The Summer that Changed Everything

Chapter 9: The Last Few Days of Summer

  "Chris is taking an awfully long time to meet us." Teddy said in front of Lennie's house. "You sure he didn't get hided for the prank we pulled 2 weeks ago?"
"I doubt it." I shrugged.
The only people who ended up being grounded was me, because I took the rap for the guys and Lennie because she told her stepmother to go to hell. Good thing she didn't find out about our secret drinking party. When Chris finally showed up he was carrying something heavy with him. I ran over to give him a hand.
"What is this?" I asked.
"It's a surprise." Chris told me.
"Can I get a peak at it?" Vern asked.
"No, Vern." Chris said. "Gordie, go get Lennie, why dontcha? She has to open it first."
"Alright." I said.
"What is it?" She asked coming down her front porch.
"I got you something." Chris told her.
"For what?" Lennie asked.
"Your birthday." Chris said.
"Why? You already chipped in for the record." She said.
Chris looked at me for a second, but then turned back to Lennie. "Um. I know. But I thought of this after we drank around the fire you know."
Lennie glanced over at me. I told her to open it. We all gathered around as curious as she was and didn't know what to expect.
"It's like a giant rock." Vern finally said. "Great gift, Chris. Really." We didn't know if Vern was being sarcastic or being serious.

"Can't you read?" Teddy asked. Teddy bent down and read out the scripture on the stone. "Here is where Ray Brower was found. We didn't know him but knew of him. Thanks Ray for the best summer our lives. You will always be missed by Gordie Lachance, Chris Chambers, Teddy DuChamp & Lennie Davis, 1960."

"Wow. I don't know what to say." Lennie said. The truth was that none of us knew what to say. This beat the record in half.
"How did you get this, Chris?" I asked him. "It's amazing."
"My uncle works for this place that makes tombstones, headstones, things to engrave—stuff like that. He took me on as an apprentice— been teaching me the ropes of it. He's paying 25 cents an hour. It's not much but it'll get me by. I might save for college or something."
"You made this?" Teddy asked.
"Yeah." Chris said. "I thought maybe someday we could camp out again sometime like last year and put it out or something."
"Thanks, Chris." Lennie said. "This is really something."

This was the greatest gift in the world. It was the thought that counted that made the gift even more wonderful. We all would have went there as soon as we could, but unfortunately school was going to be starting up in a few days. I couldn't expect the summer to last forever, although at times I wish it did. The summer was perfect in each and every aspect of it. And I wrote all of it down in my journal, each detail. The minute particulars. Denny told me those were the most important, but sometimes they were the hardest things to say. And the hardest thing for me to say is anything bad about my cousin.

You see things were going to be different now. Lennie was going to be at school with us. And although we always included her in everything we did now, it didn't mean that we were going to include her in "everything." I mean we had other guy friends you see. And those guy friends may or might not accept Lennie. And if that is the case we had to keep our eyes on her even more. She may be pretty tough for a girl and can keep herself above water, but she is still just a girl. She can't tell anyone about what goes on outside of school. What me and the guys had was a secret. That's why we built the tree house and that's why we had the secret knock. We didn't want to let insiders in. This was the place where the greatest ideas in the world were created and it could easily fall into the wrong hands if we were too indulgent on who we let in. We all had to pinky swear that what goes on inside the tree house stays there.

Sometimes I think that the only "other," guy I may have let in if he were here was Ray Brower. Although we never talked to him, he just seemed like a really nice guy. And I feel I know him on a personal level. Maybe Ray is like Denny's little brother in heaven now, you know—killing time till their friends and family get to finally meet them.

Chris had to promise everyone that he was not to get into any more fights on school grounds, because he was warned that if he got into another one he might have to face the consequences of getting kicked out. Sometimes Chris said he liked school and wanted to become something that his father and brother would never have a chance to be, but it was really hard for him. Unfortunately, barely even a week went and Teddy, Chris and Lennie already were in trouble. It wasn't for fighting, but it still wasn't a step into the right direction. Teddy and Len were separated from the lunch table for making too much noise. And then they got detention for spooning shots of jello across at each other—which managed to hit the principal just as he was passing by.

I stood outside the hallway waiting for Chris. He had a meeting at the principal's office. I knew this very spot pretty well. I waited here regularly for Teddy and Chris whenever they got in trouble. Chris tapped his pen noisily and impatiently. Principal Katz sets a box of cigarettes in front of him. Chris glanced at them but doesn't question whose they were. The principal leaned back in his chair.
"A teacher claimed you were smoking on school property. I know your locker combination and found these." The principal showed him.

"I wasn't smoking during school hours." Chris confessed.
He didn't look away from him. He held the same solid expression on his face, which meant you can't play this crap over on me anymore bub. Chris seemingly bored sat back in his hair.
"So what are you gonna do expel me?" Chris asked him.

"Not yet." He put the cigarettes away. "I want you to understand something, school grounds are school grounds, Mr. Chambers. And I can't tell you the same old story about how you are killing your lungs, because I know you won't care about it anyway."

"Listen. Mr. Katz I'm really sorry about all of this. It won't happen again I swear. Please just don't call my parents. I don't need another hiding." Chris pleaded.

"I doubt that your mother wants me to give her another call today. Especially for expulsion. She has enough problems with that lowlife brother of yours. No I have a very different means of punishment for you. It's time for you to start experiencing other things, Mr. Chambers—start spending time with other kinds of people." Mr. Katz said.

Out in the hallway.
"Did you get in trouble, like detention, or something?" Vern followed me and Chris down the hallway.
"Worse." I said.
"You were expelled?" Vern asked.
"I sort of wish I was." Chris told him.
"What the hell did he do?" Vern asked.
"I am being forced to clean the school, tutor a stupid kid and act in the school play."
"That sucks balls." I tell him.
"Oooh..." Teddy snuck up behind Vern and Chris and gave them both wet willies.
"Goddamit it, Teddy." I said. He laughed.

"So Chris. I heard you got caught, buddy boy. Not a good stepping stone in the right direction. So when you start having to clean up the school with ole janitor Bill—are you going to mop the floor or just give it a good sweep? Make sure you learn the trade well. It might be your only break."
"Shut up, Teddy." I tell him. "Throwing jello at Principal Katz wasn't any better. You and Len are lucky you weren't suspended."
"No he's right. If I don't straighten my ass up now. I am going to end up a janitor, but I guess that's all I can do." Chris said.
"Chris, that's not true. You told me about working for your uncle, remember? That is always an option and you can save up for college. Chris, you are not going to be cleaning the school for the rest of your life." I told him.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"How's Lennie doing?" Chris asked.
"I think she's doing ok in her classes. I only have her in a few." I said.
"I have her in my home mec class." Vern said. "Ooh we made brownies today. The teacher put these little M&M's on them. It was soo good."
"Do you have her in any classes?" I asked Chris.
"No." Chris didn't look to happy about it. "As matter of fact I barely have classes with any of you guys. I realized that too. So far the only place I had Chris was Study hall, lunch and gym.
"What a shitty year this is turning out to be." I said.