I'm at Barnes & Noble; Stand By Me by Ben E King and the Drifters is playing and I have a copy of Fall From Innocence sitting beside me on the table. :D I thought it was a perfect time to update. Enjoy. :D

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With a shrill shout of, "Paratroops over the side!" Teddy Duchamp threw his sleeping bag over the six foot tall, steel fence and began to climb the threshold into Castle Rock Salvage. Quickly, we followed. As I tossed my sleeping bag over, I watched it plunk down on the ground, a cloud of dust rising as it did. I glanced at the rusted and slightly faded sign, CAST ROCK DUMP. Hours 4-8 P.M. CLOSED MONDAYS.

I felt a grin spread onto my features as I began to climb. I stuck my fingers and the toes of my shoes in the little rhombus shaped holes in the fence. When I got to the top, I swung one leg over the side, then the other, and jumped down, landing shakily on my feet. I was the last one over the fence and as I grabbed my bag, I could hear Teddy's World War II battle cries as he ran rambunctiously around the junk yard, kicking dilapidated cars and jumping off of broken crates.

"Teddy's crazy," I heard Gordie say softly. Chris chuckled and I fell in step beside them, "Yeah. He won't live to be twenty I bet."

"Aw, come on guys…he's not that crazy," I muttered. They both just looked at me. I laughed, "Okay yeah he is."

They too laughed and Gordon asked, "You guys remember that time he fell outta the tree?"

Chris and I nodded. Chris spoke, "Yeah…I dream about that sometimes…only in the dream I don't catch him. I just get a few of his hairs and down he goes."

For some reason Chris saying this made me uneasy. A melancholy presence wound its way into my stomach, knotting. The memory flashed in my mind: we were all in Gordie's backyard at a bar-b-que his parents were hosting in honor of Denny's team wining state. Teddy wanted to see how high he could get on the big pine tree on the edge of the woods. Vern, Teddy, Chris, Gordie, and I ventured away from the party and eventually, Teddy had convinced Chris to climb the tree with him so up they went. They made it about three fourths up when the branches began to thin out. Chris decided to stop but Duchamp wouldn't listen. He continued to climb and sure enough made it to the top. Just as he was shouting, "I'm king of the world!" the branch he was happily perched on snapped and he went tumbling. Purely out of reflects, Chambers shot out his hand, barely catching him.

I shuddered at the distant thought, "That's weird."

"Yeah," Lachance nodded. "But Chris Chambers never misses, does he?"

"Not even when the ladies leave the seat down," he flashed me a wink as he formed a hoop with his thumb and forefinger. He hawked a lugie, spitting in the ring perfectly. I rolled my eyes as Chris nudged Gordie, "Race ya."

"Eh," he shrugged. "I don't feel like it."

"Oh come on, man, right to the pump."

"No I don't think so-"

"Man, co-"

"Go!" Gordie cut off Chris's pleas as he shot off down the dirt path, headed straight for Teddy and Vern stood, pumping fresh water into their canteens.

"Oh you're a dead man Lachance!" Chris's scream echoed. I giggled hysterically watched them race and jogged over to Teddy and Vern. Duchamp had filled his canteen and moved over to let Vern go. As he lifted the army flash to his lips, I snatched it from his grasp. Taking a rather large sip, I shot him a smirk, and spit at him. That was when he starting chasing. I ran like a bat out of hell, circling Gordie, and skidding to a halt behind Chris. "Save me!"

"Get back here, Harper!" Teddy roared huffing after me.

"Whoa, Teddy, man, calm down," Christopher tossed up his arms, in my defense.

"Here, Teddy," my arm maneuvered around Chambers, relinquishing the water. He quickly snagged it, glared, and stalked away. I meekly peered after him, grinning slightly. "Thanks Chambers."

"What'd you do, anyway?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Stole his pop's canteen."

Vern had found a shaded spot no far from the pump and we had taken our seats, forming a semi-circle of friends. The spot was shockingly cool considering the blistering heat and as we sat, shooting the breeze, Vern-o grinned, "This really is a good time."

"The most," Chris chuckled.

"A blast," Gordie agreed.

"Yeah," Teddy and I chorused; we shared identical smiles. How long we were seated there, I have no idea. All I do know is that when Teddy finally asked for the time we had already discussed everything on God's green earth: the jugs on girls from the Mickey Mouse Club, the New York Yankees new season with Mickey Mantle, a new car Ford was bringing out next month, Gordie's new installment in his Le Dio stories, my mom's apple pie she baked every labor day, a horror flick the drive-in was showing this week, etc.

Gordo, the only one of us smart enough to bring a watch, looked down at his gangly wrist, "It's a quarter passed three."

"Somebody's gotta go to Quidaciolu's and get the food. Milo and Chopper will be here soon-" but Chris cut me off, "Ohhh, sic balls!"

A symphony of laughter echoed throughout the junk yard. Lachance dug a handful of change from his back pocket, "Out man goes?

We each nodded and Gordo passed out the various coins. When we handed me mine, I rejected the shiny penny, "No way, man."

"What?" Teddy crocked.

"No fairs," Vern muttered. "Girls gotta flip too."

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not going alone."

Teddy and Vern continued complaining, but halted when Chris demanded, "Shut up and flip, you pussies." Four coins glinted in the sun light as they sailed through the air, landing back on four sweating, dirty wrists. The boys flipped the coins over to see four tails peering up at us.

"Flip again," I muttered.

"No way, man, that's a goocher!" Vern whined.

"Fuck that shit; it doesn't mean anything," Chris rolled his eyes. "Go again."

"No, man, a goocher's really bad! You remember Clint Bracken and those guys that got wiped out in Durham? Billy said they were flipping for beers and got a goocher just before the left and BAM! They all got totaled!" he shook his head vigorously. "Sincerely!"

"Nobody believes in moons and goochers, Vern-o! That's baby stuff. Flip," Teddy elbowed him, tossing his quarter in the air as he did so. Gordie and Chris followed his lead. Tessio hesitated. I rolled my eyes, "Alright, Vern, either flip or don't eat."

He flipped. Three tails. One head. And then Teddy was laughing, his crazy, ridiculously high pitched squeal that even dogs could understand. He raised a shaking hand, his body pivoting from all his cackles, "Gordie loses! Ole Gordie just screwed the pooch!"

"Does the word retarded mean anything to you?" Gordie bit back. Teddy only continued to laugh, if you could call that laughter. Angrily, Gordo snapped, "I heard only fairies laughed like that."

"Oh, go get the provisions, you morphodite."

"Don't call me any of your mother's pet names."

Teddy grinned, "What a went end you are Lachance."

In a huff, Gordie stood, glaring at us. "Shut up."

We all broke out into grins, all shouting in unison, "I don't shut up, I grow up and when I look at you, I throw up!" Each of us made various gagging motions while Gordie rolled his eyes, "And your mother goes around the corner and she licks it up."

"Oohhhh, ouch Gordo," I joked. Chris collected a handful of dirt and sprung it at his best friend. Lazily, Gordie stalked off as we broke into wrestling fits of laughter. When we finally calmed down, we looked up and he was gone. "Oh he is such a wet end," Teddy shook his head.

"Not as wet as you," Chris laughed quietly. We lapsed into a silence, when Vern suddenly asked, "Hey, if Chopper sics balls on boys…what would he sic on Danni?"

I felt my jaw drop as I turned my head in his direction. Chris to my left, began chuckling softly. I narrowed my eyes on Vern, "Well, Tessio, I think you should know what he would sic…"

"Yeah, but does Milo get him to sic pus-"

"Vern!" I shouted, my face instantly turning a dead red. I raised my arm to hit him, but he shrunk back. Teddy, however, punched him twice for me, "Two for flinching."

"Jerk," I spat, looking away, willing my blush to go away. Chris scooted closer to me, draping an arm around my shoulders. He rested his chin on my shoulder, his forehead leaning into me. "Boo…!"

"Ahhhh!" I faked a shiver. His chuckles shook my body and we sat, the hot, Oregon sun beating down on us as we waited for Gordon's return. My shirt was now caked with not only my sweat, but the water I'd washed my face, arms, and hair off with; It clung to my body as my damp hair did to my forehead. Though the shade allowed me to cool off some, the heat radiating off of Chris's body was making me red with heat. That or I was blushing from the close proximity. Either way I was dying of heat. All of a sudden, Teddy broke out of his conversation with Vern and whipped his head toward us. "So how much further, Chambers?"

Chris didn't bother to raised his head as he shrugged against my body. I could feel this jaw and lips moving as he spoke into my shoulder, "We've still got at least a days walk…since we've only gone about seven miles. We still have to make it to the royal river which is eighteen miles from Quidaciolu's. From there Back Harlow Road is another five miles away."

"Damn," Vern breathed. "Told you we shoulda hitch-hiked."

"Shut up, Vern," we all mumbled. I couldn't get the heat off my mind, it was driving me mad; I was sticky and gross all over, salt water sweat in places it shouldn't be. I wiped a moist hand across my forehead, leaning back on the car behind me. I felt Chris turn his head; he was looking at Teddy and Vern who had launched into another wrestling fit, rolling around in the dirt. "They're crazy."

"Completely mad," I agreed. On impulse, I reached down and took his grimy hand. I didn't mind the sweat-we were all gross, so I kinda smiled when he laced our fingers together.

"Do you remember the day we met?" the sentence escaped my mouth like word vomit; I couldn't figure what persuaded me to ask this question. I think I wanted to know if I was important to him; so important that he had to remember the day we met because I was just that special. As always, Christopher didn't disappoint. He shot me a grin, "Of course."

I mirrored his smile, the scene coming back to me. It was the first day of second grade. We were on the playground and a bunch of my friends were talking about Chris Chambers; and by talking, I mean bad-mouthing the hell out of him and his family. Back then, I wasn't too sure who he was. I'd heard about his family through my parents on rare occasions. Other than that, he was just another boy in the sand box.

"You and that douche Orbison came over to me," Chris's voice broke my mental image. I looked over at him. He'd sat up, and our hands now sat, still linked on my lap, our legs rubbing together. "You spit on my shoes and called me a pussy."

I bit my lip, "I was a mean little kid."

"Nah," he shook his head. "Five minutes later you came running back crying. You were begging for me to forgive you; groveling even."

"Oh, I was not, you wet end!" I yanked my hand out of his grasp, shoving him violently. Despite my rather rough force, he still managed to burst into laughter. I glared at him. "All I said was sorry. There was no crying; or groveling. Pansy."

"Okay, so I remember it a little differently, so what?" he nonchalantly rolled his shoulders. As Chambers re-linked our hands, I caught sight of the bracelet hanging loosely around my wrist. It was my brother Davey's. He'd given it to me last fall when he went off to college. The bracelet was braided strings of different colors: purple, green, red, yellow, blue, and orange. He called it the Skittles bracelet.

I grinned subconsciously. Apparently, Vern noticed, "Whatever you so happy about?"

"The fact that I'm home again," I lied. I didn't like talking about my brother around the gang anymore because of Dennis. Though Gordie wasn't around, it had become habit for me to lie whenever thinking about him. The only time I ever talked about him now was a home, or if it was just me and Chris.

"Aw, did you miss us?" Teddy blew fake kisses my way.

"You?" I asked, shaking my head. "No. Chris? Vern? Gordo? Yes." I wrapped my arms around Chris in a side-ways hug to prove my point. Teddy scrunched up his face and mocked me. I stuck my tongue out at him. Chambers chuckled, "Oh real mature, Danni."

"Whatever."

"Shouldn't Gordo be back by now?" Teddy asked.

Chris looked up at the sky, the down at the shade cast by the cars. The sun was getting lower and judging by the shadow, it was almost four. Chris suddenly, brushed my arms off, and stood. He extended an arm to me and helped me up. "Pressman will be here soon. Let's go wait for Gordie on the other side of the fence."

We all gathered our things and set off for the fence. Just as we'd done an hour ago, we tossed our sleeping bags and canteens over the six foot metal wall, and climbed. Just as I landed, so did Vern. Skillfully, he'd managed to knock me over. "Vern," I growled, rolling the pudgy boy off of me. I scrambled back to my feet, and proceeded to dust myself off. I gave a slight growl towards Vern when a red blur caught my eye. Lifting my head, I spotted him. I nudged Teddy, "Hey guys, there he is."

I nodded my head towards Lachance when Chris suddenly spat, "Shit guys."

"What?"

"There's Milo…"

Vern cringed weakly, "And Chopper."