stand by me ➳ C.C // SLOW UPDATES

maybe we should hitch-hike?

Chris ran off ahead of August after he'd tried to grab her hand and they both joined the other boys who were talking about Chris' pistol. "What's we need a pistol for anyways?" As usual, it was Vern asking all these questions.

"It's spooky sleeping at night in the woods, we might see a bear." Chris said sounding kinda thick. "Or a garbage can."

"I bought a comb." Vern suddenly told us.

Chris turned and gave him a stupid look. "What do we need a comb for?"

"Well if we get on TV we wanna look good don't we?" Vern questioned his intelligence as August turned and laughed at him.

"That's a lot of thinking Vern, thanks." Gordie was the only one who had anything nice to say about the comb.

Teddy swung a punch at Vern making him flinch. "Two for flinching." And then punched him in the arm twice. August didn't know why Teddy did that, he just did

The five of them stopped at a small bridge up ahead where their journey would begin. August stared off and past the train tracks where all the trees were. "How far do you think it'll be?" She asked, talking to no one in particular. She was standing a bit in front of the boys and she could feel their eyes on her but brushed it off.

Chris put his hands on his hips and sighed heavily. "If we follow the tracks all the way into Harlow it should be about twenty miles, sound 'bout right to you Gordie?"

"Yeah, yeah it might even be thirty." Gordie responded and August turned round to them with an exhausted look on her face, making Chris smirk at her.

"Gee, maybe we should just hitch-hike?" Vern commented from behind the boys. August didn't think it was that bad of an idea but this was an adventure, so they were going to walk it.

"No way that sucks." Teddy told him as the five of them started to make their way across the bridge.

"Why not?" Vern persisted. "We could go out through seven to the Sharlow church, then down the back Harlow road. We'll be there by sundown."

"No way that's pussy." Teddy shouted back.

"Hey it's a long way."

"Did your mother ever have any kids that lived?" Teddy turned and asked.

"What do you mean?"

XXX

"Have gun will travel, reads the card of a man... A knife without armour in a savage land... His fast gun hire, heeds the calling wind... A soldier of fortune is a man called Paladin..."

As the rest of them stopped singing, only Teddy continued. This was the norm. It was also very normal for August to be up ahead of them and as Chris took a sip of water from Gordie's canteen she was all he could see, and he didn't mind that.

All of a sudden, August stopped and turned around to face the boys. "Who's got the food?" She asked.

"Shit," Teddy remarked. "Did anybody bring anything?"

"Not me." Chris shook his head and so did Gordie.

"Oh, well this is great what are we supposed to do? Eat our feet?" Teddy complained and August stepped forward.

"You mean you didn't bring anything either." She tilted her head to one side and mocked him.

"Well shit this wasn't my idea it was Vern's idea." Teddy shouted back.

"What am I supposed to do think of everything? I bought the comb." Vern showed them all his comb again and August rolled her eyes.

"Oh great, you bought a comb what do you need a comb for you don't even have any hair!"

Gordie broke up the fight, as per usual. "Let's see how much money we got." He said, sitting us all down on the tracks as we dug into our pockets. "Let's see; I got a dollar too. Sixty eight cents from Chris, sixty cents from Teddy, seventy cents from August. Seven cents Vern?"

"I haven't found my pennies yet." Vern just shrugged his shoulders and complained.

"Well this isn't bad; Quidaciallos is down the road by the junkyard, I think we can get some stuff there." Gordie announced as Chris started to get himself and August up.

"Train coming." He explained as August looked up at him confused. They all jumped off the tracks but as they looked back they could see Teddy throw his stuff down and plant his feet into the ground.

"Come on, Teddy!" August shouted.

"Nah-ah. I'm gonna dodge it." He told her and she turned to Chris anxiously.

"Come on Teddy, man. Get off the tracks you're crazy." Chris told him, seeing August wasn't keen on his plan.

Teddy only ignored him. "Train dodge, dog it."

"Get the hell off the tracks Teddy, you wanna get yourself killed?" Chris shouted up at him, taking the rope that attached his sleeping bag off his shoulder and passing it to Gordie.

Chris wrestles Teddy to get off the tracks and eventually picked him up and threw him off. As the train passed all August could hear was white noise as she stared at the ground, the faint sound of Teddy and Chris still shouting at her ringing in her ears.

"I'm just trying to save your life man, you just tried to kill yourself!" Chris shouted as the train passed but August remained with her eyes fixed solidly on the ground.

"I don't need no babysitter."

"You do too."

"I could've dodged it." Teddy began to walk away.

Chris ran after him. "Listen Teddy, you can dodge it on the way back man. Peace. Skin it." Teddy skinned Chris' arm and they walked back to retrieve their stuff, Chris noticed August and grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's go August."

"You could've died." She looked up at him. "Teddy could've died."

Chris sighed and grabbed her shoulders. "It won't happen again, I promise."

August shook him off but he ran after her too. "Hey!" She turned to look at Chris once more. "I promise, August."

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