My Own Private Paradise

Author: hell's lil angel13

Summary:Before and after the journey to find Ray Brower, there was another one there. After their journey, what happens next? How did they change, how did they stay the same?

Disclaimer: see chapter one

Test of Friendship

Ace and the rest of the Cobras promised they'd get us back, and they did. It was toward the end of September and they got all of us, and boy did they get us good. It was pretty good fight, though.

Gordie got his balls kicked, literally, and broke his nose and a couple fingers; Chris had to get a steel pin in his elbow 'cos of Eyeball breaking his arm in at least two places; Teddy tried to take on three guys without his glasses, needless to say he didn't get far; and Billy thought he killed Vern by whacking him in the head with a pot, but he only stunned him.

Me, I got it pretty bad too. You know that "rule" that says that you're not allowed to hit girls? Well, our gang doesn't go by it, they'll give me a good whack in the arm as much as the next guy, but they'd never actually hit me hard enough to hurt me.

Ace and Eyeball on the other hand, well...they were different. They probably would've killed me if they had the chance.

It was late in September and I was walking home from school late one day. I usually walk with Chris and Gordie, but Gordie had a detention—something about disrupting class or something—and Chris wasn't in school that day. I was scared his brother got him good, but I found out later he was just playing truant again.

I stayed after to play some football with a couple of other guys, all wet ends from the View who only passed the ball to me twice, both time of which I scored a touchdown. So I was walking back home and I was taking a back road—yeah, not a very good idea on my part—and was just passing the pool hall when the door opened and Ace and Eyeball walked out.

"Shit," I whispered when I saw who it was and noticed they were looking at me. Then, I did the first thing anyone in my situation would've done: RUN!! Now, I'm a pretty fast runner and I can do pretty good distances, too, but like I said before, I'm short. And the two tallest Cobras had to be the ones to come after me. Yeah, I know, just my luck, huh?

They caught me at the end of the alley I cut down and I gulped when they cornered me against the wall. I learned that day that Ace wasn't one to chat first; he was action first, talk later. I didn't have much time to react before he brought me down to the ground and Eyeball pulled out a cigarette lighter, which he handed to Ace.

I'll spare you the gory details of the whole thing, since I really don't wanna have to relive it. But, I'll tell you this much. I got second degree burns on my face and first degree burns all over my arms. I never did get to wear that shirt again, which was a shame, it was Teddy's and I really liked it.

I think I would've gotten it a lot worse if Chris hadn't shown up then. That was when Eyeball gave him his beating while Ace decided to give me a break, literally, on my wrist. It wasn't bad, but I still couldn't do much for a few weeks.

I tried to kick Ace in what little family jewels he may have had, mostly for revenge for Gordie, but I missed and got his shin instead. He and Eyeball left after that and I helped Chris up, gently. "You gotta get to the hospital dude."

"Nah, nah, its fine, I'm—"

"Chris. Hospital. Now." It was always funny how when I was worried or mad, I could never talk in complete sentences. We both got down to the hospital later that night, but neither of us told the doctors what really happened. Chris fell down the stairs in the dark; I slipped in my kitchen and hit the hot stove (you know, there's really not many good, plausible excuses for getting a burnt face).

I never asked Chris how he decided to go to the alley that day and at that time, but I will always be grateful that he did. I don't know, it's just something about Chris and Gordie that made me know that, even with a broke wrist and probably faint burn scars on my face, I still loved to be all around the danger and adventure they brought into my life.

The assignment was to write a thousand or more word essay on a memory we had about our childhood. Mine was over 45,000, but I could've added so much more. I felt that I hadn't done anything justice in my writing. There was so much that happened to us, why couldn't I just get it down on my paper? I'll tell you why; it's because of this and this alone.

When you tell something like our adventure to people who weren't there, it diminishes the true meaning and feeling of all that we went through. Words shrink things that seemed larger than life to something that was so shitty and nothingness. They live too close to our secret hearts and people would like nothing more than to take the first chance they get to invade that secret heart of yours.

To tell you the truth, I really don't know what made me write about that particular summer, the one where so much happened, but it was the one that stuck out most in my mind when my English teacher, Mr. Jolanson, gave us the assignment. Gordie also wrote about it and Chris too, so it was kinda cool to hear all of our thoughts on the same subject.

It was 1960 now and towards the end of seventh grade now. Sad to say, I know, but we saw less and less of Teddy and Vern since seventh grade started. Gordie said that things like that happen all the time, just another part of growing up, I guess. But, me and Chris and Gordie were still tight together, just like it always has been, and just like it always will be.

While we didn't see much of Teddy and Vern, the five of us were still tightly banned together on my birthday, which was November 13th. As Teddy was happy to remind me, I turned thirteen on Friday the Thirteenth. The next day, since it was Saturday, I decided to sleep in a little.

I woke up late that morning and decided to make myself a breakfast of banana pancakes. They weren't as good as Coach made them, but I still think they were good. As usual, I drowned them in syrup; boy would Chris be mad at me! I always ended up going on a sugar high after too much syrup on my pancakes.

I was just finishing up when the door slammed open and all four of them ran into the kitchen, carrying gifts for me and singing, quite badly might I add, Happy Birthday to me.

"...happy birthday dear Shawn, happy birthday to you!!" they yelled at me, leaving me laughing at them. Then Teddy stopped a second and said, "Do I smell pancakes?"

"Yeah, help yourself," I said, but then stopped him before he could reach for a plate. "After you gimme my presents." I dragged them into the living room and plopped down on the couch with Chris and Teddy. Vern sat on a chair and Gordie plopped himself on my coffee table.

I was surprised. Usually, they all got me one or two presents, this time they all got me something. "Open this first," Gordie said and gave me his present. There was a hand-made, folded up card taped on the side. I took it off and opened it. It wasn't a card after all, but it made me smile even wider anyway. It was a hand-written copy of Gordie's story he told us at the camp-out. The Revenge of Lard Ass by Gordon Lachance. I smiled at it as I remembered him telling us the story the month before.

I threw the tissue paper at him from the bag and pulled out two of the greatest things I could've gotten with money. The number nine jersey, the one my man Ted Williams wore for the Sox, and an original Bosox hat!

"Gordie, I love you," I said to him, making him blush a little. I put the hat on backwards, just like I wore all my other hats, and made a grab for Vern's gift. It was a stuffed golden retriever that, oddly enough, looked a lot like Chopper. "Aww, Vern, its Chopper Jr. Thank you!"

I reached for Chris', but he swatted him hand away and told me that his was saved for last. I stuck my tongue out at him and reached for Teddy's. It was a small box, like the ones that jewelry comes in. I opened it and gasped happily. It was a dog tag necklace, just like the one he always wears, and the one I always steal from him. It had my name on the front and on the back it said, 'Happy birthday, love Teddy.' I put the necklace on, too, a goofy grin, complete with my tongue out, plastered on my face.

"Now can I open yours your majesty?" I asked Chris and he nodded, handing me the box. It was kinda light and I shook it before I opened it, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Hold up!" he yelled suddenly and I stopped. "If you don't like this, I can't return it, so you better like it...I lost the receipt." I laughed and started opening it again. I didn't know what it was until I held it up in front on me, and I nearly choked on my own spit.

"Chris! Christopher, you little fucker, oh, I love you man!" I yelled and gave him a hug while I held up my present. It was his old leather jacket that he always wore, with a patch of a dragon fighting with a tiger on the back and the words, 'DRAGONS, '57 CHAMPIONS.' That was his favorite jacket, but it didn't fit him anymore.

How awesome are my friends, right?