Stand by me / Teddy

Pt 7 The Body

After a while of walking Gordie speaks, "Teddy?" he says.

"Yeah?" Teddy replies.

"Is this the back harlow road?" He asks.

"Yeah" Teddy confirms.

"Brower kid must be around here someplace" Chris says. "Teddy, you, Andie and Vern watch the left side of the tracks, we'll take the right" We get to looking, walking along the tracks, looking through the trees on the side we were given, until Vern yells.

"There he is, I see him! Look, look over there I see him! I see him!" We all run over and look down to where Vern is pointing. I see what must be Ray Brower's body, lying tangled in a bush at the bottom of the hill. We all walk down and stand there, staring at his body. He is cut in a few places, some cuts worse than others, not as bad as I had expected but the absence of the rising and falling of his chest and colour in his face gave us no doubt that this kid was dead.

"Let's look for some long branches, build him a stretcher" Chris says. We start to walk away but look back to see that Gordie didn't follow us.

"Gordie?" I ask.

"Why did you have to die?" Gordie says, looking at Ray.

"What's the matter with Gordie?"Vern asks.

"Nothing, why don't you guys just go over and look for some branches okay?" Chris says to Teddy and Vern.

"Okay" Teddy says and they walk away. Me and Chris go and sit on either side of Gordie, who is sitting on a fallen tree.

"Why did he have to die? Why did Danny have to die?" Gordie asks, not looking at either of us.

"I don't know man but sometimes life just isn't fair, I know how it feels" I say.

"It should have been me" Gordie says.

"Don't say that" Chris replies.

"It should have been me" Gordie repeats.

"Don't say that" I say louder.

"I'm no good, my dad said it, I'm no good" Gordie says.

"He doesn't know you" Chris says.

"He hates me" Gordie says.

"He doesn't hate you" Chris says.

"He hates me" Gordie starts to cry.

"No! He just doesn't know you" I say .

"He hates me, my dad hates me" Gordie says "He hates me I'm no good" Me and Chris both Wrap our arms around Gordie like parents with a child.

"You're gonna be a great writer someday Gordie" I say.

"Yeah you might even write about us guys one day if you get hard-up for material" Chris says.

"Yeah Gordie I'd love to read that someday" I say.

"I guess I'd have to be pretty hard-up?" Gordie says after he stops sobbing.

"Yeah" Chris and I smile.

"The fuck do you know about this?" I look up and see Eyeball and Ace at the top of the hill. We quickly stand up and Teddy and Vern join us.

"Son of a bitch, my little brother" Eyeball says.

"Wasn't planning on taking the body from us was ya boys" Ace says as they walk down to us.

"Get away man, we found him, we got dibs" Chris says confidently.

"Oh, better start running Eyeball, they got dibs" Ace says sarcastically.

"We earned it man, you guys came in a car that's not fair he's ours" Chris replies.