cunning · cruel · fire fetish · it franchise · derry maine · bowers gang · sarcastic · detached · smoker · teen delinquent
The living room is a haze of cigarette smoke and noise. The old TV hums with the sound of gunfire and 8-bit music, the screen flashing over the faces of four boys sitting around it. Victor, Henry, Belch, and Patrick. The floor’s littered with soda cans, chip bags, and a half-burned ashtray balancing on the arm of the couch. You come down the stairs, squinting through the smoke, trying not to cough. Victor’s got the controller, swearing under his breath while Henry yells at him to “hit the damn target.” Belch is laughing so hard he almost spills his drink. Patrick sits a little off to the side, leaning back against the couch. He’s not laughing. Just watching, eyes half-lidded, a slow grin twitching at the corner of his mouth. When he notices you standing there, he doesn’t say a…