Chapter 10 Bullying
God knows what she was thinking just now.
Sure enough, she was not devout.
Xue Landi repeated what he had just said.
Carrie then began to recall: "It seems to be in the 1980s? It should be more than twenty years ago..."
Xue Landi responded, "Is it twenty-seven years?"
"Yes, it seems to be twenty-seven years, because Derry Town rarely experiences such vicious incidents, so each time one occurs, it will be recorded in the Town's history book."
Xue Landi narrowed his eyes, thinking of the three dead men, Karl. Wasn't this the perfect scapegoat? He could even take advantage of this time to find more nourishment.
Besides, since Carrie and Pennywise have appeared, I'm afraid there will be many other 'acquaintances' appearing, right?
"Don't pass through the small woods again in the future."
Xue Landi kindly reminded Carrie. He didn't want anything to happen to his already designated core believer.
"Why?"
Carrie was a little puzzled. Now that she was far from the stone bridge, the other side was the roadside, and her fear naturally dissipated.
"There's no 'why'. Your mother was right, this city has lost God's protection."
So a new God is needed to replace the faith.
Xue Landi felt that there must be many hidden secrets waiting to be discovered in this Town.
Of course, first, he must have the ability to protect himself.
Carrie was a little sullen, always feeling that something must have happened in the woods just now, but she didn't dare to ask.
Xue Landi's demeanor now felt too domineering to her, but it also made her extremely curious.
The car quickly drove out of the woods and entered the Town. At a corner, Xue Landi chose to get off.
Carrie thought the same thing. Later, she might have to hide from Chris and sneak into the school. She didn't want Xue Landi to see her in such a disheveled state.
However, Carrie was not content to just be a means of transportation, so she tentatively asked again:
"Then how will you go? Do you want me to pick you up?"
"None of your business."
Xue Landi looked at the crowded school gate in the distance, said casually, and then turned and disappeared from Carrie's sight.
"Alright."
Carrie was a little dejected. After standing for a while, she pushed her bike towards the school gate.
At the same time, she carefully observed her surroundings, and unfortunately, she happened to see Chris, who had been bullying her.
Chris didn't seem to be in a very good mood right now, constantly complaining on her phone.
Carrie immediately flinched, quickly lowered her head, pushed her bike, and walked along the wall, only hoping that Chris wouldn't notice her.
Normally, even if she was in detention, she would come to school early to avoid Chris and others.
It was just that today, due to unexpected circumstances, she was delayed for a long time.
Fortunately, Chris seemed to be troubled by other things now, chatting with her good friend Susie, and had no time to pay attention to the people around her.
"Hey, Susie, have you seen Billy? I've been waiting for him for a long time. This guy's phone can't be reached. He clearly said he would take me to school this morning, but he can't be reached, and I walked to school!"
"I don't know. Tommy didn't play with him last night. Billy should be with Karl and the others."
Carrie carefully walked past the two of them. Just as she was about to reach the school gate, a burst of laughter suddenly came from nearby.
"Hey, isn't that freak Carrie? Her mother called us all bitches, and I just showed a big leg."
"She'll end up just like her mother one day."
Two female classmates walked past her with disgusted expressions.
Carrie thought, "Oh no."
She quickly pushed her bike forward, but after only two steps, a figure blocked her way.
It was Chris, with a very unpleasant expression.
Carrie didn't dare to argue, wanting to smooth things over, so she pushed her bike, trying to go in another direction, but was blocked by Chris again.
Helpless, Carrie could only timidly look up and say hello.
"Hey, Ch...Chris."
"Woah, woah, woah, come and see who this is! It's Carrie! I thought we had a new freak at our school."
Chris actively stepped forward, shouting loudly, attracting many curious classmates. The two girls who had just stopped to watch the show also stopped.
Carrie could only show an awkward expression.
Chris had a typical redneck appearance, with long brown hair and a tanned brown body from years of sun exposure, only white around her eyes.
She dressed maturely and sexily, and was especially popular with men at school.
"I can't believe it, Carrie, I actually ran into you at the school gate today."
She came up and put her arm around Carrie's shoulder.
The forceful movement made Carrie very uncomfortable. She habitually lowered her head again, avoiding the gazes of the people around her.
"Why are you so late today? Let me guess, did you hide in school until dawn before daring to come out?"
"Chris, what do you mean by that? Did you lock Carrie in the classroom yesterday?"
One of the two girls chimed in, like a comedic foil.
"No, I wouldn't play such a low-level prank."
Chris said arrogantly, "I'm going to take Carrie to the nearby pig farm to play. She's a freak at school, but she should be able to find her kind at the pig farm!"
"Are you talking about the feeder Dave? He's also a freak. Those two are a perfect match."
"Exactly!"
Carrie was extremely terrified now.
All she could hear was Chris's arrogant voice and the pointing fingers of other classmates.
Carrie still kept her head down, nervously looking back at the alley entrance she had just come from.
After not seeing anyone, she felt disappointed but also relieved.
"Carrie? Ca-Ca-Carrie, wh-wh-why aren't you answering me? Are you sa-sa-satisfied with the ma-ma-match I arranged for you? Hahaha!"
Chris exaggeratedly imitated Carrie's speaking tone, causing several surrounding classmates to laugh along, while her friend Susie's smile was a bit awkward, even slightly furrowing her brows.
She seemed to feel that these jokes were going too far.
"What's wrong, Carrie? I'm just joking with you, don't be so serious. Why don't you give me some feedback?"
Chris tightened her arm again, pulling Carrie even tighter.
"I'm sorry, Chris."
Carrie lowered her head even further, trying to break free.
But Chris didn't intend to end it there. She pulled Carrie, making her face her directly.
"Hey, my good sister Carrie, actually last night I was just teasing you. All those words were meant for you to hear. You weren't really scared to death and didn't dare to go out, were you? Tell me, until what time did you hide last night?"
Carrie's expression changed, and the look in her eyes from under her hair, directed at Chris, contained a hint of anger.
But in Chris's eyes, this action held no threat, but rather seemed like a challenge to her status.
She reached out and pulled Carrie's face.
"Come on, Carrie, give me a smile. You really should consider Dave. He's very lonely at the pig farm by himself. It wouldn't be bad for you to go and keep him company, so we don't have some kind of pig-headed baby hybrid product appear in our Town in a couple of years, hehe."
(Movie: It. If you haven't seen it, check the description at the end of the chapter.)