CHAPTER 7

-AT THE MALL-

-TAYLOR'S POV-

We got to the mall around 6:30 or so. Right as soon as we got in the doors of the establishment, I hastened off toward my favorite dress store. It was called La Vida. I heard that one time someone was followed throughout the store as if they were watching to make sure they weren't gonna steal anything, but I chose not to believe so since my dad's close friend worked there.

Immediately when we entered, we were greeted by a lady wearing a long skirt and a crop top up past her belly button. In a way, she wasn't friendly. She greeted us, but in more of a snobbish way, like we weren't worthy of being in that store. "Hi. Do you need something?"

Sodapop and Alice stayed behind me as we all three stared at her. I smiled sheepishly, "Um, hi. I was just wondering, is Kale working today? I need a dress for a w—"

"Does it look like I really care?" She interrupted me rudely.

I gave her a cross look, "Does it look like I'm afraid to leave a bad review with your name blatantly written in it?"

She sighed, seemingly pissed off. She turned her head and shouted "Kale!" at the top of her lungs. And she must have a lot of lung span, too, yelling the way she was.

Suddenly I saw Kale walking down the isle with a collection of blue dresses. A smile spread across his face as I noticed him. He opened his arms welcomingly, "Songbird Wellington!"

I walked up and gave him a hug, his black suit completing the matter of his attire. "Hey, uncle Kale," I stood up straight and put my hands in my pockets, "I need a dress for my cousin's wedding tomorrow. I was hoping you could help me find one."

He chuckled, "Oh, of course, dear." He looked past my head at Soda and Alice, "And who are your friends?" He leaned in and whispered, "Who's the blonde? He's kinda cute." Oh, did I mention that Kale is gay? Well, if I didn't, he is.

I sighed and whispered back, "That's Alice and Sodapop. And Sodapop's straight and underaged, uncle Kale."

"Oh," he backed up and clapped his hands together. He must've been getting a kick out of himself. "Of course, dear!" He placed his hands on his hips and focused back on me, "So are you on the bride or groom's side of the fam?"

"Groom. His name's Eric." I nodded.

Kale paused for a second, "Why'd you give me his name?"

"Because I thought that would help with maybe what kind of colors I should be wearing. You even taught me that that was important."

He placed his hands on his hips broadly, "I did." We both nodded. "I'm a genius." He told me casually.

-MEANWHILE IN SODAPOP'S POV-

"Who's the old guy?" I whispered to Alice.

She shrugged, "I have no clue. Apparently, he's her dad's friend since like birth."

I blinked a couple times really hard, "Right." I froze, "I think he's staring at me."She turned to me and squinted her eyes in an annoyed matter, "He is not staring at you." She told me in a serious tone. But I swear he was. Then she turned back to face him. "Okay," she nodded, "he's staring at you."

Taylor and him continued to talk for a minute before they began to walk off down an isle of dresses. Alice and I followed behind them.

I was a bit bored as I stared at the dresses. Don't get me wrong, they were pretty nice, but the only problem was that there weren't real people in the dresses. It kinda made me feel sad that only mannequins were filling the places of girls that were supposed to wear them.

When we got to the end of the isle, the old guy stopped me. "So, Sodapop is your name? You must've had Outsiders fanatics for parents," he nodded, "anyway, we need your opinion on a shade of blue."

"Okay," I said, "shoot."

He smiled, "One does not simply 'shoot', dear." I cocked my head back a bit. He laughed, "I'm only playing, son!" He flailed his hand down in a cracked up way. "Anyways," he said seriously, pulling out a little card, "these are the shades we have to choose from. Which one do you think would look best on Song—I mean Taylor. Oopsies, I get so carried away sometimes!" He said with a bundled smile.

I chuckled a little as I took the card from him and inspected the colors. Taylor would look fantastic in all of these, I thought to myself, must I choose only one?

"Uh," I looked up at him nervously, "I like this one. I think it would bring out her eyes." I said, knowing how silly I must've sounded.

"Ooh!" He said in a high pitched tone, startling me out of my hair grease (Ba-doom-tsss). "I think so too, dear. I think this would look absolutely stunning on Song—damn it!" He said before walking away. I heard him mumbling to himself, "Why do I have to always do that?!"

My eyes widened and I sighed a breath of relief. I didn't know how I felt about God then, but J-E-S-U-S help me, this guy is a little coo-coo! Suddenly Taylor walked off with him, I guess to find a dress of that color, and Alice approached me.

"Hey, pretty boy, you okay?"

It didn't bother me that she called me pretty boy, but it bothered me that she'd call me that every time she'd talk to me. "I'm fine." I said, though I didn't know. I took a deep breath, "Is it just me, or do you think Taylor would look pretty in all of those colors?"

She smirked, "Ooh la la, somebody got a cruuush!" She whispered excitedly.

I gave her dagger eyes, "Alice," I said seriously, "I don't…" I paused and turned away, "I'm in love with someone else. Sandy."

"Sandy?!" She exclaimed angrily.

I nodded, "Yeah, my girlfriend back in Tulsa." Though I wasn't actually positive that she was gonna be by the time I got back.

"Really?" She asked as if she didn't believe me, "Don't act so stupid, man. You know what the deal is with that."

Yes, I knew. No, I didn't want to act stupid. I snickered, "You don't know anything about us." I told her frankly.

She let out a breath of frustration as she continued to stare at me. "Look, I know you think I'm just a stranger you barely met only half an hour ago, and I get it," she smacked her lips together, "but listen, I know more than what I say I do. I know things that'll absolutely break your heart. Crush you, Soda!"

I rolled my head back and shook it, "No you don't. You don't know anything about me, okay, girly?"

-ALICE'S POV-

What am I supposed to tell him? I can't just tell him that he's from a different world—a fake one at that. I couldn't tell him anything beyond what he's told me so far.

I bit down hard on my gum. I shook my head, "Okay. I don't know anything. I know absolutely nothing about you. The only thing I can really tell from looking at you is that you aren't happy. Something is getting you, Mr. Happy-go-lucky, down. I know you say you have the loving girlfriend, the loving brothers, the adoring friends and fan girls, but really, there are some things you can't hide."

He sat down on the bench in front of the fitting room, as did I. He shook his head, "You're right. Sometimes you can't hide the things that are killing you. You want the truth? I'm not happy. If anything, I'm flat out depressed."

"There. I don't need to hear anything else about it, either." I said, leaning back on the bench.

He squinted his eyes in a confused way, "Cool, 'cause I wasn't gonna tell you anything more about it."

I rolled my eyes, "Okie." I said awkwardly.

-DARRY'S POV ("FINALLY!") ~ 6:25-ish -

Where the hell am I going? I thought as I walked down an unfamiliar street. I've looked for hours and still can't find a single sign of Soda or Pony. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I missed them. God, what if they're dead?!

I turned a corner onto a more busy street. Several cars were passing by and so quickly, too. The only thing I could think was that I hated myself for getting on Ponyboy's case all the time. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how my brothers both thought I looked. Soda probably thought I was too rough on Pony, when I don't actually think I am. Pony probably thought I was the biggest party pooper ever, which I don't think is true either…

I was glancing around, looking for a place I could rest for a bit. I was so tired I could've fallen asleep right there on the concrete! I saw a cafe across the street from where I was and thought that might have been a decent place to hang for a minute while I contemplate a plan to find my kid brothers.

As I crossed the street, I got distracted by the sight of two boys, around my brothers' ages. I thought there's a chance that maybe that was them. That is until I heard the honking of a horn. I turned my head to face the road and to my complete paralyzation, all I saw was headlights as I froze in the middle of the crosswalk. That's all I remembered before completely blacking out.

-TEN MINUTES LATER-

I aroused to see a bright light shining in my face. I blinked a couple times before realizing where I was. I tried to sit up, but couldn't… My back, it hurt like literal Hell. I groaned in pain as I settled myself back into the position from before.

"Shh shh shh, sir, you mustn't move. You just had some medication and it'll make you quite dizzy." A lady wearing a lab coat said to me.

I scanned the room silently before asking, "Am I in the hospital?"

She placed her hand on mine and nodded, "Yes, sir. I'm the doctor for the night, my name's Joetta Wellington. What's yours, or do you not remember it?"

I twitched a bit before replying. "No, I remember. It's Darrel, but my friend's call me Darry."

"Okay," she beamed at me, "tell me, Darry, do you have any direct family you need me to inform of your accident?"

I swallowed, a little nervous, "Well… there are my brothers. I'm their guardian," I paused weakly, "and I kind of…lost them."

The doctor was taken aback by this, "Oh? How about your parents?"

"My parents?" I asked. She nodded. I frowned, "My parents died almost a year ago. I'm the one taking care of my brothers. As I said, I'm their legal guardian. But please," I tried to move my arm, "don't take them away from me before I can see them again."

"Oh," she glanced at the ground, "I see. Why would they be taken away?" She tilted her head, "If you don't mind my asking…"

I tried to tell her respectfully, while all at the same time, I was kind of pissed off that I was here and all. "I'm their guardian and I lost them. Doesn't that pretty much say 'bad caregiver' all around?"

She laughed, "Why would it? Ah, what's your last name, kid?"

I glanced around at the walls. It was so different looking than the hospitals back home. "Curtis, Darry Curtis."

Her eyes widen, "Are you serious?"

"Y-yeah, and my brothers' names are Sodapop and Ponyboy. I know, they've got original names. Unbelievable, almost."

"Oh," she shook her head, "you have no idea… Unbelievable doesn't begin to cover it." She said as if she'd just seen a ghost or something.

I smiled, "Okay, just make sure you find them. They can't be out alone for too long."

-PONYBOY'S POV-

"Got an ace?" Dally asked me seriously, glancing down at his cards.

I grinned evilly, "Go fish."

He leaned back with a look of annoyance. "Really, man? You sure you ain't cheating?"

Johnny stepped up behind me and grinned, "Nope, dude, he ain't cheating."

"Fuck," he said rolling his head back. He suddenly threw his hand onto the nightstand, "Man, shouldn't those chicks be back yet?"

Johnny stared at Dally blankly. "You mean Taylor and Alice." He said in more of a statement than a question.

Dal rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, whatever their names are."

"I don't know, man. It may be that they're going home afterward." I said suggestively.

"With your brother?!" He snapped at me.

Johnny took his hands out of his pockets, "C'mon, Dal, don't be like that…"

"Be like what?!" He shouts at Johnny. I knew Dally could be a little bit of a jerk sometimes, but he'd never shout at Johnny like that. Not ever.

"Hey," Two Bit said walking in from the other room, "don't howl at Johnny like that, man. Even you know better than to do that."

"Right," he replied smartly, "so I'm supposed to just let him be a wise ass?"

I sighed, "I think he means you shouldn't act out the way you are. You're kinda shouting at him like it's no big deal, when I bet Johnny feels pretty bad as it is."

His ears got red as he stepped closer to me with a scowl on his face. "Maybe you're right, but here's the thing, you're dead wrong. Johnny don't care that I yell at him, does he?" He asks, patting Johnny on the back.

Johnny just stood there silently. Jesus, Dal, you're so oblivious…

-RHETT'S POV-

What's it like to be in love? It's like you're holding your breath until the one you love is in your presence. It's like you've been blind for so long, that is until you realize you love them. That's how I felt about about Taylor.

I was on my phone trying to get ahold of her, sending text after text after text, hoping she'd answer. I was in a little bit of a hurry to tell her how I felt. That's when the front door opened and my dad walked in with a handful of groceries.

I instantly jumped up and helped him. "Hey, dad. How was your day?" I asked him, taking a grocery bag from him.

He smiled brightly, "You remember Brynn, don't you?" Before I could reply, he continued to jabber on, "Well, here's the good news… We're getting married!"

"What?!" I shouted, "But she lives out in," my voice slowly faded, "Florida…"

He set the groceries on the table and walked over to the refrigerator. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and chuckled, "Surprise! We're moving to Florida!"

I was paralyzed in shock. He's gotta be joking. He walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off, "Not funny, dad. How could you play jokes like that on me?!" I stomped over to the cabinets in search of a snack.

His eyebrows narrowed confusingly. "I'm not playing a joke on you, R. We really are moving to Florida."

I laughed gruffly, "Oh, right." I barked sarcastically. I took a sip of my Coke I had sitting on the counter from earlier that day.

"Son," he said seriously, "we're leaving in a week."

I spit abruptly, "What?!" The fuck did he mean we were leaving in a week?!

"You should start packing, alright? I'm gonna go call the landlord and tell 'er we're out in a week." He told me before disappearing off into the other room.

No way, I thought, what am I gonna tell Taylor? I'm so fucked…

-SODAPOP'S POV-

Taylor went in the fitting room with three different dresses to try on. They were all the brilliant blue shade I picked out. I just kept glancing around the room awkwardly, hoping to see something that might keep me not so bored for the next ten to twenty minutes we were here.

Alice must've dawned to my boredom…

"Ey," she said with one eye squinted, "don't doze off on us now, bro."

I leaned back on the bench and sighed, "How long does it take to put on a dress?" I asked, slightly serious.

She laughed, "It takes a long time. A very, very, very, very—"

"Okay," I interjected, "I get it. It takes a long time. Okay, I get it."

She snickered to herself as she looked away. "Glad."

Suddenly I heard a ding noise coming from Alice. I turned to look at her and she pulled out something that I'd never seen before. "Hey," I said, "what's that?"

She rolled her eyes with a slight grin. "It's my phone. They're pretty cool. Maybe you could get one if you stay, I bet you'd like it."

I nodded, "What does it do, though?"

She shrugged, "I should've explained that, huh?" She looked down at it, "Well, it's good for—" She stopped as the thing began to chime an unfamiliar sound.

She closed her eyes tightly, "Sorry, I guess I gotta answer this. It's Rhett." She stood up and began to walk away.

Rhett? Like the asshole from before? Oh great, looks like they're all friends…

I just leaned back in the seat again and tried to relax. I began to think about Darry. Where is he at? I mean, if Ponyboy, Steve, Dally, Two Bit, and Johnny are all here, wouldn't that mean that he was here too?

Suddenly Taylor's voice broke into my thoughts…

"Does this look okay?" She asked, standing in front of the fitting room door.

I sat up abruptly. My attention was caught quickly by what I saw. Taylor looked killer in the dress she was wearing! She looked so nice, so innocent. At that point I felt like I knew her for years. She almost looked…perfect in a sense. I guess the blue really did bring out her eyes the way I briefly thought it would.

"W-wow." I managed to say, "You look… Wow." I knew my jaw was hanging open from the way I saw her. I never knew someone could look so good in blue, but she did.

She cracked a shy smile, "Does it look alright, or does it repulse?" She joked.

"No," I shook my head, "you look… fantastic in that dress. I mean, it's almost…" I almost couldn't breathe. I was literally breathless!

She shook her head denyingly, "It doesn't look that great, Sodapop."

"Hey," I said in a serious tone, "it looks amazing. And you can call me Soda. We're friends, remember?" I flashed her a smile.

She was trying to hide a grin and I could tell. But when she finally cracked, that's when her outfit completed. 'Perfect' was the word I wanted to choke out.

-ALICE'S POV-

Me: What is it, Rhett?

Rhett: *sighs loudly*

Me: Bruh.

Rhett: *sighs louder*

Me: BRUH.

Rhett: *sighs the loudest possible*

Me: Mother fucker.

Rhett: Okay, so you're not gonna believe this, but… I'm moving.

Me: *rolls eyes* Okay, so?

Rhett: To Florida bitch!

Me: What? Why would you be moving to—

Rhett: My dad's getting married! What am I gonna tell Taylor?!

Me: Calm down, bro. You gotta stop freaking out.

Rhett: Dude, I just fucking took her first kiss from her!

Enough has been said, I thought.

Me: Okay, you're in the shit house. I can't help you, man. And don't ask me to te—

Rhett: Can you please tell her?

Me: *lets out breath of frustration* Bro, I can't do that.

Rhett: Whaii?!

Me: *grows more impatient* Ya see, I got this thing… It's where I don't want my best friend to pissed off at me. Yah, I also have this thing where I don't like to make her sad. Or depressed. Or mentally fucking insane!

Rhett: Oh, right. Let me do that to her. Especially since I'm the person who's in love with her! Damn it, Alice, can't you just do this for me?!

Me: Bishhh no! *hangs up the phone angrily*