Chapter 18: Unexpected Turns
"So, today's the day huh?" Richie asks as he and Bill walk their bikes to school. Georgie is already ahead of the boys, ready for a new day, while the members of the Loser's Club want to take their sweet time getting there.
"Y-Yeah, the day my cousin comes into our lives."
"What time will she be there specifically?" the trash-mouth asks.
"H-How the… h-hell should I know?" Billy asks. "And you're…you're not going to h-hit on her, it will just scare her back to my grandparents' farm."
"Well since you didn't tell me if she's hot or not, I have to come and find out for myself!" Richie insists as they turn into the schoolyard.
"Y-You're not getting near her!" Bill snaps, surprising even himself how protective he's becoming over a relative he barely knows. It's probably because he knows Mia is hiding from her abusive father and maybe his knowledge of Beverly's experiences with abuse has made him more sensitive to the situation.
"Whoa Dude, take a chill pill," Richie says defensively. The two wheel their bikes over to the rack. Bill begins to help his little brother lock up his own bicycle before turning to respond.
"She… she has enough problems to d-deal with without you trying to get into her pants!"
Beverly and Eddie approach the meeting spot, immediately sensing that they are walking into a typical argument.
"What's he saying this time?" Bev asks.
"He… he wants to know when my cousin gets here so he can hit on her."
"It's only if she's hot!"
"God, you never quit, do you?" Eddie asks, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"Hey, my needs should not be discouraged just because you want to stay a virgin."
"They can be if your needs end up sending Bill's cousin running," Bev says rolling her eyes.
"And my virginity is none of your business!" Eddie hisses in pure embarrassment. No topic was safe from the trash-mouth.
"What's that?" Richie taunts, pretending to be hard of hearing to poke his best friend's buttons. "Were you saying that you're as pure as the driven snow?"
"Shut the f*** up Richie!" Ed growls, a little louder this time.
"A mama's boy is never going to get laid, no matter how hard you try."
"I'm not a mama's boy."
"Please, when did you stop breastfeeding? It was 8 right?"
"Shut the f*** up!"
"I'm more likely to go to hook up at prom because I won't bring my mommy as a chaperone!"
"AT LEAST MY DICK IS BIGGER THAN YOURS!" the hypochondriac blurts out.
The outburst is heard clear across the yard, and what makes it even worse is that Will Byers and Mike Wheeler pull up on their bikes. The two boys look at the Loser's Club with confusion but are trying not to laugh. The mortification is enhanced further when some girls who are standing nearby begin to laugh loudly.
Richie turns bright red and turns to belt Eddie in the gut. So much for being best friends. This punch in the stomach causes the smaller of the two to crumple to the ground before recovering enough to leap on Richie, taking them both to the dirt. The two begin to pound the snot out of each other, screaming obscenities and causing an even bigger scene than before.
Bev and Bill are quick to try to break it up, lest they get caught by any teachers or draw an even bigger crowd. They did not need a repeat of what happened on their first day.
"CUT IT OUT!" Beverly shouts, trying to pull Eddie off Richie. "YOU GUYS ARE TOTAL MORONS!"
"S-STOP IT!" Bill adds.
The redheaded girl struggles to get a grasp on the seemingly meeker member of their group, but Eddie's size meant that he was harder to grab and faster than anticipated. He punches Richie again, knocking his glasses from his face, and lands another impact on the cheek.
Suddenly without thinking twice, Will jumps in and helps Bev grab a hold of Eddie's arm to prevent him from punching the trash-mouth again. Mike is completely shocked that his usually passive friend is leaping into the middle of a fight. This is completely out of character and leaves the leader of the Hawkins party at a loss of what to do. The girl from Derry and the boy from Hawkins struggle to lift the pint-sized Eddie off of Richie, while Bill attempts to help the badly beaten nerd up. Not that Richie didn't get a few good marks on Edster, both would most likely have black eyes and nasty bruises afterwards.
However, the assistance from big Bill does little to curb Richie's rage as soon as he's on his feet, he attempts to get another shot at his best friend, who is struggling while being held by Bev and Will. The leader of the Loser's Club barely manages to grab the trash mouth's arm before he tackles Eddie again.
"C-CALM DOWN!" Bill says.
"YOU'RE SUCH A WHINY LITTLE B****!" Eddie shouts in rage.
"AT LEAST I FIGHT FAIRLY!" Richie fires back.
"YOU SUCKER PUNCHED ME!"
"YOU DESERVED IT!"
"YOU'RE SUCH A DOUCHE BAG!"
"TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE!"
"MAMA'S BOY"
"DWEEBUS!"
"MOTHER F*****!"
"Both of you shut the f*** up!" Bev snarls, sick of their stupid fight.
"He started it!" Eddie whines in a childish way.
"I don't give a f*** who started it, but I'm ending it," she snaps. "You're best friends."
"Not anymore," Richie remarks, glaring daggers at Eddie, but he could just be squinting because his glasses were knocked off. "You're dead to me!"
"Thank God I don't have to be the one to say it! Good riddance!"
"Get lost Mama's boy,"
Eddie finally breaks from Bev and Will's grip and hurries inside, likely to try and wash any evidence of the fight from his face. Likely to avoid his mother's obsessive and often aggressive desire to save her "baby boy" and being stuck at home for days while he "recovered." He also didn't want his mother to complain to the school about there being too much violence and it being unsafe for children. Eddie curses his best friend under his breath, the dork had no idea the can of worms he had opened. The feeling of dread fills his stomach, thinking of ways to avoid going home until the bruises healed.
Mike bends down and picks up his doppelganger's discarded glasses. He hands them to the still fuming Richie and then casually walks away. He pushes through the gathering crowd of kids who wanted to see more of the fight. Immediately, the whispers and rumours have started between the bystanders, much to Beverly and Bill's chagrin. They had just left the town that literally called them Losers, and now it will probably start again all because their two friends got into a fight.
"A-Are you okay Rich?" Bill asks, trying to deescalate the lingering anger and hatred stewing in Richie.
"DO I LOOK OKAY?" he snaps.
He attempts to clean off his glasses and look for any cracks or scratches.
"J-Jeeze, he just asked a question," Bev says in anger.
"Just leave me alone," Richie says before storming away from the rest of his friends.
Will, Bill, and Beverly stand, unsure of what to do next and hating the unwanted judgemental looks from their fellow peers.
Fortunately, the bell rings, signalling the beginning of class. Everyone disperses, except for the trio who had been involved in the scuffle. They all look at each other.
It's the redhead who breaks the awkward tension. She turns to Will.
"Thanks for the help," she says.
Will blushes and looks shyly at his shoes. He wants to avoid gazing into her grayish-green eyes and the lively freckles prominently displayed on her face. She was a very pretty girl and if Will was honest, he found them intimidating; so much so that it was the reason he avoided getting a girlfriend. They complicated everything and left him guessing as to why a girl would want to hang out with him unless it was Max or Eleven. He assumed that any pretty girl who talked to him was likely doing it because her friends dared her to. However, the girl from Derry seemed different, just like Max or Eleven. She seemed cool and earnest, which is something not many girls in school appear to be. She also appeared to be genuinely nice and attentive to those around her.
All this second-guessing and thinking makes Will realize that he's let the silence go on for too long. His mind races to find a response.
"N-No problem."
"Not many people would just jump in to break up a fight like that."
"It was pretty brutal, but friends shouldn't fight like that."
"You're right, they shouldn't, but I think Eddie and Richie are a special case."
"R-Really special," Bill smirks. "Richie can't shut his mouth f-for the life of him, but he knows-s how to push Eddie's buttons."
"That's unfortunate," Will says. He smiles a Bill, pleased to see him again after the drawing session they shared yesterday. It was nice to see a familiar face and connect with someone who had a similar interest to his own. Little did he know, the feeling was mutual.
"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," the redhead asks.
"Uh, Will… Will Byers."
"I'm Beverly Marsh. It's good to know who I'll be sitting next to in science class now."
The Hawkins boy's cheeks go pink to the point where he tries to turn and pretend that he was looking at something to hide it.
Will the Wise then nods to Bill the Brave and then hurries to the school.
Both Bill and Bev walk towards their first classes at slower paces, wondering how this fight was going to affect their group dynamic… whatever was going to happen, they knew they were not going to like this.
As he walks through the halls to his locker, Big Bill is thinking to himself:
This was not how I expected Monday morning to go.
…
"They're here! They're here!" Georgie shouts, leaping from the couch towards the front door.
"George Elmer Denbrough calm down!" Sharon says as she removes her apron to come and greet her parents and niece. "Bill, please come down, your grandparents and cousin are here."
The artist drops his pencil on his sketchbook and slowly gets up from his desk. While he is excited to see his grandparents again, he's unsure about his cousin. Would they get along? Would she be a jerk? Would Uncle Joel raise hell if he finds her?
It didn't help that the friend drama was still on his mind. Neither Richie nor Eddie were talking to one another and they had been missing from the usual meeting spot for lunch. They didn't even stay to hang out after school, Bill briefly catching a glimpse of the trash-mouth as he exited the schoolyard in a hurry. The one good thing was that the fight was not reported and so no one got in trouble.
However, it did fall on Bev and him to explain what happened to Ben and Stan during lunch, and they agreed that it shouldn't have been a big deal. It was a fight over the usual crap that Richie gave and it went too far. Either way, they hoped that it would end soon, and their group could be whole again. Bill thought that in order to survive their time in Hawkins, the Loser's Club had to have each other's backs.
"GRANDPA!" the eager six-year-old squeals, running towards Zeke. This forces the older man to drop the suitcase he was carrying to catch his grandson. Bill finishes descending the stairs but stops on the last step to watch the scene from afar.
"Georgie, settle down!" Sharon says, scolding him. "Hi Dad, how are you?"
"I'm doing well princess, how's the family?"
"Adjusting," she says simply.
"There's Big Bill," the old man smiles after catching glimpse of his other grandson.
"H-Hi," the shy teen says.
"Come over here and give your old man a hug."
With some reluctance, the teen goes over and is wrapped in a big bear hug by his grandpa. He can't help but smile.
"I swear, both of you are growing like weeds every day. Last time you were only up to my chest."
"He certainly is growing," a gentle voice comes from behind.
"GRANDMA!" Georgie shouts. He wriggles out of his grandfather's arms and tackles his other grandparent with a hug. The older woman becomes halted in the front door to accommodate her energetic grandson.
"Georgie, settle down!" Sharon says again in a sterner voice.
"It's all right Sharry," Zeke says with a smile. "The kid is just excited, let him get it all out."
"Hi Grandma," Bill says.
"Hello Bill, I hope you are well."
"F-Fine."
"So where's the hubby?" Zeke asks.
"Out looking for a job," Sharon answers, taking the suitcases from her parents. "Unfortunately, this move did not guarantee employment."
"It will all work out," Mary says optimistically, still cuddling Georgie.
"So where is Mia?"
"I'm here," a voice from outside the door calls out.
Grandma Mary finally manages to move into the house to allow Mia to enter.
The girl is staring down at her shoes while lugging in a backpack and shoulder bag. She then looks up at the new home she'd be staying in and the people who were going to take care of her. She manages a very weak smile.
"Hi, Aunt Sharon,"
"Hello Mia, welcome to our home…"
"But Mommy, this isn't our real home…" Georgie points out.
"T-Temporary home," Bill corrects quickly.
"Thank you for letting me stay here," Mia says politely. She'd done this so many times before that she knew what to say. "I'm sorry it has to be like this."
"Don't ever apologize Mia," Sharon says. "We're happy to have you here."
"Hopefully it won't be forever," the teenaged girl mutters.
She then looks at Georgie and then Bill, the cousins she barely knew. She forces herself to smile.
The youngest is a little frightened by the guest in the house. He still holds on to his grandmother, but timidly waves.
"Hi Mia," he manages to say.
"Hi, Georgie. How are you?"
"Okay," he says, the smile and excitement now clearly gone.
"And I guess that makes you Bill," Mia says, gazing over to the even shier kid in the distance.
He just nods.
There is a lengthened silence between the relatives; everyone not entirely sure how to proceed. The situation surrounding them all was extremely complex, not to mention risky for everyone involved.
Sharon clears her throat. "Go ahead and make yourself at home Mia. Bill, could you help bring Mia's bags upstairs and show her the room? I'm going to pour some cider for everyone."
"S-Sure," Bill says before going to grab the suitcases in the hall.
Mia follows behind her cousin as they climb the stairs to the second-floor landing. He then guides her down the hall to the room that had been prepared for her.
"S-Sorry about the window. My d-dad is trying to fix it."
"It's okay," the teen says. "I'm used to cold nights in the farmhouse."
Bill leaves the bags next to the bed and then goes to give her some privacy. He can't imagine how she might be feeling, having to relocate and he knew the stories of her life literally being on the run all the time. He pauses at the door.
"Y-You okay?" he asks.
"Yeah," she says. "Thanks again for all this. I know it can't be easy."
"It doesn't matter, there are worse things in the world to worry about. H-Happy you can stay here."
"You don't have to pretend," Mia says. "I know that you're just being polite."
Bill opens his mouth to respond but closes it. He gives his cousin a head tilt in confusion about her negativity but decides to just let it slide. After all, if they were going to be sharing a house, the last thing he needed was another fight. This was not how he expected his life to go; being in a brand new town, going to a brand new school, meeting new people, and now having to share his home with a relative he barely knew. Perhaps his mother was right, and they were just going to have to make the best of it. Life had ways of throwing unexpected turns into one's path, and he was just going to have to keep soldiering on and navigate around them.
A/N: Please follow and review.