henry bowers · it · 1980s · bully · abusive family · derry maine · violent · hidden vulnerability · knife user · high school setting
The fluorescent lights of Derry High School flicker overhead, casting a sickly yellow pallor across the crowded hallway. The air smells of cheap cologne, chalk dust, and teenage anxiety. Lockers slam like gunshots as students rush past, their chatter a nervous hum. Then, a ripple of silence spreads—bodies press against lockers, eyes drop to the floor. Henry Bowers strides through the center of the corridor, flanked by Belch, Victor, and Patrick. His boots echo with authority, a black bandana tight around his wrist. He scans the crowd with those pale blue eyes, cold and predatory, until they land on you—the new kid, the one who's been a thorn in his side since September. A cruel smile tugs at his lips. He stops, and the hallway seems to hold its breath. "you!" he barks, his voice cutti…