I woke up to smoke filtering through the air, and the radio blaring. My head was pounding. Ever since I was little, I would always get these really bad headaches. Not migraines, but they sometimes got really bad. I sat up and looked around. I saw Chris and Teddy playing cards, cigarettes hanging from their lips. Chris knocked on the table. "I knock," he said. Teddy slammed his cards down on the table. "Jesus Christ, Chris," he said sounding annoyed. I smiled.
"Hey guys," I said tiredly. Chris looked up from dealing cards and took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Hey," he said with a smile. He looked back at the cards, but then looked back at me with a frown. "Are you ok? You don't look too good," he said sounding nervous. Teddy flicked his ashes. "C'mon Chris, deal!" Teddy said, loosing his temper. Teddy looked at me. He sighed. "She looks fine," he said. Chris got up and came over to me. With his cigarette in one hand, he used the other to feel my forehead. "It's ok, I'm fine," I said. He looked concerned. "Your a little warm. You sure?" His eyes are so beautiful. I nodded my head. He didn't look very convinced, but got up and sat down anyways. I laid back down, listening to the radio. "...It's a beautiful Friday morning in Portland! It's 90 K.L.A.M degrees and gettin' hotter! Up the ladder with another platter! It's Bobby Day with Rockin' Robin! Its-- Bob!" I heard knocking from below us. Knock knock Knock knock knock knock... knock knock. Teddy and Chris moved the table, and Gordie pulled his way up through the door. "Hey," he said to us all. He had a magazine in his hand. He set it down and pulled up a crate next to Chris. Chris dealt some cards to Gordie.
"Hey, how do you know if a French mans been in your backyard?" Chris asked, smiling at me and Gordie. "Hey I'm French, okay?" Teddy said as if he was offended. He was just annoyed that Chris kept beating him. "Your garbage cans are empty and your dogs pregnant." Chris and Gordie had a laughing fit, while Teddy rolled his eyes. He pushed his glasses up. I stifled a laugh. Teddy held the cigarette in his hand. "Didn't I just say I was French?" Chris just smiled, then knocked on the table. "I knock," he said, looking up at Teddy. "Shit," Teddy mumbled while picking up another card. "Twenty nine," Chris said. Teddy sighed. "Twenty two," he said while putting his cards on the table. "Piss off a rope." Gordie slammed his cards on the table. Teddy 'laughed', and Chris joined him.
Gordie turned around and grabbed his magazine off the shelf with all of the old Coke bottles and trash. "HeHe, Gordies out, oh Gordie just bit the bag and stepped out the door," Teddy said as he laughed some more. Gordie just glared at him and started to read. "C'mon man, deal," Chris said. Teddy was still laughing. Teddy took a drag form his cigarette and blew it in Chris's face. While he was dealing the cards, he was still laughing. Chris was examining his cards as Teddy knocked on the table. "I knock," he said. Chris looked up. "Foureyed pile of shit," Chris said while staring at teddy. I smiled. "That pile of shit has a thousand eyes," Teddy said, mysteriously. I laughed, all of the guys did too. "What?" Teddy asked. We all kept laughing. "What's so funny? C'mon, I got thirty, what do you got?" He asked annoyed. Teddy sure did get annoyed easily. "Sixteen," Chris said as he put his cards down, still laughing. "Go ahead, keep laughing. I'd turn you right down," Chris looked over at me. "Do you wanna play, Dez?" I shook my head. "I'm good, I like watching," I said as I snickered. Chris took a drag from his cigarette and started to deal. I heard multiple knocks coming from below, and Gordie spoke my thoughts. "That's not the secret knock," Gordie said without glancing up from his magazine. "I forget the secret knock, let me in." Gordie closed his magazine. "Vern," they all said on sync. "Come one guys, open up!" He whined. I got up out of bed and sat on a crate as the guys all moved the table to make way for Vern.
"Oh man, you guys are not gonna believe this. This is so boss." Vern was acting as if he was a 5 year old about to get ice cream. The sad part about it is that he already acts like this when he is getting ice cream. "Oh man, wait'll you hear this, wait'll you hear this. You won't believe it. It's unbelievable. Let me catch my breath. I ran all the way from my house." He sat hunched over breathing deeply. " I ran all the way home," the guys started to sing, and i joined them. "Just to say I'm sorry, sorry oh ... can't.." Vern didn't look amused. " Come on, guys, listen to me," he pleaded. "Guys, come on! Okay, forget it. I'll tell you nothing." I put my hands in the air, signaling for everyone to stop. "Alright, guys, alright. What is it, man?" I tried to sound as serious as i could. He smiled, looking very exited. "Okay, great, you won't believe this sincerely - " he was about to speak, but we all interrupted. "I ran all the way home!" We chanted. Veen shook his head. "Screw you guys," he mumbled. We all went back to what we were doing. Reading, playing cards, and watching. "What is it?" I asked as Chris dealed. "Can you guys camp out tonight? I mean if you tell your folks, we're gonna tent on my backfield?" He said excitedly. "Yeah," Chris and Gordie said, not looking up from what they were doing. "Think so. Said my dad's kind of on a mean streak. You know, he's been drinking a lot lately," Chris said. The bruises, I thought. My muscles tightened. "I need to tell you guys something, but later." Everyone looked at me and nodded. Chris looked at me the longest. I could see worry in his eyes..or was that fear? "You've got to man, sincerely! You won't believe this!" Vern was so enthusiastic all the time. He was literally like a 5 year old. Whiny and happy. "Can you, Gordie?" Vern asked, looking to him. Gordie still had his nose stuck in that magazine. "Yeah, probably," he said.
"So what are you pissin' and moaning about, Verno?" Teddy asked. He sounded annoyed. Like always. He was about the opposite from Vern. He wanted to grow up and be in the army. That's all he ever thought about. He seemed like he was already a cranky old man. "I knock," Chris said as he knocked on the table. Teddy looked up with disbelief. "What! You liar, you ain't got no pat-hand. You didn't deal yourself no pat-hand," Teddy said while continuously shaking his head. "Make your draw, shitheap," Chris said then smiled at me and Gordie. Vern looked up. I was not prepared for what he was about to say.
"You guys wanna go see a dead body?"
