Dedication: To one of my best friends, Collette who pretty much forced me to finish this in one day. Thanks for bothering me about it, moron.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders or any of the characters you recognize. Also, The Beatles own, "I Feel Fine".
A/N: Posted for June Rumble over at The Vacant Lot. If you're interested go over to my profile and the link should be up there! (:
Baby's good to me, you know,
She's happy as can be, you know.
She said so,
I'm in love with her and I feel fine.
Sodapop put Darry's truck in park in the middle of an open field and flicked off the radio. The June air was thick with humidity, but it didn't bug him one bit. These were the days he lived for; the days he could spend countless hours with Sandy.
Sandy had her bare feet tucked underneath her, carefully as not to let her skirt ride up too much. The windows of the truck were rolled down to help contract somewhat of a breeze, but it wasn't helping too much.
The Oklahoma summers were often long and relentless, but Sandy didn't mind it too much. Endless summers meant endless nights, and endless nights meant secret meet-ups. And secret meet-ups involved cuddling, kissing, giggling and most importantly, Sodapop.
Sandy's parents didn't necessarily disapprove of Sodapop, but they sure didn't like him like she thought they ought to. He was a perfect gentleman; always picking her up on time, opening her car door for her and always asking her if she was sure before he did something. If anything they should've been jumping for joy that they were dating, but Al and Jan were never satisfied.
They always found something to complain about together. Separately the two could be pretty decent, but together they were partners in ripping apart anything that they classified as "unacceptable".
Unacceptable was a word that made her cringe. The word sounded like it mocked her every time it came out of either Jan or Al's mouth. It reminded her a lot of the Catholic school she had attended in kindergarten up north. The nuns up there who constantly badgered the girls on what was satisfactory and what was improper. It was a life of being inadequate; it was a life she would have to get used to, she realized.
"Yoo-hoo, earth to Sandy? Anyone home up there?" Sodapop asked, tapping her on the head. Sandy's head flew up in surprise at his contact and grinned.
"Sorry, Soda. I was just thinkin' again," she whispered, looking down and blushing.
Oh how he loved that blush. Anytime he could make her blush or smile was a silent victory for him. He always questioned his confidence when it came to Sandy, she made him feel like he could never live up to what she was going to be. He feared one day she was suddenly going to take off, hit the ground running, and never look back at what had been. Each smile she smiled while she was with him was one more reason he had to believe that she loved being with him as much as he loved being with her.
"Glory, Sandy, sometimes you get so deep into your own mind that I'm worried you're gonna get trapped in there. Anythin' interesting going on in there that I should know about?" Soda questioned, his mouth giving into a small smile.
"Just how much fun this summer is gonna be," she answered, sitting up and moving closer to Soda. She reached for his hand and he took it and carefully placed it around her waist. She leaned gently into him, resting her head on his firm, muscular chest.
"I hear ya, we're gonna have a blast! We can get together every day," Soda replied excitedly, gently tracing small circles into her back. Sandy relaxed into his touch, taking her own arm and putting it around his waist.
Baby said she's mine, you know,
She tells me all the time, you know.
She said so,
I'm in love with her and I feel fine.
"We can go for picnics, to the rodeo, to the lake, the drive-in; anywhere you want, doll. Then durin' the night I can pick you up later on and we can go for drives," he explained, winking at the end of his reply. Sandy giggled and poked him in the side.
"Soda, sometimes I don't know where in the world you've got this idea thinkin' you're dumb, coming up with these brilliant plans 'n' all," Sandy said, looking up at Sodapop to see his reaction.
Soda rolled his eyes, Sandy constantly commented on how intelligent she thought he was. It really bugged her when she caught Soda ragging on himself about how he didn't have any school smarts when it came so easily to his brothers. He was plenty smart, he just didn't have the attention span or the motivation to learn half the stuff the teachers tried to put in his brain.
"Don't take a genius to outsmart your parents, Sandy," Soda replied flatly, looking out the window. "It's ain't like they're expectin' their precious little angel, Sandra to shimmy down the drainpipe into the awaiting arms of her boyfriend."
"Well, I sure as hell wouldn't have thought it up. If it weren't for you I'd be listening to them all day long like some brainwashed Nazi soldier. Soda, you don't give yourself enough credit. Half the stuff you do I haven't seen anyone get away with up in Boston," Sandy retorted, a smile tugging at her lips. Soda looked down at her and chuckled a little.
"Boston ain't exactly the wildest place there is, doll. What do they do for kicks up there? Have boat races?" He asked, laughing. She gave him a mock glare. No matter how much she loved Oklahoma she'd always be a Boston girl at heart; Massachusetts had grown on her the most out of all the four other states she'd lived in.
"Hey, Tulsa isn't exactly the bee's knees either," Sandy said, her voice playful, but it had a defensive tone to it. Soda leaned down to kiss her, pressing softly at first, but pressing harder with each passing moment.
Sandy kissed back and adjusted her sitting position so she was on her knees and her arms were snaked around his neck. After a few minutes of making out Sandy broke the kiss so she could sit on Soda's lap.
"Impressive, Soda, your self control is getting better. You actually didn't whine this time," Sandy said with a smirk leaning her head against his chest.
"'Scuse me for enjoying kissin' my girlfriend," Soda sassed. Sandy laughed and kissed him on the cheek before switching herself around so she was straddling his legs. Soda's mind reeled, but he kept his thoughts to himself. When the right time was right, she would let him know, or at least that's what she told him.
"Soda?" Sandy asked, looking up at his tanned face. His eyes were shut and his head leaned back against the seat of the car.
"Hm?" He mumbled, twirling Sandy's hair in fingers absent mindedly.
"Does it bug you that my ma and daddy don't like you?" She asked, her voice filled with hesitation.
"Sometimes, not really, though. I mean I know how it must look to them, that I'm gonna corrupt their little darling. But, it ain't like that, and we both know it ain't like that, and everyone else can see that 'cept them. I get why they wouldn't want me dating you; I get into fights, I'm not doin' all that great in school and I'll probably be stuck here forever. If it were my daughter I'm not sure I would want her dating someone like me either," Soda responded.
Sandy stared at the dashboard thoughtfully before answering. "Soda, one day we're gonna be able to actually be able to go out at night. We're gonna be so happy it'll be unbelievable. And trust me, I'm damn lucky to have a boy like you, and don't you dare think otherwise," she stated, taking his arm and poking it, making her point.
This was why he loved her. Her belief in him was what kept him going through all of the unfairness of the East side. What kept him going through all of Darry and Ponyboy's triumphs and his own failure. As long as Sandy was there to push him through everything and she believed in him, he could keep smiling, laughing and pushing through everyone who thought he'd fall flat on his face.
I'm so glad that she's my little girl,
She's so glad, she's telling all the world.
That her baby buys her things, you know,
He buys her diamond rings, you know.
"Ya know, Sandy, I think you would make a great motivational speaker. When you graduate you should give a speech telling everyone to achieve their dreams and all that bullshit," Soda said, pulling her closer so their foreheads were touching.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm most certainly not givin' one of those speeches if you don't graduate along with me, Mr. Curtis, so don't act you won't be there waving one of those silly little caps in the air," she whispered huskily, looking deep into his dark eyes.
Soda contemplated contradicting her answer, but thought better of it. "I'll try not to disappoint you too much, Miss. McNally," he murmured as he leaned in for another kiss.
Sandy sat up and pulled herself closer to Soda. Accommodating himself to the change in position, Soda leaned back in his seat so she was half laying on top of him. Resuming their kissing, Sandy ran her hands down his chest. She reached his arms and interlocked them around her back so they were chest to chest.
"Ugh, Sandy, you're torturing me," Soda whined, pulling away so he could restrain himself from going too far. Sandy smiled softly and then frowned in thought. She didn't want to go too far when they both weren't ready. She had heard stories of couples doing the deed and then the boy dropping the girl like a hot potato. she didn't think Sodapop was the type, but one could never be too sure.
"I'm sorry, Soda, it's just I'm nervous. I'm not as … experienced as you," she said quietly, looking down and blushing. Sandy hadn't gone as far as other girls, but Soda respected that. Sure, he wasn't totally innocent, but he wasn't the kind of guy who treated girls like trash after going to a base with them.
"Doll, you ain't got nothin' to worry about. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's hard, but it'll be worth it when you're ready," he assured her, wrapping his arms back around her waist.
"Wow. Soda, you are definitely one of the most underestimated people I know," Sandy whispered to herself, staring off into space.
"Hey, Sandy?" Soda asked nervously, his palms sweating.
"Yes, sir?" She replied, eyes dancing with excitement.
"I think I kinda love you," he blurted, searching her eyes for any signs of fear or panic. He saw none.
"Oh do ya now? Well, I definitely kinda love you, too, Sodapop Curtis," she stated confidently, leaning forward to kiss him. He kissed back immediately, and all he was thinking to himself was, love is real nice.
She's in love with me and I feel fine.
Feel free to point out any mistakes, love the constructive criticism. Reviews make me feel fine. (;