I ran home as fast as I could. I made it home and unlocked the garage door so I could get in. The metal door swung up to reveal our 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Bright red, beautiful. It had been my dads car.
"Beautiful." I said under my breath.
I opened the door and practicaly burst through. I heard I Love Lucy playing on the TV. That meant my grandparents were in the living room. I didn't want to speak to my grandparents right now. If I let them talk to me, that meant I'd be late to see the body. My grandmother had alzheimers disease, so she would also ramble on and on about things that didn't have anything to do with what we were talking about. She also didn't understand that my father, whom had been my hero and the guy that I looked up to after my mother left after I was born, had died a little more than a month ago.
I took a deep breath and tried to walk by as quickly as I could, hoping my grandparents wouldn't notice. I had almost made it when "Lynda?". Darn.
"Hi grandma.." I said.
"Where have you been? We've been looking for you." she said.
"Grandma I told you that I'd be with my friends." I said.
"Why are you so dirty?" She said, completely ignoring what I had just said.
"Grandma it's 90 degrees outside and Iv'e been outside all day!" I was starting to get a bit annoyed.
"Oh Lyn...".
"Grandma I hafta go." I said as I started to walk away.
"Lynda?".
"Yes Grandma?".
"Where's your father?".
I felt a lump in my throat. Jeezus, I hated when she asked this. My father was still a very, very, very, sore subject for me. Again, he was my hero!
"Grandma, Daddy's dead..".
"Stop being silly. Where's your father at?".
"He's dead Grandma!" I choked away the tears and walked away to go back.
I got to my room and grabbed what I thought I needed. Sleeping bag, matches, a canteen, and whatever was left of my money. I still thought of my dad as I packed.
I had everything packed, [finally!] and ran back downstairs.
This time, when I passed the living room, my grandparents didn't try to stop me. But on my way out the door, I stopped and looked at the picture of my father. I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I kept walking. I wiped it away, but more kept coming.
I was walking down the street with Gordie shortly I had left when Chris came down the road in a blue truck. "Here's alright!" he said as he hopped down. "Thanks!".
"Gord-o!" he said.
"Hey Chris." he said.
"Wanna see something cool?" he asked.
"Sure what?" Gordie said.
"You alright Lynda?" Chris asked.
"Huh? Uh yeah, fine." I said.
"Come on you guys!" he said.
He started to run away from us. Gordie and I followed in close pursuit.
"Chris, come on man what is it?" Gordie panted.
"Oh man. You're not gonna believe this!".
"Come on man!" I yelled.
Chris finally stopped behind the Blue Point Diner.
"Chris!... Chris come on man! What is it?" Gordie and I panted.
"Come on you guys! This is really cool your gonna love it!" he said.
"Come on Chris, what is it?" Gordie yelled.
Chris finally stopped behind the Blue Point Diner.
"You guys wanna see something cool?" he repeated.
"YES!" Gordie and I said in unision.
He reached in his bed roll and... out came a gun. My eyes went wide.
"Walking talking jezus..." I said as I took the gun.
"Where'd you get it?".
"Hawked it from my old man! It's a 45." Chris said.
"I can see that.".
I pretened to fire at one of the trash cans.
"You got bullets for it?" Gordie asked.
"Yeah, took all that was left in the box. My dad'll think he used 'em shootin' beer cans." Chris said.
"Is it loaded?" I asked.
"Pppfftt! 'Course not! What do you think I am?" he said.
So, I cocked it... And pulled the trigger.
KA-BLAM!
"JEEZUS!" we screamed.
"Let's get outta here! Come on!" Gordie yelled.
We took off running with Chris cackling behind us.
"Ha! Ha! Lynda! Lynda Harris is shooting up Castle Rock! Ha!".
"SHUT UP!" I yelled.
A womans voice came behind us. "Hey who did that? Who's setting off cherry bombs out here?".
We stopped running at the front of the diner.
"Oh man you should've seen the look on your guyss faces! Man that was cool! That really was!" Chris said.
"You knew it was loaded you idiot!" I yelled. I was furious, and by looks of it, Gordie was too.
"We're gonna be in so much trouble now! That Tupper babe saw us!" Gordie said.
"God you guys she thought it was firecrackers!" Chris said.
"I don't care! That was a mean trick!" I said.
"Hey, I didn't know it was loaded." Chris said, and he grabbed my arm. "Honest.".
"Do you swear?" I said, shooting daggers at him.
"Yeah I swear." he said.
"On your mothers good name?" Gordie said.
"I swear!".
"Even if she goes... You know where cos you lied!" I said.
"Yes!".
"Pinky swear?" Gordie said.
"Pinky swear!".
That was good enough for me! I was about to say something when "Hey girls? How's it goin'?".
We turned and saw Ace Merill and Eyeball [Chris's older brother] walking out of the Blue Point Diner. Ace was the biggest jerk in Castle Rock. But with his blonde hair, and serious face, I had to admit he looked pretty good. Unlike Eyeball, whom always had a smirk on his face, and a black eye.
They walked closer towards us. Close enough to take Gordies hat off his head.
"Hey! Come on man! That's mine!" he yelled. Gordie tried so hard to get his hat back. But compared to Ace, Gordie had no chance.
"You're a real jerk you know that?" Chris said.
"Ooohh Eyeball your brothers not very nice, now is he?" Ace said, the cigarette in his mouth traveling from one side to the other.
"Give him his hat back Ace!" I said.
Ace stepped towards me, almost pinning me against the wall. He was about to say something when...
"Why don't you leave her alone you -". CHRIS! [thank you!]
"Now Christopher... I know you didn't mean to insult my friend." Eyeball said.
"I know he didn't mean to. That's why I'm going to give him the chance to take it back.".
Next moment, Chris was pinned on the ground, a cigarette butt just inches away from his face.
"Jezus..".
"Take it back." Ace said.
"Come on man let him go!" I yelled.
"Get off man! Christ!" Chris yelled.
"Come on you guys! Cut it out!" Gordie yelled. Lot of help we were...
"Take it back!" Ace repeated.
The cigarette butt was getting closer and closer to his face.
"Okay, okay! I take it back! I take it back!" Chris yelled.
"Good." Ace grabbed Chris and pushed him back to his feet.
"See you later girls!" Eyeball said.
Gordie watched hatefully as they walked away.
"Come on Gordie... It's okay." I said.
I grabbed his shoulder and he spun around. We walked away. Leaving the memory of Ace and Eyeball as we left.