-fallyncade
Chapter 3: UNDER PRESSURETwenty minutes later, Chris threw on Frank's old, used, beat-up, backpack, and hobbled out the door. He carefully closed it and ran to school.
"Crap, I'm gonna be late!" was all he could think.
He could care less if he had a black eye, or a growing lump on his forehead, or had a scraped knee, or had a new scratch running across his right cheek. All Chris wanted to do was get to school. Wow, what Chambers kid ever wanted to do that?
"Sorry I'm late," Panted Chris as he hurried into class.
"Name?" The teacher asked, pushing up her thick black glasses.
"They look like Teddy's glasses!" Chris thought, laughing, inside, thinking of his friend, Teddy Duchamp. Teddy was crazy. Insane. The kid was nuts! He was famous for his crazy, one of a kind, Teddy Duchamp ear-piercing laugh. Oh, speaking of ears, Teddy's father nearly burned off his ear when he was a kid. Teddy's dad was now at a mental institution somewhere, but that was another story.
"Christopher Chambers, Ma'am," Chris said politely, straightening up.
"Another Chambers kid, huh?," She said looking him over, with a disgusted look on her face. "Be seated." The teacher, a heavy, older lady, nodded to an empty seat.
"Yes, Ma'am."
The empty seat was next to Gordie, luckily. As Chris walked over to the seat, his soles flopped, and he could feel his beat up Hightops tearing even more.
"Gordo!" Chris whispered excitedly. "What's up, Dickhead? Gimme some skin!" Chris stuck out his hand, revealing his well-bitten nails.
"Hey, Man," Gordie nodded, "giving Chris skin".
Gordie had a great eye for detail, as he was an aspiring writer. He took note of many things. Gordie studied Chris and noticed the same things; ripped shoes, dirty clothes, bitten nails, and messy hair…His face…Chris's face had such a sad look to it. Gordie knew things were bad at home for Chris; although Chris tried really hard to hide it, it really embarrassed him. Anyone who knew Chris knew that he was nothing like his family. He was very smart, and caring, and sensitive. During their journey to find Ray Brower's body, Chris let it all out to Gordie. He cried and admitted that he wished that he could go somewhere where no one would know him or judge him.
Today Chris had scratches scattered all over his face. Today, like many other days, he had a black eye. His narrow, soft, light, blue eyes had a sad look to them, like usual. That round circle around his eye was a prize from a hard punch, Gordie knew. Chris was the best friend Gordie ever had, despite his family, Chris was really, truly, a good guy and an amazing friend, and that was all that mattered.
After forty minutes of suffering, the boys headed off to their next class. Within five minutes, the teacher was taking attendance.
"Christopher Chambers?" Called the teacher.
"Here," Chris replied, raising his left hand in the air.
"Frank and Richard's brother?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Chris glared at Gordie and then nodded, slowly.
"Two of the worst years of my life," She muttered.
"I'm nothing like them," Chris stated, bravely.
The teacher looked up, surprised, yet disgusted.
"Oh," She said sarcastically, raising her over plucked eyebrows.
As she continued down the list, Chris looked to Gordie for support.
"Hey, she's stupid, Chris. You're a real smart guy, nothing like your jerk brothers!"
Chris nodded.
"LaChance, Gordon?"
"Here," Gordie said, shyly.
"LaChance…LaChance…" She whispered to herself, tapping her chin with a pencil.
"Are you Denny's brother?"
Gordie
nodded, solemnly.
"Yes."
Gordie had an older brother, Denny, who had died a few years ago in a jeep accident. He was almost ten years older than Gordie. Everyone loved Denny; he was a great kid. He was really smart and handsome and he was one of the best football players in town. Denny's death had shocked Gordie's parents, completely ignoring him now. As Gordie put it, he became "The Invisible Boy". Gordie's family was very unsupportive of his writing; except for Denny. Denny always encouraged him and read his stories. Denny took Gordie to baseball games and talked to him about everything, from their parents to cars to girls. Gordie loved Denny, and was very upset that he died, of course.
"You look like him."
"Oh…" Gordie nodded, softly, slumping in his chair.
Why did people always have to bring up Denny? Honestly, they were nothing alike. Denny was an athlete, and popular, and outgoing. Gordie was shy and quiet and liked to just be alone and read and write. He hated football, while Denny got a football scholarship. Most people even said that they looked nothing alike. Denny had dark, black, hair, and Gordie had brown hair. They both had brown eyes, but that was really all they shared.
Chris too looked nothing like his siblings. Chris had a tiny, ski slope, nose. He had narrow, cat like, light colored eyes. He had blond hair and thin, pink, lips. But Chris' siblings had none of those traits. The other four Chambers children had wide, round, dark, brown eyes and dark brown hair. They had a slightly large nose and full pink lips. They were all gorgeous, or, well, had the potential to be, but Chris was the only one who was truly concerned about the way he appeared and what other people thought of him. Gordie supposed that the other kids all just looked like Chris' dad, and that Chris just looked more like his mom. She did have light eyes. Gordie didn't know.
"Gordie?"
Gordie, who was deep in thought, snapped back to reality. He was thinking about a new story.
Chris was waving his dirty hand in front of Gordie's face.
"Gordieeeee…" Chris sing-songed.
"What?" Gordie snapped.
"Class is over! Let's go, bitch!"
A confused look passed over Gordie's soft features as he grabbed his pile of books and stuck them between his arm and hip.
Then, Chris and Gordie continued to their next class.