Notes: I know, right? I hope this is good. I was on a depressed writers kick and this came out. I hope it makes sense. Oh, and if you've read IN THE ROUGH, you'll notice some fun things added in. Oh, and the words like this are being spoken.
Warning: Language.
Summary: Fate. That which is inevitably predetermined. But they beat it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. You'd know if I did. ChrisGordie anyone?
Reminder: Please review!

FATE

They weren't stupid. In fact, in their own way, they were all smart. They were best friends, together forever. Or so the children's rhythm went. They all needed each other to survive. They were each other's lifelines.

None of them belonged. They all hated life in some way. But there's shit in this world worth living for, you just gotta find it man.

But fate, it seemed, had something against them.

Chris was supposed to grow up to be an alcoholic. He was supposed to flunk out of school and stay in Castle Rock forever.

Teddy was supposed to be kicked out of the army before he even did anything. Then he was supposed to spent 25 to life in prison for a homicide he did (didn't) commit.

Vern was supposed to drop out before high school. Can you fucking believe it? A seventh grade drop out. Too stupid to do anything else, he should have ended up at the mill.

Gordie, God Gordie, he was supposed to be the only one with the smarts to get the hell out of Castle-fucking-Rock. Gordie was supposed to throw away his dreams for his father, who wanted him to work in an office. A fucking office man, can you believe it? I'll kill myself before that ever happens.

Destiny was a funny thing too. Girls in school tried to predict it with a silly game called MASH. They played it all the time.

The secret was: the guys did too. Only they played it alone, or on triple-dog-dares. They'd do it when they were alone in detention or in their rooms at midnight, even the bathroom, but only rarely.

it wasn't up to us

The day Vern came to the treehouse with that stupid question; it all seemed like fate. Now, they realized that they could have said no way man, what are you, cracked? But they agreed. It wasn't up to them. They had no idea what would come of it.

Would it make their friendship really last forever, or would it break it into a million tiny pieces that would fly into your eye and make you cry at night, remembering everything that happened?

Everyone cried that trip. Well, everyone except Vern, but he was pussy enough that he should of. But Chris and Gordie almost ended their lives.

"The past is the past. You gotta let those things die."

"But sometimes its way to hard."

After that trip, things quieted down. Everyone found where their lives were headed.

Teddy tried to get into the army, but failed. Now he works around Castle Rock. His demons will never die.

Vern did drop out, but only to support his soon-to-be wife Victoria and their baby son Henry.

Chris went onto law school, where he met a girl named Bailey. They both became lawyers. He was the class valedictorian. But fate's funny like that. The day Bailey found out she was pregnant with his child, he was stabbed in the throat, he died almost instantly.

And God damn it Gordie. Everything worked out, didn't it? He became a writer. He married a woman named Christina, and they live in a place just like Castle-fucking-Rock. Gordie got everything.

But they got together, one last time. Right before graduation. It was hard to find a night when they were all free, but they did. No alcohol, no drugs, no girls. They were all in Vern's backfield. It was as if nothing had come between them.

They had never belonged and they were never perfect. No one is. No, they weren't perfect but, "we were heroes that day man. No one knows it but us. We were fucking heroes. And it's times like that, if we remember them from time to time, we will be heroes. Now and forever."

"Together forever."

"No matter what happens that night will bind us."

"Yeah, we were supposed to be heroes…"

"We know the truth. We were heroes. We are heroes-"

"Fucking heroes!"

"I'll always remember those times. The times that made us heroes. I won't ever forget you as long as you don't forget me."

"No way man. No way."

(there was nothing I could do)