I laid on the couch that night with two blankets over me. The house got cold easily. Darry couldn't afford to keep the house so warm. The rain was pounding like a drum. Staring at the window, half-asleep, I watched the pattern of the rain-drops on the window. Crud, that night was creepy like a movie.
Johnny was crashed out on the floor. It was hard to convince him to stay the night. If he went home he'd end up beat or soaked, depending on how drunk his parents were tonight.
It was dark, and with the rain I didn't see her, before he shook my shoulder.
"Keith? Keith?' Kimie whimpered.
I opened my eyes a bit more and saw her standing there clutching her blanket. Under her night-gown, which was Soda's old long sleeve, I saw her tremble.
"Hey, what's the matter?" I said real soft, sitting up.
"The dream."
Kimie would get nightmares sometimes. I hated when they came. She never screamed like Ponyboy with his, or even make much noise at all, but they still scared her to bits. That was the worst part. I could never come running if she needed me, or Darry or anyone.
"Baby, it's okay." I sighed in relief as I picked her up. You could always tell how bad the dream was by who she went to. If it just spooked her a bit, she crawled in with Pony and Soda, who shared a room. Pony got nightmares of his own, and those were bad. Once I remember he woke-up screaming in hysterics and yelling at someone to stay. Now Soda was always with him.
If the dream was bad enough to make Kimie cry in full sobs, and scared her silly, she ran to Darry. Darry was her 'daddy'. She came to me for medium ones. I didn't mind. I probably couldn't handle it when she was that bad, or comfort her like Darry. Truth be told, I was scared when things like happen.
Stepping ove Johnny, I walked with Kimie in my arms to her room. It used to be Soda's, but like I said; Pony and Soda shared now.
I dropped Kimie on her bed playfully. She giggled. I pulled her blankets around her so all of her was covered.
"Goodnight Lady." Then I turned to leave.
"No! Keith…wait," I hear her say before I reached the door.
"What's worng?" I asked, swirling around, ready to sprint to get Darry I needed to.
"Please stay…I don't like the rain."
With a flash of those eyes, I walked back and sat on her bed. I made myself comfortable. She snuggled against me. My arm went around her shoulders. Looking down at Kimie, I saw her smiling.
"So what's gonna make you fall asleep?" I asked. Awhile ago I learned not to ask about her dreams. Whatever scared her should be forgotten. It always seemed to be the same thing, but Kimie would never say.
"A story," she said definitely, and to my amusement and sorrow not sleepy.
"Shoot. I don't know any."
"You don't know any good stories like Ponyboy tells me. Tell me a happy story you know. Tell me about how the gang started."
"But you've heard that." I chuckled. She indeed knew, and there wasn't much to tell about how we became a gang."
"But it's happy," Kimie said a little drowsy. Her mouth opened wide and she yawned. Boy was I a sucker for this kid. "I'll help you."
"Alright, well," I began, drawing the well out, "Darry, Soda, Pony…they're brothers, so they've always known each other…"
I found myself going back in time, telling her everything I remembered. Steve was always hot-tempered, and in elementary he didn't have a lot of friends. Soda started laughing at him on day, and because Soda's just like that, they became friends. I met them a little after that. Some fussy-lady combed my hair so I looked like a sissy. Soda let me borrow some grease. About two years after that, we found Johnny, or Darry did; made him come back to the Curtis house. You should've seen how Mrs. Curtis fretted over him! The poor kid was smothered in it. At first, we thought he was a tag-along, but then he grew on us.
Dally was a special story. Mr. Big-Shot was from New York. When he was eleven he hopped on a train and hobo-ed here. That kid was a real hood, always was; ya' dig? Pony, Johnny, and me were walking from a movie and he just popped out on us with a weed in his mouth. We just started talking and stuff, and then we brought him to meet everyone else. So we introduced our new friend, and Dally puts out a hand like a little mob-boss to Darry and says real slick, "So you the leader of this gang or somethin'?"
"You do tell bad stories," Kimie said, sounding real tired. I looked down again and this time her eyes were closed.
"Well what's it to ya'?" I said in mock annoyance. Kimie giggled softly.
"Mmmmm…Dally"
"What about him?" I said playfully. Kimie loved everyone in the gang, but for some reason she always gave Dally a hard time, and he did the same.
"He brought you all together…sorta." Boy, oh boy, she was getting more sleepy by the second.
"I guess, we'd all of been friends anyway…"
"He gets out tomorrow too," she mumbled, not paying attention to my last comment.
"Yup," I went along with whatever she said.
"He went to jail, but he's not a bad person." It's hard to explain right and wrong to a kid who knows people who go to jail.
"Uh-huh."
"I should say sorry."
"Ya-what? Now why's that Little Lady?"
"I spit in his eggs, 'cuz he told Pony something bad and dirty, and Pony didn't like it."
"Oh." I almost couldn't stop myself from laughing.
"Then I should apologize to Steve."
"Why Steve?"
"I spit in his eggs twice, one for calling Darry all brawn and no brains', and then he called Pony a tag-along."
"Guess you should." Oh, that girl was so funny. Kimie was dead serious about all this.
"Mmmmmmm…"
I checked one last time. Kimie was asleep. Oh, shoot. Sonofagun in…That little Lady had me trapped again. She'd fallen asleep with my arm around her. If I moved she'd wake-up and she knew I didn't have the heart to wake her up. Kimie and her knowing.
Hey! Sorry this took awhile to get up, huh, more planning and writing is needed for this story! Oh well! I will try to upload as soon as I can! Hope you like this chapter! Some serious action is coming! Promise! So tune in next time for 'The Lady and the Gentlemen'.
~Zara Uchiha
Sneak-Peak:
Kimie sobbed into his tight jeans. She shook her head
...
I gulped as a smooth voice washed over from the table side. Turning my head back, but hanging low, I saw not one but several shadows.