A/N: Hello all! Thanks for reviewing my last chapter! And you might have noticed there were no Jane Suther and the Cobras in that one. They will not be in this one, but after this one, they will have two whole chapters to themselves. I'm way more into the "four boys" scene than I am with the Cobras, I don't know as much about them as I do of the boys. If anyone could give me help on writing the Cobras, I'd really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: Not mine except for the girl the reviewers love and her sista
After leaving the junkyard, the train tracks went straight through the woods, so the group ventured out there. Teddy's mood made a miraculous change, and now he and Vern were in the lead, dancing and singing Lollipop, by the Chordettes. Then was Chris all by himself. He seemed to be in deep thought, but what he was thinking, Andy didn't know. She began to walk beside Gordie, but they did not speak. Andy wanted to, but Gordie was looking rather down, for reasons she couldn't fathom. But when Andy wanted to do something, she did it.
"Man, that was some fucked up shit back there, huh Gordo?"
"Yeah," Gordie agreed, not really focusing on their conversation.
"I feel sorry for Teddy. Actually, I feel sorry for all of you. All of you guys except Vern have pretty fucked up dads, yours included. You know that?" Andy told him. She wanted him to know. He had to know the predicaments and situations he would have trouble getting out of because his dad wouldn't be there to help him.
"Yeah," Gordie repeated, "But I mean, my dad doesn't hit me and give me bruises." Gordie now switched his gaze from the plants on the side of the tracks over to Chris's backside. "And he also doesn't try to burn my ear off by placing it against a hot stove."
"Well, that's true," Andy responded, "But to me, I think your dad does worse things than abusing you. He ignores you all the time, pretends like you don't exist. He even did that when Denny was still alive. It got worse though after. But he really has to open his eyes and see what a great son he still has. I mean really, Denny's death hit everybody in Castle Rock hard, my sister included."
Gordie gave her an odd look. It was very rare that Andy would mention Jane in such context. Silence over swept their conversation, and they both began to separately mull over their choice of words to say next.
"So, have you thought about any new stories lately?" Andy asked.
"Oh…OH yeah, there is this one story I really like….it's kind of different," Gordie answered.
"GOOD!" Andy exclaimed, "I'm so sick and TIRED of those Le Dio stories. It's not that I don't like them," Andy added once she saw Gordie's discouraged face, "But I thought I was going to have to sock Teddy he made you write Le Dio stories over and over and over…."
Gordie gave a small laugh and looked up at her good-naturedly.
"I knew girls hated the army."
Now Andy laughed. "It's not that we hate the army, we hate war. It's vile, cruel, and despicable. I mean, yeah people think I'm a tomboy, but anyone decent likes peace. War really shows off the world's intelligence," she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, the world is pretty stupid," Gordie agreed.
"So what's your new story about?" Andy questioned.
"Well, it's about a contest."
"Ooh I like contests. What kind?"
"A pie-eating contest."
Andy snorted, "A pie-eating contest? Oh yeah, nothing better than a bunch of guys indulging themselves too much on blueberry pies and then barfing their guts out."
Gordie smiled at her, but he was surprised. How did she know the whole story already? She even knew the flavor of the pies!
"Well, I'm interested in that stuff," Gordie explained.
"You're interested in people barfing?" Andy laughed, "Wow Gordo, you are sooooo weird!"
Andy then began to quicken her pace, trying to catch up with the rest of the guys on the train tracks. Gordie looked down at the ground, feeling apprehensive. He didn't push it aside, like he would if Chris or Teddy or Vern had called him weird. This was Andy who had called him weird, and for some reason, it made him feel uneasy when it was her. He felt like he was being judged, and that it was the way Andy always thought about him. Besides, he liked her as more than a friend, didn't he?
Andy turned and saw Gordie's distraught appearance. Gordie made her feel so weird, so odd, so confused. He had this way about him that twisted and bent her mind into thinking strange thoughts and feeling bizarre emotions.
She trotted ahead of her and fell into stride of the boy next to her.
"Ah, well if it isn't Miss Sweet as Candy Andy!" Chris exclaimed joyously, snapping out of his past thoughts.
"Yeah, it's me," Andy replied in a low tone.
"Whoa, what's up with you?" Chris asked sternly.
"I- I just….it's Gordie."
Chris's head immediately whipped around to look at her. "What's wrong with him? Is something bothering him?"
"I don't know," Andy responded, "But he's bothering me. I'm worried about him."
"Why?" Chris questioned.
Andy paused. She didn't really know why she was worried about Gordie. Wherever she went, she always had this unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, and her mind interpreted it to be something about him. She was worried that something would happen to him if she wasn't there to protect him. Yes, she did like Gordie as more than a friend but…but being constantly concerned about him was rather weird.
"I don't know," Andy admitted.
"How worried are you?"
"I don't know," Andy said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Do you like him?" Chris asked in an odd, unreadable tone.
Andy whipped her head around to look at him. How did Chris know? Did it really matter? She just could not tell him the truth. Why should she? It was her own feelings, she didn't have to share them with anyone.
"I don't know!" Andy repeated, agitated.
"Alright, I was just asking," Chris said calmly.
"Ok!" Andy agreed in a rage-filled voice.
She jogged ahead of him, not wanting him to really find out her true feelings. She was so confused! Andy knew who could take this off of her mind.
"Excuse me boys, but I think I could beat up Mighty Mouse and Superman," Andy said arrogantly, jumping in between Teddy and Vern.
"Andy, my main girl!" Teddy exclaimed.
"Teddy, I'm your only girl," Andy pointed out.
"Ah, you sure are, my love," Teddy agreed, draping his arm over Andy's shoulder.
"Ooh the love!" Vern said, bringing his hands up to his heart.
"Aww! Laugh! Cry-"
"Party! Kill the Nazis! Fight AIDS! Have sex!" Teddy cried randomly.
Vern and Andy stared at him with blank expressions.
"What?"
"Well Theodore, to help fight AIDS, you don't have sex. It can be sexually transmitted, you know," Andy lectured.
"It can be sexually what? Girl, you are way too smart. Cut back on the brain and rabbit food."
"How does rabbit food make someone a genius?" Andy asked him, amused.
"Rabbits eat lettuce, duh," Vern answered.
"Vern, lettuce isn't brain food!"
"WELL! I don't eat lettuce. I don't eat brain food. Anything I don't eat is brain food!" Vern exclaimed.
"Pssh, that's a given, Verno!" Andy retorted.
Teddy and Andy laughed cruelly at Vern, but suddenly their laughter was interrupted by shouts.
"Bullshit!"
"Bull true! 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!"
That was it. Either it was silence behind Andy, or soft talk. She looked down at the railroad tracks and kicked a rock hard, stubbing her toe to the point of breaking the skin. She ignored the pain though, and thought of the emotional pain her friends were going through.
She knew exactly what Chris was talking to Gordie about: his future. Chris was trying to point Gordie in the right direction, but Gordie is just so goddamn stubborn….who would win? Andy had no doubt in her mind that Chris could convince Gordie to take the college courses and forget about him. How Gordie could forget about Chris and the other guys, she'd never know.
The group of five was Gordie's only security, and having to separate from Chris, Teddy, and Vern would break away that refuge Gordie had achieved. And on top of that, Andy wasn't even in his grade, so he'd be all alone. But she knew that it was for the best. She wouldn't be able to see her best friend/interest waste that talent and creativeness inside of him. If Chris was going to need help to get Gordie to take the college courses, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
The group arrived at the train trestle. Andy stared at the railroad tracks. The bridge was long and seemed like it took awhile to get across. What if a train came? There had to be some other way across the river.
"Does anyone know when the next train is due?" Vern asked meekly.
"We could go down to the route 136 bridge," Chris suggested.
"Are you crazy?" Teddy exclaimed incredulously, "That's five miles down the river! You walk five miles down the river, you gotta walk five miles back!"
"Yeah, but if a train comes, there's nowheres to go!" Vern protested frightfully.
"No there isn't. We'll just jump."
Andy turned to look at Teddy, her mouth open. Did he seriously want to risk getting killed? On second thought…this was Teddy they were talking about…
"Are you crazy?" Andy asked him.
"Teddy, its a hundred feet!" Chris cried.
"Look, you guys can go around if you want to," Teddy started, "I'm crossing here. And while you guys are dragging your candy asses halfway across the state and back, I'll be waiting for you on the other side, relaxing with my thoughts."
"Do you use your left hand or your right hand for that?" Gordie questioned simply.
"You wish."
Andy gave Gordie a thump on the back in appreciation of his clever line and watched Teddy start across the trestle. Chris followed, and Gordie signaled for Andy to go. Vern then went, and Gordie taking up the rear. She walked slowly and cautiously, step by step. She breathed deeply, but then started to get the hang of it. This wasn't so bad….
"TRAAAAAAAAAAIN!"
Andy whipped around, and there she saw it. Coming around the corner was the train. She thought if she opened her mouth in surprise, she'd puke. Her stomach felt like it was going to squeeze itself out of her and fall through the ties on the tracks. Andy stared. The train was going to run over Gordie and Vern! It was right up their asses, she knew she had to do something. For a quick second she thought of going to them, but then she realized that would only make it even harder for the two of them to get across. The only thing she could do was run, and she was perfectly fine doing that. She sprinted as hard as she could, but making sure her feet didn't slip through the ties. She looked up to see Chris and Teddy already on the other side, and she could hear Gordie and Vern's screams behind her. Suddenly, she saw Chris take a quick step towards her, going back onto the trestle.
"NO!" Andy shrieked, "GET BACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH, GET BACK!"
Chris immediately stepped back on the ground and made room for her to stop where he and Teddy were standing. Andy's breathing was becoming abnormally heavy….but she had to get to the other side…she was almost there…
"GO, GO, GO!" the screams coming from in front of her and behind her seemed to motivate her to move faster. She pumped her arms and her legs, and leapt to the spot made clear for her landing. Chris tried to help her back up, but she pushed him away and stood up quick. She felt as if she could barely stand, but she did anyway, staring with wide eyes as Gordie thrust himself and Vern off of the tracks. She, Teddy, and Chris ran, and saw them on a lower ground, panting and whimpering in pain, but seeming to be alright.
"Hey," Chris said with a smirk, "At least now we know when the next train is due."
Gordie and Vern looked up at him evilly, and Andy smacked his arm. She was rather angry with him. First, he was going to risk his life and get himself run over by a train just to help her get across? Then, he tried to help her back up when she fell. It wasn't like she was physically impaired!
Once Gordie and Vern regained their composures (for Vern it took quite awhile), the group walked for about half an hour and found a place to settle in the woods. Gordie began to get out the food, Teddy unrolled everyone's sleeping bags, Vern just sat there sighing, and Chris and Andy went to go get wood to build a fire for the food Gordie bought. Once Andy was sure she and Chris were alone and had gained a fair amount of twigs and sticks, she turned to him.
"Hey," Andy said roughly, "I don't appreciate what you were trying to do back there."
Chris turned and stared at her, looking perplexed, "What was I doing?"
"You were trying to help me," Andy answered.
"And that's a bad thing?" Chris asked sarcastically.
"Well for one, if you tried to help me on the trestle, we both would have had our asses ran over by that goddamn train. I was doing fine, ok? Just because I'm a girl from that oh-so-proper heritage doesn't mean that I need your charity!" Andy pointed out, agitated with him already.
"Friends help each other! And I sure as hell didn't want to see you dead, I might as well be dead if you were!" Chris replied.
"You know, I don't care. It would be my choice whether I want help or not and I don't."
"I'll make sure I remember that next time your life is at stake. Just let you whimper like a goddamn dog," Chris told her sardonically, his face set.
"CHRIS!" Andy screamed in frustration, "You don't get A THING, do you? When I want help I'll ask for it, damnit! There are more important things than me to be worrying about, boy! And then you have to go and make a joke. This just in: it wasn't funny!"
"I was just trying to make them feel better!" Chris claimed, his temper beginning to rise.
"Well it didn't! It was a mean and heartless thing to say, it was so unlike you!" Andy exclaimed.
"Sorry if I'm turning out to be my father," Chris then lowered his voice to a whisper so only he could hear himself, "And sorry that I tried to help you out, isn't the only way for you to notice that I like you?"
"If you keep up the cruel remarks, you might just end up like your fucking father!"
And with that, Andy whipped around and stomped away, leaving Chris to himself. She scrubbed at her eyes and immediately regretted the last thing she said to him. She was such a hothead…but she should have had better control. She trudged to the group's campsite and flopped down on her sleeping bag.
"Whoa, what's wrong with you?" Gordie asked, his voice soft, his eyes deep with concern.
"Nothing," Andy answered emotionlessly, her eyes closed.
"Where's Chris?"
"He's coming." Andy actually had no idea if when he was coming back.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Suddenly, Andy lifted her head.
"Where'd the freaks go?"
"Teddy and Vern went to the bathroom. But you are still here," Gordie joked.
"Thaaaanks," Andy responded with a smile.
"Hey, Andy…." Gordie said after a minute of silence.
"Yeah?" she asked.
Gordie stared. Her beautiful light blue eyes were so intensifying and mysterious, her auburn colored hair reflected perfectly in the sunset. She belonged in a sunset.
"You belong in a sunset," Gordie spilled out his thoughts but then mentally smacked himself over the head.
"Why do I belong in a sunset?" Andy questioned with a chuckle.
"Because…you're very…very…" Gordie couldn't say it. How the hell was he supposed to tell his best friend for four years that he thought she was so fucking pretty, and funny, and intelligent, and creative, and talented, and charming….
"I'm very what?"
"Well…uhh…your hair is auburn, and that's kind of like a nice red. And the sunset needs more red, so your head would fit in good with the pink and yellow and orange and stuff," Gordie said a little too quickly, but thought it was a fair save.
"Oh," Andy replied, her face sagging in disappointment, "Yeah, I guess my head would."
She fell back onto her sleeping bag. She could have sworn Gordie was going to say……Andy sighed. When was something going to go right on this trip?
