Richie shakes me awake.
"Mike'll be here in 20 minutes. Get your butt up and get ready." He says as he puts his face close into mine.
"Fuck me." I groan. He pulls away.
"You already said no." He shrugs. I grab my pillow from under my head and throw it at him. He isn't quick enough to dodge it and gets smacked right in the face with it. I chuckle softly as he recovers from the hit. I quickly get up and change before brushing my teeth and hair. I pop in my contacts and hurry downstairs to the group.
"Everyone ready?" Mike asks.
"Where exactly are we going, Mike?" I ask, stepping forward.
"You'll see." He nods at me. He leads us silently through town and into a field, near the barrens, and into the woods.
"This is where we came after the rock fight." Ben smiles as he recognises where we are. I squint as I try to remember.
"The clubhouse." Richie sparks my memory. Holy shit, I'd forgotten that this place even existed. Bev laughs with delight.
"You built that for us.'' She points at Ben.
"Yeah, the hatch has got to be around here somewhere." Richie points to the floor.
"I do remember that!" Eddie exclaims. We all spread out as we try to look for the entrance.
"You know what, I actually think the door was more like..." Ben stops as he starts stomping on the floor. It breaks and he falls through. I open my mouth in shock and we all quietly stare.
"Found it. I'm ok, come down!" He calls from the bottom. I look at Eddie and he shakes his head softly. We all head down carefully. I look around carefully as I remember bits and pieces from the clubhouse.
2 7 Y E A R S A G O
I look up from my book at Stan sitting across from me. He's reading his own book about birds. Eddie and Richie sit on the hammock together, arguing about who knows what. Bev and Bill keep smiling at each other as they talk and poor Ben sits all alone listening to his walkman, occasionally bobbing his head to the beat. I stuck my leg out and hit Stan's book slightly with my foot. He looks up in surprise. I smile at him and nod up. He frowns softly, not taking the hint. I nod up again and he tilts his had. I sigh at his obliviousness.
"I need to go outside. Stan?" I invite him.
"Oh, yeah." He nods, finally getting it. I roll my eyes playfully as I grab his hand and drag him out of the bunker.
"Well since we almost died killing that clown, I figured you'd enjoy watching the birds with me before I leave." I hold my arms out at the forest around us. He smiles widely at me.
"I'd love to." He grabs my hand in his as we walk slowly through the trees. We find a nice place to sit, at the bottom of a big shady tree. We sit silently, hand in hand as we watch the birds.
"That one's a black-capped chickadee." He points using his free hand. I smile as I look at his excitement.
"What?" He turns and smiles at me.
"You're so cute when you're this excited." I smile and lean into his lips for a sweet kiss. It ends up lasting longer than I expected and he reaches his hand up to cup my cheek. We pull away for air but are back on each other within milliseconds. Man, this is nice. I wish it could never end.
YOU ARE READING
All Alone | Stanley Uris
Adventure"That's what adults do. They only think about their problems... And when they don't have any, they make one up. Us kids, we can see the reality of life more than they can, and that's what's truly terrifying. Something they'll never want to come to t...
