Disclaimer: I do not own. :(
I was in a rage as I walked away from my house. I knew I'd never do anything about it, I really couldn't - It'd hurt me more than them, but wishful thinking always helped me calm down. I've never understood the desire to hit, to cause pain. I hated that with a passion. It just seems as if people actually think its okay.
In the middle of my furious thinking, it started to snow. Great, I don't know where I am and I'm covered in snow. I looked at my surroundings to see if there was anyplace I knew. It turned out that I was only a few houses down from my own. Jesus, I'm slow. I started to run instead of walk. After about 15 minutes of my jog/walk, I ended up at the DX.
With my burning lungs and a red nose, I walked in to see Soda surrounded by girls and Steve snoozing on the counter.
The bell on the door rang, alerting everyone to my presence. While Steve and Soda looked at me, a few girls scowled at me. I blushed and looked away.
"Hi Lanie! What brings you here on this fine day?" His brown eyes twinkled with laughter, but changed as he took in how I looked. Steve looked angry.
"What's wrong? What happened to you?"
"I-I... Can I tell you later? I, uh, need a place to stay if that's alright with you..." I felt weak, and those pretty girls who were scowling at me didn't make me feel any better.
"Lanie, you know you can stay at my house. You're always welcome, ya know." He smiled, which made me feel a little better.
"We get off in about 30 minutes, if ya wanna wait with us." Steve chimed in.
"Sounds great." I tried my best to smile, but I was still cold and still in pain.
The girls looked shocked, as if they were surprised that someone like me was friends with Soda and Steve. I wouldn't doubt it, I was never especially appealing to the eye like most girls around here. Besides my long, amber hair and hazel eyes, I was nothing special. I guess I'm just... normal? I'm not hideous, but I'm not drop-dead gorgeous like Sylvia. Or Sandy. Or Evie. Whatever, I'm just not model material like half of the female greaser population. It annoys me to no end how these girls can attract a guy like Two-Bit to beer.
I dropped my backpack next to the counter Steve was once again snoozing on and went to the restroom. I looked at my reflection. Still bruised, still red. I even looked... scared. Not a surprise, I really was. Once I got to the Curtis house, I'd look like my normal self. I wonder if the DX has makeup. I didn't want to go around with my face looking like a candycane. So I went to see if there was any makeup at all, and to my surprise, there was. I really had no clue about what to do with makeup, so I just bought one of everything.
"Hot date coming up, Lanie?" Soda smirked at me. The girls, still here, snickered.
"As if. She'd be lucky to get someone like Curly Shepherd." some snooty blonde chick said. I'm guessing she was the leader of the group. Her friends giggled at her insult, making me blush again and made Soda get angry.
"Hey, this girl you're makin' fun just so happens to be my lil sister. I love her to bits." He smiled and messed with my hair. She looked to him in disbelief, and Soda nodded. "And if ya feel the need to pick on her because you think you look better than her, then I'm afraid yer blind, darlin'."
She and her friends were humiliated. They muttered their apologies and left.
"Well, it's quittin' time. Let's go." Steve yawned.
"Thanks, Pepsi-Cola. I owe you one." I grinned at him.
"Don't sweat it, Lanie." He grinned right back. My stomach felt... tingly. I felt warm when he grinned at me. As we started walked to Soda's house, I kept that feeling the entire way.
XXX
We arrived at the Curtis House just as chaos ensued. Apparently, Two-Bit and Dally were drinking beer on the couch watching Mickey Mouse, and were getting into a heated argument over Minnie. Then things were thrown and well, broken. They were being yelled at by Darry as we walked in.
"That doesn't explain the fact as to WHY THE WINDOW IS BROKEN." He took a deep breath. " Is Minnie the Mouse really that important to you guys? I'd really like to know." Darry was mighty scary when he was mad. Two-Bit and Dally must've thought so too.
"I'm awful sorry 'bout your window Darry. It won't happen again." Two-Bit slurred.
"Yeah, what he said." Dally agreed.
"Y'all better clean it up. I mean it. If I get cut on my foot, I know who to kill first." Darry sent death glares to both of them.
I set my bag down and settled next to Johnny, who was laughing at the entire situation. Soda and Steve started to wrestle on the floor.
"Hey, knock it off! I just got done yelling about the broken glass on the floor!" Darry sighed and went into the kitchen.
I went into the bathroom to experiment with my new makeup. Now, what goes on first? Mascara? Wait, I'm only covering up my bruise, not giving myself a makeover. I got the powder out and read the directions. After that, I softly blotted the mark on my face with the powder. The end result was nothing like I'd thought it'd be. Half of my face was darker than the other half. I looked like I fell asleep while tanning my face. It was horrible! I just decided to put powder on my entire face.
"Lanie, others need the bathroom too, ya' know." A voice outside the door said.
"Out in a minute!" I examined my face to make sure the mark wasn't showing. Once I was somewhat comfortable with my face, I left the bathroom.
I felt great, now that I'd covered up my face. Hopefully Soda and Steve forgot about it. No one knew about my home life, and I wanted it to stay that way.
