Chapter nine- Friday the Thirteenth
It was January thirteenth, the snow covered the ground and came up to our knees, it was the fluffy kind. Not the wet stuff that seeped through your boots and soaked your socks and after they dried they became all stiff and cold. The fat flakes had continued to fall for a week and a half now, and it seemed that they hadn't paused for a break at all. It was beautiful out, but the cloud of dread was hanging on our shoulders. It was Friday the thirteenth, and it was also Gordie's birthday.
Now, none of us were superstitious, well maybe Vern was but we weren't. I will admit that some of his warnings rubbed off on me, he kept telling me about the goocher that him and the guys got when they was flipping to see who'd go and get the food during the summer of Ray Brower. And after, him and Gordie nearly became pancakes after a train nearly hit them on that bridge that separates Castle rock from Harlow.
When I say I'm superstitious, I only mean a little. Sure I do the whole throw the salt over your shoulder and nock on wood thing, but I don't go out of my way to prevent things from happening. I'm not into the whole hexes and spell craft and bewitched objects that keep evil spirits away. That's a bunch of garbage anyways, stuff happens to the best of us. No one can help it. It's a little something I like to call fate. Fate is in the future and no one that I know of can foresee the future. If someone said they could I'd say the few marbles you had in your head had rolled out when you were sleeping, now it's just space with tumble weeds rolling around.
Gordie and I were sitting in my room after school, me on my bed and Gordie on my wheely chair. We were waiting for the others to come by so we could go somewhere together. Gordie was busying himself by tearing open the gift wrap on the present I had just handed him. He was making a career out of it, struggling with all the tape. My simple explanation for the large quantity of tape was: I'm a bad gift wrapper. If I was given the chance to wrap a gift for Death and he'd let me live, I would surely die.
To be brutally honest with you, his struggles were providing me with great entertainment that fed the hunger of my boredom while we waited for the other three to make their entrance. I became sympathetic for my friend and held out my hands,
"Aw, Gordo you're so cute. Give the gift here, I'll open it for you."
He thrust the present into my hands with a frustrated grimace on his face.
"Pass those scissors to me, Gordie." I stated my head coming up to look at his face.
"Scissors, what scissors?" Gordie asked me, his eyebrows scrunching up.
"The ones that are behind you, on the desk."
He turned around and picked up the handy tool that I kept hidden in my room. It seemed that whenever I needed them, there was never a pair in the kitchen so I kept a pair in my room at all times.
He was glaring at the object in his hand when he was facing me again.
"How could I have not seen them?" I saw his lips form the sentence.
I gave a hearty laugh, "oh Gordon, you are so adorable. For someone so smart, you're very oblivious to your surroundings."
He stuck his tongue out at me, "quiet you, no comments from the peanut gallery."
I giggled and took the scissors out of his grip and made one easy slice up the paper then handed the scissors and gift back to Gordie, so he could finish what I had started.
He tore the rest of the paper off and gasped in surprise.
"Wow, thanks Kay. I've been looking at these for the past two weeks." He began flipping through the next three Detective comics in his series.
"I know, I had to wipe the drool off of the covers when I bought them."
He smacked me on the knee with one of the comics and we both laughed.
That's when my door burst open and three guys piled in.
As tradition, the three non-birthday boys would get the fourth in a "Birthday Pile on".
Then Birthday beats.
And finally they would all settle down and Gordie would continue opening his gifts.
This, was exactly how it went. This happened on everyone's birthday, well except mine. I guess the guys figured I was more "breakable", so there was no pile on and birthday beats for me. I don't believe in punching people on their birthdays, I would rather hug them.
After Gordie finished with the last gift, placing it in the pile with all the others, he leaned back in the chair and looked at all of us. Chris, sitting to my left on the bed, Teddy at the window, and Vern on the floor.
"Now what?" I watched his lips move.
I saw Chris's head turn towards Teddy and I looked over too, to catch the tail end of his sentence, "I'm bored."
"Well, since its Gordo's special day. I say he decides on this afternoons activities." I stated, leaning back on my palms.
We all stared at Gordie for a few minutes and then he spoke.
"Let's go Boot Skating on the lake."
We were all in agreement.
Boot skating was an activity that we "invented" last winter. It was the same thing as Ice Skating but instead of using skates, we went on the ice with our boots. It was quite funny, and it was harder to manoeuver on the ice with your boots. Specially when we had no traction.
The five of us headed down to the lake, well actually we trudged through the knee deep snow THEN got to the lake. Chris picked up a frozen piece of snow and threw it on the ice and watched as it bounced then slid away from us.
"Well, it seems safe enough." I watched Chris say.
"I don't know you guys, somehow throwing a hard chunk of ice on the frozen lake just isn't convincing enough for me." Vern whined.
Gordie went out and cautiously placed his foot on the surface, gradually making his way out and testing the ice for us.
"C'mon you guys. Its fine."
Teddy was the second one on then Chris. I hesitantly placed my foot on the ice and nearly slipped, I caught my balance and edged over to the others, Vern following close behind. Any other time I was quick. Fast walker and fast runner, but when it was on ice, even Vern could beat me somewhere. So I was still taking baby steps to the guys and when I went to stop in front of them my feet slid right out from beneath me and I fell on my backside. I sat there and looked up at them all and waved. Teddy laughed, and Gordie had a smirk on his face as he held out a hand to me. I grabbed it, but before I could gain my footing I fell again, this time dragging Gordie with me.
It was Chris who was laughing this time, "Okay, that's two for Candy-Cane and one for you Gordie. Who's next?"
"Vern is!" Teddy yelled, hip-checking Vern and sending him sliding, five feet away.
I laughed and cautiously stood up. When I accomplished my feat I stood there with my hands on my hips, "now what? We're here, what are we going to do?"
Teddy grabbed me around the waist and spun me around, landing us both on the ice again.
"Gosh darn it, Teddy. Son of a monkey and his hippo of a father. I just stood up too!" I scolded him, shoving his shoulder. He laughed at me, shaking his head.
I looked up at Chris, "well, looks like you won this round."
"I always win the rounds," Chris boasted, puffing out his chest.
"Ahhh, shut up!" Gordie, groaned. Shoving Chris on the chest and knocking him backwards.
Eventually we were all standing again when Teddy issued a challenge with Chris.
"Hey, Chambers. Lets see who can go out the farthest without turning chicken."
Chris surveyed him for a moment then grinned, "you got it Duchamp. Loser buys hot chocolate from the Blue Point."
"You're on." Teddy gave his high-pitched laugh and went out a few feet, then turned back to us and gave us a mocking look.
Chris went at a slight run and then slid about five feet farther than Teddy went, and he retaliated by going an extra three than Chris.
Chris inched out a few feet more than Teddy and he shoved it into Chris's face by beating him with an extra five.
When Chris didn't move, Teddy called out, I could barely read what he was saying. So I had to get Gordie to repeat it for me, "You turning Pussy on me Chambers? Common, be a man and come get me!"
"No way Teddy, I ain't going any farther man."
"Chicken Shit! You're a chicken shit Chambers, you won't even prove your manhood by coming out farther."
"I may be a chicken Shit, but I ain't Stupid!"
Teddy gave his screeching laugh and took a step, but stopped dead like someone had clunked him over the head with a rock.
I saw Gordie's lips move, "oh shit." I turned to watch as Teddy whipped around to make a break for it but it was like one of those Cartoons. Where the ground falls and for a split second they're running in mid air. Then he fell and there was a splash. I saw Chris slide over and Gordie and I stumbled over to see Teddy freaking out.
"Oh my god, oh my god. I can't swim, I can't swim! HOLY SHIT." Teddy was screaming. I turned towards Chris and my eyes widened in shock. Chris, was laughing. He was actually laughing. Bent over at the waist and pointing at Teddy's misfortune.
"Now who's the fucking pussy, huh Ted?"
"Jesus Christ! Chris, HELP ME. I cant SWIM," Teddy wailed, flailing his arms around.
Vern was in hysterics, "Shit, Chris. What are we gonna do, what are we gonna do man. We need help, we need to go get help."
"We aren't going to leave him!" I shouted.
"Vern, if you want to go running all the way back to town in the knee deep snow, you go right ahead. And while you're at it, bring us some blankets because I am not leaving. We'll be able to get him out." Chris stated, choking back another laugh.
"Oh shit! Oh SHIT. I'm gonna get eaten. THE SHARKS ARE GONNA GET ME!"
"It's a LAKE Teddy, sharks can't live in fresh water!" Gordie shouted.
I was freaking out now, my hands covered my mouth and I remembered thinking, I don't remember it being that deep there.
That's when I shouted, "Teddy STAND UP!"
"I can't, its too deep!" Teddy was crying.
"Pull yourself together Teddy, try to stand up!" Gordie yelled trying to snap some sense into Teddy.
Teddy stopped flailing and attempted to stand. His torso came out of the water and he was standing, waist deep in the freezing cold water.
We stopped dead staring at each other and then Chris was on the ice, laughing.
We were all laughing, except for Teddy. When he climbed out he was shivering and I immediately pulled myself together, rushing to him I wrapped him up in my arms trying to warm him up.
"Vern, get a head start back to town and get someone to help. We don't have time to wait for someone, we'll just have to do our best to warm him up now and then start moving." I ordered, watching Vern leave. He was going quite slow so I decided to move him faster, "MOVE IT VERN!" I screamed and he immediately started in an awkward run.
I felt bad for yelling at him right after, but one of my boys had just fallen through the ice of a frozen lake.
And I was scared out of my mind.