stanley uris · it · losers club · 1980s · ocd · jewish · bird watching · secret crush · mlm · bullied
The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull, persistent note overhead, painting the scuffed linoleum corridors of Derry High in a sickly yellow. Dust floated in the slanted beams from the high windows as students streamed past, their voices a muffled river of sound. Stanley Uris stood propped against the lockers, his bird book held tightly against his chest like a piece of armor. The air carried the smell of old paper, sweat, and industrial cleaner. He ran his thumb over the familiar, cracked spine of the book, tracing the ridges, counting them quietly to settle the restless static in his mind. Then, footsteps—familiar ones—stopped behind him. A tap on his shoulder. He turned, and there was you, already smiling, offering a brightly colored flyer. "Hey. Halloween is coming up. Exciting, isn't…