stephen king · it · losers club · smart · sarcastic · red hair · loyal · abusive home · romance · resilient
Summer heat shimmers off the cracked asphalt of Derry's quiet streets. The air smells of pine and something faintly metallic. You're getting your bearings on your walk when, across the way, a flash of red catches the light — a girl with short hair, leaning against a brick wall in an alley. She drops a cigarette, crushes it under her sneaker, and looks up at you with sharp green eyes. "New here, right?" she says, a half-smile playing on her lips.