The Body {Stand By Me} A Girl's Perspective

Chapter One: Family and Friends

I was twelve going on thirteen first time I saw a dead human being, and found out the young woman I will soon age to be. It was when times where simple, easy to live and to just have freedom as a young child. It happened in the summer of 1959, seems like yesterday to me, but who am I kidding, it wasn't. I lived with my family, the Chambers. My brother Chris and I had a childhood no other kid would ever want. We had an older brother named Richard, but no one calls him that anymore. They usually just call him Eyeball due to his jacked up eye. We had an abusive father, who had some sort of drinking problem which made him go berserk at times and take it out on Chris and I. Once I came home from school later than usual, and I found Chris laying face down, injured on our kitchen floor. I rushed to his side and screamed, "Chris what did dad do to you?" Moments passed, and then he turned over and I saw a enormous purple, swollen eye. I quickly took him into my care because he's the only family member in my life who does't beat me, does't ignore me, and doesn't leave me to die. That leads up to my mother. We don't talk about her and can't talk about her, especially in front of dad. When mom left us, he started getting into drugs and alcohol, becoming a father no one would ever want to have.

When we started grade school, we didn't know anyone at the time, but we soon found these three other boys who had the same life as us, or similar to. We first met Gordie Lachance in the school cafeteria. I was buying my milk when he stopped in front of me and said just the simple hello. He then walked off with a face that seemed lonely and not wanted. I then went to look for him and asked him if he'd sit next to Chris and I since we had an open table. He had dark brown hair, a frail body type, and face that made me feel something I've never felt before, and he still makes me feel that to this day. I asked him, "Hey what's your name?" He took a bite out of his homemade sandwich and said, "Gordie, Gordie Lachance." I then introduced myself and Chris did as well. We just talked about our likes, dislikes, and our family life. We then found out all of us had the same family type. Gordie was the younger brother of Denny Lachance who was always the star in the family. His parents never thought the'd have a kid due to their age, and their luck. When they found out they would have a kid, they knew that, that kid would be their pride and main joy. When they had Gordie, they weren't expecting, nor wanting to have him, but they did. Gordie loved, and still loves to write just like I do. He wrote, and Denny played football which every dad would want his son to play. When Denny graduated he went straight to the military to fight for our country. One day, he was riding in a jeep, testing their equipment out and suddenly the jeep exploded into bits and pieces leaving no one alive and well. He was never the same after his brother died he told me, but he never got in depth about it. We then met Teddy and Vern who were the craziest kids we've ever met as kids. I don't remember much about how we met since it was over 20 years ago, but all I remember was their acts and appearances. Teddy was the crazy, adventurous kid who never took no as an answer. He had these huge glasses that covered up most of his face, he had a burnt ear, and I remember his laugh the most since it sounded like a animal getting strangled. Vern was a well - rounded kid, literally. He was short and stalky, always carried around Pez, and was very gullible, but he was an innocent kid. We all stayed friends until the time it came for us to enter a new chapter, middle school. We all wondered during the summer if we'd stay friends and our upcoming adventure would tell us our fate.