To stand by him

I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing. In some peoples eyes it didn't make any sense, but to me it did.

Gordie was my friend, at least I liked to think we were, and I started to realize I didn't know anything about my friends. Just like I didn't really know anything about Chris.

Chris had explained to me about how Gordie's parents didn't like him, Teddy or Vern. How they thought they were delinquents and they couldn't even go over to his house to see him anymore.

So Chris had told me what I should do. So I stood outside Gordie's door in a dress, my hair brushed and neat, and my cuts and bruises covers up to the best of my ability.

The door opened and Gordie's mom came into view, she looked like she had once been beautiful but had obviously aged way too fast with the deep creases in her face and the dark circles around her eyes. Her stare was dead but she seemed surprised.

"Oh, Hello."

"Hi." I smiled shyly.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice was sweet but it held no interest.

"I'm Anna, is Gordie here?" Before she could answer a tall man appeared. He seemed very curious as to why I was here. His brows furrowed in confusion and looked me up and down. Not in a sleazy way, in a almost judging way.

"Whose this?" He asked his wife.

"Gordie's friend?" Mrs. Lachance said.

He seemed even more confused now, and I didn't blame him. If you were to set Chris beside me in his old white t-shirt and worn ripped dirty jeans, with a cigarette hanging from his lips. I looked like I was royalty. My dress was a light yellow with a white fabric sash along my waist tied in a bow at the back, it was clean and very prissy looking, my hair was for once brushed neatly to hang loose around my shoulders.

"Gordie there's a girl here." His mother called up the stairs. Within a second Gordie was coming down the stairs a shirt in hand his hair slightly damp. He was obviously in his room changing, but his dad turned on him angry.

"Good lord Gordie, there's a girl here put your damn shirt on!" Gordie looked at his father and nodded mutely. "Are you that stupid? There's company and you're walking around like you don't give a damn-"

"Anna?" Gordie asked shirt halfway on his body completely ignoring his dad. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to see you. Can we talk?" I tried to put on my best smile, it was hard with the way his dad seemed to surveying us.

"Uh yeah I guess." Gordie looked from his dad to me.

"Are you immobile or stupid? Take her upstairs." Mr. LaChance's voice boomed and Gordie flinched then took my hand and led me up the stairs.

"It was nice meeting you." I quickly said then hurried behind Gordie.

Gordie dropped my hand pushing me into his room and closing the door.

"What are you doing here?" He asked a little more sharply this time.

"Your dad is charming." I said, my own sarcastic nature coming back once there were no authority figures around.

"Anna, if my dad knew who you really were you'd be kicked out of here faster than Teddy running towards a free beer."

"Glad to know you have mentioned me." I joked.

Gordie sighed and threw his hands up. "Anna really, you don't want them knowing who you are. Now tell me why you are here. . . .and why you're dressed like that."

"Chris told me that your dad thinks your friends are delinquents, which we are, but I thought I would be more accepted if I dressed like this." I gestured to myself. "And as for why I'm here, I just wanted to come talk to you. As long as I have known you I haven't really talked to you."

He stared at me as if I was completely insane. "So you can't talk to me anywhere else you just had to chose my house?"

"You don't want to see me?" I joked sitting on his unmade bed.

"Thats not the point and you know it." He argued I sighed. I knew I shouldn't have come here, Chris had even warned me not to.

"Look I'm sorry, but this is the only place I knew I could talk to you alone."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Why do you want to talk to me alone?"

"Well Chris told me-"

"Shhh!" Gordie snapped suddenly. I stopped talking and watching is curiosity as he walked towards his closed door. putting his ear to the door for a couple seconds then wrenching it open. In the doorway stood his father.

"What?" Gordie asked in annoyance.

"I believe the correct word you are looking for is 'yes dad?'" Gordie's dad was only a few inches taller than him but her glared down at Gordie like her was two feet tall and misshapen.

"Yes dad?" Gordie asked glaring as well. "Why were you spying on us?"

"The door isn't supposed to be closed." His dad nearly said. Gordie shook his head, his father was not a person that was easy to get along with I could tell. He was also one of those men that couldn't admit to being wrong. "Your mom wants to know if Anna want's to stay for dinner."

"No she can't." Gordie answered for me his tone gruff and stern. "She'll be leaving soon anyways."

"Right." and without another word he was gone.

I cut to the chase right away knowing I didn't have much time to talk to him anymore. "Your brother's name was Denny right?" Gordie stiffened.

"Yeah."

"You know Chris told me about when you guys were twelve." That seemed to be enough for Gordie to understand.

"Oh yeah? About time. He also tell yah about the beatings we all got afterwards?"

"No but I can imagine." I laughed lightly. He looked at me without any humour and I sighed.

"So why exactly are you here?"

Why was I there? I wanted to know more about him, everyone here was damaged they were hurt and beaten down by everyone around them and I wanted to be able to help in some way. Anyway.

"Do I have to have a reason to come see you?" I grinned he shrugged and sat down in a chair by his desk.

"I guess not, but you've never done it before." He looked at me with those dark eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"You got me." I said tossing my hands in the air. "I'm here to confess my love for you."

He smirked. "Funny. Chris know about this?'

"Figured he doesn't have to know. He just might beat your face in, and I like that face too much." I spoke in a tone as if I was speaking to a toddler, playful, full of teasing and sarcasm.

"I think we both know I could beat him up. I taught you how to fight didn't I?"

Gordie was quick to think. Makes sense since Chris is always talking about how smart he is all the time.

"Yeah you did, we can fight him off together." I said Gordie winked at me and I breathed out a laugh, it was nice to joke with him.

"Seriously though I feel like I don't know anything about you other than what Chris tells me."
Gordie leaned forwards in the chair resting his elbows on his knees.

"What do you want to know?"

"Can you tell me about Denny?" He tensed and I wished I hadn't been do forward, I quickly tried to soften the words before he got angry. "It's just, I know that its hard to talk about people that leave your life, and talking tends to help." He glared at me.

"And you think talking to you is going to help?"

"I think I'd understand a little more." I shrugged.

"Your parents just walked out on you they didn't die." He snapped. I sighed ignoring that for a moment.

"That's true. But I kinda just finished screaming at Chris over how my mom didn't even love me and walked out and I haven't seen her and oddly enough I feel better." Gordie stared at me for a moment and then started to laugh. "Stop laughing."

"I can't help it. You screamed at Chris over your mom walking out?" His smile was large. "I can just imagine what that looked like. Anyways, Denny was the only one that seemed to notice me. But he was the one that was noticed by everyone else."

I paused my mouth slightly open as I listened to him.

"He was the favourite and that led my dad and mom to like him a lot more and wish that it was me other than him." He was looking down hands clasped and voice even and soft.

"I'm happy you're here." I said to him, getting off the bed and placing a hand on his arm. "I wish your brother wasn't gone, but I'm so happy it's not you, and I'm he feels the same way."

Gordie shook his head.

"It was a long time ago and I got used to it." He looked up at me and smiled. "I think he would have liked you."

"Well he better we're in love remember." I winked and he laughed.

"I kinda think Teddy would be the one to be more angry at this than Chris." This time we laughed together. "Thanks Anna, but I really think you should go now, my parents aren't the nicest." I nodded and stood with him.

We walked down the hallway together where his father was leaning against the wall looking at us with a dark glare.

"What?" Gordie asked I could hear the boredom in his voice.

"Chambers sloppy seconds? Classy son."

"What?" Gordie and I asked at the same time. I was completely confused.

"You're screwing around with your best friends girlfriend? I thought Denny at least taught you morals before he. . . died. . . he had a good girl and sweet caring-"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Gordie snapped at his father. "Anna is Chris' girlfriend, she's not mine."

"I heard you clear as day claiming to not tell Chris. That she," He pointed a finger at me. "Loved you"

"You were listening at the door?" I thought out loud. I looked at Gordie and he looked pissed.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I told you she isn't my girlfriend we were joking around and even if she was, it's not your business and stop listening at my door!" He yelled at his father. Gordie's dad glared down at his son in anger.

"How dare you talk to me that way! I am your father."

"Only speaking the way you deserve to be spoken to come Anna." Without another word Gordie grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the stairs.

"You're nothing but a little punk, just like Chambers and Duchamp and-"

"Go to hell!" Gordie yelled over his shoulder as he wrenched the door open. It slammed shut behind us and Gordie kept his pace up until we were at the end of his property.

"I can't go over to anyones house." I said Gordie smirked and shook his head.

"Sorry about that.'

"It's fine."

"Nah it ain't but thanks for saying that anyways." He looked down the empty street. "You going to be okay walking alone?"

"Yeah I'll be fine. You going to be okay in there?"

"In there? Yeah, my dads all bark, he'll say some shit that isn't true and get back to ignoring me."
It amazed me Gordie had accepted his life so easily and seemed to unbothered by it. I knew of course that wasn't true he was pissed off and hurt by it but he was a tough kid and accepted it.

"Guess I was worried about you for no reason." I said offering a small smile which he returned.

"Let us worry about you okay? You sure you don't want me to walk you?" I shook my head.

"I'll be fine, it's still light out." He nodded and stuffed his hands in his jeans pocket.

"Okay by Anna."
"See ya." He leaned over giving me a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Can't leave my lover without something to remember me by."

'Was that really the smartest thing to do, I think your dad is watching."

"Oh I know he is." He grinned walking backwards towards his house. "I can't impress him might as well disappoint him as much as possible."

"I'm the disappointment?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Something like that."

"Go to hell Gordie."

"See ya there."