Girl Next Door
Chapter One- Remembering…
I was sitting in my room with my beat up old photo album in my lap. It was bound in red leather and had the name Taylor Marie Cade on it. My brother, Johnny, got it for me for my 13th birthday, plus a camera Two-Bit stole from the store, once they found out I loved taking pictures.
I hadn't looked at it in two years, since Johnny died. There were too many pictures of him and me, and the gang in it, and I was afraid it would make me cry. I really didn't hang out with the gang too much while Johnny was still here since they were all guys and would have got me into a lot of trouble. But after Johnny died, we helped each other cope by hanging with each other. So, now, I'm everyone's kid sister.
I carefully and slowly cracked open the dry leather cover, afraid at what I might find. A musty smell filled the air as the first pictures appeared on the page in front of me. I took a deep breath and sat up straight, determined not to bust out in tears. The pictures on the first page looked stuck to it and were yellowing. The first one was of me and Johnny in the lot smiling at the camera. Johnny had his arm around me and I never realized how much we really did look alike. I laughed. Dally took that picture and it took me 15 minutes to teach him how to use the camera. He kept swearing through his cigarette as he turned the camera around and around trying to figure it out. "Worthless gift Two-Bit," he said. "This thing is a piece of junk." Two-Bit slapped up side the head. That was my first real party and it was out in the lot with all of Johnny's friends who I had yet to really know.
The other ones were of me and Johnny and a couple of the other gang members. Steve wasn't there because he was badly hung over, but got me a gift anyways- a pack of cigarettes. Johnny immediately took them from me and put them in his pocket telling me I shouldn't smoke. But Dally took them from him and gave me one anyways. I will NEVER do that again!!! I'm sorry for disobeying you, Johnny. I hope you can hear me…
The other pictures were of the upcoming year, ending in my 14th birthday, since I refused to look in it after that. I skimmed through the pages and tried to avoid looking at the ones of Johnny and me, which were a lot. Finally, I got to the last page. There was a picture of Mom and Dad and me. My face got hot and I suddenly got mad at their smiling faces, acting like nothing they did was ever wrong. They beat Johnny and yelled at him…they hurt him, so therefore they hurt me. I was just always too afraid to interfere when they were yelling or beating Johnny, scared that I would be next, but now I regret that I didn't. Oh, Johnny, I'm so, so sorry…
I shut the book shut and headed downstairs. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to get out, especially after looking at that mess upstairs. I needed to talk to Ponyboy. Mom was in the kitchen cooking. "Hey sweetheart," she said smiling at me. Didn't they ever miss Johnny…ever? "Hi, mom," I said not looking at her. I went to go put on my ripped, muddy, old Converses. I was tying the laces up when Daddy came over to me. "Hi princess," he said. I winced. I HATED when he called me that. I was a Greaser. NOT a "princess." "Where are you going?" he asked me. "Oh," I said looking innocently up at him. "You know, out. Probably going to go play in the lot or something." I stood up, and slicked my long black hair into a ponytail. "Okay," he said. "But just don't go hanging around those boys out there. They'll mess you up. Oh, and be back by dark."
I waved my hand in a signal that said "will do." I walked out into the lot and didn't stop running until I felt like I was about to pass out. I fell on the ground out of breath about twenty feet from where the gang was standing smoking cigarettes. The boys spun around startled, obviously hearing me coughing and trying to catch my breath.
Someone sent out a long low whistle that ended in a high pitch. I picked my head up and sent the whistle back, before dropping my head against the hard ground again. "Taylor?" Ponyboy's head appeared over mine. "Are you alright?!" He looked startled.
"Yeah," I said picking myself off the ground. "I'm fine." The gang surrounded me. "The 'rents letting their baby girl out?" Two-Bit said with a smirk. "Shut up," I said shoving him in the shoulder. He just stood there. I knew he wouldn't do anything to me since I was Johnny's kid sister, even if he was dead. They had respect for me. But I hated it when they said things about me being "Mama's Pride and Joy" or "Daddy's Little Angel." It was like I could help my parents were nice to me, and they all knew Johnny was abused. It made me feel like I wasn't wanted with them, that they were all on Johnny's side and hated anyone who my parents liked. They were, after all, Johnny's friends first, so they did have the right to not like me. I just wanted to let them know that I did care for my brother.
"Leave her alone," Ponyboy said coming to stand beside me. He knew my true feelings. Steve took a drag. "Come on," he said, "Let's go see if we can find something fun and illegal to do." I followed behind the boys. Ponyboy's hair was grown out again and the bleach was slowly coming out, even after two years it wasn't completely gone.
Ponyboy stopped. "Wait," he said. "I was thinking about taking Taylor out for the night." I smiled at him. The gang turned around. "Gosh, Pony," Steve said annoyed. But Soda came to stand by him. He smiled and winked at him, and handed him twenty bucks before turning around and walking away.
Ponyboy turned to me. "Where do you want to go?" he asked. I shrugged. 'Anywhere but here,' I thought. "It doesn't matter," I replied. "Let's go see a movie then." We walked along the streets Walter and Picket, the roads that separated the Soc's and the Greaser's turf. This was the road where most of the Greasers got jumped. Johnny got jumped there. In the field off the road. I looked over at it, remembering that day. It was horrible. Johnny was all bloody and scratched up and dirty. I was so scared, only being 12. That was the only time I ever really saw Johnny cry.
Ponyboy saw me looking at the field. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Taylor…" he said with a hurt tone in his voice. I turned to look at him and before I knew it I was bawling. Ponyboy held me close to him. "Taylor…." He said again. "I miss him so much Pony," I said. "I know," he whispered. "So do I." I felt a single tear on my face. Ponyboy was crying too. He only had Soda and Johnny, and Johnny was gone. But he had me, and I would never leave him. I swore it.