YES, I AM NOT DEAD! Anyway, I was watching the movie "Stand By Me" (best movie EVER) and I wondered what would happen if a girl was in the group. So here it is. WARNING: Love triangles, swear words, self-hatred

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except Samantha

A New Day Will Come

Chapter 1: The Missing Teenager

How did I change before Labour Day, 1959? Well, I was nothing special in the first place. I was just the 13 year old Samantha 'Sam' Daylife. I remember when I heard about Ray Brower for the first time. Around me were three of my best friends, Gordie LaChance, Chris Chambers, and Teddy Duchamp. It was like any normal day…until I heard a knock on our treehouse.

"That's not the secret knock," said Gordie, shuffling cards in his hands. Then we heard a whiny, high voice cry "C'mon, guys, I forgot the secret knock." My head turned to my four friends. All our eyes were locked on each other. In unison, we spoke the name of who the voice belonged to. "…VERN!"

Gordie went over to unlock the cellar door and we saw Vern come out. "Oh guys, you're not gonna believe this," he chanted. "What is it?" asked Gordie. "Oh guys, you're gonna flip!" Vern said. "Just tell us what it is," Chris groaned. "Oh my goodness, guys. Oh my-" Then, all four of us, angered at Vern screamed in unison "JUST TELL US WHAT IT IS, VERN!"

Vern held up his hands as if he were to surrender and said, "Okay, okay. Settle your kettle!" He then cleared his throat and said: "…You guys wanna go see a dead body?"

8 words. Those 8 words-eight, not ten, not twelve-just eight-would change my life. Even after Vern explained how he had learned about the whereabouts of the missing teen, Ray Brower, by eavesdropping under his family's porch, I still couldn't believe it.

Teddy spoke up: "I know the Back Harlow Road! My dad and I used to fish for cossies out there! The train tracks are right there!"

I nodded. "If Brower went blackberry picking… he probably crossed the tracks to get to the forests quicker."

Vern started to get excited. "Yeah… yeah, and then a train must have come along and," he punched his hand, "el smacko."

Chris, our leader, said, "Hey, guys, I bet if we found Ray Brower, we could get our name in the papers."

I jumped up, a big smile lit up on my face. "Yeah! We could even be on TV!"

"Sure!" Chris yelled happily.

"We'll be heroes!" Teddy yelled, striking his best heroic pose.

"Yeah!" Chris yelled again. Gordie began to whoop and I smiled at him, to which he returned with those gorgeous teeth.

Vern had to spoil our excitement. "I don't know. What are we going to tell our folks?"

Gordie spoke up for the first time in five minutes. "How about this: we tell all of our folks we're tenting out in your back field, you tell your folks you're sleeping over at Teddy's, and then we'll all say we're going to the drag races the next day. We're rock solid until tomorrow night."

Chris said, impressed, "Man, that's a plan and a half."

Vern, always the party pooper, said, "But then when we find him, our folks will know that we didn't go to the drag races and we'll get hided!"

"Nobody will care!" Teddy exclaimed, "Because everyone'll be so jazzed about what we found, that they won't dare hide us!"

"Yeah!" I said. I was really starting to like this plan!

"Well, my dad'll probably hide me anyway, but hell, it's worth a hiding!" Chris exclaimed. "Let's do it. What do you say?"

"I'm in," Teddy said.

"Gordie?"

"Sure."

"Vern?"

"I don't know."

"Vern…" we all groaned.

"Come on, Verno," I encouraged him.

When Vern still wouldn't agree, Chris, Teddy, Gordie and I all ran over and gave him noogies until he finally said, "Fine, fine, I'll do it."

We all cheered, and then Chris turned to me. "How about you, Sam?" he asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

Gordie smiled with just as much hope. "Yeah, what would a trip like this be without the mother of our group?"

Teddy agreed. "Exactly. Who else is going to keep all of us calm and content."

Vern nodded. "You could sing us another one of those songs you hear from those million musicals you go to."

I laughed. I loved how these guys knew everything about me. "Of course I'll come, you guys."

We all celebrated our quest for fame. How the five of us could have stayed friends since Kindergarten is beyond me. We're so different…we're all outcasts. But maybe that's what keeps us bonded.

I could talk about my friends for hours: Teddy… oh god, Teddy! Teddy was insane, crazy…off with his head! He was pretty wild and rebellious, and always picked on poor Vern. He and I had a rocky relationship. When I first met the guys, he was the most hesitant to accept a girl in their "gang." Yet, I think out of everyone I understood him the most, and he certainly understood me more. He probably belonged to the most messed up family in history: when he was six years old, his father held Teddy's ear to a stove and nearly burnt it off. His father was then sent away to a rehabilitation centre and no one has heard from him since. Teddy had sandy, shaggy hair with hazel eyes that were magnified by glasses a gazillion inches thick. He also had the weirdest laugh I have ever heard in my life. There really aren't any words to describe it: like what you get when you put an old man with smoker's cough and a rusty nail being wrenched out together! That's what it sounded like!

Vern was probably the most normal person of our gang. He had a normal family compared to everyone else, except for his older brother, Billy, of course. Billy was in with the deadliest gang in town, the Cobras. Chris's brother, Eyeball, was in the gang too, and the gang was led by the most arrogant, most idiotic person in town. Two words…Ace Merrill. Vern was the all-around good kid so it was quite a surprise that he ended up with us. I constantly had to protect him from Teddy's pathetic "two-for-flinching" punch that he had always inflicted on Vern. Verno (as we called him) was extremely tubby, had brown hair and blue eyes.

Good-old Chris was the leader of our gang. He was very protective of us all and never backed down in a fight. Just the way he stood there, facing the villain with his muscular body, electrifying blue eyes, and a strong yet smooth fist ready for punching was just so…oh, alright, I'll admit it: I have a HUGE crush on Chris Chambers; I have ever since I've met him. There was just something about him… a glow of charisma that sucked you in and kept you fascinated. He also came from a bad family, and every single person in town just knew he'd turn out bad… including Chris. Aside from his amazing eyes, he had a gorgeous buzz cut blond hair. He had a tough persona and figure yet was one of the sweetest guys you would ever meet. My crush for him was unrequited. Despite the fact that he would never love someone like me, there were many more reasons that would keep us apart…many of them I will touch on later.

Gordie was the quietest in our group. He was smart, soft-spoken, and was only really lively and funny when he was with us. His life family-wise was the most tragic story in the world: in February, Gordie's older brother, Denny, who was the only person other than us that Gordie could lean on for support, had been killed in a Jeep accident, leaving Gordie to suffer the abuse and neglect of his parents. I had conflicting feelings about Gordie. And by feelings I mean LOVE feelings. He had soft, brown hair that nearly fell into his brown doe eyes, and a sweet, young face. He was adorable and so decent and nice. The way he flashed his smile was just so…hypnotic. I had always loved Chris but ever since I remembered, I had been attracted to Gordie. He was the kindest person I've ever met. He helps you and always knows what to say when you're down.

As for me? Well, I was just Samantha "Sam" Daylife. Good old Sam, the girl in the rough. Just Sam. Sam who was abandoned by her alcoholic father when her mom was 7 months pregnant with the now three year old Riley. Sam, whose mother is the biggest eater and most obese woman in town who turned to food after she was abandoned. Sam, the tomboy who could annihilate anyone in a game of baseball.

The boys would treat me like any one of us, despite the fact that I was a girl. A girl who was always unpopular and unlucky in love. Ha…well, that was about to change!