Look Me in the Eyes

Chapter 2: Making Friends

     When I finished my root beer, I got off the bar stool and turned to leave, only to come face to face with the handsome blue eyed boy. His friends were close behind him, stopping suddenly when he did.
     "Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized, taking a step back. He shrugged.
     "Don't sweat it, I should have watched where I was going," he told me, "I'm Chris, and these are my friends. That's Gordie," he nudged the boy who had rolled his eyes in the booth, "Teddy," he motioned towards the one with Buddy Holly glasses, "And Vern," he pointed to the chubby boy.
     Chris extended his hand for me to shake. I reached for it and shook it firmly.
     "Annie. Nice to meet you," I smiled at him, releasing his hand.
     "I don't remember seeing you around here. So what's a chick like you doing alone in a town like this?" Teddy asked.
     "I'm spending the summer here with my older brother. He's hanging out with his friends, so I decided to familiarize myself with the area," I explained, leaning my back against the counter.
     "Need any help?" Gordie questioned politely. I smiled kindly at him.
     "Some help would be nice. I haven't been here since I was six and the diner is pretty much the only part of town I remember," I answered.
     "We could show you around," Vern volunteered happily. The others nodded their heads in agreement.
     "Are you up for it, Annie?" Chris inquired.
     "Sure," I grinned, seeing him do the same.
     "That settles it. C'mon, Annie, we're gonna show you the highlights of Castle Rock."

     For the rest of the day, the boys and I walked around town, pointing out the best places to eat, hang out, etcetera. They even showed me their tree house. Well, it wasn't theirs. They had found it and claimed it for themselves, filling it with blankets and magazines.
     Currently, we were running away from a very angry man because he thought we were the kids that set off cherry bombs in his yard. We saw the bombs go off and the teenagers run away, and had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

     We rounded the street corner, breathing heavily. I bent down and rested my hands on my knees, beginning to laugh. The boys joined in, still panting.
     "That was ace!" Teddy exclaimed.
     "Totally," I agreed, finally catching my breath. I looked down at my watch and sighed, "It's nearly eight. I should head home."
     "Yeah so should I," Gordie said and Vern nodded.
     "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later," I smiled and began my trek home.

     When I made it home, Johnny was sitting on the couch, watching TV and drinking a beer. Johnny looked up when I entered the room.
     "Hey, where have you been all day?" he asked, turning off the TV and setting his beer on the coffee table. I was afraid he'd be angry that I didn't come home earlier, but he wasn't. Mom never liked me to stay out much past seven, and here it was, almost a quarter after eight. But I guess I should have figured that it would be different with Johnny.
     "Just in town. A few guys my age were showing me around," I answered, walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
     "A few guys?" Johnny pried, getting up joining me in the kitchen.
     "Yeah a few guys. They were really nice," I assured him, "Have you eaten yet?"
     "No," he replied, leaning against the counter.
     "Okay, I'll get something ready then," I told him. Mom had taught me how to cook when I was ten and I didn't really trust Johnny near a stove.
     "What were their names?" I barely heard Johnny's question. I was trying to decide what we would have. I finally made up my mind and got the pancake mix out of the cupboard. We were going to have breakfast for dinner.
     "Who's names?" I inquired, getting out the eggs, ham and milk out of the fridge.
     "The guys who showed you around town," Johnny said.
     "Chris, Gordie, Teddy, and Vern," I replied, setting a pan on the stove.
     "Oh," was all he said. I sighed, turning around to face him.
     "What's wrong?"
     "I don't like them," he answered, crossing his arms, "And I definitely don't like you hanging out with them."
     "Johnny, they're nice guys, I promise. What's so bad about them?" Johnny was silent as I turned the stove on to preheat it, then took a bowl from the cupboard and began to make the pancake batter.
     "They aren't good kids," he finally spoke. I poured the batter into the pan in several spots, hearing it sizzle each time. Stepping away from the stove while they cooked, I turned to him and raised my eyebrow.
     "What about you?" I asked.
     "What about me?"
     "I've heard quite a bit about you these past few days," I told him, "And I'm sorry, Johnny, but I don't think you have the right to say that they're bad kids."
     He stared at me, thinking about what I said. I stared right back, only breaking our gaze to flip the pancakes and crack a few eggs into a pan.
     "If they do anything, and I mean anything, to hurt you, I'll kill 'em," Johnny told me, finally speaking.
     "So you don't mind me hanging out with them?" I tried to clarify.
     "Of course I mind, but if you're as stubborn as you used to be, I really don't have a say in what you do," he replied, uncrossing his arms and pushing himself away from the counter. He turned to leave, but he stopped when I walked over and wrapped my arms around his torso from behind.
     "Johnny?" I said.
     "Yeah, Annie?" he looked at me over his shoulder. I smiled.
     "Thanks."