DISCLAIMER: I don't own anybody or anything except Karma and a little
plastic windmill toy. It's yellow and orange, and it has a green handle.
And I can make it spin really really fast. Go me.
Karma Devins walked down the cracked, mossy sidewalk, slouched and with her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt. She wore her brother's baggy, ripped-up jeans and the pocket chain jingled as she walked. She shivered in her sweatshirt and pulled the hood up, then slipping her hands back into her pockets. She watched as the shadows of the park walks got bigger and bigger as she got closer.
Karma, Kay for short, had lived in this neighbor hood for almost two weeks. The park was the only place she knew besides her beaten-down 'house' and the Soc-infested high school. And the park was definitely the only place she liked, and she had been going there almost everyday after school to unwind a little. It was dead night, probably around 2:00 am. The park was empty, but she could still see dark, shadowed flowerbeds and the fountain from which the eerie sound of running water came. She walked over the spongy grass and took a seat on a cold, stone park bench that was backed up against a wire fence. She could hear muffled out music from some close-by house, probably some high-schooler throwing an all-night keg-party. She could only hear the bass lines, but she recognized the song anyway. It was the one her brother listened to when he got bored with Led Zeppelin - Elvis. 'Jailhouse Rock?' Kay thought. 'Yeah, that's it.'
Kay snapped out of her almost-sleeping state of Elvis-awe at the sound of footsteps in the grass. Her head snapped up as she squinted in the dark to see who was there. Her straining eyes could make out the figures of two young looking… people. She couldn't tell if they were guys or girls. Maybe a guy and a girl? There was no way to be sure. She would have guessed they were guys from the way the slouched when they walked, but then again, she slouched too. She didn't want to stick around to find out; she knew all too well of the local gang members and how they carried switchblades like trophies. She got up quietly as she could, and hurriedly walked out the rusty back gate of the park. Her pocket chain clanked as she walked, and she couldn't help but turn around the see if the people had noticed her.
They were staring right at her.
No, they were staring past her.
The sound of a car came up behind her. She could hardly see a thing through the tinted glass of the blue car, but the way it was driven she would have guessed the driver was drunk. She slipped into the shadow of a house just outside the park and watch the classy blue car drive up to the two boys (probably) in the park. Were cars allowed in the park? Evidently yes. Or maybe the driver didn't care. Or was too drunk to care.
Kay crept silently back through the rustly park gate (having put her pocket chain in her pocket) and crouched behind a bush. She watched some people get out of the car and approach the two boys. She couldn't tell exactly how many, but she could hear them threaten each other. 'Maybe they know each other…?' Kay thought dumbly. Kay stood silent as she listened.
"Hey Greaser. Need a bath, grease?"
A corner of Kay's upper lip twitched and she raised an eye brow. In no way was she smiling, though.
"You know what a greaser is? White trash with long hair."
Another insult came.
"You know what a Soc is?"
'No,' though Kay. She realized one of the boys she saw originally had said that.
"White trash with Mustangs and Madras," he finished.
Kay decided now would be a good time to leave. She slowly and silently walked away unnoticed. Her ears picked up the sound of something splashing in water. The fountain, probably.
Kay stopped dead in her tracks.
The sound of a knife going deep into flesh.
A painful scream.
Horrofied gasps and the sound of shutting car doors and the turning of an engine.
Kay drunkenly walked from the middle of the road to a sidewalk and keeled over feeling sick at what she heard. 'That didn't really happen… did it?' She didn't turn around to see, but rather, just sat there, silent and wide eyes with her chin on her knees rocking back and forth. After a moment she heard coughing and sputtering from someone still in the park. The sound was followed by a voice.
"I killed him, Ponyboy. I killed him."
Kay choked. Her stomach lurched as she stood up, and did a flip-flop as she ran. She didn't care anymore if she was heard by anyone. She didn't know exactly where she was running, but it was to the nearest place with lots of people around.
Karma Devins walked down the cracked, mossy sidewalk, slouched and with her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt. She wore her brother's baggy, ripped-up jeans and the pocket chain jingled as she walked. She shivered in her sweatshirt and pulled the hood up, then slipping her hands back into her pockets. She watched as the shadows of the park walks got bigger and bigger as she got closer.
Karma, Kay for short, had lived in this neighbor hood for almost two weeks. The park was the only place she knew besides her beaten-down 'house' and the Soc-infested high school. And the park was definitely the only place she liked, and she had been going there almost everyday after school to unwind a little. It was dead night, probably around 2:00 am. The park was empty, but she could still see dark, shadowed flowerbeds and the fountain from which the eerie sound of running water came. She walked over the spongy grass and took a seat on a cold, stone park bench that was backed up against a wire fence. She could hear muffled out music from some close-by house, probably some high-schooler throwing an all-night keg-party. She could only hear the bass lines, but she recognized the song anyway. It was the one her brother listened to when he got bored with Led Zeppelin - Elvis. 'Jailhouse Rock?' Kay thought. 'Yeah, that's it.'
Kay snapped out of her almost-sleeping state of Elvis-awe at the sound of footsteps in the grass. Her head snapped up as she squinted in the dark to see who was there. Her straining eyes could make out the figures of two young looking… people. She couldn't tell if they were guys or girls. Maybe a guy and a girl? There was no way to be sure. She would have guessed they were guys from the way the slouched when they walked, but then again, she slouched too. She didn't want to stick around to find out; she knew all too well of the local gang members and how they carried switchblades like trophies. She got up quietly as she could, and hurriedly walked out the rusty back gate of the park. Her pocket chain clanked as she walked, and she couldn't help but turn around the see if the people had noticed her.
They were staring right at her.
No, they were staring past her.
The sound of a car came up behind her. She could hardly see a thing through the tinted glass of the blue car, but the way it was driven she would have guessed the driver was drunk. She slipped into the shadow of a house just outside the park and watch the classy blue car drive up to the two boys (probably) in the park. Were cars allowed in the park? Evidently yes. Or maybe the driver didn't care. Or was too drunk to care.
Kay crept silently back through the rustly park gate (having put her pocket chain in her pocket) and crouched behind a bush. She watched some people get out of the car and approach the two boys. She couldn't tell exactly how many, but she could hear them threaten each other. 'Maybe they know each other…?' Kay thought dumbly. Kay stood silent as she listened.
"Hey Greaser. Need a bath, grease?"
A corner of Kay's upper lip twitched and she raised an eye brow. In no way was she smiling, though.
"You know what a greaser is? White trash with long hair."
Another insult came.
"You know what a Soc is?"
'No,' though Kay. She realized one of the boys she saw originally had said that.
"White trash with Mustangs and Madras," he finished.
Kay decided now would be a good time to leave. She slowly and silently walked away unnoticed. Her ears picked up the sound of something splashing in water. The fountain, probably.
Kay stopped dead in her tracks.
The sound of a knife going deep into flesh.
A painful scream.
Horrofied gasps and the sound of shutting car doors and the turning of an engine.
Kay drunkenly walked from the middle of the road to a sidewalk and keeled over feeling sick at what she heard. 'That didn't really happen… did it?' She didn't turn around to see, but rather, just sat there, silent and wide eyes with her chin on her knees rocking back and forth. After a moment she heard coughing and sputtering from someone still in the park. The sound was followed by a voice.
"I killed him, Ponyboy. I killed him."
Kay choked. Her stomach lurched as she stood up, and did a flip-flop as she ran. She didn't care anymore if she was heard by anyone. She didn't know exactly where she was running, but it was to the nearest place with lots of people around.