.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

CHAPTER TWENTY

xx. street fighter

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THEY STOOD OUTSIDE A HOUSE, their breathing heavy as Eddie sits to the side of a tree, clutching his arm as he lets out small whimpers. The club was mostly silent, April to Bill's side as she wipes at the dried, crusted tears at the corners of her eyes. Today had been a disaster, from the screams in the garage to the shouts which echoed in Neibolt.

She looks to Bill, biting her lip nervously before grabbing at his hand for comfort, her breathing heavy, small tears welling up in her eyes as she heaves in an out. "Oh, God. Billy," She sputters, Bill looking good her with a frown, lifting his hand and wiping the tears that prick herself at the corner of her eyes.

Quickly, he takes wraps his arms around her,  his hands finding their way to her head and patting the messy curls down. "It's o-o-okay," He mumbles against her hair as she chokes on a breath, her head against his shoulder.

They were waiting for Sonia to get Eddie and the club was already terrified from what had happened in the house, the thought of her scolding made them even more scared. Everything was breaking up. Ben clutching his stomach while Beverly rubs his back softly, Richie and Stan knelt by Eddie worriedly as Mike watches for Sonia's car with a cloudy look in his eye.

He held her in his arms, her body shaking and his shirt beginning to stain with salty tears as he rocks back and fourth for a moment with her engulfed. "You... You weren't! It wasn't okay. No one was okay. Eddie's hurt, Ben's hurt," She chokes out, pulling away and looking at his face — an attempt to ground herself, she's here. He's here. They're safe. It's okay.

But, he can't do this. He can't put her through this anymore. Her body was shaking in his hands, her cheeks were tear-stricken with oceans and the only other time he's felt this way was after... Georgie. He can't hurt her anymore. Not anymore. He has to stop it. He dragged her into this, he can take her out of it.

He pulls away softly, wiping her tears before kissing her forehead one last time and hurriedly pulling away as Mike looks to the group and points to the car pulling up towards them. "She's here," He mumbles, the group instantly straightening out.

Richie and Stan helping Eddie up while Ben goes to the back, covering his stomach with his arm as April hurriedly wipes start her tears. The car pulls to a stop. Sonia looking at them in distaste, waddling out of the car angrily.

Yanking Eddie by his unbroken arm as she points between the kids accusingly. "You! You did this! You know how delicate he is!" She shouts, breathing heavily as she drags him into the car.

Before the car door is thrown open, Bill steps forward, arm brushing against April's as he looks to the older woman desperately. "W-W-We were attacked, M-Mrs. K!" His attempts going unheard as she ushers her son into the car hurriedly.

"No. Don't. Don't try and blame anyone else!" She turns to them, slamming the car door shut as Eddie cries silently.

April tilts her head, looking to the woman with furrowed eyebrows. "We're real sorry, Mrs. K. We didn't mean for anything to happen," She mumbles, playing with the bracelet on her wrist as she frowns sadly at the thought of the trouble Eddie would be in.

"Shut it, girl. I don't want to hear it," She scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief at April who looks taken aback.

"I was only apologizing!" April retaliates, biting the inside of her cheek as she looks to Stan and Mike who stood by her with shocked eyes. "Golly," She mumbles under her breath as Sonia begins to fumble with her keys, dropping them to the ground.

Landing in the ground with a clank, Beverly leans over, going to pick them up. "Let me help you," She offers, jumping back at the sound of Sonia's raised voice.

Putting an arm ahead of her, Sonia snatches the keys.
"Get back!" She bellows. "Oh, I've heard of you, Ms. Marsh, and I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my son," Sonia smirks, shaking her head.

Beverly's face falls, April hurriedly puts a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Glaring at the woman while she bites the inside of her cheek. How immature! She was a grown woman listening to rumours about children!

"Mrs. K, I-" Bill begins.

"No! You are all monsters! All of you. And, Eddie is done with you! Do you hear? Done!" She looks to them, pointing her finger angrily, waddling to her side of the car.  Entering it without another word and starting it up before the club watches as it drives away.

They follow it onto the road, watching as it zoomed down the street and smaller and smaller before it wasn't visible at all. In the front, Bill looks back to the group, running a hand through his hair. "I saw the well, w-we know where it is, and next time w-we'll be better prepared!" He begins, Stan cutting in. His eyes wide with fright.

"No! No next time, Bill! You're insane!" He shouts, voice cracking as he looks to his friend in disbelief.

Looking to Stan, Beverly furrows her brows. "Why? We all know no one is is going to do anything," She asks, confused.

Feeling tensions rising, April twirls her finger around her hair worriedly. "Maybe," She starts, chewing on her bottom lip as all eyes look to her. Bill's burning holes into her. "We... We just... Uh," She stumbles over her words before Richie jumps in.

"Eddie was nearly killed! And look at this motherfucker, he's leaking hamburger helper!" He shouts, gesturing around, towards the car, towards Ben. April sighing at being cut off before she starts up again.

"We just need to wait!" She sputters out quickly, knowing if she doesn't spit it out — she wouldn't be heard over the clubs disagreement. Eyes go to her again, confusion in some, disbelief in others. "Let things calm down," She continues.

Bill stares at her, lips parted. "C-C-Calm down? It w-w-wont ever c-calm d-down, not u-u-until I-IT's d-d-dead!" He responds, furrowing his eyebrows at her in disbelief of her statement. Though, he felt the fear she radiated. She was terrified. When he held her, he could feel her heart pounding out of her chest. She was terrified and it was all on him. He had to stop it.

"No, no, no. Billy, I mean... I meant... I mean, I-I mean..." She trails off, not sure where she was going with this, her words muddled. She wasn't sure where she stood. Part of her would follow Bill into anything, she would follow him until the ends of the Earth. Another part of her was terrified. Wanting nothing more than to run to her room, lock the door and hide away for days upon days.

Shaking her head, Beverly cuts in. "We can't pretend it's gonna go away! Ben, you said it yourself! It comes back every twenty-seven years!" She says.

Looking to her, Ben sighs. "Fine, I'll be forty and far away from here! I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town too," He fires back.

Staring at him in disbelief, her lips part. "Because I wanna run towards something not away!" She responds.

April stares at her shoes, shifting from one leg to another uncomfortably as the bickering continues. "I'm sorry - who invited Molly Ringwald to the group?" Richie asks, gesturing to Beverly. She flips him off, rolling her eyes.

"Richie," Stan starts.

"I'm just saying, let's face facts! Real world! Georgie is dead! Stop trying to get us killed too!" Richie says, walking up to Bill.

Eyes widening, April watches him shocked. "Richie!" She warns as she looks up from the ground.

"Georgie is not dead!" Bill shouts, stepping towards Richie and staring him in the eyes.

Shaking his head, Richie rolls his eyes and attempts to push passed Bill, getting pulled back. "You couldn't save him! But, you can still save yourself!" He says.

"No! T-Take it back! You're scared and w-we all are! But, take it back!" Bill shouts loudly, pushing Richie roughly who stumbles back before pushing back in anger. Quickly, Bill raises his fist and punches Richie in the face — the boy stumbling to the ground with a thud.

A gasp escapes April's mouth, her hands flying up as she raises her voice. "Stop it!" She screams, eyes darting around the group — her breathing heavy. "Bill, Richie! Stop! Please," She pleads, lip quivering as Richie gets up, getting ready to charge towards Bill, getting held back by Stan and Mike.

"You're just a bunch of losers!" Richie yells out, Bill attempting to punch him again before April and Ben rush towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

"You're just a bunch of losers who are gonna get yourself killed because of a stupid clown!" Richie shouts in anger, his body thrashing against Mike and Stan's grip.

Bill continues to push towards Richie, April and Ben pulling him back but compared to Bill, it was useless. They were both smaller, more weak. "Bill! Stop it," She says as they continue to struggle to hold him back — Mike and Stan doing the same.

"Stop!" Beverly screams, eyes wide as she snatched her friends fall apart. "This is what IT wants. IT wants to divide us! We were all together when we hurt it! That's why we're still alive!" She goes on, Richie escaping their grip and pushing their arms off him as him and Bill stare at one another heaving.

"Yeah? Well, I plan to keep it that way!" Richie replies, giving the group one last look before pushing passed Bill and towards his bike. Stan following after him. Then Ben. Then Mike.

Her eyes following them, April feels her knees go weak at the thought of the divide. "Guys, please. We have to... We can't," April looks between the group, feeling her heart pull at the thought of separating. They couldn't. They're ruined without one another. "We... We... We can't! We can't just walk away from each other. That's not how you... You don't solve problems like that!" She goes on, her hand falling off Bill's arm and to her side as her bottom lip shakes.

This was it. He had to do it. Now. Looking up to her, he kept his composure. Swallowing harshly as he stares at her. Her hair messy, eyes glossy with fear, hands trembling and still she was so pretty. He had to. This was killing her. It was killing him. "Y-You g-go t-too!" He starts, voice harsh, staring at her. Her eyes looking to him in shock. The entire group freezing, looking to him in shock. They'd never heard him so... Harsh. So cold. And, especially not to her. Not to April. Never to April.

"What?" She asks, her hands beginning to shake more profusely as she looks at him with confusion. Her heart racing as she steps towards him, her hand reaching for his arm.

"L-Leave, already! I-I d-don't w-want you h-here!" He shouts, pushing her hand away. Her eyes filling with tears instantly. The club watching in shock, even Richie. He freezes, watching as April's lips part.

She looks to him curiously. "What... W-What do you mean?" She stumbles, her eyes wide as her lips quiver — her heart beginning to ache at his words. Was this happening? Was this really... Happening?

"W-What does i-it s-sound l-l-like? I s-s-said g-go!" He shouts, April's eyes filling with tears at his words as the group watches them fall apart. It was over. Everything was over. "Y-Y-You're only h-h-here cause I-I f-f-felt b-b-bad f-for y-you. G-Go!" He repeats, needing to keep her away. She had to go. She had to.

She chokes on her words, staring at him with tears spilling from her eyes now. He stares at her, his heart shattering in his chest as her nimble fingers that would often go numb twisting and braiding bracelets begin to rip at the burnt ends of her bracelet. Her friendship bracelet. The one that she made especially for herself, for this group, it's wasn't just some bracelet she had made, it was the bracelet she had made to fit in with the group. It was especially for one of the eight Losers Clubs members. Herself.

Finally, finding her words, with all her force, pulls the bracelet off her wrist. The burnt ends which kept them together snapping apart. "T-Take it! I don't want it!" She screams, her voice bellowing and wavering through the street. It was the loudest the Losers had ever heard her.

Mostly used to her shy mumbles and quiet laughs, it was out of the ordinary to hear her so... So loud. It almost seemed forbidden. As if, they should've have heard it. It made everyone pause. "I... I-I-I can't believe you," She whispers, voice broken as she stares at him with a harsh glare, eyes glossy.

Bill could've sworn he saw the last remaining part of her glimmer fade away and he felt himself choke up, unable to even look to her, his eyes revert to the concrete road. She looked so broken. So shattered. He was doing this to her, it was his fault. He's hurting her and that's nearly the same thing as killing her.

No one had ever seen her so hostile, he felt his heart breaking as he watched the bracelet fall to the ground before seeing April's pale yellow Converse step atop it and twisting her ankle over it into the ground. The words leaving her mouth dripping venom and so untrue to who she was.

Bill had to hold on his tears, watching as she gave him one last look, the boy who managed to steal her heart so quickly managed to break it into two even faster. She closes her eyes attempting to trap her tears in before turning away and mumbling quietly, only loud enough for him to hear. "I thought you were my best friend," She mumbles, opening her eyes and letting him see the tears in her eyes.

He felt his heart crack. The way her voice broke as she spoke and he wanted nothing more than to apologize, pull her into his arms and hug her so tightly while pressing his lips to her forehead over and over. He wondered, maybe, just maybe, this was love. After all, love is putting someone's needs above yours, after all, right? It was always going to be her before him. Yes, it was. He loved her, he loved her, he loved her.

He was hers in so many different ways. She was it for him. That's all. It didn't sound like much but it was true. April Ambrose was it for him. That's it, that's all. Simple as that. He was so hopelessly, carelessly, and recklessly in love with her and her soft smiles, light laughs, dull blue eyes and little hands. All of her. He had fallen into her quick, in a mere few weeks time. It felt like an eternity with her. Everything about her was a new adventure, a new door to open, a new way to fall in love. It seemed that he was unable to climb himself out from his stumble.

The thing he didn't know was if she was his and he doubted it. Look at her, we're talking about April Ambrose! With her blue eyes and curly brown hair and fairytale smile, looking at her was more than easy. She was beautiful. But, that's not all to her. She was Sunshine. His Sunshine. Or, at least he wished. Her and her gentle voice and worried gazes, it was hard to not fall in love. She was it for him because dear God, he loved her.

She couldn't love him. Oh, no. He was William Denbrough! Stuttering Bill. The boy whose brother is dead, the boy who killed his brother. Who could ever love him? Sometimes, he didn't even love himself. Sometimes, he wondered if it'd be better if he had been the one the clown had got.

He looked up to her once more, regretting it instantly. Her hair messily crowded around her face and tears streaming down her cheeks, eyes red as she begins to stumble away, looking away from him and sniffling weakly to herself. 'So, it was all fake. Perhaps, being lonely was much better after all. This hurts far too much,'.

She hurried away, down the street on foot her shoelaces untied, hair messy, and cheeks stained with wet tears. Her shirt untucked from her overalls and hands shaking as she walked away with what little ounce of dignity she had left. Because she had always promised herself to take things with grace.

April Ambrose was once a stranger to heartbreak and still is a stranger to loss but she was pretty damn sure, she was no stranger to heartbreak now because she loved him, she loved him, she loved him and now she knew for certain that he didn't love her back.