Only if you Stand by me//Gordie Lachance

14

2:35 pm
Durian, Oregon

Jamie POV

"I can't believe it," Gordie shook his head, his eyes stuck on the newspaper.

It was 2:00 in the morning, and neither Gordie and I could sleep. We both woke up a few minutes ago, startled by the noise of ambulances a few streets over. The rest of the group was sound asleep, soft snores even escaping Teddy's mouth.

We sat in Lola's kitchen. The kitchen was modern and too bright for my liking. Pink and orange plaid curtains draped over the kitchen window, reflecting the pink color all over the kitchen. There was a small fridge in the corner, decorated with magnets of Lola and her older brother, Ollie.

Ollie was seventeen-years-old and as shy as you can get. He had a lean, small figure and rust colored waves that grew down to his shoulders. His expression was almost always guilty and regretful, every time I saw him.

There was a magnet picture of Lola and Ollie when they were younger, much younger. Lola looked like she was about eight-years-old, which made Ollie thirteen. They posed next to a small pink tricycle, a matching helmet on the top of Lola's head. The way they smiled made them look so happy around each other. I wished Julia and I had a relationship like that.

Mr. Walters laid out a stack of newspapers on the kitchen table do he could read them the next morning with his black coffee, bacon, toast, and eggs by his side. Us, being the snoopy kids we were, read through all of his newspapers.

"They really care about us, Jamie," his mouth was wide open. I leaned in closer to see what he was looking at.

"Lost children" was inscribed across the top of the article. There were pictures of the whole group there, everyone of us. There were descriptions too.

My picture was a picture my mother had taken a few years ago. I was sitting in a field of yellow and red tulips, and my mother thought it was a perfect moment to snap a photo. My hair was frizzy and sticking out in all directions, and my smile was crooked.

Jamie Collins: small figure, about 5'0, fair skin, freckles, dark blue eyes, long, curly golden hair

"Never thought they really wanted to find us," I shook my head.

Gordie kept his eyes on the paper,"never thought they really cared."

"The Cobras will probably come looking for us," I opened the door to the refrigerator,"the reward is 300 dollars."

"And then when they find us and get their pictures in the paper, then we'll be officially dead, even though we said we were many times," Gordie added.

I took an apple from the fridge and bit into it, tearing a patch of it's skin off.

"We have school on Monday," I said, joining him at the table.

"Who cares? We skipped today, we'll skip then."

"How long will we be doing this?" Apple skin stuck between my teeth.

"Until we become the invisible children."

I raised my eyebrows, then bit my lip.

Gordie was basically already the invisible boy. To his parents, I mean. He told me all about a few days ago after school. We were waiting for Chris to come out from the building, and Gordie was practically in a puddle of his own tears. His face was all red and scrunched up, but I still managed to see that heartwarming smile hidden on his lips.

How do you perfectly comfort a person? I thought to myself. Just sitting here is awkward enough, and I'd make it even worse if I lay my hand on his back.
So I just sat there next to him on the school steps, sympathy teeming in my eyes.

God, did I feel bad. I was heartless enough to think that I had life rough. Boy, was I wrong. I would be an emotional mess if I went through what Gordie did.

I wondered what Julia is doing right now. I bet she's helping out the Cobras to find us, probably scouting every road in Durian. The thought of that made my stomach turn.

"Why you guys up so early?" Chris entered the room in a groggy state. His eyes were only half open as he rubbed the side of his head. Light from the bathroom down the hallway reflected onto Chris, casting a shadow behind him.

"Couldn't sleep," I tossed the apple core in the trash can.

"Ah, me neither," he sat down,"Teddy talks in his sleep."

We all became silent. A faint cry echoed from Lola's bedroom. It was Teddy.

"He's just having nightmares," I told them.

"I haven't had a sleepover with him in forever. I forgot about his sleep talking," Gordie said.

Chris shook his head,"yea, and it's pretty bad too. I wonder what he's dreaming about."

I didn't really want to know what Teddy was dreaming about. I wondered if it was about this father. He told us he would have nightmares about the time he burnt his ear on the stove. We were all so shocked to hear about this. Teddy was never very emotionally open.
All giggles. No tears.

It's funny how each one of these kids have had the worst lives you could possibly think of, yet continue to remain positive. My life ain't that bad, don't know why I ever waste my time complaining about it. I have food on my table and a mother to hold me when I cry.

I've never really talked about my dad, have I? Yeah, well my parents are divorced. Don't feel bad for me, my dad's a real asshole. He wasn't always-drunk like Chris' dad, or mentally ill like Teddy's dad. He was a quiet, tall man with jet black gelled-back hair. He always wore a sincere look on his face, sullen and broken-down. He never loved my mother, never will. Ever.
One day, he just packed up, and left. He didn't say a word to any of us. It was almost midnight when I heard him zipping up his suitcase and slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
And like that, he was gone.

My mother refuses to ever talk about him. She always just quickly changes the subject. I can hear her crying some late nights, it makes me cry sometimes too.

"What's that?" Chris pointed to the newspaper.

"Apparently we're famous now," I giggled.

He examined the newspaper and moved his mouth into a half smile.

"We shouldn't stay in Durian much longer," he closed his eyes," I can't take it much longer here anymore."

"Why?" Gordie asked.

"There ain't a kid in sight."

"We don't need any other kids, we got each other," I told him.

He rose from the chair. It made a creaking noise when he stood up.

"We're leaving tomorrow, Jamie. That's final."

And with that, he left.

"I'm sick of him making decisions for everyone else," I banged my fist on the table,"I'm my own person and he should know that."

"Chris is just a leader and there's nothing we can really do about that," Gordie stood up,"I've been tryna one-up him for the past few years, but that never works out so well."

Gordie left the room. They left me in the middle of a random girl who we just met's kitchen, surrounded by stacks of old newspaper, the taste of a bitter apple sitting in the back of my throat, nearly puking at the sight of bright pink curtains on the windows.