Identify Normal | Stand By Me

Dead Body

This is one hell of a way to start my Halloween, and I hope you're all going to have a lovely time! Here we go, but maybe we'll find a little more sober Ace this go around. Lemme know what you think!

Chapter 9

Sadie's Pov

I woke up in an unknown bed, in an unknown room. The covers were scratchy and the room was dimmed from the curtains covering the window. Jeans were scattered on the ground as well as beer bottles and empty cigarette boxes. It wasn't until I sat up and started rubbing my eyes that I heard other voices. The door opened carefully and in popped the head of one John Merrill, a most sober John in fact.

"Mornin' beautiful." He whispered, and came into the room fully.

"How'd we get here-" I began.

"I woke up...and as cozy as that bench was, neither of us need splinters in our asses." He smirked. I nodded slowly. "Coffee?" he asked, and in one of his hands he had a mug. I eagerly nodded now, and he sat on the end of the bed, handing over the coffee.

"Well, you seem in better spirits..." I murmured to myself more than to him. I wonder if he remembered the night. "Sorry about yesterday." I started.

"Sadie?" He asked, looking up. "You slept on a bench. I treated you like shit. I was shitfaced. It's my turn to be sorry." He stated. "And...I missed you. A lot more than I'd admit to anyone else." He frowned.

"Why?" I asked quietly, sitting in front of him.

"I haven't behaved well around people in a while. It's...difficult for this hooligan to not be a total prick." He smirked.

"Knock it off." I said harshly, and he looked quizzical. "Don't talk down about yourself, Mr. Ace. Now really, how bout you tell me the real reason?" I smirked, and he, dare I say, blushed of embarrassment.

"It's been almost seven years..." He started.

"You remembered?"

"I can't forget. I treated you like shit the day you left too." He grumbled.

"Why?" I asked again, looking him in the eye. Damn he was handsome. Looking closer, there were circles around his eyes and he had a firm grimace.

"I. I don't know Sadie. I was a jerk, and you had no choice to go. And then my dad came back-" he stopped quickly. He was struggling. It's like I was wrapped up with him in time and we were as close as we were before. Before I knew it I crawled over and planted a kiss on his cheek. He stuttered and looked back with wide eyes. "Why'd you-?" he began.

"Well, I missed you too John." I shared, almost as a whisper. He grinned and looked down for a moment, then back up to me.

"You did?"

I nodded, and his grin grew.

"Really?" he asked.

"Positive." I confirmed. His face lit up...and he looked livelier than I had ever seen him.

"You swear?"

"Pinky swear, Merrill." I concluded boredly, and took a sip of my coffee. "You're as bubbly as a girl." I stated, and he raised his brow.

"And if you ever tell anyone you're in real fuckin' trouble Chambers." He smirked. Now was my time to raise my brow. He was bluffing.

"You're full of it. What's the worst you could do?" I asked. Without any warning he took away the coffee cup and lunged at me, tickling my sides and surprising the daylights out of me! I tried to stop him, but I ended up squirming to the other side of the bed and couldn't stop laughing. "Mercy!" I cried, and eventually he eased up. He was cracking up the whole time. "Why don't you act your age, John?" I croaked. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm in the prime of my youth missy, and we'll only be young once." He smirked.

"Yeah, but you're gonna be stupid for the rest of your life." I came back at him. He grinned.

"Then I've got a shit ton of idiots following me around too. Hey, care to stop by Irby's later?" He started quickly, lighting up a cigarette and standing up.

"No more drinking for you." I exclaimed, and he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Sheesh, you've been in town a day and you're already actin' like my mother." He chuckled. The mention of his mom made my eyes light up. She was one hell of a woman I tell ya. And you know this one time, when I fell out of the apple tree in her backyard she gave me and John root beers to keep us from squawking' to my parents.

"How is she?" I blurted out, and he stopped laughing.

"She's a spitfire. Workin' for a new doc nowadays." He grew quiet all of a sudden. "Sadie?" he began.

"Yes?" I answered curiously. He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes.

"About last night, I don't know if you remember me saying-" All of a sudden there was a pounding on the front door, startling both John and I. "What the hell do you want?" John yelled to the door, then went over and cracked it.

"Ace, everything okay? I can't find her; I've looked all over!" A voice spoke hurriedly and John rolled his eyes.

"Eyeball, she's here, okay? You're acting like my grandmother having a conniption fit. Sadie!" John called, and I too went over to the front door. There stood a disheveled Rich, and I laughed to myself.

"You look like shit Richie." I smiled, and he came into the house and swooped me into a hug. "What's up buttercup?"

"Charlie still needs to talk to you." He directed towards John and he nodded, and then turned back to me. "And Dad was gonna shoot me if I didn't find you. He wanted to get you some new clothes...he said you didn't bring much from Vegas." I nodded.

"Meet me at Irby's at noon." John smirked my way, and I left with Richard.

Dad wasn't the best, especially when it came to shopping for a girl. He wanted me to get dresses, and don't you get me wrong I have no trouble with em, but he was going overboard. He wanted flower print and little pump shoes...but I begged for a new pair of keds. I managed to get a nice pair of denim as well, as long as dad could pick out a dress. My favorite was a black shirt with a little swoop neck. After our little bonding time, Dad was pretty excited. Like there was a new light about him. He was really trying to be a parent, and after what I had heard from Richie the day before I was definitely stunned.

Lunch time was coming along and Rich and I were headed over to Irby's. We didn't say much, but walking with him was comfortable. The whole gang of Cobra's were inside playing a game of billiards, and Richie joined them. I stood on a bar stool watching their game, and a lady started passing around beers.

"How about you, toots?" She directed towards me with a big grin. I shook my head and she laughed. "I guess that means more for them, huh?" I laughed with her.

"I suppose so. They drink as much as a horse." She grinned again at my comment. I looked up to see John staring at me, and he indicated for me to come over with his finger. I nodded and stood, and maneuvered my way through the crowd. "What's up, doll face?" I smirked, poking him in the side.

"You looked mighty lonely off in that corner, missy." He smirked, and pulled out another cigarette. "Up for an adventure?" He smirked, and I raised a brow. Before I had the opportunity to answer, he grabbed my hand and sashayed us to the front door. The only thing I heard from the others was a cat call or two, and a snicker. "Eh, shut up, asswipes." John retorted back, and we left.

"What kind of adventure?" I asked once we were outside. He shushed me and we kept walking till we were near the cars. "What is it?" He smirked and pulled me closer.

"Wanna see a dead body?"

This chapter is the calm before the storm, and I hope you've enjoyed! Ace may be a prick around his pals..well, you get the idea. Happy Halloween lovelies! Muah! -Crimsonsky132