𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘋𝘰𝘭𝘭

Chapter Seven

Gordie POV

We were walking along the tracks, all five of us in a line, Teddy in the middle, crying, being comforted by Chris and Adelaide. Through the sobs he said,

"He ranked my old man."

Chris, in an attempt to console him said,

"What d'you care what a bad old pile of sh*t like him says about your dad? "

Adelaide continued on,

" He still stormed the beach in Normandy, right?"

Teddy sniffed and wiped a tear away replying,

"He did it."

Chris said,

"You think that pile of shit was at Normandy?"

Teddy started getting aggravated said,

"He did it, alright?"

Adelaide said,

"He don't know nothing about your old man. He's just dogsh*t."

Chris continued on for Adelaide,

"Whatever is between you and your old man. He can't change that!"

Teddy flipped his sh*it, shoved us all away and hollered,

"Forget it! alright? Just forget it!"

Vern, not noticing the awkward silence, started singing,

"Have Gun, Will Travel" reads the card of a man. A knight without armor in a savage land."

He went quiet after Chris slugged him in the shoulder. After walking for a few more steps, Teddy stopped and said,

"I'm sorry if I'm spoiling everybody's good time."

I reached over Chris and grabbed his shoulder saying,

"It's okay, it's okay, man."

Then under her breath, Adelaide muttered,

"I'm not sure it should be a good time."

Chris looked up questionably,

"You saying you wanna go back because if you do we can-"

She cut him off saying,

"No, no, I'm not saying that, but we're going to see a dead kid, maybe it shouldn't be a party."

Vern quickly nodded his head and agreed saying,

"Yeah, like if he's really bad like all cut up with blood and sh*t all over him; I might have nightmares!"

We started walking, and while Chris moved back towards Adelaide, wrapping his arm around her waist, he said to Vern,

"Come on, Vern."

Vern, ignoring the comment, continued on his babbling saying,

"You know like all guts and eyeballs . . . jumping ground?"

Chris stopped and turned around, Adelaide stopped with him as he cut him off yelling,

"Shut up, Vern."

As Chris said that, me and Teddy said,

"Come on, goddamnit!"

Vern said, timidly,

"Can't help it, sorry."

It was only a quarter to three but it felt much later. It was too hot and too much had happened. We weren't even close to the Royal River yet. We were gonna have to get moving if we were gonna have to make some real miles before dark.