Not in my world

Part 14

I got to the house quietly not to wake up the Denbroughs and went into the bedroom where I was staying at. There was Lego shattered on the floor next to the door and the lights were on. It was weird on the least. I placed my ginormous bag on the ground next to the cabinet and the pillow and bed cover on the bed.
I wandered down the hall to Bill's open bedroom door and knocked.
"Bill? Are you awake?" I asked and peered into the room, where there was nobody.
There was a bucket on Bill's bed, next to his sketchbook. I didn't want to invade his privacy or anything but the drawing on the page was really good. I looked closely at the picture and realized it was Beverly. For some reason seeing that made my heart hurt a bit, I felt like crying again.
Maybe it was jealousy, but it was different this time, it was worse. But as I was about to return to my room, an erratic Bill bumped into me.
"Oh my god! Bill? Are you okay?" I asked worried when I saw how troubled he looked. Seemed like he'd been crying. He was so relieved to see me he just grasped my torso in a tight hug, arching his back to rest his head on my shoulder as he cried softly. I put my arms around his neck and soothingly caressed his back.
"You're okay. Shhh. You're safe." I said every now and then while scratching the back of his head and neck, running my fingers through his hair.
He pulled away and sat on his bed and I followed him and waited for him to say something.
"I-I saw G-G-Georgie." I stared at him in awe and he spoke again. "I k-k-know it s-sounds crazy b-b-but it's true."
I wanted to believe him but it just seemed like he had a lucid dream.
"What happened?"
He told me everything. About his little brother in the cellar, how he kept saying "you'll float too" over and over again.
"Wait... he said that? 'You'll float too'?"
"Yes. And there w-was this c-c-clown. He was c-c-controlling G-Georgie." At that point I was hyperventilating, grabbing tightly at the edge of the bed to steady myself and stop everything from spinning.
"What? You've seen it too?" He asked and I looked at him dead in the eye and nodded.
"It killed my mother..." I said after a moment of quiet. He looked at me confused. "That night, when mom... I saw something in the ceiling. It seemed like it was written in blood..." I hung my head low.
"What d-d-did it say?"
"Mommy wanted to float too..." I answered with my eyes shut. He covered his mouth and we both sat silently.
I decided to bring up another subject, one that I was embarrassed to mention.
"I didn't know you could draw." I say and look at his sketch of Beverly sadly. He blushed. "I also didn't know you liked Bev."
"W-w-we're not." He replied but I stopped him with a sad smile.
"It's okay, Bill."
"Look, Beth, I-it's not w-what you think." I chuckled nostalgically at the nickname.
"You know, my dad was the only person who called me Beth..." I say and close my eyes to picture the photograph I found.
"Oh... d-do you w-want me to stop?" He asked worriedly.
"Nah... I like it when you say it." His cheeks turned red at my words. He curled up his soft lips into a shy grin.
"I should get going. We both need to sleep." I start to make my way to the door when I feel Bill's hand grab my wrist.
"Wait." I look back at him and he lets go of my hand. "I don't w-w-want to sleep alone." I think for a second. I also didn't want to leave.
"I'll go get my stuff." He returned the smile I sent him and I went to my room and got ready.
I grabbed my pillow and sheets and knocked on his door. He let me in. There was a mattress next to his bed, but his stuff was on the ground and the bed was empty. Like, literally empty, there was nothing beside the bed frame and a bucket. He was placing the other mattress on the floor next to the one I assumed was meant for me.
"What?" I said and put my stuff on top of his on the ground.
"The rain pushed the r-roof. It's d-dripping."
"Oh..." I was blushing like crazy.
"You can take the b-biggest mattress if you want." He offered and I nodded.
"I don't mind, you can have it." I said and before he could argue I picked up my pillow and sheet and shoved them on the thinner bed. It was really close to his. Don't. freak. out.
I sat down and put my hands around my shoulders to try and warm up. I was wearing an oversized shirt with plaid pajama shorts.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Same." He sat on his bed, next to me.
"Listen about that d-drawing I..."
"Look, Bill, don't worry. You don't have to explain yourself to me, I shouldn't have seen it in the first place. Relax, really." I explain and he chuckles. I frown at his reaction.
"You have to s-start letting me f-finish, Beth." I grin and wait for him to talk.
"I d-draw my friends. It's no big deal. I j-just like drawing y-you guys sometimes."
" 'You guys'?" He immediately regretted his words. "You've drawn me before?" He hides his flushing cheeks in his hands while shyly nodding. I squeal and get up to grab his notebook on the counter and he watches me as I sit beside him excitedly.
Flicking through I see a bunch of different sketches. There are notes and stickers on some pages. I see pictures of Richie and Eddie, one of Stan with an angry face, to which I chuckle. I graze my finger over the lines analyzing the traces. He was really good.
Then there was a page dedicated to a girl. In one side she's leaning on a wall and smoking, on the other she is smiling.
It was me.
I glanced at him with an amazed expression.
"Bill... I cant even... this is amazing."
"T-thanks."
I yawn and bill chuckles.
"What?" I chuckle too.
"You look c-c-cute when you're s-sleepy."
I laugh and throw my pillow at him playfully and scoot myself up on the mattress and tuck myself in, turning to his bed where he now lay on.
"Goodnight Bill."
"Goodnight Beth."