In order to kill time while Sodapop worked, Louisa stayed in the break room and slept. When Sodapop finally woke her, he had a pair of shoes in his hand and a guy who was an inch or two shorter than Sodapop was with him. He wore the same DX shirt as strange-named boy, but his sleeves were cut off, presumably to show off his toned, tanned arms.
"What's cookin', good lookin'?" the new guy laughed with a surprisingly high-pitched.
Frowning, Sodapop nudged him hard with his shoulder. "Here. Steve -" he jerked his head towards his grinning friend, "brought these for you. Ignore him, we all do."
Sitting up from the chair she curled up in, Louisa took the shoes with a shy smile towards the boy, Steve. "Thanks."
She flinched when he flung himself down on one knee and valiantly grabbed her tiny hand. "Anythin' for a fine lady such as yaself."
He leaned forward with a devilish smirk. "Might I just say, you are breathtaking and I happen to be very single and very lonely on Friday nights."
Sodapop shoved him away from her, and Steve fell to floor. "Lay off, ya goof."
Baffled, Louisa quickly slipped on the too big tennis shoes.
"We thought you wouldn't wanna be walking around barefoot," Sodapop explained as Steve hopped to his feet.
"Am I going somewhere now?" Louisa asked, anxiety creeping into her chest.
"Yeah, it's five right now so I'm off for the day," Sodapop smiled, he pulled a pair of keys from his pocket. "My brother let me borrow his truck for today so I'll drive to my house."
"I'm just going along for the ride," Steve put in.
Looking at the two boys with completely different smiles, Sodapop's kind and Steve's mischievous, Louisa found herself wanting to trust the odd pair. They looked so harmless despite their rough, muscular exteriors.
She nodded, and Steve opened the door for them and with a dramatically low bow said, "My lady."
Louisa couldn't help giggling.
Sodapop's truck was not anything fancy. It was old and small, and only three people could fit in it, even then it was a tight fit, but Louisa didn't care. She was grateful to finally be leaving the gas station.
As Sodapop drove, Steve filled the silence by chattering like an excited chipmunk.
"Oh man, I sure was surprised to be walking up to work, and Sodapop bouncing around the place yellin' 'bout how he found a girl."
"I was not yelling," Sodapop interjected.
"I thought at first he had been getting some side action since his girl been out of town-"
"Steve, shut your mouth-"
"He just kept repeating how this chick needs help and asks me to get some stuff, but all I had in my employee locker were some shoes," Steve rambled. "I was so confused, but Sodapop just kept freakin out-"
"I was not freaking out-"
"I hadn't seen him that excited since he first got into Sandy's pants!"
The truck swerved, and Sodapop wrestled at the wheel until the car was safely cruising down the road.
"First off, I was perfectly calm," Sodapop snapped with wide eyes, "second, quit making me and Sandy's first time sound like it was vulgar!"
With that said, Sodapop settled down. Steve just sent Louisa a sly wink.
They arrived at a small, white house with fence surrounding the area. The place was in serious need of upkeep. Tall grass and weeds wildly grew around the lawn, and the chipped, white paint needed a new layer. It was totally normal and inconspicuous.
Louisa smiled.
Perfect.
"Home sweet home!" Sodapop declared as he parked the car in front of the house. Sodapop slid out the car easily and offered his hand to assist Louisa. She placed her hand in Sodapop's. His calloused hand molded surprisingly well into her soft, small hand. Her fingers tingled with the heat that radiated off him.
She jerked her hand back.
"Sorry!" Sodapop took a step back from her, unsure what was wrong.
"No, it's nothing. Sorry, I'm just jumpy." Her excuse was lame, but Sodapop politely didn't say anymore.
The house was semi messy with dirty plates on the coffee table, empty bottles, and clothes strew all over the living room. The couch had a brown stain on a cushion, and a lamp was missing its lampshade. The room lacked knick knacks and flowers to effeminize the masculine atmosphere.
The place definitely needed a woman's touch.
"Follow me," Sodapop ordered while Steve jumped onto the couch and flipped on the tiny TV.
Louisa followed him through a short hallway with three doors at the end lined with photos of himself and three boys.
There were so many pictures on the wall, she could hardly tell the color of the paint. All types of pictures were on display: baby pictures, yearbook photos, random candids, and birthday photos. Each one focused on one of the three boys during different ages.
One picture in particular halted Louisa in her tracks. It was the smallest one of all. The rusted gold frame was thin and delicate. The glass sorely needed a scrubbing, but the smiling faces shone through just as brilliantly.
A tall boy, he had to be around eighteen, held a younger Sodapop and another boy in a secure headlock. The two imprisoned boys looked as if they were screaming for help while their captor had a toothy grin. Two adults, a handsome tan man and a slender, elegant woman, stood behind them with amused smiles on their faces.
"Is this your family?" she asked, slightly embarrassed at the dumb question.
Sodapop stopped and turned to face her. She frowned as a crestfallen look appeared on his face.
"Yeah, it was," he mumbled, staring at the photo. An uncomfortable silence fell on them, before Sodapop turned and opened the door to a room.
Unsure whether or not to follow him, Louisa stood in the hallway and just looked at the picture again until Sodapop returned.
He looked to be a little chubbier in the cheeks and had longer hair, but his eyes were the same. His eyes . . . so lively and joyful . . . until his family was mentioned.
"Here," Sodapop's abrupt voice interrupted her musings. "You can borrow my little brother's clothes until we can get you some new ones. You should fit."
He handed her a pair of jeans and a white t shirt. "You can change in my room."
Seeing her questioning look, he pointed to another door, and she quickly scurried in.
His room was . . .well, definitely a boy's room. The walls were painted a light blue with a large poster of a car hanging over the messy, unmade bed. T shirts and shoes were strewn all over the beige carpet. One dresser with a cracked drawer stood off to the side by the closet. A short bedside table supported a single lamp without a lampshade - how come this house didn't have lampshades? - and a small picture of a girl.
Throwing the clothes on the bed, Alice inspected the pictureframe and her mouth dropped open a little bit. Wow. This girl was a totally babe, every man's wildest dream.
Luxurious blonde curls? Of course.
Perfect pearl teeth? Probably never needed braces.
Tan, flawless skin? Louisa burned never tanned.
Raging jealousy from a black haired, pale skinned potato? Check.
Louisa ran her finger against the picture. This girl probably had to be a daddy's girl and, with looks like that, she probably danced through life. Once, Louisa dreamed of having the perfect life with perfect looks.
And once, she did, but life did not go as she expected.
Now, she was a shell of her former self.
Yeah, thanks to. . . no. Don't think of it.
She quickly set the picture down and grabbed the clothes. The white t shirt fit her close enough, but she wouldn't be comfortable until she could buy a bra, and the pants were too long, but she just rolled up the bottoms.
She curled the silk, ruined nightie in her fist. She never wanted to see this horrible thing again. Stomping, she threw open the window and chucked the nightie as far as she could, which wasn't very far.
That constantly happy smile unfurled on Sodapop's face when she opened the door.
"You look great," Sodapop assured her with a thumbs up, "Ponyboy is kinda skinny for his age, but I still wasn't sure how well his clothes would fit."
"I just want to look normal," Louisa deadpanned, ignoring the fluttering feeling in her stomach at his smile, "who's Ponyboy?"
His grin widened. "Ponyboy's my little brother."
Slapping a hand to her forehead, Louisa barked a dry laugh. "Ponyboy. Of course that would be his name."
Sodapop shrugged, smile still in place. "My dad was an original person."
"I'm starting to see that," she replied. Surprisingly, she allowed a thin, genuine smile to stretch on her lips. Sodapop clapped his hands together, delighted at her shift in attitude.
"Are you hungry?"
"I could eat a horse," she confessed. Sodapop beelined for the kitchen while Louisa made her way to the couch. While they were gone, Steve had helped himself to Sodapop's kitchen and now had a burger and a piece of cake in each hand. Idly, he glanced at whoever entered the living room, but the boy quickly shot up in his seat as he stared at Louisa.
He tried to whistle, but his mouth was so full crumbs flew everywhere. "Ain't you all fancied up now," he laughed once he finally swallowed.
Louisa rolled her eyes and took a seat next to him. "I would hardly call jeans fancy."
An unusual sound, in between a squeak and shout, erupted from his lips. "Ah! She speaks more than one syllable!" Steve shouted in surprise, "Sodapop! She ain't a mute!"
Sodapop emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich on a plate and a soda - ha - in his hands. "It's a Christmas miracle, I know!"
Louisa blushed at their teasing. Being in a new place with new clothes was definitely helping her feel better . . . more normal.
"Ah shit!" Steve cursed as he checked his watch, "I gotta get back to the station! See ya later, Soda!"
Then with a chocolate covered mouth, he planted one giant, chocolatey kiss on Louisa's cheek, much to her disgust. "See ya later, my fair lady!"
Sodapop laughed as Louisa hurriedly wiped her cheek. "You gotta love Steve."
"Is that a fact?" Louisa snapped. Sodapop smirked as he handed her the food. Louisa wanted to eat ladylike as she was taught, but her stomach protested. Sodapop stared in surprise as she wolfed down the sandwich and gulped the soda down in a minute.
"Wow, I knew my chef skills were amazing, but not that much," he muttered, sitting in the recliner next to the couch, "I'm flattered."
Louisa's face reddened once more. "I'm so sorry, I just haven't eaten since yesterday morning."
His eyebrows shot up. "Well, how about this," his serious tone stilled her, "I'll make you another sandwich if you answer some questions."
Louisa's dark eyes stared in his baby blue ones evenly. "If you make that two sandwiches and answer some of my own questions then I'll answer anything you want."
"Deal."
Two peanut butter and jellies later, the boy and girl sat across from each other with serious looks on their faces.
"First, what is your last name, Louisa?"
"Um, Cooper."
"You don't seem sure?"
"Hey, my turn to ask a question," Louisa said quickly. "How old are you?"
"I'm sixteen. How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen, aw you're just a baby."
"Ah, shut up, where are you from?"
"Sand Springs," Louisa shrugged, leaning farther back into the couch, "How come you aren't in school right now?"
"I dropped out," he said, looking a little embarrassed, "I'm kinda stupid. Why aren't you in school?"
"I dropped out too," she admitted. His eyes shot into hers. "Ahem, anyway, who was that Barbie babe you got photographed in your room?"
Sodapop beamed as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Oh, that's my girl, Sandy. I'm seeing her later tonight because she just got back from Florida. She's gorgeous, ain't she?"
Louisa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, totally gorgeous," she muttered. "But everything ain't going to be sunshine and rainbows forever, Sodapop."
"Oh, whatever, I love her and she loves me," he said confidentally, "But let's not change focus here, why did you show up to my gas station like you did?"
The girl stayed silent, refusing to look at Sodapop. Five minutes passed before she finally offered, "Well, I'm just a drifter. I got mugged before I showed up to the DX. I just . . . need some time to get back up on my feet. The thieves took almost everything I had."
She still didn't look at him. Sodapop had an inkling that wasn't the whole truth and almost voiced his feelings, but then he saw the tiniest trembling of her jaw. She blinked away stubborn tears, cursing herself for showing weakness to a stranger.
Finally, Sodapop sighed. "Look, Louisa, you can stay with me and my brothers until you can figure things out."
Her head snapped to him. "What? Really?"
"Soda, who is this?" A new voice caused the two teens to jump to their feet. The tall boy from the family photos stood in the doorway, only he wasn't just tall. He was shredded with taunt, firm muscle gleaming with sweat. In other people's eyes, he was probably more handsome than Sodapop with those curled brown locks. He was absolutely godlike. Unfortunately, his Grecian features were offset by the hard frown and stern eyes. Behind him eagerly peeking over his massive shoulder was the other boy, Ponyboy probably, with curious eyes.
Louisa's muscles tightened with tension, but Sodapop did not seem fazed.
"Oh, Darry! Louisa, this is my older brother, Darry," Sodapop said, gesturing between the two. With the stern expression never faltering, Darry offered his hand to Louisa. She wanted to scream in terror as she felt the restrained strength in his hand. This man was a juggernaut.
"Louisa is my new friend," Sodapop informed his brothers, then noticing the tense atmosphere he stepped in front of the girl protectively. "She's hit a rough patch so she's going to stay with us until she can get on her again. Is that okay?"
Silence.
The only movement in the room was Darry's eyebrows raise in a sardonic expression. "Sodapop, I want to talk to you alone."
Louisa gasped when Darry grabbed Sodapop by the back of the neck and dragged his brother to the kitchen like a livid parent with a stubborn child. The two remaining teens stood in uncomfortable silence. Snatching the opportunity, Louisa examined the silent boy. Unlike his older brother, this one had a sweet exterior about him with round cheeks and round, hazel eyes. His incredibly dark hair slicked back into an edgy style.
"If we're quiet enough, we can hear them," Ponyboy's whisper barely reached Louisa's ears. She cracked a smile. Louisa liked him.
The two quietly tiptoed to the entrance of the kitchen and leaned forward, careful not to be seen. Louisa could hear frantic steps as if one of the guys was pacing - probably Darry. Darry's livid voice easily overpowered Sodapop's calm, appeasing one.
"I can't believe you brought in some stranger off the streets to our house! What are we supposed to do with her?"
"Just give her some food and a roof over head until-"
"Oh, great idea! Hey, I saw a druggie on the street today why not move him in too!"
"That's the helping spirit!"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
"Darry-"
"How can we afford another mouth to feed! I'm already busting my ass to keep just you and Pony clothed and safe!"
"I can take on more shifts at the DX-"
"Like that'll help! Why you worryin' about some chick anyway, aren't you already following another skirt around?"
"Darry, it's not like that! Louisa really needs some help."
"Why should I care?"
The noises settled. Blood pounded in Louisa's ears, and Ponyboy's hot breath tickled the back of her neck, causing her to tense. When the silence seemed to be everlasting, Sodapop finally spoke, but his voice held so much genuine sincerity, Louisa's breath was taken away.
"She just looked so lost and scared, sh-she reminded me of, well, me," he paused. "After mom and pop died. I just couldn't leave someone like that alone."
Suddenly, the tension and anger blew away as easily as releasing held breath. Ponyboy even sighed as if a weight was taken off his shoulders.
"Fine," Darry's voice was still hard, but his true edge was gone. "She can stay-"
"Oh, Darr, than-"
"I'm not finished," Darry quickly cut him off. "She can stay, but she has to get a job. I refuse to take on any dead weight in this house."
"Okay! No problem, she can work with me at the DX."
They didn't vocally confirm it, but the result was obvious. Louisa could stay. She secured her hiding place. Sodapop and Darry exited the kitchen before Louisa and Ponyboy could flee, so the two ended up obnoxiously falling backwards in an attempt to scramble out of sight. Darry just frowned at them and retired to his room.
Ponyboy steadied himself and smiled shyly at Louisa. "Well, hey roommie, nice to meet you. Imma go the movies now with Dally and Johnny, see you guys later!"
With that, the skinny boy jogged out of the house and down the street, leaving Louisa alone with Sodapop.
"Well, it's settled," Sodapop clapped his hands together in celebration. "You're staying with us!"
"You didn't have to do anything," Louisa shrugging, trying to appear nonchalant.
She jumped when Sodapop playfully nudged as if what she said was absolutely stupid.
"Ah, shut up Lou," Sodapop laughed as she startled.
"Lou? That's what I'll be called now?"
He smirked devilishly, "I can figure something else out. Like Lulu, Geez Louise, Louisiana, Eeza, Ouiser-"
"Okay, gah, I get it! Lou is fine!" Lou clapped her hands over her ears.
His light, musical laughter danced through the air and floated to her eardrums. His eyes were screwed shut and his mouth stretch in a wide smile, showcasing pearly, straight teeth.
Louisa could get used to his smile.
Too bad she didn't plan on sticking around.
Okay, I know this was not too exciting, but I just had to establish where Louisa would be staying and have her meet Soda's family! Don't worry, lots of things are happening next chapter! Please please please review and tell me what you thought! I would greatly appreciate it!
