More tw for violence and homophobia. Fingers crossed I kept in character here.
January 11th
Soda stops the car in front of a decent-looking house and he has to double check that the address is right. Sure, Monica isn't living in complete poverty like some people, but the exterior of the house was almost nice, save for a smashed window and the overgrown garden that was beginning to creep up the columns by the porch.
He leaves the car and walks up the five small stairs to the front door and knocks, hoping that Monica answers. There's a loud commotion from inside the house; squealing laughter, loud chatter and thumping footsteps. Soon, the door is opened by a young girl. She comes up to his shoulder and she has long hair a few shades darker than Monica's.
"You must be the Curtis guy, right?" She says. She grins, the corners of her eyes squinting ever so slightly.
"I'm here for Monica," Soda replies. The girl nods and steps aside for him to enter.
"Come in," She nods, speaking over the top of the racket inside. "I'm Penny, by the way."
Penny leads him down the hallway. Halfway down there's an offshoot to the dining room, where a middle-aged woman is sitting, slumped with her head against the table. A bottle of pills is close by. Grey seeps through her reddish hair.
He finds Monica in the living room next to a young girl with her hair tied into two pigtails. A string is wrapped around her tooth and is connected to a bedroom door.
"Monica! Your boyfriend is here!" Penny announces. The other kids in the room all look up. The boy who looked the oldest glances up from the television, and the youngest ones who had been playing with a worn baby doll and a set of wooden figurines look to Soda with big, wondering eyes.
Monica beams, her hand on the young girl's head. Soda noticed the girl looked nervous. "Hi! I'll be out in a sec. Lucy's got a loose tooth and we're trying to pop it out."
Lucy cringes. Soda can't help but smile. Monica turns to a boy with thick curls and nods. "Slam the door Dennis!"
A heartbeat passed, the door slammed, and Lucy's tooth was ripped from her mouth.
"Ow!" Lucy whines, bringing a finger up to feel around the empty space in her mouth. Monica high-fives Dennis and pats Lucy gently on the head.
"Be grateful it came out. When we tried that on Vivian it just gave her a headache from the pull," Monica laughs. Then she turns to the kids in the house. "I'm going out for a bit. Don't bug Mom until she wakes up. Timothy's in charge."
There was a chorus of goodbyes – a rather reluctant one from Lucy – and Monica lead the way through her house to the front door.
Once outside and in Soda's car, they took a moment to breathe. "It's nice being away from the kids for a while," She giggles. "It was torture driving up to Minnesota with them in the car."
Soda starts the car. "I remember when me and Darry did that to Pony," He muses. Monica laughs again.
"It's the mark of an older sibling," She quips.
January 16th
The bell above the door rings as Soda and Ponyboy enter the pharmacy. Pony gets to work browsing the shelves looking for aspirin. The Curtis house is all out. Soda follows Ponyboy, hands jammed into the pockets of his worn jacket.
"Sodapop Curtis, fancy seeing you here!"
Both boys turn around, surprised to see Monica by the cash register. She's beaming, absolutely delighted that somebody she knew had come in. Ponyboy makes a low noise of discontent as Soda walks towards the girl to talk.
"Whatcha doin? Need help with anything?" She offers. One elbow is resting on the table she's behind, holding her chin in her palm.
"Trying to find some aspirin," Ponyboy interjects, not looking up from his position. Monica nods her head towards one of the small isles.
"Look over that way. I'm pretty sure it's there."
Pony does as she tells him and heads towards the middle isle. Soda, however, settles himself at the counter, beginning a conversation.
"So this is your job, huh?"
Monica laughs. Not because its particularly funny. Mostly because she doesn't know how else to respond. "Yeah. It's my job."
After a moment of thinking, it became a rather stark realisation for Sodapop Curtis. Here was this girl he was supposedly dating, and yet all he knew was that she had 7 younger siblings and kissed girls behind the school rather than boys. Part of him wanted to start asking her about her life but decided against it. Monica never pried about his personal problems, so he wouldn't do that to her.
Ponyboy walks up to the counter and places two boxes of aspirin in front of the girl. She readily rings the price up to a little under five dollars and holds out her hand while Soda digs around in his pockets for the money.
"Is the money good?" Pony asks, watching as she sorts the coins into their slots and pulls out their change.
"It's a job," She shrugs. She waves goodbye. They leave.
January 25th
From the corner of his eye, Soda can see the way Janet is watching Monica as she dances around the living room. It's the party of some girl Janet knew, someone she was apparently close to. Janet lips the glass she's holding to rest on her lower lip. Monica is giggling, spun around by another drunk girl.
"I guess she's a lightweight," Soda makes an attempt at light conversation. Janet nods her head stiffly.
"She's never been to a party," Janet responds. "She's always really responsible."
Soda can see that. He looks back over to Janet. She's not quite jealous, but not quite comfortable with Monica's action. The only time its permissible to touch another girl is in a drunken heat, lights dimmed and music blasting from the radio as loud as it can go.
Monica leaves the other girl, stumbling around the passed out people and couples kissing on the rough carpet, and over to Janet and Soda.
"Oh my god," Monica manages to get out, one arm pressed against a wall to keep her grounded. "I can't believe you never let me go to one of these before!"
Janet shrugs. Monica grabs the two of them by their wrist, one in each of her hands. Without a word she drags them out into the middle of the party, swinging her hips and twirling. Monica takes Soda's hands in her own, momentarily dancing along with him, before she lets go and spins into Janet's arms.
Soda stands back and watches the girls with a smile. Janet looks happier. Soda's smile grows bigger when someone hands Monica another drink and she downs it without a second thought.
She's going to regret this later.
January 26th
It's early in the morning – about 2 am or so – and the three are in the Curtis' spare room. Monica is passed out on the bed, Janet laying beside her with her left hand holding her chin and her right hand strokes Monica's hair. Sodapop is sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the girls.
They had left the party after a while as Monica grew rowdier. Janet and Soda had agreed to take Monica back to his place because Janet's father wouldn't accommodate the group and there was no way they could return Monica to her place. The walk back was long, between Monica stopping to puke in the gutter twice and the girl passing out, but it had been an admittedly fun evening.
"Thanks for letting us come back here," Janet eventually says. Soda looks up to her and shrugs.
"It's okay. It's no problem."
Janet smiles down to Monica and moves some stray hair from her face. "I like being here. It would be nicer if Monica was awake, but your brothers know about us. It feels nice to sit here with her and not feel worried about anyone seeing us."
This is the most Janet's said since Soda met her. It's sort of nice to see that Janet actually sees him as a kind of friend. Enough to talk to him. Soda moves a little closer, peeking down at Monica and her parted lips and scrunched up eyes, and looks back to Janet.
"When did you know you liked girls?" Soda asks. Janet looks shocked at his choice of conversation, no longer the stand-offish greaser girl, now nervous and uncomfortable. Soda is about to apologise when she speaks up.
"When did you know you liked girls?"
Sodapop smiles, the conversation returning to its previously light-hearted (if formal and awkward) tone. "You got me there."
The two focus on different things in the room for a long moment. Janet stares out the window where the silvery moon illuminates the trees in the backyard and Soda listens to the clock tick in the hallway.
"Why?"
Janet looks over as Soda speaks. He's not looking at her, his eyes glued to the floor.
"Why what?" She asks. She grows colder, defensive.
"Why do you bother staying with Monica," He pauses and searches for the right words. "Even though she can get you killed?"
Janet returns her attention to her girlfriend laying on the bed, her fingers following the curve of Monica's face with a feather light touch. Sodapop begins to think she isn't going to answer.
"It sounds stupid, but I don't think I can choose not to love her."
Janet is focusing on her fingers, now running down Monica's pale neck and following over her shoulders and down her arms.
"There's not a lot of good in my life. But Monica is something good. I wouldn't give up this feeling for the world."
The girl glances over to Sodapop Curtis with her hard eyes. "She is worth everything that this stupid town wants to throw at me."
Soda considers her words. Since Sandy had left him, he had considered the abstract concept of love. He had always guessed it was the hot kissing over the hood of a car or rubbing Sandy's thighs just under her skirt. Maybe love wasn't that at all. Maybe it was a lot deeper than that – like the way his parents used to spend evenings not talking to each other, but just being there together with his mother mending the button on Darry's shirt while his dad read the paper. Maybe, just maybe, it was what Janet and Monica had.
He watches as Janet runs her fingers through Monica's hair and presses a sweet, gentle kiss on her forehead despite her streaked mascara and smudged lipstick and doesn't doubt that they are in love.
January 30th
Soda waits out the front of the school for Monica. He watches the other students go by but stops when he sees Monica.
The beautiful rich auburn hair that used to reach to her shoulder blades had been cut into a hastily-created bob that sat just blow her chin. She seems sadder than usual as she silently slips into the car beside him. She rests her chin on her hand and looks out the window. She doesn't speak.
"That cut looks good," He offers. He sees her smile through the window.
"If I weren't gay, I'd have fallen in love with you," She jokes. Monica's voice is still soft and distant.
Soda starts the car and they drive in silence for a while. "Why'd ya cut it?" He asks, light and coaxing in a voice he often reserved for Ponyboy.
"Someone got gum in my hair."
Her voice is barely above a whisper.
"Who?"
There's a long pause before she answers. "Kevin. You know how siblings are."
He doesn't pry, but there's something about her that makes him think that Kevin wasn't the cause of her haircut. She leaves his car in the same silence she entered with.
February 5th
Sodapop sits on his back porch watching Janet shoot hoops in the old basketball hoop none of them used anymore. One hand is holding a lit cigarette and the other is bouncing the ball. Occasionally she stops to place the cigarette in her mouth, but she seems content with the ball. Monica is leaning against the porch railing.
The hoop shutters as the ball bounces off the rim and thuds on the concrete ground.
"So, Monnie," Soda starts, looking over to the girl who's raking her fingers through her short hair absentmindedly. "How's your family gonna work when you leave?"
Monica shrugs, although she smiles the tiniest bit at the use of the nickname he had begun to use. "Timmy knows I'm leaving. He's got a job that pays decently."
Soda nods. "Wow, you've really thought this through."
Once again, she shrugs. She stares as Janet flicks the ashes from her cigarette and throws the ball again. It bounces of the rim, but falls into the hoop. "Yeah. I feel guilty that I'm going, but Timmy knows why I can't stay. He said he won't tell."
She plays with her hair again.
"We're bringing my brother," Janet adds. "He's seven and I can't trust my dad with him."
Monica brightens. "Marty's such a sweet kid," She tells Soda.
Janet throws the ball again. It misses.
February 14th
Darry was kind enough to let Monica and Janet both over on Valentine's Day. The talk Soda had during the aftermath of the party was enough for him to pity the girls. Monica had turned up with a bouquet of flowers and a container full of sugar cookies she had baked to thank the Curtis', whereas Janet came with a tiny stuffed animal she had bought for Monica.
The dinner they had was terrific. Monica had bustled about the kitchen, teaching Ponyboy how to cut vegetables up properly while discussing notes about a book she had done previously in English. Ponyboy finally seemed to be warming up to her.
Janet, however, stood around awkwardly, playing with her hair and occasionally making small talk with whoever would join in.
The baked dinner (provided by mainly Darry and Monica) turned out wonderfully and something like friendship was instantly forged between all of them.
"This has been the best day of my life," Monica had said between tiny nibbles on a cookie. Janet hummed her agreement, not quite making eye contact, but getting there.
When the girls had left, Darry had made his opinion known.
"They're good kids."
February 18th
There's a knock on Soda's door again. Monica stands there helplessly. Soda is reminded of the December day that she stood there with blood pouring down her face. This time it's different. There's no real wounds, save for bruises gathering on her left wrist. But she's soaking wet, which is alarming for the cold night.
No words are shared between the two for a long time. She sits patiently on the couch while he fetches blankets and jackets and anything to get her warm and dry.
"I'm s-s-s-sorry for coming," She manages to get out between the shuddering of her jaw. "I didn't k-know where e-e-else to go."
"It's fine," Soda says, because it is. Maybe it wasn't Lori this time, but someone had done this out of malice. If that were him, he wouldn't want to go home either.
As if reading his mind, she adds, "I-I-I couldn't let the l-little ones s-s-see this."
Soda gives her a big smile and helps her to her feet. "I said it's fine."
They make it down the hallway and Soda contemplates setting her up in the spare bed, but instead decides to squish her in the bed with himself and Ponyboy. Pony was dead to the world when they enter through the door. Monica gasps.
"I can't-" She begins.
"Body heat'll help," He interjects. He gets into the bed first, creating a barrier between the girl and Pony. Monica sighs in relief as the warmth from the bed encloses her. She rests her damp hair on the pillow and smiles at Soda.
"Thank you," She whispers. She's asleep almost instantly.
Three in a bed was squishy, but Sodapop enjoys the warmth radiating from Pony on his right and Monica on his left. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep again.
February 22nd
Some childish cartoon is too loud on the television in the Lewis house. Vivian, Lucy and Kevin were entranced by whatever was on. Soda sat on one of the couches, entertaining little Cynthia by accepting the toys and blocks the child gave him.
Her chubby hands held out a wooden duck. "Aw, thanks! You definitely know your way into a man's heart."
Cynthia responds by giggling shrilly and toddles off to find another item to give to him.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're great with kids?" Monica asks, a comb between her front teeth and fingers pulling Penny's hair into braids.
"Nah, never really been around kids."
Monica rolls her eyes. Her fingers are quick and nimble as they work with Penny's hair. Penny has a dance to go to and Soda had swiftly dropped Monica off at her place after school to fix up her younger sister. He had been invited to go inside, and he had agreed.
Penny pulls away when Monica's done and hurries into her room to get into her dress. From the kitchen emerges Mrs Lewis, her hair tied into a loose bun behind her head. She's tired.
"Hey Mom," Monica greets, standing instantly. All the other kids look over at the woman who smiles weakly. She seems to only now notice Soda sitting in the room.
"Oh, hello. You are?" She asks tentatively. Soda offers the woman a smile.
"Sodapop Curtis ma'am. Monica's boyfriend."
Mrs Lewis waves a hand dismissively. "Right. It's lovely to meet you."
Vivian jumps to her feet. "I'll make you some tea Mama!" She says and races into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Mrs Lewis nods weakly and walks into her room.
Soda looks to Monica, who was watching her mother with concern. "What's up with her?"
"She's overworked," Monica answers. "She gets headaches often and sleeps a lot."
Penny comes bouncing back into the living room in a lovely dress that Soda knows the family must have saved up for. Monica smiles and places her hands on her hips. "Wow Pen, you look stunning!"
The warm family atmosphere is strange. Monica takes the maternal role. When she leaves, so will the acting mother. Soda feels his heart wrench at the thought. It won't be exactly like what he and his brothers went through after the death of their parents, but with the moaning of Mrs Lewis in the next room over and the way Monica instructs Penny to stand to take pictures, Soda can't help but feel nervous for the family.
February 27th
Two-bit and Monica really seem to hit it off on their second meeting. The school has been let out for a while, but Soda stands in between Two-bit and Monica as they converse with laughter and joking. Two-bit compliments her hair and her skirt. Monica merely giggles in response.
March 2nd
Sodapop listens as Ponyboy tells him in a soft, distraught voice about what happened at school.
Monica was chattering away with Ponyboy about schoolwork and books and how to approach the pretty girl in Ponyboy's history class. There was a girl, he says, who walked past and said some horrible things.
"You can't hide behind your boyfriend forever," The girl had sneered. "You're still a fag through and through."
Pony had tried to continue the conversation with Monica and she had smiled kindly and shook her head. She turned to the other girl.
"But," Ponyboy says to Soda in a quiet voice. "Her hands were shaking."
There was pulled hair and spitting and possibly a punch – Pony didn't see it all. What he did see was Monica pushing through the crowd and disappearing into an empty bathroom.
Sodapop Curtis doesn't see Monica Lewis for almost 3 weeks.
