I AM SO SORRY FOR THE EXTREMELY LONG DELAY IN CHAPTERS AND I'M SORRY ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THIS CHAPTER, BUT I'LL TRY TO BE MORE CONSISTANT.
~Shelby 3
Chapter 3
Now, based on what I have just written down, you can tell how paranoid Doug made me. I mean, if you see sirens by your house, you should automatically feel worried, but I was more than worried. Thankfully though, the sirens weren't a product of anything that happened at my house. There was an elderly couple who lived next to us and the man suffered from heart problems and had had an incident. Thankfully, he was alright, but at the time, he required medical attention.
I entered the house, hoping that I didn't look as flustered as I felt. My mother was sitting on the couch by herself, reading a fashion magazine.
"Hi." I said, getting her attention. 'Hi' came out as an exhale more than an actual word.
"You seem out of breath, Arabella." My mother pointed out, putting the magazine down beside her.
"I'm just tired. I woke up pretty early this morning and didn't get much sleep last night. Where's Doug?"
"He's upstairs, so can you please watch your noise levels? No records tonight." I looked at the clock above the couch.
"It's only 5:30, he has to still be awake."
"He had a rough day." she said, giving me an exasperated look.
"That's not my fucking problem." I said, turning around towards the door. I'd been here no longer than two minutes and I already wanted to get out.
"Watch your language!" she exclaimed, getting up off of the couch. "He is your step-father and you're gonna have to get used to it!"
"Whatever!" I yelled, rushing out the door. I didn't even bother grabbing a jacket or anything.
I stormed down the street, hoping to God I woke up Doug. I didn't even care that he'd be angry with me when I got home. It baffled me how my mother always took his side in everything, when I was her daughter.
I ended up walking by what I assumed to be Ponyboy's house, because lo and behold, there he was. Sodapop Curtis was outside working on a rusty truck parked in the driveway. I remember wanting to crawl right underneath that truck with him. I could just imagine how sweaty and greasy he was under there.
"Can I help you?" A voice interrupted my fantasies. I quickly looked up towards the front door. An incredibly tall, broad man stood in the door frame, arms folded, showing extreme muscle definition. He had dark brown hair and icy, blue eyes.
"Oh! I'm uh, I'm here for-"
"Arie?" A familiar voice said. Sodapop was pulling himself up from underneath the truck. He was wearing his work shirt, so I-unfortunately-couldn't see what I really wanted to see, but God, was I glad he saved me from the awkward encounter and most importantly, he remembered my name. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, y'know, just, um, getting familiar with the neighbourhood."
"Well, jeez, it's gettin' dark out! You shouldn't be wanderin' this neighbourhood by yourself." Soda told me. "Oh! Arie, this is my big brother, Darry. Darry, this is Arie, she just moved in down the street." Darry's eyes widened. "I know! Maybe she'll be the start of some revolution or somethin'. Clean up this neighbourhood or somethin'."
"Nice meetin' you, Arie." Darry said, retreating back into the house. Soda and I stood staring at each other for what felt like an eternity. God, looking at him was like looking at a masterpiece painted by a professional painter. Everything about him was too perfect to be real.
"So..." he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. They were covered in oil and grease. "What are you really doin' down here?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
"I told you, I'm familiarizing myself with the neighbourhood."
"And how do you like it so far?"
"It's complete pig shit." I mumble, immediately regretting it until Soda's eyes light up with admiration. "What?" I asked, a smile spreading across my face.
"A girl like you ain't supposed to talk like that."
"And what exactly is 'a girl like me?'" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
"You know! Like, you're all fancy and stuff, like a Soc!" he smiles. "But you ain't a Soc."
"So what am I?" I enquired him. Soda thought for a moment before bursting out into a big goofy smile.
"I don't know, Arie, but I'd love to find out."
