A/N: Wow, a new chapter already! Don't get your hopes up for more frequent updates, but I am continuing this story, so stay tuned!


Chapter 8
July 4th, 1960
Maggie

Ace has his arm around me as we watch the fireworks from the peak and drink Coke and rum (I pretended to put the rum in mine). I put my drink down and turn to Ace with a smile. He grins back. I forgave for his brief tryst with Janie, of course. He apologized, said he loved me, and that's all that matters. I mean, I can't not date Ace Merrill. I mean, he's Ace.

"You ever want to just leave Castle Rock," he asks.

"Only every day," I respond enthusiastically.

"I'm leaving town," he announces.

"When," I ask.

"Next week," he says. "You gonna come?"

I almost yell, "Of course," at the top of my lungs. But then I remember: I'm not really sixteen. I'm just caught up in my own lie. Maybe, I think, if I tell Ace the truth, he'll understand, and he'll stay for a while. Before, when I lied, we weren't in love. But now we are. That's right. He told me he loved me when he apologized about Janie. And if he loves me, it won't matter how old I am.

"I can't go, Ace," I said. "I wish I could, but I can't."

I feel my throat close before the word "I'm thirteen" can come out. I can't tell him, I think. It'll ruin everything.

"Why not," Ace said. "Are you worried about school? Forget that. We can go live out on a ranch in Wyoming together. And you won't need school."

"You want to live on a ranch," I ask, surprised.

"Yeah," Ace mutters. "Like John Wayne."

"You want to be a cowboy," I say, laughing.

He rolls his eyes. "I want to learn more about animal husbandry," he corrects. "I dropped out of 4-H when I started up the Cobras back in ninth grade, and I always regretted it. I'm never going to junior college, so I figured I should go for it now that I've graduated, and I'm starting to outgrow this bullshit. And I want you to come. I want you to marry me, Maggie."

I swallow nervously. I want to marry him, too; at least, I think so. But I can't. "I can't go, Ace," I reply. "I'm sorry."

"Give me one good reason," he asks. I start to cry; if I tell him why, it might ruin everything.

"Just stay for one more year," I beg.

"Why," he asks.

It finally flies out of me. "Because I'm thirteen," I sob.

Ace drops his Coke and it spills all over the car's interior. "What," he spits out. "You're in junior high?"

I nod as the tears flow down my face. "You dumb bitch," he yells, slamming on the gas, turning the car around and screeching down the peak. I begin to cry so hard that I can't even make a sound.

"Junior fucking high," he murmurs to himself before turning back to me. "Are you out of your goddamn mind," he hollers.

"I'm sorry," I rasp. "But - but don't you still love me?"

Ace laughs coldly. "Love you? I don't even like you."

"B-but you pr-proposed," I manage to say.

"Just to get in your pants," he says coldly. "I figured you'd put out if we were engaged, and then I could break it off, and send you back here."

"That's cruel," I whisper.

"At least I'm not thirteen," he snaps. "Goddamn it."

I start to cry a little harder, and I can't speak until he finally pulls up to my house. "Thirteen," he rasps. "Get out."

I get out of the car and he pulls off. I collapse to the sidewalk in tears.

Gordie
A bunch of people were gathered in the town's brand-new local picnic area for the fireworks. Dad, Mom and me all went together, bringing a cooler packed with pop. I was carrying the new advance copy book my father bought me, To Kill a Mockingbird. He bought it after he saw my report card: four As and two Bs. I figured I could read before the fireworks started, but I ended up leaving it in the knapsack I'd brought with me after I saw my friends. Chris and Teddy were acting like they were going to blow off the show, and Vern was at camp, but the guys had shown up after all. I hadn't seen Bird yet, but apparently, Chris and Teddy had come with Mrs. Duchamp, and already located the Adams twins.

"Hi," Jane and Alice said in unison. I waved and started following the others. We walked around the park aimlessly, just talking about random, inane topics. I finally spotted Bird and waved her over. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder when she came. We were kind of going steady at this point, but I still hadn't kissed her. We walked close together, talking about movies we'd seen and books we'd read. Eventually we circled back around to my parents. My mother saw us first and started waving.

"Hi, Gordie," she said. "Is that Florence Horne's daughter you're with?"

I nodded. She nudged Dad and he looked up. "Look, Eugene," she said. "Gordie and Darla Horne are going together. Isn't that adorable?"

I felt my face heat up as Teddy snickered in the background. "Yeah, it's real nice," I murmured. Bird nodded slowly, and we started to walk away.

"Wait," my mom said, and she ran up to me. "You've got a cowlick." She started to smooth it down, but I jerked away and handled it myself.

"Well, I'll catch up with you later, Mom and Pop," I said, leading Bird away and waving until they were out of sight. The others trailed behind.

"It could have been worse," Teddy said. "One time, Maggie came to my house, and my mom coughed the word 'slut' about eight times."

"Well, whose mother wouldn't," I heard Alice murmur.

"Huh," Teddy said, snapping around.

Alice grinned. "Nothing," she said. "Let's go get some hot dogs." She gave a passing glance to the rest of us, and then turned back to Teddy. "Alone."

She grabbed his hand and walked him right past the grill. The pair went off behind some trees. Chris looked Jane up and down and smirked.

"And on that note, would you like a pop," Chris asked.

Jane grinned and linked arms with Chris. "Sure," she replied. Unlike most girls, Jane really did like Chris. After all, they were both in the same place: the Adams twins lived on the bad side of town, too. The pair traveled over to one of the coolers and grabbed some pop.

I glanced at Bird and she shrugged. "So," I said. "What now?"

"The fireworks should start soon, now that the sun is setting," Bird said. "We could pick out a viewing point."

"Would you want to go to a point in the woods," I asked.

Bird rolled her eyes. "I'm not going up to the peak," she said.

I shook my head. "Not the peak," I explained. "Just in the woods."

Bird looked off at some of the families before turning back to me. "Okay," she said. I led her into the woods, past TeddyandAlice. Fortunately, the new area was close to the clearing where we had found Ray Brower, so it wouldn't require a long trip. Ever since we found the body, I had started coming to the clearing whenever I wanted to think, and it would be a nice wide open, private space to be with Bird and see the show. The fireworks would really stand out without all the crowds and sparklers and blaring radios.

When Bird saw the clearing, she gasped. "How'd you find this place," she asked. I briefly considered telling her the whole story, but decided against it. After all, one time was enough, especially considering the reaction I'd received from Maggie: complete apathy.

"I just came across it on a camping trip once," I answered truthfully.

"Cool," Bird replied, nodding her head. We laid back for a while, watching the sunset, comfortably silent.

And as the fireworks started, Bird grabbed my hand. "It feels sort of gunfire, doesn't it," she observed. "I mean, the fireworks can feel so close outside."

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's almost like being inside one."

I turned and looked into Bird's eyes. "You-you look really pretty tonight," I managed.

"Thanks," Bird said, biting her lip, and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I really like you," I said.

"I really like you, too," Bird replied.

And right then, I decided that it was now or never. I had to kiss her. I closed my eyes, leaned in and felt...hair. "I-I think you missed," Bird giggled as I pulled back.

"Oops," I murmured, embarrassed. Before I knew what was happening, Bird pulled me toward her, and we began to kiss as "God Bless America" played in tune to the show. God bless America, indeed, I thought. Bird's lips were soft and tasted like pink lemonade and watermelon. I wrapped her into my arms, and held her close to me.

When the show finished, we went back to our families. "Where were you," my mother yelled when I came back over. "We were worried sick." I looked at Dad and he rolled his eyes.

"Dorothy," he said. "The boy's fine. He just went off with his girlfriend."

"Well, he should have told us he was leaving my line of vision. He's only in junior high."

I briefly felt guilty for upsetting my mother, but then Dad nodded at me. It was like we had a secret together: the secret brotherhood of manhood. As I walked home, Bird was still on my mind. I wanted to marry her. I wanted to be with her, forever.