Summary: Ponyboy missed his old home in Tulsa, but he's found a new home. He's hoping he's listening to Johnny's advice to Stay Gold in it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
SF, My New Home
Tasting the sweat with my tongue, I felt good. My feet halted to a stop and I began breathing in and out. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, I started my pace again. The pounding of my feet rang in my ears.
After I was closer to my destination, I stopped again. I licked the sweat that was trickling down almost over my lips. It tasted salty…reminding me of the ocean. My feet began running again and I was soon able to hear the rushing of the waves. I fastened my pace and went down the now familiar trail.
Soon, I saw soothing, beautiful views of the ocean, and the Golden Gate Bridge. I inhaled the salty smell of the ocean and plopped down on my bottom. San Francisco was now my new home. Running was my obsession. Writing and drawing were my hobbies disguised into a way to look like my job, too.
I grinned and remembered ending up at Stanford University. I drove almost thirty five miles north towards San Francisco one day. Then, I walked around, hopped a cable ride, and saw the Golden Gate Bridge.
For now, that was as close as I was reaching to falling in love. Right after I graduated from Stanford, I drove up to San Francisco to see what kind of houses they had. Expensive…a perfect word to describe what I found.
Eventually, I rented a shared place with another guy. I was satisfied with my find. The guy, Pete, he was okay.
It was turning orange and purple in the sky. The time for the sun to settle down had arrived. I sighed and watched the sun set around the Golden Gate Bridge. It reminded me to Stay Gold. Right away, I stood up before darkness dominated the sky and ran as fast I could back to the beginning of the trail.
I jumped in my car and licked some more trickling sweat. I gulped a whole bunch of water from my water bottle and started the car. Then, I drove home.
Before I marched up the stairs to my place, I remembered Tulsa. I admitted I missed my old home, but I had found a new one. My new one was full of beauty, art, diversity, and a bunch of places to run. It was tuff.
When I walked into my place, I gave a wave to Pete and then headed to the bathroom. I ran a hand through my hair and felt slightly ick touching all the sweat in it. I was reminded of Sodapop and of the ocean at the same time. People said I look a whole lot like him. Maybe I did and observed myself in the mirror. I was only sure that I missed him. He was a gorgeous understanding boy dead only a little before he would turn nineteen. I managed to live with the truth just like I had with Johnny and Dally.
Also, another reason I loved San Francisco was because of the ocean. I never lived too near any body of water and I liked living by one. It gave me some calm and serenity in my life.
I stepped into the shower, tasted the last of my salt ocean-like sweat and hoped I was doing well with my life. I hoped I was staying gold and going somewhere. Maybe I was already there, here in my new home in California.
[A/N] This was written before I visited San Francisco. I had read about a trail in Muir Woods which was supposed to lead you to the ocean and show you the bay. Now, the view is supposed to be blocked my trees, but I never made sure if you were ever able to see the Golden Gate Bridge. So, this is a complete work of fiction.
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