There is an array of voices bellowing one name – Teddy. Teddy hadn't ran down the hill with the rest of us, instead he nonchalantly stood up and kept his magnified vision fixed on the oncoming train. The only sprightly movement he did was catapulting his bag at us before vanishing back into his lethal daze. Everyone's heads, excluding Teddys', flick in the direction of the impending train whose void of ashen smoke is starting to appear larger and larger with every chug the train makes.
"Teddy, get off the goddamn tracks! You wanna get yourself killed? Get off the fucking tracks!" Chris hollers, distress over the doubts of his friends fate if he doesn't remove himself from the trail of death etches his face.
"Train dodge man, dig it" Teddy's focus is completely absorbed on the train, ignoring all of his friends pleas. I take fast glances of the train then Teddy repeatedly. What if Teddy doesn't move in time? What if he doesn't move at all? I know the poor kid is crazy, but would he really be that crazy to kill himself? Is this what he has been waiting for all along? "Just like my dad... at the beach in Normandy. Just like Pops" he imitates the noises and actions of handling a heavy machine gun in battle. Of course - he wants his father to be proud of him.
"Teddy! Come on! Get off the tracks! Please you're freaking me out!" I yell, begging more than commanding. The more the train nears, the more I can feel nervous vibes dashing throughout my body. I turn to Gordie whose face has gradually changed from a sun kissed bronze to a strawberry red, as if he is about to pummel anyone who dares challenges him. The train seems to increase in speed with every inch it takes in the mission to murder Teddy. Everyone has a foot in front of them, preparing themselves to dart up the hill in order to save Teddy. The train is almost here. I can't bear it any longer. I sprint up the hill, attempting not to trip up on the hidden rocks.
"Jennifer!" I hear Gordie bark above the racket of the other shouters. I reach Teddy who is blissfully unaware I have come to rescue him from being crushed by a monster bigger than him. It's only when I capture him, he surrenders from his trance that could have guided him to an early grave. Within seconds, Gordie has also arrived to aid the both of us.
"Get off me Rich Girl!" Teddy screams, squirming around in my hold. He pushes me aside, Gordie replacing my role as the main kidnapper. I'm not going to resign from this without a fight though, and not without getting Teddy back to the land of protection "Go count your thousands of piggy banks!" the chugging of the train is advancing, now extremely proximate to us. If Teddy doesn't cease his struggling, then he's not going to be the only one accessing a coffin sometime soon. I stare at the train whilst succeeding in hauling Teddy off the tracks, it glares at me. Thankfully, we manage to drag Teddy away. All of us fall onto the arid ground, tumbling down the moderate hill before being blocked from going any further by Chris's feet. Chris without a thought grabs Teddy by the shoulders and begins screeching at him.
"You wanna get her killed along with you Duchamp?" Gordie contributes, the two of them squaring up on Teddy who retaliates, referring to me several times. Vern clasps his arms around my hips, lugging me to him and burrows his head deep into my waist to veil himself from the argument; I can feel his lips whispering something as he does this, most likely prayers. I can't help but feel sorry for him. If Billy had have been kinder to him, Vern would be able to deal with these situations.
"Admit it Duchamp! You were trying to kill yourself!" Chris roars, not listening to any of Teddy's debates.
"My father was on the beach –"
"Don't you try and tell me any different! You were –" the three boys deranged protests are stolen as the train overmasters all sounds that could be heard at this exact moment. All I can see is their mouths frantically yapping away. As the train fades into silence, so do the mutual enemies. Gordie, Chris and Teddy just participate in a vicious battle of the eyes, two against one.
"I don't need no babysitter" Teddy spits, if the feelings spewing from his eyes could be seen physically, we would all be ice statues by now; he jerks his eyes devoured with seething hatred at me and icily thrusts his arm out to point "Especially Rich Girl!"
He words sting me like a hornets vengeance, what have I ever done to him? The only times I have even taken a glimpse at Teddy is when I'm with Ace and I see him walking with the others, apart from that I rarely see him around Castle Rock. Teddy's words were bitter and consumed with honesty, just like Eyeball's were that night. That night Ace let me down once again. That wasn't the first time Ace flung me into a state of desperation. No, he had accomplished that before Eyeball laid even a finger on me. That one thing Ace did to me, it will never unstitch itself from my memories.
"Leave her alone Duchamp" Gordie gnarls in a deep, low growl that even Ace would find threatening. His fists are clenched once again and that redness is flushing all over his face.
"Gordie man, calm down" Chris consoles Gordie by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, that one touch brings Gordie's infuriation into a deep hibernation, as if it were never there.
"Oh Jennifer, make it stop, please make it stop!" Vern implores in suppressed whispers, gripping rigidly onto my sweater vest with his little fists and drowning his head further into my waist.
Chris asks for a closure to the argument, gesturing Teddy to pound his fist or as he puts it, to 'skin' it. I'd never heard that expression before I was greeted to the underworld of 'The Cobras' – Ace's gang, where they say it to greet each other. I'm the only one forbidden to use it, only because I'm a woman though. If I was a guy I could use it as I please, whenever and wherever I desire to. However, The Cobras follow a certain set of regulations and rules, that if broken could cost you your life. One of them is to never touch another members girl, so why Eyeball wasn't buried somewhere anonymous to the rest of Castle Rock I shall never know.
Teddy stares at Chris's fist for a few seconds before stating once again that he could have had the ability to dodge the train. Everybody here though knows exactly what his ambitions were when on those rails. He abandons the rest of us, continuing the journey to a place I am clueless of. I'm supposing its Back Harlow Road, wherever that is. Chris isn't going to endure any of his tantrums and strides over to him with power, determined to make amends and spins him around. Pure anger is all that can be seen on Teddy's features, there are no remorseful or apologetic feelings, just fresh anger. Vern had divulged himself from his hiding place for a little while with his arms still roped around me, but as soon as Teddy flashed us his glowing caution, he concealed his view again. I place a defending arm around him; somehow feeling like it is my duty to protect these kids. Even Teddy!
"I thought I told you I don't need no babysitter" Teddy grumbles about to turn on his heel when Chris stops him "What you want Chambers?"
"Don't take this out on Jennifer, man; Asshole Merrill got her involved in this, you know what the bastard's like" Chris informs him gingerly, their eyes locked. I feel another presence next to me, through the corner of my eye I can see its Gordie, his skin brushing up against mine. "You ain't your pop Teddy Duchamp, and she ain't gonna do nothin' to your pop like her parents did"
Another reason I despise my parents is for what they did to Teddy Duchamp's father a long time ago. As well as being heir to Waters Industry, my father owns most of the rented houses in Castle Rock. One of the many people who pays him an extortionate amount of money just to keep a roof over their heads is Mr Duchamp, Teddy's father. Father has a strict rule of 'One strike and they're out'. One month Mr Duchamp missed paying rent just short of two days. His family were thrown out as quickly as a lightning bolt and suffered a week on the streets, beseeching for a few bucks and scraps of food to get them by before my father even considered allowing them to have a home again. It made me feel sick how he could put a family through that agony. It's only then I realise, because of who I am, because I am the daughter of the man who put his family through so much, he hates me for it. Teddy scorns the daughter of Joseph Waters, not the true person Jennifer Waters is, not her personality. He just hates the title given to me at birth. A title I had no choice but to take.
Teddy peers up at me, sighs an elongated breath, and then ambles over to me. He dares to face my dark cinnamon eyes, staring directly at them; he looks down at his hand before turning it into a fist, holding it out in front of me.
"Sorry I've been an asshole, skin it?" I smile at him sincerely and accept his gesture, pounding his fist. He walks away almost instantly with a glum expression on his face and 'skins' the other boys fists.
If only Ace could see me now, breaking his petty little rules that he and his gang never abide. Mother and Father would be ashamed of me; it's too late to change that now though. I have been a regretful being to the family ever since I stepped out of line, the line they silently begged for me never to cross. I've travelled far beyond that line now, and I am never fleeing back to it.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)
