Whew! Second chapter at last! Let's keep this up, huh?
Disclaimer: I still don't own the Outsiders, no matter how many times I ask S.E. Hinton. x)
I reluctantly opened my eyes, irritated to find that sleep was not ready to leave me yet, stinging my eyes and forcing them shut. I raised an arm out of the tangled mess of the blankets I had on me and carefully rubbed my eyes, slowly feeling my lids getting lighter. I removed my hand and blinked, pleased to see that I had been successful; my eyes no longer felt heavy with the need to sleep. I quickly raised my head to see the clock.
That was a mistake.
Right when my head left the pillow, the biggest pain I ever felt in my entire life hit my head with such a force that I immediately shut my eyes tight and gingerly laid my head back down with a groan. Gently, I used the same hand I used previously to massage my right temple lightly, trying to get rid of the ringing in my ears. Once I was sure I was okay, I opened my eyes again, relieved to see that the world had stopped spinning.
"Damn," I whispered hoarsely. That simple word sent a spark of fire down my throat that only last for a second. I knew that if I talked any louder, it would seriously hurt like hell.
I couldn't stay in my room any longer. I was getting fidgety just laying here in bed. At least I knew how Soda felt during school. I tried to get up again, this time more slowly then before. It seemed to work; nausea still rocked in my stomach and behind my eyes but it wasn't anything major, and at least the ground stood still. I moved my legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a while, focusing on the best way to get to the door without falling over a few times.
I stood up, trembling slightly. This illness had taken away most of my balance, and I felt wrong standing on my two feet. I walked over to the door quietly, miraculously without stumbling, and headed out.
I could hear the sound of food cooking in the kitchen, but was unable to smell it; my stuffy nose had taken care of that. Getting slightly more annoyed with my sudden disabilities, I walked into the kitchen to find Ponyboy cooking something over the stove, his back to me.
"Hey Pony," I greeted thickly. Right then, I proved myself right when I thought that it would be painful to speak any louder than a whisper. I might as well have shoved a burning iron down my throat. I choked down a cry by covering my mouth while I let out a deep cough.
Ponyboy whirled, eyes wide. "Darry," he said. I had clearly taken him by surprise. "What're you doin' outta bed?" Disapproval was laced in his tone. I almost smiled; he sounded exactly like I would have if our positions were reversed.
I shrugged, something he would do. "Couldn't sleep," I croaked, moving to sit at one of the chairs by the table. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he didn't press further. Instead, he asked in a more gentler tone, "How are you feeling?"
I groaned again, placing my head in my hands, elbows propped on the table. "Like I was hit by a truck, got into a bad rumble, and steam-rolled all in one," I whispered, looking up at him. He gave a grim smile.
"Yeah, well. You were out pretty much the whole day. I'm cooking dinner right now. You feel like eating?"
At the mention of food, my stomach clenched and twisted into a knot. I frowned; normally I ate like a horse, stuffing myself every day. But now...
"No thanks, Pone," I said. "Maybe when I don't feel sick to my stomach."
He nodded, looking a little concerned, and turned back to the stove. I glanced into the living room and noticed for the first time that someone was missing. "Where's Sodapop?"
"Oh, yeah. He went out with Steve earlier today about an hour ago. He said he'd be back in time for dinner," he said without looking at me.
As if on cue, the front door slammed open. "I'M HOME!" Soda shouted loudly. Much too loudly. I moaned as my head began throbbing, and I leaned forward into my hands again. This was much worse than a bad hangover, even though I haven't had one since I was sixteen. And then Soda was in the kitchen, Steve tailing behind. I glanced up, glaring. Soda smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Dare. I forgot," he said. I pursed my lips, nodding. I looked over at Steve.
"Hey Steve," I greeted. Steve smirked.
"Hey Darry. Say, I didn't know Superman could get sick," he teased. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You're asking for another crack at your jaw once I'm better," I threatened. He put his hands up in surrender.
"Alright, alright, sorry," he said. But there was still a trace of teasing apparent in his voice. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Soda.
"Could you get me some asprin? My head feels like it's going to split open," I said, once again cradling my head in my hands.
"Sure," Darry I heard Soda say, and a moment later I heard someone rummaging through the cupboard. Soon, a bottle of white pills sat before me. "Thanks," I muttered, shaking two out of the bottle and swallowed them dry. Soda and Steve headed into the living room, and soon I heard the television turning on. I looked back at Pony and found him staring back at me, this time the worry more pronounced in his expression.
"You sure you're okay, Dare?" he asked.
I managed to put on a reassuring smile. "Yeah, little buddy. I'm alright, don't worry about me."
At 'little buddy' his eyes lit up, but he still didn't look convinced. I sighed.
"Really, Pone. I'll probably be better by tomorrow okay?"
He hesitated, then nodded, taking out some plates. I leaned back in my chair and tried to relax. But it was hard knowing that in a couple hours time I would back where I was most of today: back in bed, fidgety, with suffocatingly hot blankets piled on top of me.
Whoop-de-doo.
So here you have chapter two! And once again, I have updated before the deadline! I'm so proud of myself! =D
Well anyway, to the readers out there reading this A/N, I now drop to my knees and beg for your forgiveness. I am SO sorry that I have been neglecting my Outsiders stories. But I never knew that being thirteen had so many problems in life, and those problems taught me lessons, and those lessons gave me ideas. So I have a mindful right now of other junk that I couldn't just focus on one story. But now I'm back! And I'm going to try and update more often. This time for real, 'kay?
Thanks for your support everyone! And I'd like to send a shoutout to Rosebud5, who had sent me a message not long ago and gave me the extreme motivation to finish this story. Thank you so much!
Please review! =)