Henry Bowers

No one in Derry knew the truth. Not the teachers, not the losers, not even Henry. Nobody knew you were Patrick Hockstetter's younger sister.

You have always been his opposite: calm, kind, smiling. You had friends, and you belonged to a group of losers - something Patrick would never understand. And yet... he loved you. In my own way.

For as long as you could remember, Patrick had found "special" ways to show his affection. He would turn off the light in the hallway when you went to bed, hide behind the door to scare you, or leave dead insects in your bed - just to hear you scream. But if someone else hurt you, Patrick always stepped in. No one dared touch his rabbit. Only he could tease you.

That day after school, you walked down the hallway with your books, thinking about how quiet it was around you. Until I heard his voice.

"Hey... bunny," Patrick whispered behind you.

You turned around slowly. He was leaning against the lockers, with that smirk of his that you could never tell if it was mockery or affection. Before you could respond, a hand landed on his shoulder. It was Henry.

"Leave her alone, Patrick. She's just a girl," he said, his voice a mixture of authority and nervousness.

Patrick looked at him... silently. His smile widened, almost cheerfully, and he laughed.

"Just a girl?" he repeated with a strange gleam in his eyes. "She's my sister, idiot."

The corridor fell silent. You felt the air become heavy, Henry's gaze boring into you. And at that very moment, Henry realized: the girl who had stolen his heart so long ago was Patrick's sister.

He never dared to come up to you, to tell you how he felt... until now. Now that Patrick had announced your relationship right in front of him, Henry felt a mixture of fear, surprise... and a desire that couldn't be ignored.