Chapter Four

                                    

                                          
-Quarry-
















"Make that two."

















The next day, at the quarry, Charlotte watched the boys talk as she sat on a rock, sketching. 
"Oh, my God, that was terrible. I win." Richie said after Eddie's spit fell right at his feet. 
"You won?" Everyone looked towards Richie. 
"Yeah." Richie answered. 
"Did you see my loogie?" Eddie asked. 
"It's by distance." Richie told him. 
"Mass. It's always been mass." Eddie corrected. 
"What the-What is mass?" Richie asked, as if he wasn't going to the eighth grade
"Who cares how far it goes? It matters how cool it looks, like it's green or it's white, or juicy and fat." Eddie explained. 
"All right." Bill ended the argument, "Who's first?"
Charlotte began to strip, not noticing Stan staring at her. He watched as she pulled of her shirt last revealing a blue bikini. Richie noticed and elbowed Stanley. 
"Stop look at my bestie, you pervy jew!" He whispered yelled. 
Stan blushed red and looked back down at the water. 
Unlike everyone else, Charlotte actually had brain cells and wore a bathing suit. 
"I'll go." A new voice said. Everyone looked back and saw Beverly,
"Sissies." She ran right for the edge of the cliff, past the boys, and gracefully jumped off. 
"What the fuck?! Aw, holy shit! We just got showed up by a girl!" Richie whined. 
"Make that two." Charlotte told him as she ran off the cliff, not stuttering. 
"That was hot." Richie stated getting a slap from Bill, and a glare from Stanley. 
"She didn't stutter." Eddie commented. 
"Do we have to do that now?" Stan asked. 
"Yes." Eddie answered. 
Charlotte smiled as she saw Stanley look over the cliff, making eye contact with her. 
"Come on!" Beverly encouraged. 
"Oh, shit." Stanley muttered
"Whoo!" Bill jumped, followed by Richie, then Ben, Eddie, and last Stan. 
Seconds later, the seven of them are having fun splashing each other and just talking. 
Stan rises from the water, holding Charlotte on his shoulders, while Bill holds Beverly on his shoulders. Charlotte and Beverly then try to see who can push the other off.
"Charlotte already won! They already won!" Richie cheered Stan and Charlotte on. 
Charlotte and Beverly grapple with each other, with Charlotte pushing Beverly backwards; she falls off Bill's back, into the water, with a yelp. 
"They're down! Yes!" Charlotte and Stam yelled in victory. 
Everyone watched with soft smiles as Lottie didn't stutter at all. They had come to notice she didn't stutter with Stan.
"Ah, fuck! What was that?" Richie yelped. 
Everyone looked towards him in worry. Lottie swam over faster than everyone else. Richie was her older brother, by blood or not. 
"Something just touched my foot right here." Stanley pointed to the water. 
"It's a turtle." Bill deadpanned. Charlotte bursted out laughing followed by everyone else.
Moments later, Richie, Ben, Bill, and Eddie are looking at Beverly as she sunbathes while Young MC's "Bust a Move" plays on her cassette player.
Stanley was staring at Lottie instead. The only reason Eddie and Richie weren't is because they felt as though she was a sister. 
Beverly, seemingly knowing they are looking at her, turns toward them; the boys promptly look away and act natural. Charlotte looked over next and met the eyes of Stanley. They both blushed and looked away. 
Eddie, who was standing next to Ben and Bill goes to sit next to Stanley, while Beverly goes into a sitting position and Richie looks in Ben's bag. 
"News flash, Ben. School's out for summer!" Richie exclaimed. 
Charlotte stood up and went to the other side of Stanley. They bother smiled and each other before turning their attention to Ben. 
"Oh, that? That's not school stuff." Ben explained. 
"Who sent you this?" Richie questioned looking at a postcard. 
"No one. Give it..." Ben grabbed the postcard from Richie. 
"What's with the history project?" Richie was looking at a bunch of newspapers Charlotte couldn't see. 
"Oh... Well, when I first moved here, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with, so I just started spending time in the library."
"You went to the library? On purpose?" Richie asked. 
"The library's n-not that bad, R-Richie." Charlotte rolled her eyes. 
"Oh, I wanna see." Beverly finally walked over to the group. 
"What's the Black Spot?" Stanley pointed. 
Charlotte had to admit this was giving her a very, very bad feeling. 
"The Black Spot was a nightclub that was burned down years ago by that racist cult." Eddie explained. 
"The what?" Stanley was just as confused as Charlotte was. 
"Don't you watch Geraldo?" 
"Your-your-your hair..." Bill's sentence trailed off as Beverly looked towards him expectantly. 
"Your... Your hair's beautiful, Beverly." Ben finished his sentence. 
"Oh. Right. Thanks." Beverly smiled as she ran a hand through her hair. 
"Here, pass it." Richie extended his hand. "Why is it all murders and missing kids?"
"Derry's not like any town I've ever been in before. They did a study once, and it turns out people die or disappear six times the national average."
"You read that?" Beverly asked, alarmed. 
"And that's just grown-ups. Kids are worse. Way, way worse. I've got more stuff if you wanna see it."
"No, no." Eddie shook his head. 
But they went anyway...