She Came From the City…
Chapter One
Zipping up my backpack, I threw it onto my shoulder and looked around my room one last time. The soft blue walls were bare of the pictures I had pinned up all over it, the small closet was thinned out, and out the window I could see my best friend Carly waving at me.
Stepping outside, she ran up to me with a sad smile on her face.
"I'm gonna miss you, Bree." She hugged me, tears in her big brown eyes. My real name was Aubrey. I was average height, with long dark hair and soft blue eyes. I had naturally tan skin and I was thin for my age.
"I'll miss you too, Carly," I whispered into her embrace. "Don't have too much fun while I'm gone, k?" I grinned at her and she nodded, grinning.
After a few minutes, I silently got into my mother's 1960 Chevy truck. We weren't close at all, and that's why I was going to live with my cousin in Tulsa for a while. I only stayed around Oklahoma City for as long as I did because I had a lot of friends here. But it was the last straw when my mother came home crocked one night and smacked me dead across the face for coming home five minutes late.
We didn't speak the entire hour and a half drive until about five minutes before we got there.
"Aubrey?" she spoke hesitantly.
"Yeah." I looked straight ahead.
"I'm going to drop you off at the Gas Station. You'll meet Steve there, ok?"
"Ok."
"I'll miss you." She said softly.
"We both know that's a lie." I informed her quietly. She didn't defend herself. And we didn't speak again.
I grabbed my backpack off the seat and hopped out without a word. I walked towards the little store at the DX gas station. A group of five giggly girls were surrounding the counter and I sighed.
"Well girls, here's your change. See you later, ladies." A smooth voice spoke to them flirtatiously, and I could imagine the owner of it winking at them. They left whispering, blushing and giggling amongst themselves and I stepped up to the counter. I stopped midstride when I saw him.
He was most definitely handsome. His golden hair was greased back and a few loose strands fell into his gorgeous brown eyes. He looked over at me and grinned.
Oh, Glory…
"Well hello there. Haven't seen you around here before. And trust me, I've seen every gal around here before." He winked and I lost my breath.
"Oh…" I shook my head to clear it. I was normally so good with talking to boys. "I'm Aubrey." I smiled up at him, blinking sweetly. I knew people liked the color of my eyes, so I always showed them off to people I was looking to impress.
"I'm Sodapop Curtis. Cute name by the way." He grinned even wider.
"I could say the same to you," I laughed. "It's not everyday I meet a Sodapop." It sounded vaguely familiar though, which was ridiculous. Who else do I know that's named Sodapop?
"Sodapop Patrick Curtis, who do you think you're flirtin' with?" A dark haired, muscular guy with grease stains on his face walked out from the garage.
"This pretty girl right here?" he cocked an eyebrow questioningly at Steve.
"This pretty girl right here," he scoffed. "Well duh she's good-lookin', she's my cousin after all."
"What!?" Soda looked wide-eyed at me. "You're tryin' to tell me that this gorgeous broad is related to your ugly mug?" he laughed at Steve.
"Yeah." Steve walked over to me. "How've you been Bree? Long time no see, eh?"
"Yeah, I've missed you Stevie." I smiled at him and gave him a quick hug.
"Bree? Bree!" Soda suddenly shouted, tackling me in a giant hug. What the hell…
"You came down here when we were 13, remember?" he looked at me, his eyes sparkling.
Suddenly, it all came flooding back to me.
"Take care honey!" Mom called from the truck as she dropped me off in front of the Randle household.
"Alright. Bye Mom!" I called back.
"Aubrey! It's me, Steve!" he ran up to me and gave me a hug.
"Hey Stevie!" I teased, grinning at him. He had come up to my house two years ago when his parents were getting divorced.
"I have someone over, come on in and meet him." He told me, grabbing my hand and dragging me inside.
"Hey Steve, who's the girl?" A young, blonde-haired boy with big brown eyes looked over at me with a soft smile.
"This is my cousin Aubrey. I call her Bree though."
"Well, ain't that something. I'm Sodapop." He introduced himself.
"Wow, really? I love your name!" I grinned at him.
"Oh, most people just tease me about it," he smirked at Steve. "In fact, your cousin here used to call me 'Carbonated Beverage' for years."
I gasped. "Carbonated Beverage!" I smiled, hugging him again. That summer had been so much fun. Soda, Steve and I had hung out all the time. A week before I left they introduced me to more of their friends, but I hardly remember them now.
Soda laughed at the old nickname Steve had given him in Elementary school.
"I was waiting for you two to remember each other," Steve smirked at us. "You two were like this that summer." He said, crossing his fingers.
I blushed, remembering that I had a little crush on him after a few weeks of hanging out with him and Steve all the time.
"Yeah," Soda laughed. "My little baby Bree. We were BFF's." he said, smiling at me and ruffling my hair. He was two months older than me, so he felt the need to call me 'Baby Bree' the whole summer. Also, we were best friends, so one day Steve was just teasing and called us 'BFFs', and Soda got hooked on calling us that too.
"Were?" I pouted at him, feigning hurt. "Have you replaced me already?"
"Awe, baby Bree, you know I mean we are BFF's." he pouted too, except he looked so much cuter when he did it.
"But Sodaaaa…" someone whined. "You said I was your BFF." A guy with long sideburns and a wide grin walked up to Sodapop.
I mock gasped. "You're two-timing me, Soda?"
"No, wait! It isn't what it looks like!" he dropped to his knees in front of me. "Don't leave me!" he pleaded dramatically.
"Ok, I forgive you." I smiled and dropped to my knees as well, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"But what about me?" Soda's friend asked sadly.
"I lied. I don't love you," Soda said simply. He turned to me with a mischievous grin. "My heart belongs to my little baby Bree!" he gave me a peck on the cheek and I blushed.
"Ok, that's enough kissing my cousin for one day." Steve said, pulling me out of Soda's grasp.
"Your cousin?" Soda's friend trailed off in thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Aubrey Randle?" he questioned, looking me up and down in disbelief.
"The one and only." I smirked. "And you are?"
"First you steal Soda from me, then you don't remember me?" he pretended to cry into his hands. "Naw, I'm just kidding. Two-Bit Mathews, at your service." He bowed before me.
"Soda! Is this your girlfriend?" Someone said teasingly.
"Naw, Two-bit. This is my new best friend, Aubrey! She's Steve's cousin." He smiled over at me and I blushed.
"Wow, not only was Steve replaced, but he was replaced by his own cousin?" Two-bit looked over at me. "Well, anyway, since she's not your girlfriend, maybe she should go out with me instead." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at me and I smiled shyly.
"Not a chance in hell, Two-Bit." Steve spoke up for the first time. "Trust me Bree, you don't wanna go near this one." He shook his head and walked away.
"So, are you Sodapop's girlfriend yet?" he teased us. "If not, I'm still available baby." He purred with a wink.
"Hey Soda. Me and Two-Bit are going to the Nightly Double tonight, you comin'?" a younger boy walked into the store. I recognized him immediately.
"Ponyboy!" I smiled at him.
"Huh? Who are you?" he looked startled.
"C'mon, Bree, you're so slow!" Soda whined from the steps of his house. Steve rolled his eyes next to me.
"I'm coming Soda." I huffed as I met him at the door.
"Ponyboy!" he yelled into the house. A young boy with light brown hair and gray-green eyes came to the door in a black T-shirt and jeans.
"Hey Soda, what's up?" he asked, his eyes flickering to Steve and I.
"This is Steve's cousin, Aubrey." He introduced me. I didn't feel shy in Ponyboy's gaze, and I stepped up to him.
"Nice to meet you, Ponyboy." I smiled sweetly at him and gave him a quick hug. "Soda has told me such great things about you…"
"It's baby Bree!" Soda whooped. Ponyboy looked at me with those gray-green eyes for the first time in four years and gave me a small smile.
"Hey Aubrey. What're you doing back in town?"
"I'm staying with Steve for a while." I shrugged.
"Oh, cool! Darry will be glad Soda will be gone for the weekends again now that you're back. All Soda does on Saturdays is eat all our chocolate cake and watch those stupid soap operas-" His eyes sparkled teasingly.
"Ponyboy! No one was supposed to know about that!" Soda glared at his brother for a moment.
"Awe, Sodie, it's ok." I smiled at him.
"Naw, Greasers don't watch soap operas." Soda said gruffly.
"But Sodapop Curtis does." I gave him a peck on the cheek and he blushed, turning away.
"Anyway, Soda, you and Bree have to come to the Nightly double with us. Johnny and Dally will be there too." Two-Bit informed him offhandedly.
"Yeah, Two-Bit, we'd love to come." I remarked sarcastically.
"You dig okay, baby." Two-Bit smirked at me and winked. Soda huffed.
"What's wrong Sodie? Jealous, much?" he ducked the swing Soda took at him and ran out of the store, Soda hot on his heels. Steve chuckled and leaned against the counter.
"He's a good kid. Nice, funny, and he don't let people push him around." Steve remarked to no one in particular.
"Yeah…" I trailed off, watching Soda tackle Two-Bit to the ground through the glass doors of the store. We all heard Soda yell "Holler Uncle!" to Two-Bit as he sat on top of him. Ponyboy chuckled at their antics and walked over to me.
"He missed you a lot after you left." Ponyboy said quietly. "Wouldn't stop bugging Steve about when you were coming back." I smiled at this, imagining a whining Soda following an irritated Steve around for the rest of the summer. Steve walked back into the garage, leaving us alone. "Steve was a lot…darker, after you went home. Wouldn't hang around much unless he was with Soda. Guess he felt kind of alone at home." I nodded, knowing how alike our households were. Steve and I felt like strangers in our own homes. Not close with the parent we had, and being pushed around whenever they decided to drown their sorrows in liquor.
Pony and I walked outside and sat on the bench in front of the store. We watched as Soda continued to chase Two-bit around the gas station. I rested my head on Ponyboy's shoulder and let out a contented sigh.