.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

SHE'S TALKING AGAIN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

xiv. the bar mitzvah

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IT WAS AUGUST NOW, Veronica kept contemplating the potential events of tomorrow in her head, much like a movie in her head. All the possibility left her uneasy.

It was Stan's Bar Mitzvah the next day, you see. Despite her attempts to convince Bryce to not make her go because of the odds of seeing Richie. In the end, Bryce forced her to go.

She looked to the ceiling and groaned in annoyance, cussing to herself before shouting out.

"Fuck!" She thrashes in her bed, annoyed and anxious.

Don't get Veronica's intentions wrong, she wanted to support Stan. He was one of her best friends! But, she hated the thought of seeing Richie. She could practically feel the tension rising in her throat, preventing her to breathe.

♧

Waking up at nine, she began to get ready for the day. Stan's Bar Mitzvah started at eleven with a reception afterwards for lunch. She slapped her hand against her blaring alarm and got up from her bed. Stretching while she walked out of her room, she entered the bathroom and began to clean herself up. Wiping the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand, showering, brushing her teeth. The works.

Afterwards, she head back into her room. Her hair, usually a frizzy mess of loose curls hanging behind her not frizzy at all. She had put effort into looking nice today.

Dressing herself in a blue and grey dress which she only ever wore when her family had fancy dinners with other extended family members. But, that was when her parents were still here.

Overtop of the dress she puts a cream slip over it. She looked in the mirror, curious to see how she looked in the silly girly-twirly dress.

Shaking her head at the sight, reminded of the countless dinner parties she had worn this dress to. She was left wondering where her parents were and if they were okay. Despite slowly recovering from the abandonment, she still wondered time to time. Derry didn't have much of a social work network — they didn't have one at all. Abused children would suffer, abandoned children would struggle. It was an ordinary thing in the town.

She ran her tongue over her braces and snapped her scrunchie on her wrist. She wasn't accustomed to the girl in the mirror. Not one bit. It was perhaps, as if, the girl wasn't Veronica Mills at all.

Looking at her hair, she scrunched up her nose. Veronica Mills has frizzy hair which was either left down or tied half up, messily might she adds. The girl in the mirror had loose curls cascading down her back.

Looking at the dress, frilly and girly. Veronica Mills wouldn't be caught dead in a dress! Oh no, Veronica only wore tank tops and shorts and loose jeans with graphic tees. Sometimes even hopping out of the house in Richie or Bill or Eddie or Stan's clothing. This girly dress was something out of a horror movie to her.

She let out a harsh laugh, giggling and shaking her head. She laughed at her image, her braces, her hair, her dress, and most importantly, her loneliness.

Her laughs filled the room until she sat on the floor, giggling to herself.

'Oh, loneliness, how you have affected Miss Veronica, so!'

Her giggle session was interrupted by a shout though the house. Bryce. His voice filling the empty home. calling out to his sister, impatient.

Veronica let out a huff of annoyance before standing up and rolling her eyes, instinctively. She walked to her bedroom door, grabbing a evening purse off her dresser before opening the door and walking down the hall to the staircase.

Moving slowly, she dragged her hand against the wooden banister before finally hitting the hardwood floor and walking towards the foyer where her brother stood in a suit.

"About time!" He says, rolling his eyes at his sister with annoyance.

Veronica rolls her eyes back at him. They were more similar in their mannerisms than their personalities, if you hadn't noticed.

Grabbing at her pair of black Mary Janes, she grumbled under her breath. Seating herself onto the floor and putting them on with a disgruntled look on her face.

"Watch me sprain my ankle, Bryce!" She says, looking up to her as she stood up and hobbled.

Bryce scoffs, shaking his head and giving her a mischievous smirk.

"I'll be sure to get Richie so he'll kiss it better," He teases while winking with the same smirk.

It was Veronica's turn to scoff. Staring him dead in the eye before speaking.

"Yeah, right." She closes her eyes, rubbing her temple before leaning down and grabbing her Reebok's. Bryce looks at her questioningly.

"Switching into these later!" She responds, throwing the door open and walking over to the car.

♧

Entering the temple, Veronica was filled with nervousness. Her stomach doing backflips and heart beating fast. Bryce led them to an aisle where they then sat down in their seats.

Bryce looked to his sister who shook her leg uncomfortable. He noticed her eyes flitting around the room before they froze on an aisle on the other side of the room.

Bryce frowns, noticing Veronica freeze at the sight across the room. It was Richie. Richie hadn't noticed her gaze and her quivering lip. She then bows her head down in sadness, waiting for the service to begin.

Soon, without noticing Stan begins to read from the Torah. The sound droned out from Veronica's ears, her leg shaking again. Fiddling with the hem of her dress, head turned downwards. She felt the urge to get up and run out. Veronica was never one to be able to sit still.

The microphone goes silent for a moment. Veronica looks up from her dress in curiosity. She stared at Stanley who stood in front of the entire audience. He inhales before opening his mouth and speaking.

"Um... Reflecting on what I just read, I like what it said about indifference. Well, when you're a kid, you think you'll always be protected and cared for. That you'll always have the same friends as when you were twelve. Then, one day, you'll realize that's not true. You wake up suddenly not caring about lives outside your own. Nothing going on outside your front door matters anymore. You separate yourself from anything that might matter to you. Neighbours, family, your friends... But when you're alone as a kid, the monsters see you as weaker. They start to come for you, and you don't even know they're getting closer until it's too late. So they attack you before you find the truth about what's happening. If any of you opened your eyes, if you really cared, you would see what we're going through. I guess, indifference is apart of growing up. Becoming an adult isn't about being able to vote, or being able to drink or drive. Becoming an adult, according to the Holy Scripture of Derry is learning not to give a shit!" Stan finishes his speech, ignoring his fathers attempts to stop him. He walks off the platform, pulling away from his father to finish speaking, the microphone screeching.

The temple goes silent. Veronica staring in shock. Richie stands and behind to clap with a lopsided smile. A smile spreads on Veronica's face, impressed at Stan's sudden act of courage. She claps too.

"Yeah, Stannie!" She cheers, standing up as well.

Veronica and Richie's claps and cheers are quieted down. Bryce pulls Veronica down, grabbing her hands to stop her from clapping. Richie pulled down by Stan's mother.

Veronica glared at Bryce, annoyed that he cut her short. Exhaling, she makes short eye contact with Richie.