Chapter Two
Disclaimer: See Chapter One. Now to all my loyal fans who reviewed the story (and hey I found a place for you all in the story... just not this chapter. Please don't hurt me). Just remember Pyro loves you:
StormShadow21 (Chelsea)- Skag means slut, or something pretty close to that. And I'm glad you liked the spinning of the yarn. This is such a fun story to write and I like that Chris is her cousin too, especially because if she weren't my other friend (coincidentally named Megan like Preppygirl) would kill me. That's HER man, lol. Looking forward to reading more of your stories to! And randomness is my forte, so it's cool.
Cassie- Hee hee, wrote more. And there's plenty more Eyeball, so no worries there.
Lithium Picnic (Reese)- Thank you so much! You rule too!
Justin- Wow, you weren't joking, it was a short review.
the-yamanaka-ino- I'm sorry and I'll go review your stories! Yay!
Phi-Phi (Ra)- I'll keep it alive don't worry.
Bewaryofsquirrels (Dani)- I'll do so
Two days later and life was extremely boring. I shared a room with Eyeball, Emery, and Debbie, other than Aunt Carolyn, the only other girl in the house.
I sat at the dresser, studying myself in the cracked mirror that hung above it. I wasn't completely ugly, at least I didn't think so. I just wasn't a total fox either.
My hair was my best feature, I thought. It was a golden color, but mixed in were strings of brown and blushing shades of red. I brushed it out, which was difficult, even if it did only hang to just below my shoulders. I tied it back in a ponytail with a red ribbon and smiled at the natural curl that ran through it. Curl was to die for and I was one of the lucky few that didn't have to sleep with curlers in. I did envy the straight haired girls though on the mornings I was near tears with frustration.
I looked at myself for a couple more seconds. I had large hazel eyes, those were my second favorite and a small dusting of freckles on my cheeks and nose.
The front door banged open and I jumped about a foot in the air. Four already familiar voices floated into my room.
Over those boring two days I'd met Chris's friends and Eyeball's j.d. buddies. Chris had pointed them out to me while he was taking me on my third tour of Castle Rock. The Cobras hadn't seen us, but I'd had the feeling that maybe that was a good thing.
"Eeee-eee-eee you should've seen your face Vern-o." Teddy Duchamp squeaked. I swear I could feel my eardrums bust. Teddy Duchamp was crazy; at twelve going on thirteen that boy was a certified loon. I understood why he would be, Chris had explained it to me, but that cat drove me to the bug house and back. Teddy was also a dog, totally girl crazy.
"It wasn't that funny." Vern Tessio argued. Vern wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box, but he was a good kid at heart. Always the last to understand things, he had a hard time trying to keep up with guys. His brother, Billy, beat up on him a lot and I couldn't help but feel bad for the kid.
I walked out of my room, trying my hardest not to trip over Debbie's dolls and other toys that the kids left on the floor. Drew, who had quickly been accepted, was outside roaming the fields with Sheldon and Emery.
"What wasn't that funny? 'Cause guys, Duchamp's face is hilarious." I said joining them in the hallway. I felt oddly out of place among the jeans and t-shirts.
"Oh, Vern was passing by Samantha Bracowicz-" Gordie Lachance began. Gordie was a quiet kid and the real thinker of the group. His parents didn't give a shit about him and he'd often try and sneak out, meeting Chris halfway.
"Fuzzy's older sister?" I interrupted.
"Yeah, older sister. A real fox, sincerely." Vern said, shaking his head. I nodded for Gordie to continue.
"So anyways, we were passing by her and Vern let's this huge burp. I mean this thing could've shaken Castle Rock. She gave him this look like he was the grossest thing she'd ever seen."
At this point the four of us, Vern being too red to do anything but glare, burst into a fit of giggles. I even let Teddy's screeching go this time.
"I'm hungry." Vern declared after the laughing fit had subsided. We all looked at each other for a minute before Chris spoke up.
"We should head to Blue Point. Everyone brought money right?"
"Yeah," was chorused throughout their little gang.
"You guys go on without me." I said. I didn't have money I could use. Any money I got was for the 'Jovanna Cameron T-Bird Fund.'
"It's cool I brought four dollars. We can at least split something." Gordie said and I smiled at him.
"Ooh, Gordie's got a crush on Jovie!" Teddy exclaimed and we both turned to him angrily.
"Shut up ya four-eyed retard!" I said angrily.
"Yeah, I figured we'd be going out to lunch and that you, you douche bag, would forget your money." Gordie insisted. Teddy sneered.
"Let's just go." Chris said, rolling his eyes at Teddy's obvious stupidity as we trooped out of the house.
"I'm just glad you're not rankin' on me." Vern said as we headed into town. A comfortable quiet fell over us the rest of the time we walked.
"Why would you think that we'd rank on you, Vern-o? Although I'm sure Samantha wouldn't mind." Chris said breaking the silence. We all cracked up again.
"Uh-oh. Cobras and the skags at 10 o'clock." Teddy declared, looking cautiously into Blue Point's window.
"What's got them lookin' to beat the piss outta you anyway?" I asked curiously. They looked from one to the other as though making an important decision.
"We took something that they think belonged to them last weekend." Chris said.
"Can we just go in? I'm STARVIN'!" Vern exclaimed and his stomach rumbled to back him up.
"Look, they can't say boo to a cuckoo if we're in there right? Because they won't want to get thrown out." Chris said, trying to be the voice of reason.
"What makes you so sure?" Teddy questioned.
"Because they're in the middle of lunch and getting some action Douchechamp." I argued, peering in the window. I couldn't get a clear view but it was obvious what was going on.
"Did you just call him Douchechamp?" Vern asked.
"Yeah." I shrugged.
Chris, Vern, and Gordie lapsed into a bout of laughter.
"Come on. Are we just gonna sit out here like a bunch of pussies or are we gonna get us some food?" Teddy said, resentful to be the butt of a joke. He and I weren't exactly hitting it off and I don't think we ever really did get along.
"Yeah, let's go." Gordie said, clapping a hand on Teddy's back.
I went first, holding the door open for myself. The sounds of "Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke came rolling at me and the smell of pizza dough wafted under my nose like a dare to try and resist.
'Come on you wets,' I thought as I walked past the crowded table. The Cobras had managed to squish in and their girlfriends- the skags being a more appropriate name, even if it wasn't nice- were seated comfortably on the laps of their current boy toys. Chris told me that they were prone to switching off when the occasion moved them.
I looked at Eyeball who was playing suck face with a girl I recognized as Andrea Kay. In fact, looking around at the table I could name every girl there. The last time I had seen them though they had been a lot more innocent and wouldn't be caught dead with cats like that. The last summer I'd been here the six of us had palled around at the lake all the time, barely even interested in boys.
My eyes settled on Ace Merrill and two things hit at once. One I had been expecting, the other was completely different. The first being anger and the second was that butterfly feeling you get when you have a crush.
"Hey I found us a booth." Vern announced, shaking me from these new, if not somewhat scary, thoughts. I didn't even know Ace at all, aside from the fact he was huge jerk, so how could I be thinking of him already?
I followed Vern to our booth, two behind Cobras, and squeezed in between Gordie and Chris. Teddy and Vern sat on the other side.
"Hey, we could pull our money for two pizzas and a pitcher of coke." Teddy suggested.
"Yeah I could really go for a pizza." Vern agreed.
"Okay, put the money on the table and I'll add it." I said, wanting to prove I could do more than come up with witty ways to insult Teddy. The total came to $9.54, which was a lot of money.
"What can I get y'all?" The waitress, a blond haired girl about my age asked.
"Two pepperoni pizzas and a pitcher of coke." Chris ordered. The girl nodded, wrote it down, and went back behind the counter.
"That's Bell, Jezebel. Billy's girlfriend. She's the only person dating a Cobra who's not a total skag." Vern told me. I glanced at the crowded table and tried not to gag. The only people I had a clear view of were Eyeball and Andrea and they seemed to be lost in a very intense moment.
Jezebel came back with the pizzas and the coke and the cost. We paid her and started chowing down. There were few words passed between us, mostly grunts and "Hey you dumb fuck that was my piece."
Finally we finished and to avoid beatings (or in my case watching them) and because the Cobras had been looking our way for the last five minutes we decided to hightail it out of there. We found a spot on the side of the road and sat down.
"School starts tomorrow." Teddy said pulling a disgusted face that made us all laugh. I hadn't laughed this much since summer started and it felt pretty good.
"Yeah I almost forgot." Chris said and I began to feel a little sick. I'd be starting my junior year in high school and it sincerely sucks being new.
"Ow!" I yelped as something hit my leg. I looked down at it; a rock.
"Sorry Jovie." Gordie apologized.
"Eeee-eee-eee, good throw Gordo." Teddy screeched. I gnashed my teeth and picked up the rock. As soon as his head was turned I chucked it at the little bastard and hit him square in the back.
"Shut up faggot." I said. Immature, sure but it was effective. He scowled at me.
"Cool it." Chris mumbled, intent on something. I followed his gaze across the street. Leaving the diner arm in arm were Charlie Hogan and his girlfriend Allison Look, Vince Desjardens and Mandy Day, Eyeball and Andrea, and Jack Mudgett. Fuzzy Bracowicz barely made it out of the door the way he was clinging on to Jane Rebelle. The only person who hadn't left was Ace.
Thinking of Ace somehow led me to the realization that we had left the change sitting on the table.
"Oh shit!" I exclaimed jumping to my feet.
"What?" Chris asked. I looked across to the diner hoping no one had taken it.
"We left the money on the table." I said racing across the street.
I opened the door and heard the little jingle of bells I had missed coming in the first time. I rushed to the table we'd been sitting at and sighed. The money was gone.
"Looking for something?" Jezebel asked. I spun around and in her hand was the cash.
"Thanks." I said taking it from her. She gave me a friendly smile.
"You're new in town, right? Obviously you're starting school at Castle Rock High. What grade?" She asked. I stared at her for a minute. She sure could talk a lot.
"Uh... I'll be a junior."
"Me too! Hey, I'd better get back to work. I'm Jezebel White by the way. See you tomorrow."
"Jovanna Cameron, and yeah, you too." I said as she walked back behind the counter. That had definitely been strange.
I took a look outside where the guys were sitting. No one had moved, which made me feel warm inside. Sincerely.
As I started to leave, the once over occupied table caught my eye. I turned around and squeaked a little bit.
Claire LeBeau, my former best friend, was playing suck face with the world's biggest jerk off and the thing Eyeball called his friend. I was slightly disgusted and I looked away feeling a lot like a kid who just walked in on their parents doing it.
"Why do you look so down in the dumps?" Chris asked as I rejoined them.
"I'm not." I replied sitting back down.
"Hey, is it just me or is it really hot?" Gordie said tugging on his shirt. I put my hand over my eyes to cover them from the deadly rays of sun.
"Maybe we should go to the lake." Teddy said lying back on the concrete.
"Nah, I have to go get ready for school tomorrow." Gordie said standing up.
"Yeah me too. Billy's gonna be at home too and I want to try and stay out of his way while I finish my comics." Vern said standing up as well.
"Us too." Chris said, not wanting to be stuck with just Teddy. I nodded.
"Gotta start cleaning before Uncle Eddie gets home." I said.
"Yeah okay. See you tomorrow." Teddy said as we all began to head our separate ways.
Chris and Gordie walked ahead of me, deep in conversation. I looked around at the town and felt comfortable for once.