Chapter 3 - Great Friend
We practically jumped out of the Thunderbird, sprinting as quickly and quietly as we could to Vern and Teddy, who weren't being so quiet.
"Oh, I've got you, Verno, you're done for!" Teddy screeched, laughing that hyena laugh of his as he gave Vern a noogie.
"Guys!" I barked quietly. They pulled apart to face Chris and I.
"Whoa . . . did you two -" We didn't let him finish, but I knew what he was about to say, and I knew why. Chris's jeans were crooked from me sitting on his lap, my lip gloss was everywhere but on my lips, and I probably had bruise-like marks on my neck.
"Not now!" I snapped. "Milo and Chopper are here, let's bounce!"
We sprinted away, and jumped the fence, throwing our bags again, and we were safe. Until we turned around at shouting. Milo screamed and Chopper barked wildly, and Gordie sprinted like his life depended on it, screaming as he did so.
"Come on! Gordie!" We all shouted, needing our friend to push himself. And he did, and he jumped the fence, and we were all safe.
I thought that we'd escaped a rabies infected beast. But nope. I looked down at the beautiful golden retriever that was Chopper. He wasn't vicious at all.
"That's Chopper?" I laughed. The guys and I began to tease the dog, happy to know we were safe. "Aw! Aren't you the cutest thing! Want a treat? Sic balls, Chopper! Sic 'em boy!" I mocked.
"Come on, Choppy! Kiss my ass, Choppy! Kiss my ass! Come on bite shit!" Teddy mused.
"Hey you kids!" We look up at Milo as he storms over. A large man in overalls with hardly any hair. "Stop teasing that dog! You hear me? Stop it! Sonny, I'll beat your ass teasing my dog like that! You too little girly!"
"Yeah, I'd like to see you try to climb over the fence to get me!" I sad snottily.
"Fat ass!" Teddy added.
"Don't you call me that, you little tin-weasel, peckerwood, loony's son!"
We froze. What did he just call Teddy? I know that him and I aren't the best of friends, but no one messes with my gang. No one. Ever.
"What did you call me?" Teddy asked in a scary voice.
"I know who you are," Milo mocked, thinking he now had the upper hand. "You're Teddy Duchamp. Your dad's a loony. A loony up in the nuthouse at Togus. He took your ear, he put it to a stove, and he burnt it off."
"My father stormed the beach at Normandy." Teddy's eyes narrowed.
"He's crazier than a shithouse rat. No wonder you're actin' the way you are. With a loony for a father." Milo continued.
"You call my dad a loony again and I'll kill you." There wasn't a hint of a joke, or sarcasm or anything like that in Teddy's voice. He meant what he said with every inch of himself.
"Loony, loony, loony!" Milo chorused.
"I'm gonna rip your head off and shit down your neck!" Teddy bellowed, trying to climb the fence again. The guys and I had to pull him down, which was a struggle. Teddy was a man on a mission, and nothing was stopping him from that mission.
"You come on and try it you slimy little bastard!" Milo teased.
"He wants you to go over there so he can beat the piss out of you and then take you to the cops!" Chris remarked.
"You son of a bitch! Teasing kids like you're our age! You poxy bastard!" I squealed, my voice strained holding Teddy back.
"You watch your mouth, smart asses!" Milo retaliated. "Let him do his own fighting!"
"Sure, you only outweigh him by five hundred pounds, fat ass!" I bit back.
"I know your name. You're Judith Ross! Mayor's daughter! I know all you guys. And all your fathers are gonna get a call from me! Except for the loony up in Togus."
God I fucking hated it when people called me by my real name. It makes me feel like an old lady.
"Son of a bitch!" Teddy cried out, trying to get at Milo again.
"You come back here!" We finally began pulling Teddy away, which was a struggle. "Come back here, you hear me?!"
"Nobody ranks my old man!" Teddy screeched.
"Come back here!"
"My father stormed the beach in Normandy!" Teddy repeated this over and over.
"He ranked my old man!" As we made it into the woods, Teddy cried on to Chris's shoulder, who didn't release him once.
I wondered how Teddy could care so much for his old man who'd practically killed him. My dad would spend millions of dollars on me a month if I asked, and I still hated his guts. Maybe if he actually cared about me . . . . .
"He ranked my old man!" Teddy cries.
"What d'you care what a bad old pile of shit like him says about your dad?" Chris stopped to comfort him.
"He still stormed the beach in Normandy, right?" Gordie reassured.
"He did it." Teddy nodded, sniffling.
"See? All my dad ever did was win a rigged election." I joked, giving him a small smile.
"You think that pile of shit back there was at Normandy?" Vern put in.
"Forget it, alright?" Teddy muttered.
"He doesn't know nothing about your old man. He's just dog shit." Vern continued.
"Whatever is between you and your old man, he can't change that." Chris added.
"Forget it! alright? Just forget it!" Teddy shouted, shutting us up as he continued around the bend.
We followed in silence, until Teddy turned around to face us. "I'm sorry if I'm ruining everybody's good time." He said apologetically.
"It's okay, man, it's okay." Chris assured.
"You're alright, Ted." I noted.
"I'm not sure it should be a good time." Gordie's words made me face him.
"You saying you wanna go back?" Chris questioned.
"No," Gordie looked sad. "Going to see a dead kid, though, maybe it shouldn't be a party."
"Yeah, like if he's really bad, like all cut up with blood and shit all over him; I might have nightmares!" Vern whines.
"Come on, Vern." Chris shook his head as I gagged.
"You know like all guts and eyeballs all over him . . ." Vern continued.
"Shut up, Vern!" Chris barked more harshly, making him finally stop.
"I can't help it, sorry," Vern muttered an apology as we started walking again.
It was only a quarter to three but it felt much later. It was too hot and too much had happened. We weren't even close to the Royal River yet. We were gonna have to keep moving if we wanted to make some real miles before dark.
I walked a few steps behind the guys. Vern and Teddy were up front, singing the lollipop song and making the funny noise with their mouth. Chris and Gordie were in front of me, silent.
I was bringing up the rear by myself. I was thinking about what had happened between me and Chris in the Thunderbird back at the junkyard. I wonder . . . . what was he thinking while it happened? How far would we have gone if Milo and Chopper hadn't showed up?
I needed to talk to him, I just didn't know when would be a good time to do that.
"Hey, I got some Winston's," I listened in on Chris and Gordie's conversation, since I had nothing better to do. "Hawked them from my old man's dresser. One apiece for after supper."
"Yeah, that's cool," Gordie didn't seem as excited about this as Chris was.
"Yeah that's when a cigarette tastes best: after supper." Chris continued trying to get his attention.
"Great. D'you think I'm weird?" Gordie's question was so random, I nearly laughed. But he was serious.
"Definitely," Chris replied.
"No man, seriously. Am I weird?"
"Yeah. But so what? Everybody's weird." Chris changed the subject. "You ready for school?"
"Yeah,"
"Highschool," Chris sighed. "Freshmen year. You know what that means. By next June we'll all be split up."
"What're you talking about, why would that happen?" Gordie inquires.
"It's not gonna be like grammar school, that's why," Chris replied gloomily. "You're gonna be taking your colleges courses, me, Teddy, and Vern will all be in the shop courses with all the rest of the retarders making ashtrays and birdhouses, and Judy's gonna be with the rest of the rich girls in Home Ec, making cookies. You're gonna meet a lot of new guys. Smart guys."
"Meet a lot of pussies is what you mean." Gordie grumbled.
"No man. Don't say that, don't even think that." Chris seemed rather upset at Gordie's words.
"I'm not going to meet a lot of pussies, forget it! I'm staying with the rest of you guys."
"Well then you're an asshole!" Chris bit back.
"What's asshole about wanting to be with your friends?" Gordie inquired.
"It's asshole if your friends drag you down!" Chris said seriously. "You hang with us, you'll be just another wise ass with shit for brains."
"No, man, I'd miss you guys too much." Gordie admits.
"You could be a real writer someday, Gordie." Chris tries.
"Fuck writing!" Gordie snapped. "I don't wanna be a writer! It's stupid! It's a stupid waste of time!"
"That's your dad talking." Chris argued.
"Bullshit,"
"Bull true!" Chris's voice was harsh with seriousness now. "I know how your dad feels about you, he doesn't give a shit about you. Denny was the one he cared about, and don't try to tell me different! You're just a kid, Gordie."
"Oh gee, thanks, dad!" Gordie said sarcastically.
"I wish the hell I was your dad," Chris surprised me when he said this. "You wouldn't be going around talking about taking these stupid shop courses if I was. It's like God gave you something, man. All those stories that you can make up. An' he said: This is what we got for you, kid, try not to lose it. But kids lose everything unless there's someone there to look after them. And if your parents are too fucked up to do it then maybe I should."
Gordie walked away from Chris then, not as far up as Teddy and Vern, but farther away to where he couldn't hear if I spoke with Chris.
I jogged forward and took Chris's hand, making him stop. "You know what?" I ask him.
"Hmm?" He looks upset about his little argument with Gordie, his gaze on the ground.
I cup his chin in my other hand so he's looking at me. "I think you're a great friend. The greatest friend a guy could have. The way you helped Teddy back after the junkyard. The way you just fought with Gordie about his future, as if you really believe he an get somewhere. And I know you do. Your a good friend, Chris Chambers."
"Thanks, Judy," He said in a small voice, his eyes on my lips.
"But I'm not a guy," I whispered, in a quieter voice. "I don't want to be your friend. I want to be more than your friend."
Chris stared at me. He just stared. I just left myself out there on the line for him, and he's not even going to speak to me?
I was getting ready to yell at him, but before I could he silenced me in the best way possible. He connected our lips so quickly, I couldn't even react. And I didn't, for a moment.
I froze under his lips as he wrapped his arms around my waist. But I quickly took that as a 'yes', and began kissing him back, my hands on his jawline.
"Hey!" Vern's voice cut through our moment, and we pulled apart.
"Damn it," Chris muttered, keeping his arms around me and his forehead to mine.
"Quit swapping saliva and let's get this going!" Vern continued.
It registered that we'd been caught, and we tore apart quickly, standing several feet from each other with bright red faces and swollen lips.
"Yeah, by the time we get there, the kid won't even be dead anymore!" Teddy chorused in.
I looked up at Teddy, Vern, and Gordie and they all had cheeky little grins on their faces. "Shut up!" I snapped, walking forward. I tried to act tough, but I was both embarrassed and happy. Now the whole gang knew that Chris and I were an item.
It sounds weird. Chris and Judy. An item.
But I could get used to it.
