Chris chambers once upon a body

Let it begin

When we got up there Chris immediately went to sit across from teddy while I sat next to Chris.

 
" Hey, it's the bossman Bob Cormier here. It's a beautiful Friday morning in Portland. It's 90 K. L.A.M degrees and getting hotter. Up the ladder with another platter it's Bobby day with Rockin' Robin, it's boss!" I heard from the radio.

 
We heard a knock and immediately knew it was Gordie because he knew the secret knock. I closed my eyes and took a long drag from my cigarette while Chris was helping Gordie up, he sat in-between Teddy and me, and before they started to play another round of 31, I felt someone take away my cigarette.
       

 "Hey!" I yelled looking to see who took it only to find Chris taking a drag from my cigarette while smirking at me. 

Gordie made his way over to the window of our little treehouse and dropped a coke into my lap. I turned to look at him and he gave me a slight face of disappointment as he got delt in for a round of 31. Nobody else seemed to pick up on it, not even Chris, which is odd seeing as he isn't too bad at reading our faces. 

Gordo and I always had a way of talking to each other without actually having to say anything. With one look or one twitch of an eyebrow, we said everything we had to say. People tell us we're strange as people and as twins. I think it's because we're the only pair of twins in this town, and I guess people don't really know what that's like. Having had someone as an extension of me and knowing I can always count on them makes me feel less lonely sometimes. I can't imagine what it's like not having someone completely understand you and be there for you, literally, since the beginning of your days, now that sounds like loneliness. Of course, that usually means that our fights can be equally as intense and emotional for both of us, yet we can never stay mad at each other. We depend on each other too much. 

Chris was the first to break the silence. "Hey, how do you know a Frenchman's been in your backyard?"

"Hey I'm French, okay" replied Teddy with a look of slight offense but also curiosity since he wanted to know how the joke ended. 

"Your garbage cans are empty and your dogs pregnant" Chris said already laughing into the joke. Gordie let out a laugh as I chuckled taking a sip of my coke. 

"Didn't I just say I was French?" commented Teddy with a deadpanned look which Chris disregarded. 

That was the good thing about us, none of us took any comments or jokes to heart. Most of them aren't very bad anyways, some slight insults about appearance here and there or the occasional insults to each other's mom, but there was a line that was never crossed and everybody knew it.  Even though there were moments people dared to step near that line, they were always brought back by someone else. 

"I knock" said Chris. 

"Shit" said Teddy. 

I took a peek at Gordie's cards and there was no way he was even coming in second with this hand. 

"Twenty-nine" 

"Twenty-Two" 

"Piss up a rope" chimed Gordie as he slammed his cards on the table. 

Gordie turned to look at me and I made space so that he could climb near the window and read his comic. I was feeling slightly better after the Coke and I didn't feel very tipsy anymore. I stole my cigarette back from Chris and took a drag, smoke rising in the air. Chris and I were the heavier smokers of the bunch, I smoked so I could have something to distract me when I was hungry, he smoked to distract himself from his family. In a way, we relate to each other that way. My family, besides Gordie, never care for anything that happens to me, Chris's family is the same way. 

Chris and Teddy played another round of 31 while I started dozing off next to Chris, leaning my head on a piece of wood. 

I was starting to fall asleep until I heard Vern's loud voice coming into the treehouse. 

"Oh man, you guys are not gonna believe this. This is so boss. 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." Vern said barely able to breathe. 

Right away I knew where this was heading and wide awake I joined in. 

"I ran all the way home, just to say I'm sorry, sorry oh-!"

"Come on guys, listen to me. Guys, come on! Okay, forget it. I'll tell you nothing" replied Vern with slight annoyance. 

"Alright alright guys, what is it man?" said Chris with a smug look on his face.

"Okay, great, you won't believe guys, sincerely" and with that, we started again. 

"I ran all the way home, just to say I'm sorry, sorry oh-!"

"Screw you guys" said Vern in all seriousness.

Even though Vern spoke in a serious tone, we all knew he wouldn't hold a grudge or stay mad the moment we gave him our attention again. He was a sensitive kid who didn't always understand the time and place to be serious. 

Vern brought up the idea that we should tell our parents if we could camp out in his backfield. The guys went with this idea and turned to me to see if I would go. 

"As long as Gordie goes, I can go" 

That was the rule in the house. The twins stay together. Not because they wanted us to be safe and in the presence of each other, but because they always looked for a way to get both of us away from them. 

The guys were getting distracted again, but I was observing Vern's face. He always had a natural happy look on his face, but this time he looked almost scared. 

"Do you guys wanna see a dead body?" said Vern very quietly, but we all heard him. 

Everybody gave him an odd look and he explained that he had been digging for his pennies and he overheard his brother and Billy. The boys all started making the plans to go look for Ray Brower's dead body, but I stayed quiet. Knowing Gordie would answer for the both of us. It's not that I was scared to go or that it made me anxious, I held some excitement for adventure, but in the back of my mind was death. 

Gordie and I had lost our brother and we haven't fully recovered. How should we? I wasn't as close with him as Gordie was, but he was my brother and we had a beautiful bond. Not as natural as the bond between Gordie and me but I felt like I could look up to him and he took care of me in ways my parents never did. Now he was gone. 

I turned to Gordie and we shared a look going unnoticed by the others.