Pinky Swear: Gordie Lachance

09. the end

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━━THE GROUP OF FIVE WALKED ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT AND MADE IT BACK TO CASTLE ROCK A LITTE PAST FIVE O'CLOCK ON SUNDAY MORNING. The streets were empty, and the town was quiet. They'd only been gone two days, but somehow, the town seemed different. Smaller.

They stopped at a corner, sitting in a comfortable silence for a moment.

"Well, see you guys in school," said Vern, breaking the silence.

"Yeah . . . see ya . . ." said Chris, Cassidy, and Gordie, tiredly.

"See you junior year," Teddy added in.

"Yeah . . ."

They waved to Vern, who stumbled slightly as he waved back. Embarrassed, he pretended it didn't happen and continued on his way, this time not looking back. An awkward silence settled between Cassidy, Chris, Gordie, and Teddy.

"I better get home before my mom puts me on the ten most-wanted list," Teddy spoke up.

He took a few steps before stopping and turning around.

"Hey, man," he spoke to Chris. "No hard feelings, okay?"

"No way."

Teddy waved goodbye. "See ya."

He walked away, and Cassidy could faintly hear him singing "Paladin". The singing faded, becoming quieter and quieter, until she could no longer hear it anymore.

Cassidy, Chris, and Gordie walked to the treehouse in silence. They stopped in the vacant lot.

"I'm never going to get out of this town, am I, Gordie?" Chris asked, a bitter smile on his face.

Chris had always been worried that he would be stuck in Castle Rock for the rest of his life, especially during junior high. It appeared that his fears had come back because schools were starting to talk about colleges.

Gordie looked straight at Chris, and said earnestly, "You can do anything you want, man."

"Gimme some skin," Chris changed the subject.

"Hey, Chris . . ."

"Skin."

Gordie slapped his palm, and said, "I'll see you."

Chris grinned, "Not if I see you first."

He turned to his sister.

"Cass?"

She glanced at Gordie momentarily, before turning back to Chris.

"Just a moment. I'll be right behind you," she reassured her brother.

He nodded and walked off, leaving the couple alone.

"So," Gordie started, "I'll see you later tonight?"

Cassidy laughed.

"Yeah, I'll come around your place."

Cassidy took a step and stopped. She spun back around, and before he could react, kissed Gordie.

They stayed like that until they had to pull away for air. Cassidy was the first to pull away.

"See you later, Gordie."

"Pinky swear?" he teased with a smile.

Cassidy rolled her eyes playfully, kissing the tip of her pinky finger nonetheless.

"Pinky swear."

Ray Brower's body was found, but neither Cassidy's group or Ace's gang got the credit. In the end, they decided that an anonymous phone call was the right thing to do.

After high school, the Chambers twins and Gordie saw less and less of Teddy and Vern, until eventually they became just two more bittersweet memories of childhood. It pained Cassidy to think about, but it was a hard reality. Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant.

Vern got married out of high school, had four kids, and was now the forklift operator Arsenault Lumber Yard.

Teddy tried several times to get into the army, but his eyes and his ear kept him out. He'd spent some time in jail, and was now doing some odd jobs around Castle Rock.

Chris did get out, along with Cassidy and Gordie. He graduated nineteenth in their class, and got into the college of his choice. He pushed through the work, and eventually became a lawyer.

Cassidy and Gordie dated all throughout their junior and senior year of high school, effectively scarring each of their friends at least once. It wasn't pleasant for any of them, but it did teach Vern to knock.

They ended up getting into the same college. The summer before their freshman year of college, they decided to get married on a whim. It was quick and unplanned, but that didn't matter to either of them. Neither Gordie or Cassidy cared if their parents attended, so the only witness was Chris— Gordie's best friend and Cassidy's other half.

They eventually graduated college, too; Gordie became a successful writer, and Cassidy started working as a teacher. She wanted to be a fair teacher, one that wouldn't judge a kid solely off the family they came from like her teachers growing up had. Kids could be frustrating at times, but it was overall worth it for her. Cassidy adored the children she taught.

When Cassidy and Gordie were 30, they had their first child, Wendy Lachance.

Seven years later, Cassidy had managed to fall pregnant once again; It was a boy this time. Cassidy didn't have horrible morning sickness, but one afternoon, she woke up from a nap and felt like something was wrong. It was Chris, she was sure of it. She could feel it. She just wasn't sure what exactly was wrong.

Cassidy Lachance would get her answer twenty-four hours later when she picked up the morning paper.

Yesterday afternoon, Chris walked into a fast food place to grab a quick lunch. Just ahead of him two men got into an argument. One of them pulled out a knife. Chris, who had always made the best peace, tried to break it up. He was stabbed in the throat, and he died almost instantly.

Horrible, huh? Finding out that your twin brother had been murdered the previous day through the morning paper.

Cassidy cried, Gordie cried, even little Wendy cried when Gordie told her that there wouldn't be any more visits from "Uncle Chris."

And so when the Lachances had their second child, they named him Christopher.

As their children grew, they retold the story of how they went out with some friends in search of Ray Brower's body.

Cassidy wasn't sure whether or not Vern or Teddy ever thought about them, but she continued telling stories about her old friends.

Cassidy never had any friends like she did when she was a kid.

Jesus, does anyone?