.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

SHE'S TALKING AGAIN

CHAPTER TWELVE

xii. the street fight

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THE CLUB STOOD IN FRONT of Sonia Kaspbrak who yanks her son away from them before yelling, pointing at them accusingly.

"You! You did this! You know how delicate he is!" She shouts at them before rushing him into the car. They turn and follow her with their eyes.

"Delicate my ass!" Veronica scoffs, rolling her eyes and stamping her foot in anger. Mike nudges her in the ribs.

"Shut up!" He hisses, giving her a warning look.

Sonia Kaspbrak looks the small girl up and down and shakes her head, smirking.

"I can't believe the Mills of all families had a child like you! It's no wonder why they left," She says looking Veronica in the eye.

Veronica's breath hitches, a pang in her chest. She grits her teeth before opening her mouth. The club stares at her for a moment, they could practically feel the anger radiating off of the small girl.

"Don't talk about my parents," Veronica says, tugging on her scrunchie. About to pull it off and tie her hair up. A common sign that said 'Veronica is more than angry - either exit the situation or sedate her in a way'.

Richie looks down at her wrist and takes notice of her hand gripping at the elastic band of it and snatched her hand away. Holding onto her shoulder to calm her down.

"W-w-we were attacked, M-Mrs. K!" Bill tries to explain, walking forward.

"Don't!" Sonia shouts, opening the car doors down ushering her son into the car.

"Don't try and blame anyone else!" She adds, fumbling with her keys before dropping them to the ground.

They land in front of Beverly, who leans down to pick them up.

"L-Let me help you," She offers to help before jolting back at the sound of Sonia's booming voice.

"Get back!" Sonia shouts, snatching up her keys before leaning down to Beverly.

"Oh, I've heard of you, Ms. Marsh, and I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my son," Sonia's voice gets dangerously quiet and she shakes her head and smirks at Beverly whose face drops at the sound of her false reputation.

"Alright! That's fucking it! Don't go talking about people you don't even know! You bi-" Veronica starts to walk forward, snatching her scrunchie off her wrist and attempting to tie her hair back. She's yanked back by Richie and Mike, who hold her back as she thrashes against them. Richie gives Mike a look, in attempts to get him to get her scrunchie away from her. He understands and snatches it away from Veronica's tiny hands.

Sonia shakes her head again.

"Again, the reason why your parents left! It's only a matter of time your brother leaves too!" She laughs out harshly at Veronica.

Veronica was about to snap now. Ready to kick and punch and scream until her voice and limbs ached. She opens her mouth to say something. But it's quickly shut by Mike covering her mouth with his hand and Richie tightening his grip around her waist.

"Mrs. K!" Bill shouts out, his eyes squinting in anger at the comments Sonia was making towards the girl he considered a sister.

"No! You are all monsters! All of you. And, Eddie is done with you! Do you hear? Done!" She shouts at them before waddling to the other side and entering her car before slamming the door shut.

The club stares into the window where Eddie sat, crying. Then, they drive off.

The club walk off the sidewalk and follow the car into the street, watching as it got smaller and smaller. Until, it wasn't there at all.

Stood in the middle of the street, the club lets out sighs of defeat. Bill, as always, was the first to speak.

"I saw the well, w-we know where it is, and next time w-we'll be better prepared!" He says, turning to the rest when the car comes of sight.

Stan looks at Bill, eyes wide before shouting out.

"No! No next time, Bill! You're insane!" He panics, voice cracking as he thinks back to the horrific events which occurred in Neibolt.

"Why? We all know no one is is going to do anything," Beverly asks Stan, genuine confusion in her eyes at the statement.

"Eddie was nearly killed! And look at this motherfucker, he's leaking hamburger helper!" Richie shouts, pointing to the direction where the car led off too then to Ben's stomach.

"Bev's right! We can't just sit back and act as if everything's okay. When nothing clearly is!" Veronica speaks up, looking around the group before catching eye contact with Richie.

"Ronnie! Are you serious!?" Richie shouts at the girl, squinting his eyes at her while shaking his head in disbelief.

"Face it, Rich! It's true! No one is doing anything and we know how to stop it!" Veronica shouts back, lip quivering.

"We can't pretend it's gonna go away! Ben, you said it yourself! It comes back every twenty-seven years!" Beverly says, looking towards Ben.

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

"Because I wanna run towards something not away!" Beverly argues, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry - who invited Molly Ringwald to the group?" Richie yells, gesturing to Beverly while looking and Ben and Stan in confusion. Beverly flips him off.

"Richie," Stan gives him a warning glare,

"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.

"Georgie is not dead!" Bill yells, staring Richie in the eye.

"You couldn't save him! But you can still save yourself!" Richie tried to push past Bill but is grabbed back.

"Richie! Stop!" Veronica yells, her breathing heavy and thoughts racing to all the comments her best friend was making about Georgie.

"No! T-Take it back! You're scared and w-we are! But, take it back!" Bill shouts out pushing Richie who pushes back in anger. Bill raises his fist and punches Richie in the face causing him to fall to the ground.

Veronica's hand flew up to her face in panic and runs over to him, grabbing his arm to help him up. He thrashes her off. She pulls back, eyes wide and startled. He gets up himself.

"Don't touch me! You're a traitor! You were supposed to be my best friend!" He shouts at her, fixing his glasses while staring down at her.

The height difference was huge, Richie easily towered over her. She looked as if she cowered under him. But still, she stood her ground.

"Richie, Beverly has a point! We can't just-" She starts as the club stares at the two best friends argue. It was their first serious argument. The club knew them to bicker over stupid things but never had they seen them so heated with each other.

"Just fucking what? What, Veronica?" He spat, venom when he said her name. He had used her real name for the first time in basically all of their years of friendship. It felt foreign on his tongue and when he said it he instantly felt as if it was just wrong to say. As if it was something forbidden. Veronica has always been Ronnie to Richie. Never V or Nic. It's always been Ronnie. Never anything else.

It was the first time the club had heard him utter out her first name. Eyes widening and gazes shared among each other before looking back at the two who stood in front of each other.

Veronica herself was in shock. Lip quivering profusely as she stares up at him. She takes a breath.

'He used my first name. He never uses my first name.'

"Richie.." She whispers, voice breaking. She knew now how severe this argument was. He turns away from her.

"You're just a bunch of losers!" Richie yells out to them, Bill instantly attempts to punch him again.

"You're just a bunch of losers who are gonna get yourself killed because of a stupid clown!" Richie repeats as Mike and Stan hold him back from running at Bill. He thrashes in their grip.

Veronica stands by Ben watching the scene. Her hands covering her mouth, Ben puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"IT wants to divide us! We were all together when we hurt it! That's why we're still alive!" Beverly says to the club, looking around frantically at the friendship which was slowly becoming shambles.

"We can't split up, guys! What if IT comes back? And, and, and! We're not together! One of us can die!" Veronica's words get caught in her throat and she stumbles over them, eyes darting back and fourth as she breaks from Ben's comforting grip and paces around moving her hands in rushed movements.

"Well, that's your issue then. You've clearly chose your side," Richie scoffs at her, pulling away from Mike and Stan then shoving last her.

A lump forms in her throat before she grabs his arm and attempts to pull him to look at her.

"Rich..." She pleads now.

He pushes her off with force, sending her tumbling back. Nearly falling to the ground. She's had it now.

Eyes narrowing, breath hitching and a fist forming. She looks him in the eye before sending a punch to his face. His glasses fly off and he stumbles back.

"Fuck you, Tozier." She whispers before turning away not wanting him to see the tears forming in her eyes. She holds her eyes shut in attempt to trap them. But, it only made it worse.

And, as soon as he came, he went. Then so did Stan. Ben. Mike. All of them.

In defeat, Veronica looks to Beverly and Bill. Huffing with tears running train tracks down her cheeks.

"Guys!" She attempts to reason, staring pleadingly.

Mike would look to her and shake his head, solemnly with a frown. Ben would mumble a "Sorry, V." and Stan would ignore her altogether. Though, as he biked he did look back to see her break down in tears after Richie was out of sight.

In her head though, despite everything. Richie was the one person who would matter. He was the first to leave. Without giving her a second glance after the punch. He hopped on his bike and off he went. She might as well have felt her heart shatter right there.

And, it was just Bill, Beverly, and Veronica in the end. Once everyone was gone, biked off and somewhere into the distance. Veronica broke down in tears.

"I do the right thing for once and this is what happens..." She chokes out, wiping at her face. Beverly frowns at the loud-mouthed girl's sudden outburst.

"Oh, V," She whispers, moving hair out of Veronica's face. She had never seen her like this. Her sadness was contagious. Beverly's heart-ached for the girl who had easily became one of her closest friends.

"It'll be okay," Bill adds, hugging Veronica. She's always been a little sister to him.

"You're okay, a-alright? It's okay," Bill mumbles as Veronica pulls away and wipes her tears, nodding.

"Alright." She breathes out, looking between Beverly and Bill. Beverly smiles, sadly.

Soon enough, they part ways. And, and Veronica bikes home. All she could think was,

'I really fucked up.'

That was the last time they would all be together that July. The last moments in a house of terrors and after, arguments and punches thrown on the street.