O N E

Her dirty, worn out converse kicked a large pebble across the creek in which she had found herself standing in for most of the day. Lily Reese was just shy of fourteen but no one knew that. No one cared to ask.

Lily was used to being alone and she had become accustomed to being alright with it. She had one friend at least. Her name was Bella Burke.

Mind you, she was only her friend when everyone else from school wasn't around. She couldn't let her blooming reputation be scorned with that of being associated with a freak, a loner, a loser. The daily names Lily often heard whispered about herself leaking through the hallways of Derry High. Boy was she glad she'd be away from that hell hole for a few months.

Her honey coloured shoulder length hair felt hot against her head. There was a slight feeling of regret that washed through her for not throwing her hair back a few hours prior to her descion of being at the creek in the midst of the afternoon. She could feel the perspiration trickling down her temples and she found herself wishing the water was deep enough to engulf her completely. Though the cool liquid filling her sneakers to the brim did help a little at least.

Her thoughts pondered to what was waiting for her when she walked through the rickety cracked door that belonged to the house she unfortunately called home. Lily came from a broken home, but, at least she was fed and clothed. The lack of care and attention she had stopped receiving at the tender age of four did have a tendency of wearing on her a lot.

Lily's father, Jack Reese, was the typical dead beat. Sometimes he'd pop back in the Reese's life for a quick screw and fast buck from her mother, and acknowledge her for a mere few minutes, but it was never for long and it was far in between months.

Lily's mother on the other hand, she was a separate story all on her own. On her sober days, Gail Reese could be seen laughing and smiling and being the mother Lily had desperately wanted for years, but those days were farther in between than her father's rare pop ins. Gail was known as Derry's town whore; you throw her a bill and she was yours to do with what you pleased for however long you pleased.

A week after Lily's fifth birthday, she was the first one off of her school bus, which always stopped on Sixth and Seventh avenue a quarter past three. She had made the perfect flower pot, blended exceptionally with every colour she could get into it and she had never been more proud of anything in her tender-aged life.

The second she flung her front door open, was the second she knew and had decided to stop being dependant on her mother, or anyone for that matter. It was the second everything inside of her twisted and became numb. Any hopes and ambitions and good feelings Lily had, had left were quickly squashed like a mosquito on a somber day in the summer time when she saw her mother sprawled out on the living room floor, lifeless and surrounded by needles. The usual mess that Lily was made to live in was more excessive and the stench of something rotting was so strong her nose had burned.

Her mother didn't die that day but a huge part of Lily did and she knew she would never forgive her mother for that fact for as long as her heart continued to beat.

Lily used to be ashamed of sharing the same blood with either of her parents, for obvious reasons, but as she grew, she grew to learn that their actions were not her fault and eventually, she'd be away from them and Derry and everything in it.

The only good thing that came from Lily's mother being the way she was, was that in all of the total chaos, Lily's younger sister Tessa was born and somehow had been born healthy. She was seven years old and aspired Lily to be anything she wanted to be. She counted the days to escape from Derry's death grip and she would stop at nothing to do so, making sure Tessa would be at her side when she did it.

Smiling to herself slightly at the sensation of feeling free momentarily, she was suddenly startled by a loud scuffling behind her, which was followed by muffled cries. With a frown, she was quick to investigate the source of the noise, in which she discovered it to be Beverly Marsh. Another outcast of Derry High.

Their eyes met and Beverly took a sharp breath, brushing aside her piercing red hair that had clung to her petite freckled face. She looked filthy, was drenched to the core and she smelled as if she had gone swimming inside of a port-a-potty. Lily wasn't sure what to say so felt relief rippling inside of her when Bev was the first to speak.

"I, uh, it's a long story."

"I wasn't going to ask." Lily gave her a shy smile. "Are you okay?"

"Ooh Beverley!" A voice cut through the air with a sing song tone to it. "You can't out run us forever. Come on, we just want to play. I'll ask nicely this time," it was then followed by a laugh.

Henry Bowers, the little shit. If there was one person Lily loathed more than her own mother, it was him. Though she was sure anyone with a working brain felt the same way, out cast or not.

Within seconds, Henry appeared out of what seemed like nowhere, followed by his two cronies; Belch and Patrick. They were both just as bad, but Lily wasn't sure if it was because they were trapped in some sort of spell by Bowers or if it was because they consciously chose to be that way. Regardless of any of their real motives, if they were hit by a bus, Lily would have celebrated.

Bev had stumbled a few more steps further and stood beside Lily, who had instantly straightened up her posture. The two girls were in a face off with the cruelest boys of Derry, and neither of them had any intention to back down.

"Well if it isn't the loser whore and the loser freak bonding together, how sweet," Henry laughed.

"You're one to talk you hillbilly fuck." Lily spat out.

While Henry was the meanest in the town, his look could have fooled you. With a thick blonde mullet and a tattered pair of jean shorts matched with a light red muscle shirt, he didn't seem as if he posed a threat to anyone, but oh the old saying that looks can be deceiving really rang true with that one.

Henry's eyebrow arched and he gave his cronies a smirk before turning his attention back to the girls. "Hey boys, check out the mouth on this one. How about you put it to better use sweet-cheeks?" he then grabbed his crotch through his jeans and made a few thrusting motions upwards, which caused his cronies to laugh and both girls to roll their eyes with a disgusted groan.

"If only finding it were that easy," Bev shot back, a hand instantly going to her hip and a cold stare on her face, her plump lips curling into a grin.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Beverly?" Patrick retorted, which received a high five from Belch.

"And you'd know nothing about it because anyone of the opposite gender would rather run the other way. Is that why you stick with the dicks? Easier for you to get, huh?" Lily fired. She wasn't sure what it was, but having Beverley standing next to her seemed to help build up her confidence.

Patrick's long black greasy hair seemed to glisten in the sun, his once humorous look fading quickly into a glare and he stepped forward angrily. "I outta slap those words right back down your throat,"

Lily took a step back while Bev stayed still. Henry let out a laugh and put his hand out, motioning for his friend to stop. "Let's show them what real men can do. Grab her," he motioned to Beverly. "And I'll get this one." He motioned to Lily.

Lily felt her breath hitch in her throat and her skin prickle with fear. Would Henry Bowers really try to do something more than tease her and torment her with things about her past, that he shouldn't have even known about to begin with? She looked over at Beverly, her vibrant green eyes swimming with worry. Beverly looked scared too but did her best not to show it, until all of the boys lurched forward that was.