing the way blood dropped down from the ceiling and onto the footprint her shoe had made before sighing and following after him. "You got a cassette player?" She asks, attempting to relieve the tension with the sound of music.

Beverly nods, hurrying off into her bedroom as the group begins setting to work.

♧

The task was strenuous and it made sense why Beverly had called them over. Not only was the scene gruesome and terrifying in itself but also, it would take far too long to clean by yourself. The seven of them made it quick, all of them focusing on a specific task at hand.

The sound of 'Six Different Ways' playing on the cassette player Beverly had lugged out from her bedroom as they all carefully cleaned at the walls and floors of the bathroom, praying that their clothes wouldn't get stained.

It seemed like they went through a million buckets of water before they finally poured the last one into the tub, watching at the soapy, red liquid poured down the drain. Most of them carrying black garbage bags filled with stained clothes into the garbage bins outside, leaving Bill and Beverly doing final inspections.

They stood over the tub, admiring the groups work before Beverly looks to him. "It's not true, you know? What they say about me," She says, feeling as if she needs to prove herself to them in order to be apart of the group.

"Just-Just so your know, we never believed any of the rumours. None of us l-losers do," Bill responds, looking to her with a nod, thinking about what April had said that one day in the alley of the pharmacy. 'They aren't true and besides, even if they were, why's it anyone's other than her concern on what she decides to do with herself?' "We like hanging with you," He goes on.

Beverly smiles. "Thanks," She mumbles and Bill looks down at her wrist and a bracelet similar to what was wrapped around his.

He shrugs. "You shouldn't thank us too much. Hanging out with us makes you a Loser, too," He laughs. "Sunshine gave you a bracelet," He points to the colourful threads intertwined on her wrist.

Nodding, she looks down at his. "She gave you one too," She responds, looking up to him with a knowing smile. "What's up with you two anyway?" She asks, watching as his cheeks again a light pink. She knew, of course she did, girls had a way of knowing. Sometimes.

"W-What do you m-mean?" He asks, despite knowing that the question was obvious. All of his friends knew of the feelings he had for April, it was obvious. They were practically attached at the hip.

Beverly rolls her eyes. "She's pretty. And, she's whipped for you too. I don't know what you're doing," She laughs, running a hand through her hair before turning away and beginning to walk out of the bathroom. "Tell her, already," She turns back once more, her voice teasing before she exits the bathroom and goes down the hall.

Leaving Bill staring at the frosted window with a small smile, maybe, just maybe, he should.

♧

They walked their bikes down the street, April stood next to Bill staring down at the tiny spot of red that had stained her Converse. She let her arm bump against his occasionally as they walked, not exactly sure where. It was as if she was addicted to the feeling in her stomach at the contact.

"No, I love being your personal doorman! Really! Could you idiots have taken longer?" Richie breaks the silence, riding circles around the group and disrupting the silence.

Rolling his eyes, Eddie looks to Richie and shakes his head. "Alright Richie, shut up!" He yells.

"Yeah! Shut up, Richie!" Stan jumps in, nodding with Eddie's statement.

"Oh, okay! Trash the trashmouth, I get it!" Richie says, biking to the front of them. "Hey, I wasn't the one scrubbing her bathroom floor imagining her sink went all Eddie's mom's vagina on Halloween!" He continues on, looping around the group repeatedly and causing April to get dizzy from the repetition.

April looks to Richie as she toys with her bracelet. "We literally have proof, there's blood on my shoe! Do you not see it?" She points to the splatter as she runs a hand through her hair.

"She didn't imagine," Bill adds, speaking up as he begins to slow his walk to a complete stop. "I s-saw something too..." He continues, April looking to him as she stops next to him.

"You saw blood too?" Stan asks.

Bill shakes his head, looking to Stan with a frown — inhaling sharply. "Not blood. I s-saw G-G-Georgie" He responds as April puts her hand on his forearm, rubbing it comfortingly. "It seemed so real. I mean, it seemed like him but there was, this..." He trails off on the last part.

Looking up at him nervously, Eddie nods. "A clown," He whispers, voice meek. "Yeah, I saw him too," He goes on whispers, looking away.

There were all collective nods, Ben and Stan before Bill looks to April worriedly. "Sunshine? D-Did you s-see..." He trails before remembering how jumpy she was that day at the quarry, her arm. It got to her and it hurt her, it actually touched her.

She nods, swallowing as her hand drops from his forearm down to her side and he quickly grabs at it, intertwining their fingers gently and squeezing it.

"Wait, can only virgins see this stuff? Is that why I'm not seeing this shit?" Richie butts in, gesturing towards himself.

They're all silence for a moment, exchanging looks and not bothering to laugh at the comment. Before their attention is brought elsewhere, looking to the side where the road ends and towards the woods where shouts and chatters were echoing from.

"Oh shit, that's Belch Huggins car. We should probably get out of here," Eddie says, looking between his friends as he licks his lips nervously.

Bill lifts his free hand, pointing towards a overturned bike that they hadn't noticed yet. "Isn't that the homeschooled kids bike?" He asks.

"Yeah, that's Mike's," Eddie responds, nodding.

Beginning to tie the two together, they all fall silent once again before Beverly looks back to the group — realizing that he must've been in real trouble. Especially out in the woods, all alone with the Bowers Gang. "We have to help him," She says.

"We should?" Richie asks.

"Yes!" Beverly nods, dropping her bike to the ground as she begins to run towards the woods — the group following after her.

It wasn't hard to find them, following after the shouts. Bill's hand was still in April's and he dragged her after him tightly, keeping her close in worry that somehow, someway, Bowers would get her too.

In a clearing, there was the Bowers Gang. All of them hovered over Mike. Pressing his head harshly into his deliveries for the day.

"Come on!" Henry yells, his foot against the back of Mike's head, pressing down to get the straining boy to comply.

Pushing his head down, he moves his foot. Mike beginning to lift his head up before he's kicked in the cheek by Belch Huggins, making him fall backwards and onto the ground. Henry tackling him down and yelling at him, pinning him down as Mike groans at the harsh contact.

Looking to the aids, Henry reaches for a rock beginning to lift it above his head and readying to bring it down against Mike's skull.

"D-Do something!" April speaks up, looking to her friends as they make it just in time. Her eyes wide as she stares as Henry is about to slam the rock down before Beverly quickly picks up a rock and tosses it across the stream — hitting Bower's in the side of his head.

"Nice throw," Stan nods, looking to Beverly in awe.

"Thanks," She looks across the clearing at the opposing group.

The Losers were beginning to gather rocks that sat at their feet as the boy crawls towards them, water splashing. Letting go of Bill's hand, April rushes towards him, right into the water — letting it seep into her shoes and helping Mike over to the small area they all stood. Pulling him towards the back, already beginning to fuss and check for any injuries.

"You losers are trying too hard! She'll do you, you just gotta ask nicely. Like I did," Henry says, his friends helloing him stand up as he gropes at himself with a sadistic smile on his face — laughs from Vic and Belch coming from behind him. "I see you've got the mute too. Pretty little thing, she is. Hey, April! How about you peek your head out from behind all those Losers and let us see your pretty face?" Henry goes on, leaning over in attempts to get a look at the girl who hid behind the group next to Mike. "How about you stop sucking these Losers off and actually do someone worth your time?" He goes on, laughing as he wipes at his lip.

Beverly's proud gaze faltering at the words as April looks over her shoulder from where she kneeled, helping Mike. A frown on her face before she shakes her head, looking back to Mike with a false smile. "We're gonna fix you up," She mumbles, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Angrily, Ben shouts out, throwing a rock straight towards Henry's face. A pause going through the air. Hurriedly, Bill picks a rock up, sending one across the stream with as much force as he could before Beverly follows and quickly, it becomes a full-on battle.

"ROCK WAR!" Richie screams, getting smacked in the forehead and tumbling onto April.

She stumbles forward into Mike, groaning. "Richie, get up!" She says, Richie rubbing his forehead in pain. "I'm on Mike, get up!" She goes on, pushing Richie off of her as she leans back up and apologizes quickly — turning her head and seeing her friends begin tossing rocks at their bullies.

Richie stands, grabbing a rock as he stands, April following his actions as she helps Mike up as well before going to the side, avoiding conflict. She wasn't one to... Get involved. But, she supposed being friends with the Losers meant exactly that.

They tossed jagged rocks across the stream, yells and profanities escaping their mouths as they watched their longtime bullies actually be frightened of them for once.

It was all so exhilarating, their breathing heavy as they watch Belch and Victor run off into the woods — having taken too many rocks thrown at them, leaving their leader alone on the ground with a bloodied forehead and for once, the Losers felt as if they had finally reclaimed themselves.

They leave, helping one another leave the clearing — giving Henry one last look. Smiling softly, Bill looks to April, walking towards her and grabbing her hand and leading her away from the stream.