After a while of walking the others got bored again, I guess I wasn't bored because there was no place I'd rather be. If anything, I feel like time was passing too quickly. To kill the boredom we turned on the radio "hey we're back here with the Bossman Bob Cormier. From the racks and stacks it's the best on wax! It's the Chordettes with Lollipop!"
As Teddy and Vern walked ahead of me they sang and danced. I walked alone in the middle, keeping to my own thoughts. Gordie and Chris walked behind me, and although they were pretty far from the front they still kept their pace.
I walked slower, and eventually they caught up with me. "Hey, I got some Winstons. Hawked them from my old man's dresser. One apiece for after supper," Chris said and I nodded, my only focus at the moment was the pain that still existed in my ankle.
"Yeah, that's cool," Gordie said, he seemed checked out.
"Yeah that's when a cigarette tastes best: after supper."
"Great. D'you think I'm weird?" Gordie asked randomly and before I can make a snarky comment Chris beat me to it.
"Definitely," Chris said.
"No man, seriously. Am I weird?" Gordie looked at us.
"Yeah. But so what; everybody is weird." Chris said and I thought about it for a moment, I guess so. "You ready for school?"
"Yeah," Gordie said and I stayed quite, my answer was no.
"Junior High. You know what that means. By next June we'll all be split up," I knew that, but I didn't know where I would lie in that spectrum of separation.
"What're you talking about, why would that happen?" Gordie asked confused.
"It's not gonna be like grammar-school, that's why. You guys will be taking your college-courses and me Teddy and Vern will all be in the shop-courses with all the rest of the retarders making ashtrays and birdhouses. You guys are gonna meet a lot of new guys. Smart guys."
"Meet a lot of pussies is what you mean," Gordie seemed mad, I don't blame him. Who would want to be separated from their friends.
"No man. Don't say that, don't even think that," Chris almost stopped walking.
"Not going to meet a lot of pussies, forget it!" Gordie shouted.
"Well then you're an asshole!" Chris shouted back and I still looked at my swollen ankle as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"What's asshole about wanting to be with your friends?" Gordie spoke my mind.
"It's asshole if your friends drag you down! You hang with us, you'll be just another wise guys with shit for brains," I knew that was Chris thought of himself, but I was ready to shut it down there. He only thought that because that's what irrelevant people of Castle Rock thought.
"Is that what you think?" I asked and the guys looked almost like they didn't notice I was walking there the whole time.
"What?" Chris asked confused and I looked up from my ankle "is that what you think, that you guys are wise guys with shit for brains?" I asked again quoting what he just said.
He looked away and I shook my head "don't believe them," I said and I knew that he knew what I meant.
We sat in silence for a few moments until the boys sparked a conversation again. "Mallory, are you going to take shop classes?" Gordie asked and I nodded "probably."
"Why?" he asked and I shrugged my shoulders "Everyone thinks I'm dumb, the teachers will flunk me for the fun of it. I have no future with this fucked education system." I said still thinking about the growing pain in my ankle.
"Do you think I should?" Gordie asked and I looked at him "should what?" I asked.
"Take shop classes," he clarified and Chris groaned "you could be a real writer someday, Gordie," he said.
"Fuck writing! I don't wanna be a writer! It's stupid! It's a stupid wasted time!" Gordie almost flipped shit.
"That's your dad talking," Chris said, still calm despite Gordie's yelling.
"Bullshit," Gordie looked down.
"Bulltrue. I know how your dad feels about you, he doesn't give a shitabout you. Denny was the one he cared about, and don't try to tell me different! You're just a kid, Gordie." I cringed a little at his harshness but it was the truth.
"Oh gee, thanks, dad!" Gordie yelled frustrated.
"Wish the hell I was your dad. You wouldn't be going around talking about taking these stupid shop-courses if I was. It's like God gave you something, man. All those stories that you can make up. An' he said: This is what we got for you, kid, try not to lose it. But kids lose everything unless there's someone there to look after them. And if your parents are too fucked up to do it then maybe I should." Chris calmed down eventually and I could tell Teddy and Vern noticed the tension.
"Come on you guys, let's get moving!" Vern shouted and I looked up once again.
"Yeah. By time we get there the kid won't even be dead anymore!" Teddy shouted also.
"Appreciate the logic, Teddy," I shouted back and started moving quicker, ignoring the shooting pains moving up my leg to my head.
YOU ARE READING
Stand by Me
Fanfiction"You're too young to hate the world." Mallory Amazon Davis had no place to call home. She was left to live with her Aunt after her mother lost custody of her. She just wanted friends, however she was frowned upon by many. Her family was never rich...
