INTRUDER|chris chambers

11|Nothing like a smoke after a meal

The group was sat in the woods, around a fire. Which meant they all finally got to eat and drink something.

Tilly looked over at Verns stick, "Hey Vern, you better turn yours over."

"This is the way I like to do it." He sassed at the girl.

"Fine." She shrugged, predicting it was going to fall.

And what'd y'a know, it did.

"Oh man you got anymore, Gordie!" He tried poking it out of the fire.

"Sorry, Vern" Gordie began to laugh, causing the rest to do the same.

"It's not funny, what am I supposed to eat?"

"Why don't you eat your dick?" Teddy laughed.

"It would be a small meal." Chris brought even more laughter into the topic.

Vern tried to poke it out of the fire, surprisingly he did. "Screw you guys I got it!" He held up his stick with a huge smile on his face.

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"Nothing like a smoke after a meal" Vern spoke up, holding his cigarette in his hand.

"Yeah, I cherish these moments" Teddy agreed, making the group laugh. "What? What did I say?" He noticed the laughing.

Tilly shook her head, "Hey Gordoe, why don't you tell us one of your stories? I've been dying to hear one."

"I- I don't know" He shrugged, looking down.

"Oh cmon! Please!" Tilly begged, shaking his shoulders, making him laugh.

"Yeah, cmon Gordoe. But not one of your horror stories, I'm not up for that man" Vern shook his head.

"Okay, okay. Well, I've been working on that's kinda different. It's about a pie-eating contest and the main guy of the story is a fat kid named David hogan" Gordie began to tell us his story.

Vern cut him off, "like Charlie Hogans brother, if he had one."

We all looked at him, "good Vern, go on Gordie" Chris said sarcastically.

"Well, this kid is our age but he's fat, real fat. He weighs close to one-eighty. But you know it's not his fault, it's his glands" Gordie continued, only to be cut off by Vern again.

"Oh yeah, my cousins like that, sincerely. She ways over three hundred pounds. Supposed to be Hyboid Gland or something. Well I don't know anything Hyboid Glands, but what a blimp. No shit she looks like a thanksgiving turkey and you know this one time-" he rambled until Tilly him off.

"Vern." Tilly warned.

"Yeah, yeah, right. Go on, Gordie, it's a swell story."

Gordie proceeded to tell the group his story.

Tilly listened to Gordie tell his story in awe. Sure the story was kind of gross, but the thought of her friend writing it on his own made it better.

Chris looked over at the girl who held a smile on her face and her eyes closed. The light of the fire gleamed off her skin, making the girl glow.

Tilly opened her eyes to see Chris looking down at her, he looked away, trying his best not to look into her green eyes.

Tilly could feel her cheeks get pink. She inhaled her cigarette, looking around at her friends. This summer, she's noticed a lot of their characteristics.

To Tilly, Teddy is a tad crazy, He tends to be abrasive and obnoxious, especially towards Vern. Yet, he's funny and has that 'you only live once' kind of mindset.

To Tilly, Vern is a sweetheart. He gets picked on by the group at times, but they'll always have his back. Even if he did something really dumb or bad.

To Tilly, Gordie is one of her favourite people. He's super talented and smart, plus he's really entertaining. Not just his stories, but talking to him in general. He told Tilly about his parents ignoring him most of the time, so he has only his friends to depend on. Which Tilly plans on being there for as long as she can.

To Tilly, Chris was everything. He was always checking in on everyone, just like making Gordie take the college courses. He grew up in a family of alcoholics just like her and is often looked down upon by the entire town based solely on this association. She wished everyone got to see the funny, sweet, caring and kind boy that he actually is, and not based on his family history.

Gordie finished his story, smiling at the cheering friends.

"Now that was the best, just the best." Chris complimented.

"It really was, Gordoe. My favourite part was probably... the whole thing." Tilly laughed.

Gordie was just smiling at the compliments to his story.

"Then what happened?" Teddy asked, making Tilly look at him confused.

Wasn't that the end? She thought.

"What do you mean what happened, that's the end?" Gordie sounded confused.

"How can that be the end, what kind of ending is that? What happened to Lardass?" Teddy questioned.

Tilly didn't know why Teddy was questioning the ending.

Gordie continued to make up just a small ending to give Teddy what he wanted.

"Jeez that sucks. Why don't you make it so that Lardass goes home, an' shoots his father. Then runs away and joins the Texas rangers." Teddy explained.

"I- I don't know."

"Dont listen to em, Gordie. It's perfect the way it is. Only make changes if you want them." The girl nudged him in the arm, smiling at him.

"I just have one question, did Lardass have to pay to get into the contest?" Vern looked genuinely confused.

"No, Vern, they just let him in" Gordie explained like Vern was a kid.

"Oh! Oh great. Great story."

"Yeah, it's a good story, Gordie, I just didn't like the ending." Teddy shifted around getting comfortable.

Tilly looked over at Chris who was staring intensely at the fire, making her laugh a bit. She nudged him, catching his attention. He smiled at her as she did the same in return.

"Hey Verno, where's the radio, let's see if we can get some sounds." Chris turned to Vern, as he passed him the radio.

They sat around the fire asking questions like what the hell is Goofy, if the lottery was fixed, if they could have one food for the rest of their life what would it be, etc.

Teddy looked at me, then Chris. "Is there something going on with you two?"

"What?" Chris asked confused.

"You guys are always so close together, like right now." Teddy made the two look down at the space between them. It was pretty normal...

"Okay, what's the big deal?" Tilly asked, "we just so happen to be sitting beside each other a little close."

"Yeah, what's the big deal, Teddy?" Chris questioned.

Teddy shook his head and looked at the two as if they were the stupidest people on the planet. "That's couple shit" he exclaimed.

"Shut up, Teddy, we're just sitting you dumbass." Chris shook his head as Tilly agreed.

"It's true! That's what couples do, right, Gordie?"

"Yeah, yeah they do. I bet you wouldn't mind that would you, Chris?" Gordie snickered, earning no denial from Chris, just a head shake and red cheeks.

"Neither would, Tilly. Right?" Vern widened his eyes.

"Vern, respectfully, shut up." She laughed, not denying it either.

Tilly leaned back, propping herself up on her arms listening to the three mock her and Chris. She wondered if it was obvious she liked him. She wished Chris felt the same.