"I knock," Gabby said as she tapped her knuckles on the tiny wooden table.
"Shit," Teddy sighed, throwing his cards down. Gabby grinned and looked at Chris.
"32... what d'you got?" she asked.
"19," Chris answered irritably.
"Teddy, you are losin bad today," Gabby said happily.
"Cuz you keep cheatin!" he yelled.
"Shut up Teddy," Gordie said. He was too busy with his comic book to play cards and Vern wasn't even there yet.
"Oh Chris," Gabby said. "It's our three week anniversary, so I'll be taking my present now." She reached over and pulled the pack of Winston's out of its cuddled position under Chris's sleeve.
"That's not fair, what'd you get me?" Chris yelled. Gabby smiled as she pulled out an envelope addressed to Chris.
"Don't read that til you're alone," she ordered.
"Gotcha," Chris agreed, pointing at her.
"Since we're giving gifts, I got somethin for all you guys," Gabby said, reaching in the bag she'd brought.
"Gordie," she started. She pulled out a Yankee cap and handed it to him.
"Where'd you get this?" he asked in awe.
"Off Eyeball's dresser. He's not gonna miss it." He put it on and thanked Gabby ever so much for his brother's hat.
"Teddy," she started, reaching in her bag again. She handed him a necklace with dog tags on it because he'd previously lost the other one.
"This is really cool, thanks Gabby," he said.
"And if Vern would get here..." There was a knock at the entrance door below their feet. Gabby smiled. "Right on time."
"Vern!" Gordie called, only making sure it was him.
"Open up!" Vern yelled. They laughed before Chris moved the table and opened the door. Vern crawled up the ladder and sat in his usual seat, which was different since Gabby started spending her time with them.
"Here ya go Vern," Gabby said, pulling out a large jar filled with pennies. Vern's eyes brightened as he slowly took it into his hands.
"Where did you find this?" he asked, barely able to speak. Gabby smiled.
"Under Ace's bed. I guess Billy or Charlie one found it and had no intentions of giving it back."
"Those assholes," Vern said. The others laughed and Gabby looked at Chris. Their eyes locked and it was as if no one else was in the tree house. It was only them.
Meanwhile, Ace and Eyeball were out in the field in their backyard, just relaxing. Ace was more than irritated with Gabby's attitude toward him and he was also upset at her and Eyeball's relationship. They were more brother-and-sister than he and Gabby were and he didn't like it. Gabby was the only person he cared about in the entire world and she had practically disowned him. Suddenly, he realized he hadn't seen Gabby all day...
"Eyeball, where's Gabby?" he asked. Eyeball remained silent for a while.
"I dunno, haven't seen her," he said. Ace sat up and thought about it.
"I'm gonna kill her," he said, knowing she was with Chris, but he didn't know where. "I'm gonna fuckin kill her." He got up and jogged to the house.
"Where you goin?" Eyeball yelled. Ace didn't answer as he headed in the house then to his car and sped off. He drove all around Castle Rock looking for Gabby when her whereabouts finally hit him... the tree house. He flew toward it and when he got there, he jumped out the car and ran to the ladder climbing up. He knocked heavily on the door. Everyone inside jumped.
"Who is it?!" Chris yelled. Ace was enraged and he wasn't going to take Chris's smartass attitude. He busted the door open, saw Gabby and the rest of the guys and his fury finally boiled over.
"You're dead you little cocksmoker," he said, pointing at Chris.
He stepped up a little higher to grab Chris's shirt and yanked him down through the entranceway and let him fall to the ground, hard. He dropped down, but landed on his feet, unlike Chris. Ace crawled on top of him and began punching him like Chris was his age and he could take a few blows to the head, but he couldn't. After the first iron punch, Chris was knocked out.
Gabby hurried down the ladder and stood in awe, watching Ace beat the love of her life to death. She jumped on his back in an attempt to pull Ace off, but he twisted his back and threw her off instead. She hit the ground hard and sat up slowly, holding her head. By this time, Teddy, Vern, and Gordie had jumped down and were watching; they were too afraid to fight Ace.
"Ace, stop," she whispered, she couldn't yell. Her head weighed a thousand pounds and she could barely see straight. When her vision finally did clear, she saw Eyeball running toward Ace. He grabbed Ace under his arms and yanked him off. Ace fought hard, but he was tired from all his fighting and wasn't able to overpower Eyeball.
As Eyeball carried Ace away, he looked at Gabby and pointed at her. "You're next!" he yelled, out of breath. Gabby ignored him as she slowly crawled to Chris's aid.
"Chris?" she asked, placing her hand on his already bruised face. There was blood trickling down from his lip and he had bruises all over his face.
"We gotta get him outta here, Ace might come back," she said, looking at the other guys. "Gordie?" she asked.
"My parents hate him," he said sadly, shaking his head. Gabby looked at Teddy.
"Teddy?"
"My dad'll kill us all," he said.
"Vern?"
"I..."
"Vern!" Gabby yelled impatiently.
"Ok, fine." It was tough, but all four of them carried Chris down the road to Vern's house, a place they knew Ace wouldn't find them... he didn't know where Vern lived. A few hours passed before Chris awoke on his couch. He looked up, letting his vision clear and saw Gabby's face come into focus.
"About time you woke up," she said smiling.
"Yeah," Chris said, trying to sit up. "I'm glad it's you I see instead of Ace... where am I?"
"Vern's house." He sat up and thought about things for a minute.
"What did I do to him?" he asked, looking at Gabby.
"I dunno, but I can guarantee it'll never happen again," she said.
"How do you know?" Gabby paused before answering.
"I've got an idea."
"Shit," Teddy sighed, throwing his cards down. Gabby grinned and looked at Chris.
"32... what d'you got?" she asked.
"19," Chris answered irritably.
"Teddy, you are losin bad today," Gabby said happily.
"Cuz you keep cheatin!" he yelled.
"Shut up Teddy," Gordie said. He was too busy with his comic book to play cards and Vern wasn't even there yet.
"Oh Chris," Gabby said. "It's our three week anniversary, so I'll be taking my present now." She reached over and pulled the pack of Winston's out of its cuddled position under Chris's sleeve.
"That's not fair, what'd you get me?" Chris yelled. Gabby smiled as she pulled out an envelope addressed to Chris.
"Don't read that til you're alone," she ordered.
"Gotcha," Chris agreed, pointing at her.
"Since we're giving gifts, I got somethin for all you guys," Gabby said, reaching in the bag she'd brought.
"Gordie," she started. She pulled out a Yankee cap and handed it to him.
"Where'd you get this?" he asked in awe.
"Off Eyeball's dresser. He's not gonna miss it." He put it on and thanked Gabby ever so much for his brother's hat.
"Teddy," she started, reaching in her bag again. She handed him a necklace with dog tags on it because he'd previously lost the other one.
"This is really cool, thanks Gabby," he said.
"And if Vern would get here..." There was a knock at the entrance door below their feet. Gabby smiled. "Right on time."
"Vern!" Gordie called, only making sure it was him.
"Open up!" Vern yelled. They laughed before Chris moved the table and opened the door. Vern crawled up the ladder and sat in his usual seat, which was different since Gabby started spending her time with them.
"Here ya go Vern," Gabby said, pulling out a large jar filled with pennies. Vern's eyes brightened as he slowly took it into his hands.
"Where did you find this?" he asked, barely able to speak. Gabby smiled.
"Under Ace's bed. I guess Billy or Charlie one found it and had no intentions of giving it back."
"Those assholes," Vern said. The others laughed and Gabby looked at Chris. Their eyes locked and it was as if no one else was in the tree house. It was only them.
Meanwhile, Ace and Eyeball were out in the field in their backyard, just relaxing. Ace was more than irritated with Gabby's attitude toward him and he was also upset at her and Eyeball's relationship. They were more brother-and-sister than he and Gabby were and he didn't like it. Gabby was the only person he cared about in the entire world and she had practically disowned him. Suddenly, he realized he hadn't seen Gabby all day...
"Eyeball, where's Gabby?" he asked. Eyeball remained silent for a while.
"I dunno, haven't seen her," he said. Ace sat up and thought about it.
"I'm gonna kill her," he said, knowing she was with Chris, but he didn't know where. "I'm gonna fuckin kill her." He got up and jogged to the house.
"Where you goin?" Eyeball yelled. Ace didn't answer as he headed in the house then to his car and sped off. He drove all around Castle Rock looking for Gabby when her whereabouts finally hit him... the tree house. He flew toward it and when he got there, he jumped out the car and ran to the ladder climbing up. He knocked heavily on the door. Everyone inside jumped.
"Who is it?!" Chris yelled. Ace was enraged and he wasn't going to take Chris's smartass attitude. He busted the door open, saw Gabby and the rest of the guys and his fury finally boiled over.
"You're dead you little cocksmoker," he said, pointing at Chris.
He stepped up a little higher to grab Chris's shirt and yanked him down through the entranceway and let him fall to the ground, hard. He dropped down, but landed on his feet, unlike Chris. Ace crawled on top of him and began punching him like Chris was his age and he could take a few blows to the head, but he couldn't. After the first iron punch, Chris was knocked out.
Gabby hurried down the ladder and stood in awe, watching Ace beat the love of her life to death. She jumped on his back in an attempt to pull Ace off, but he twisted his back and threw her off instead. She hit the ground hard and sat up slowly, holding her head. By this time, Teddy, Vern, and Gordie had jumped down and were watching; they were too afraid to fight Ace.
"Ace, stop," she whispered, she couldn't yell. Her head weighed a thousand pounds and she could barely see straight. When her vision finally did clear, she saw Eyeball running toward Ace. He grabbed Ace under his arms and yanked him off. Ace fought hard, but he was tired from all his fighting and wasn't able to overpower Eyeball.
As Eyeball carried Ace away, he looked at Gabby and pointed at her. "You're next!" he yelled, out of breath. Gabby ignored him as she slowly crawled to Chris's aid.
"Chris?" she asked, placing her hand on his already bruised face. There was blood trickling down from his lip and he had bruises all over his face.
"We gotta get him outta here, Ace might come back," she said, looking at the other guys. "Gordie?" she asked.
"My parents hate him," he said sadly, shaking his head. Gabby looked at Teddy.
"Teddy?"
"My dad'll kill us all," he said.
"Vern?"
"I..."
"Vern!" Gabby yelled impatiently.
"Ok, fine." It was tough, but all four of them carried Chris down the road to Vern's house, a place they knew Ace wouldn't find them... he didn't know where Vern lived. A few hours passed before Chris awoke on his couch. He looked up, letting his vision clear and saw Gabby's face come into focus.
"About time you woke up," she said smiling.
"Yeah," Chris said, trying to sit up. "I'm glad it's you I see instead of Ace... where am I?"
"Vern's house." He sat up and thought about things for a minute.
"What did I do to him?" he asked, looking at Gabby.
"I dunno, but I can guarantee it'll never happen again," she said.
"How do you know?" Gabby paused before answering.
"I've got an idea."
