"Just kidding." Ben said, throwing his arms up in defense. "But for real, thanks for checking up on me."
                          
"Anytime" I smiled. 
                          
When we got to the library, Richie's car was in the parking lot. A feeling of relief washed over me. He didn't leave. 
                          
"See, I told you Richie must've just left without us." Eddie said as we headed towards the entrance. 
                          
"Let's just go before Mike thinks we're not coming" Beverly suggested. 
                          
As we walked inside, the smell of vomit was in the air. Beverly opened the door and we all followed her. "Mike!" She called followed by a scream. I looked to see Henry Bowers lying on the floor with an axe in his head. A pile of puke was next to him. Richie stood next to Mike, whose arm was bleeding. 
                          
Just the sight of it all make me sick. I got lightheaded and began to stumbled back. Eddie and Ben helped me continue to stand on my feet. After a moment, I nodded to assure them that I was okay. 
                          
"Are you alright?" Ben asked, looking over at Mike and Richie. 
                          
"No, I'm not alright!" Richie exclaimed. "I just fucking killed a guy!"
                          
"I was talking to Mike." Ben said. 
                          
Mike was applying pressure to his wound as Eddie got him something to wrap it with. I walked over to Richie who was hunched over with his hands on his knees, panting. 
                          
"I see you decided to stay" I pointed out.
                          
Richie sighed. "Yeah, don't get too excited, it's not because of you."
                          
"Then, why'd you come back?"
                          
"When I was leaving," Richie began. "I drove by the Jewish church. This voice in my head told me to stop so, I did. I went inside and this memory, crossed my mind. It was one I'd completely forgotten."
                          
"What was it?" I asked. 
                          
"Stan's bar mitzvah" He answered. "It was after the fight Bill and I had that split up the losers, remember? We were the only two that were there"


                          
"Reflecting on the meaning of what I just read," Stanley said, drawing my attention back to the ceremony. "The word "mishnah" comes up a lot, which means to change, to transform. Which makes sense I guess, because today I am supposed to become a man. It's funny though. Everyone, I think, has some memories they're prouder of than others, right? And maybe that's why change is so scary. Because the things we wish we could leave behind. The whispers we wish we could silence. The nightmares we most want to wake up from. The memories we wish we could change. The secrets we feel like we have to keep, are the hardest to walk away from. The good stuff? The pictures in our mind that fade away the fastest? Those pieces of you it feels the easiest to lose. Maybe I don't want to forget. Maybe if that's what today is all about? Forgetting, right?"  
                          
"Thank you, Stanley." His dad says, going to take the microphone away. Stanley walks away from him, continuing to speak. It was obvious this wasn't a part of the ceremony. 
                          
 "Today, I'm supposed to become a man. But I don't feel any different. I know I'm a loser." Stan turned and faced his dad. "And no matter what, I always fucking will be." Then, he dropped the mic and left the room.


                          
"The first time Stan stood up for himself." I recalled. 
                          
Even before Pennywise, Stanley was always afraid. During that summer, his fear became worse. At his bar mitzvah was when he finally spoke up for himself. I remember how proud of him I was that day. How proud we both were. 
                          
"I guess you were right." Richie admitted. 
                          
"What was that?" I teased. 
                          
"There's no way you're getting me to repeat that again." Richie said, causing me to laugh. "If I can't do this for myself, I should do it for Stanley."
                          
"Wait" Mike said. His cut was now all cleaned up. He was looking around for something. "Where's Bill?"
                          
"He should be coming right?" Eddie asked. 
                          
"Yeah, I mean, it's Bill. Of course he'll come" Ben added. 
                          
"I don't know" Beverly said. "He was determined to save that kid."
                          
"What kid?" I asked as a worried feeling began to grow inside of me. 
                          
"The one from the restaurant. He said he lived in his old house. Bill was determined to go to the fair and keep him safe. I think he was expecting Pennywise to be there."
                          
My heart sunk at the thought of Bill being alone, facing Pennywise. "Someone should call him."
                          
"I'll do it." Mike said pulling out his phone. As we waiting for Bill to pick up, I walked over back to Richie. 
                          
"I had this memory about Stan today too." I spoke as I rested my back against a book shelf, trying not to let myself panic about Bill. "But, it wasn't from Derry. It was ten years ago. He came to New York on his honeymoon and he came to see the show I was in at the time. After the show, I ran into him backstage. He gave me a book that I had accidentally left in Derry after I'd moved. After all those years, Stanley remembered me. Once I saw him, I remembered him a little but, the moment we left, I forgot about him."
                          
"Maybe it's Stan's the reason we're both still here." Richie pause for a moment to think. "Well, he's the reason I'm still here and one of the reasons you are."
                          
"One?" I questioned. 
                          
"Well, duh, the other reason your still here is because of B-"
                          
"Bill, we're all at the library where you at?" Mike said on the phone, causing us all to stop talking. "No, no, no, just come here to the library. We'll come up with a plan...no..Bill! Bill!" He put down his phone and looked at all of us. "He's gone to fight It alone. It's about the group, the ritual doesn't work without the group."
                          
Richie grabbed the Shokopiwah artifact. We both looked at it, noticing that a part of it was scratched out. Mike quickly snatched it out of his hands. The two of us exchanged confused looks. "Snappy pants" Richie mouthed, causing me to chuckle. 
                          
"Mike, did he tell you where he was going?" Ben asked, snapping me back into the reality of the serious event that was happening. 
                          
"If he really wanted to kill Pennywise" Beverly began. "There's only one place he'd go."
                          
"The same place the ritual needs to be performed." Mike added. 
                          
"Oh, we're not going to like this are we?" Eddie sighed. 
                          
"Neiblot." I whispered.