Chapter Two
The Fun Begins
Part 1- Smoke and Corpses
Vern began his harrowing tale with "Well, I was under the porch digging, you know..."
They did know. Vern had buried a mason jar of pennies beneath his porch, intending on using the map he drew out to find them when he was hard up for money.
One day his mom took it upon herself to clean it out Sammy would've too...it looked like a pig sty. Smelt like one too, come to think of it. and threw out loose papers.
That map was one of them. Everyday for a couple hours he'd crawl under his porch and dig. And dig, and dig. It looked like the porch was infested with moles, but it wasn't.
He buried it at the beginning of the school year...and was still looking. It was funny, in a way, but bitter. And sad.
Sammy tuned back in, hearing Teddy exclaim, "Brower kid was found by those shit-heads?"
"The Brower kid was under your porch?" She cried, horrified.
Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern stared at her. She stared back, her eyes still wide with unmistakable horror.
Finally, Chris sighed exasperatedly. "No Sam, Vern was under the porch, diggin', you know, an' heard Charley and Billy talkin' 'bout seein' the Brower kid," Chris paused, taking a breath. His words were getting cut off because he couldn't breathe.
"Sammy, lay off the smoke!" Gordie cried, waving it away from his face.
Sammy was smoking up the place, but she couldn't help it. She was probably the most addicted, and could smoke 15 a day on her worst days. It had been Mr. Chambers himself who got her into it, too. Christmas Day, two years ago, cigarette in hand, holiday sherry in the other-
"Wanna smoke, Samantha Ann?!" The old man had bellowed, reeking of God knows what. Sammy was stuck between the wall and her father.
"No Dad. I'm fine...I don't smoke," She had spat in his face, trying not to scream, trying to put out the butt in his mouth. Her dad was closer with the butt in his hand everytime.
And when it happened, she wasn't surprised. Father dearest shoved the butt in her mouth and mouth pinched her nose. She breathed it in when she couldn't hold her breath any longer, and now Chris and she decide that's where it started.
Chris started because he didn't want Sammy to be alone.
"Oh." Sammy was quiet as she put the cigarette out. "Sorry guys."
The gang took a collective, appreciative breath and Vern asked, "So guys...you can come?"
"Where are we going?" Sammy asked. She had missed it during her recollections.
"To see a dead kid's body." Teddy replied in his off-hand, blunt and sometimes rude way.
"Ray?" Sammy asked. Vern and Chris nodded in confirmation. "Well, this'll be fun. How're we gonna get there?"
"Vern here said he's out at the Back Harlow Road." Chris replied, cleaning the cards up into a pile and rolling them into his left sleeve.
Sammy reached over and helped him out. "You're gonna get caught with those." She cautioned him for about the 100th time.
"It ain't my fault your shirts don't have sleeves!" Chris shot back. Sammy glanced down and grinned.
"This sleeve's a little short too, don't you think?" She teased, pulling at it. The shirt was fine, in all actuality. It was just a thing her and Chris went through at least once a week, when Sammy's shirt shrank for...let's just say hormone reasons.
"Anyway, guys, Back Harlow Road. Where is it?" Gordie asked sensibly, his face less enthusiastic than the others.
Part 2
Cajoling and Plans
"I know the Back Harlow Road! It comes to a dead end by the Royal River. The train tracks are right there! Me and my dad used to fish for cossies out there!" Teddy exclaimed, a familiar glint in his eyes at the prospect of an adventure. Or, rather, to him, a mission of sorts.
"Glory, Vern! If they'd known you were there," Sammy's sentence was easily finished by Chris, "Under the porch they would have killed you."
And then there was Gordie in his skeptical calm, "Could he have gotten all the way from Chamberlain to Harlow? It's really far!"
"Sure! He could have started walking on the tracks down that way." Chris assured him, now reclining against the side of the tree-house.
Teddy looked thoughtful, and then said, "Yeah...yeah. Right. Then when the train came along," He paused for dramatic effect, then smacked his hands together as he said, "El smacko!"
"You're so heartless." Sammy said absentmindedly, and then added, "If we find him, we'd for sure be in the paper. Editorials and everything, ya know?"
Teddy gazed at her mock-admirably and said, "Yeah! We'd even be on TV!"
"Sure!" Chris exclaimed, followed shortly by Vern's cautious, "I don't know guys. Billy'll know how I found out..."
Gordie, who had by now figured out a foolproof plan, was slowly joining in the excitement, "He's not gonna care. 'Cause it's gonna be us guys, well, Sammy too, who find him. Not Billy and Charley Hogan in a boosted car. They'll probably pin a medal on ya, Vern."
Vern still looked cautious but he asked, "What'll we tell our folks?"
At this Teddy, Sammy, and Chris fell silent, each wondering what exactly to tell them. They looked up however when Gordie exclaimed his plan.
"Exactly what you said. We all tell our folks we're tenting out on your backfield. You tell your folks you're sleeping over Teddy's. Then we'll say we're going out to the drag-races the next day... until dinner tomorrow night."
A quick glance between the twins showed that they thought the same. "That's a plan and a half!" Chris said, tapping his fingers against the card table.
Sammy glanced at Teddy, both of them sharing a glance of excitement at the impending adventure. Sammy was about to say how they needed to make sure to bring some food, when Vern exclaimed:
"But if we do find the kid's body over in South Harlow they'll know we didn't go to the drag-races! We'll get hided!"
Sammy shook her head, understanding where he was coming from, but annoyed that he had missed the big picture. "Vern," She began, saying his name in a way not un-like Teddy, "People won't even think about wondering how we found the body because...well, because..." She trailed off, looking at Gordie, Chris, or Teddy to back her up.
Chris and Gordie looked at her bemusedly and shrugged, simply not caring whether Vern got that straight or not; the only thing they cared was if he went with them.
"Nobody would care 'cause everybody's gonna be so jazzed about what we found it's not gonna make a difference!" Teddy exclaimed, momentarily brilliant.
"Yeah!" Sammy cried, leaning forward excitedly, adjusting the front of her shirt.
"Dad'd hide me and Sammy anyway, but hell, that's worth a hiding!" Chris added, grinning now, formulating plans in his head.
"Shit yeah!" Sammy agreed at the same time Teddy also said it. Who knows why he said it though.
"So let's do it." Chris said, deciding for the group. "What d'you say?"
The adventurous trio aka Chris, Sammy, and Teddy, turned to Gordie. He sighed, then simply said, with a trace of a daring smile, "Alright."
As one, the four teens turned to Vern, who still looked cautious and rather confused. After a few seconds of silence from the boy, Sammy groaned.
"Don't you dare make me kiss you," She said, teasing.
Vern glared at Sammy, saying, "I don't know..." with the cautiousness of an old man about to not use suspenders for the first day of his life.
Teddy sighed with disgust and exasperation, "Come on Verno!"
Chris, coaxing, "Vern!"
And Teddy, demanding, "Vern!"
Sammy was officially pissed. "Vern. Come ON," She paused to put out her cigarette before adding, at the same time as Chris and teddy, "Come on, Verno!"
Finally, after the massive amounts of cajoling, Vern reluctantly agreed, "Alright."
Sammy whooped out an "All right!" And Chris added his own "Very cool!"
Gordie joined in with an "All right Verno!"
Teddy added his own "Very very cool!" and joined in with Sammy as she said, "Too cool!"
Gordie stood, pushing the table aside. "I need to get my stuff...but I guess we can all meet back here, right?"
The four others exchanged a quick look, then Chris nodded. "Yeah man, meet here."
Gordie nodded, then disappeared down the ladder.
"I guess I should go too, but I'll be here quick." Teddy said, looking at the remaining three.
Before Teddy could leave or anyone could even say anything, Vern said, "Well I'll walk with you, I mean seriously, I don't wanna run into the Cobras alone."
Teddy half-shrugged, bring his shoulder up to meet his ear. "Fine by me." With a final glance at Chris and Sammy, he too went through the door.
"Are you coming home, Sammy?" Chris asked, halfway out.
"I need to." Sammy stated simply, then adding, "But no. Teddy'll have some stuff I can wear...I hope."
"Yeah, okay. Watch his hands." He offered her a cheeky grin, then left too, knowing Sammy'd leave when she felt like it.
Sammy watched Chris walk away, and climbed out, pulling the table over the top.
She jumped the remainder of the ladder steps, and went off to find Teddy.
