Okay, well, as you know I did not create the Outsiders, but I DID create: River, and her whole family.
Anyhoo ... This is my first story ON HERE, but of course I've written many other stories! But ... I hope you guys like it. Oh, and I want you to know that in the later on chapters this will get a whole lot more interesting. Okay. Hope you like it:
Chapter One
It was pitch black and the sky was clear of clouds. Ponyboy, Johnny, and I lay on the grass in the park, staring at the stars silently. It was around two in the morning and was dead-quiet. We had told Darry Pony might be later getting home but I don't think he realized just how late. Maybe Darry would've been less anxious if Pony had been with Steve all strong and fit, or Two-Bit with his 10" switchblade, or Soda who flips when his buddy's getting beaten up, than with Johnny who's skittish of fights and people in general, and me who's a small weak cripplingly shy girl who's terrified of anyone I don't know.
"Darry'll freak if I'm any more late, you guys!" Pony stated, speaking what was on everyone's minds.
Silently, all three of us climbed to our feet, our backs now wet from the damp grass. Johnny stretched and we headed on over to the Curtis'. Their house was the house that everyone stayed at when things weren't working out at their own homes. Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy were like the poster-boys of great brothers. They loved and truly missed their parents who had died in a car wreck, and they always stuck together, looking out for each other. I only wished I had a family even close to that.
I had an alcoholic mother, an abusive father, two brothers ages fifteen and seventeen, and three sisters ages five, ten, and thirteen. I was the second oldest child behind Jimmy who did nothing. He sat in his room or in the basement with his friends and did crack. My fifteen year old brother, Cal, and thirteen year old sister, Mary, went out with their friends, and I had to stay with my five and ten year old sisters, Sam and Jen, to protect them from our parents. Except for rare times like tonight when Dad was out at a bar and Mary and Cal were at home with Sam and Jen. These were the hours I was able to have my own life. The only other moments were when I locked me, Sam, and Jen in our small room we shared with Mary, and wrote while they played with used holey sock puppets they created for lack of other toys.
Johnny Cade and I had been best friends ever since we met in grade seven when some popular guys were bugging me one day at school outside in the field. It was a really hot day and I was wearing an abnormally large and long-sleeved sweater. I was terrified out of my mind and couldn't force anything out except "Stop it!" squeakily. Soda, being the big sweetheart he is, cussed them out (how ironic) and saved me. He asked me why they were bugging me but I wouldn't answer, avoiding eye contact and tugging on my sleeves nervously. Soon he gave up and left with Steve and Dally, but Johnny hung around timidly. He wouldn't look at me and I could see his darkly tanned face turning red behind his greasy black hair.
"D-Do they hurt?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
My eyes widened. "W-W-What?" I stammered, my heartbeat quickening.
He glanced up, then threw his eyes to the floor. "Mine hurt too!"
I started shaking violently. How does he know?
He pulled back the sleeves of his jean jacket. His wrists were purple and his arms were all cut up. He looked up and saw the tears brim my eyes. He quickly pulled them down and moved closer. Breathing deeply, I pulled up my sleeves too. My wrists were also purple but more recent (last night) and instead of cuts all up my arms I had bruises and some random scratches. I looked around and pulled them down. We were standing near the corner of the field where not many people went. I slowly lifted my gaze to his eyes. They were big, black, sad, lonely, and understanding. From then on, nothing could ever break that bond, that special connection.
I had no other friends at the time since I was too shy to talk to anyone and I had to spend all my time raising Jen who was three at that time and Mary who was six because Mom was always drinking and passed out, and Dad was at work or the bar. But now I hung out with Johnny. Most of the time Ponyboy and Dally were around but I didn't mind. Pony was really nice to me and he listened well, but Dally scared me. Strangely enough, he never tried to hit on me or tease me or mess with my head. I think it was because I was friends with Johnny, and Johnny was the only person Dally ever loved. He'd do anything for Johnny and Johnny the same for him. I tried to not mess with that relationship - it was the only way Johnny felt even a bit safe and Dally got his love fix. Don't get me wrong, this is no serious love, like ... marriage or whatever, just a deep friendship. Besides Dally beat up queers (which I don't agree with at all).
See, Johnny got beat up at home too by his Dad. That's why we both had purple wrists. Our fathers had squeezed them, cutting off blood and bruising them. Johnny's had happened two weeks before mine. His Dad had grabbed his wrists and kicked him and kneed him in the stomach repeatedly, and then threw stuff at his head which he, of course, blocked with his arms. Mine happened the night before Johnny noticed them. My Dad had gotten drunk and high off meth and accused me of stealing his money. He grabbed my wrists and tightened when I tried to run and haul Sam and Jen up into the safety of our room. He pushed me up against the wall, my arms pinned up by my head still squeezing my wrists, and yelled in my face furiously, swearing at me and calling me 'worthless', while Sam and Jen watched horrified. When I started bawling, he hit me with all his strength in the head three times. I hated him and Mom so much! She sat there and laughed the whole time, Sam and Jen bawling their eyes out and screaming. I loathed my parents with a passion.
Finally we reached Pony's house.
"Well, I'll see you guys around!" He waved and stepped into the house.
Johnny turned and sighed. "Do you ... wanna go home or ... stay out here?" he asked quietly.
I smiled. "I better go check on Sam and Jen!"
He nodded, still not smiling. "I'll walk with you!"
It only took about five minutes to reach my falling apart dump of a house. I frowned as we stood outside of it It was so quiet! Eerily quiet!
"Something's wrong!" I said aloud and Johnny started shaking.
"River?" he squeaked but I ignored him.
Slowly I crept up the broken stairs with Johnny following closely behind. I didn't know what I expected but I was still scared. My heart thumping against my ribs, I pushed open the door inch by inch. I gasped, my hands flew to my mouth, my heart stopped, and the tears spurted out of my eyes as my legs gave out and I collapsed on the floor.
'Kay! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review this!!! I want to know what people think of it and maybe how I could make it more interesting!
Oh, and I know the dialogue was kind of rough in this chapter, but it's just because I was trying to get the story started, so bear with me. :) Thanks for reading!!