A/N – Good news for you fans: This is the longest chapter ever and probably my most fun to write! I had such a good time. We're at around 12,500 words already! I'm really enjoying this, and I hope that you do too. I'm still looking for a beta reader as my plot thickens so let me know if you want to be it. Thanks. ENJOY!!!!
This chapter is dedicated to greaserslady who was my first fan! She was the first one to list me as a favorite author and she's been awesome with reviewing and giving me her opinion. Thanks, Danielle! This one's for you.
Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders. CocoRosie owns the song. I own Sam.
Ch. 9 – West Side
I'll wait for you until the streets become sand
And all the cellings in new york have come down
I'll wait for you until the stars dominate the skies again
Sam's P.O.V.
Thursday morning dragged on as I did my chores and straightened up the house. I heard from Steve that meatloaf was Soda's favorite food, green was his favorite color, and Elvis was his favorite singer. So, yesterday I had gone to the store, bought all the fixin's for dinner and an Elvis album to play. My brothers were a little wary of this whole thing, but they were glad that I was bringing him home before going off gallivanting with him. Soda had the go ahead, and everything was set. It was all falling into place, and I was a nervous wreck.
I tried to use my energy effectively, though. The house was spotless. Dinner was all pre-made so I could throw it in the oven after work. I had an outfit picked out and laid out on my bed. The laundry was caught up; the bathroom was scrubbed. Like I said before, grocery shopping was done. And I was exhausted.
But, like clockwork, when three o'clock rolled around, I was walking into the DX station, clocking in. And also, like clockwork, Soda followed me down the hallway, threatening to tickle me. It was like a game. The moment I stepped in the door, it started. The moment stepped out and we started our walk home, it was over. He never wanted to joke and play too much while we were walking. It was getting dark earlier and he wanted to keep aware of the Socs. I had yet to have a run-in with them, nor had anyone else while I had been here, but I didn't want to push my luck, so I let him be.
When we got to my door on Thursday night, I waved a quick goodbye and sent him on his way to clean up, telling him to be back at 7. He smiled that heart-stopping grin and bounced down the road as I walked in and put dinner in the oven.
I carefully set the table for four, with Soda to my left, in case I needed to protect him. I'd never really had a boyfriend before, mostly because they had never gotten past this stage when my dad was around. It didn't really make sense to me – if he didn't care enough and could leave me in a strange town and not ever call or worry if I was okay, why couldn't he relax enough to leave the guys I like alone? I never like bad guys; I'm not one of "those girls".
Thinking about this was just getting me angry and I hoped that the boys would be nice. They were upstairs getting cleaned up and ready now.
I nervously glanced at the clock: 6:40. Dinner was almost done, table was set. Oh my gosh! I had to go get changed.
I ran up to my room and took another look at the outfit I had chosen. The black dress came to my knee and had no frills, just like me. It swayed softly when I walked, but was simple and elegant, exactly what I was looking for. My ballet flats were also black, with a bit of lace around the edging on the top. A single strand of pearls that were my mothers would hang around my neck and I would put my wild curls back in a simple braid, maybe even leaving a few out to frame my face. Simple makeup in light colors would work just fine too.
I felt so out of place after I put the outfit on. It wasn't me. I liked jeans and tee shirts, getting dirty and working on cars. But, I had to admit, I looked nice. Exactly the look I was going for – grown up, but still innocent; attractive and not trashy.
At that point, Toby yelled up the stair quite loudly, "SAM! Your little timer just went off. Get your ass down here and finish up. I'm hungry!"
Oh, brothers. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.
I walked down the steps and ran into the kitchen for all my final preparations. But when I walked in, I stopped. My brother looked at me and his mouth opened.
"Sam," he started, "you look….you look….wow."
I blushed. Toby was never very complimentary, and especially not about how I look. He didn't take the time to notice things like that usually, and it was nice to have him actually see me for a change.
"What are you babbling about, brother?" Owen asked as he walked in. He also stopped short when he saw me. "Damn! Sam, you look great. This boy better be something…"
With another blush creeping up my face, I muttered a simple "thanks", trying to conceal my excitement and moved about the kitchen getting things done.
Realizing I only had 2 minutes to get this out, I pulled both Toby and Owen into the kitchen and started my warning. "Now, you listen, boys. Sodapop," they cringed at his name, "is a very nice boy, from a good family that has had some hard times. Don't you embarrass me, embarrass him, threaten him, hurt him, say anything off color about his name, try to be overly intimidating…"
"Sam, stop. We'll be nice," Owen said with his easy smile.
"Speak for yourself there, little buddy," interjected Toby.
I shot him another warning glance, and he seemed to soften a bit, but still grinned a daunting, ear-to-ear, "I'm-gonna-have-so-much-fun-with-this" grin.
As I was pulling out my meatloaf and putting it on the table, the doorbell rang. Not wanting to let my brothers get it for fear of the sending Soda away, I ran to the door, forgetting my hands were still covered with potholders. When I opened the door, Soda's grin reminded me and I quickly slipped them off as he stepped into the dark hallway.
"Hi, Sam. Thanks for inviting me," he said quickly wrapping me in a hug.
Realizing my brothers took notice of this, I stepped away, even if I was in heaven with his arms around me, and I smiled. "You're welcome. Please come in and sit down. Dinner's all ready."
As we stepped into the dining room, I introduced my brothers to him and thankfully, the handshakes were all polite and there was no bone breaking.
"I'm just going to go get the rest of dinner. I'll be right back," I said, quickly moving toward the kitchen.
"I'll help you," said Soda, following me close behind.
When we got in the door, he wrapped his arm around my waist from behind and whispered softly in my ear, almost growling, "You look gorgeous, Sam. Absolutely perfect and beautiful."
I turned to him, quickly kissing his cheek, and pulled away, still deathly afraid of being "caught" by my brothers. "Thanks. You look good too," was the only reply I could stammer out in my flushed embarrassment. And he did look good. He had a dark pair of jeans on with a white button-down shirt. His hair had less than half the amount of grease in it that it usually had and he smelled freshly-showered and felt clean-shaven.
Handing him a bowl of green beans, I sent him back in and followed him out with the mashed potatoes. We were seated and I served everyone in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Toby just sat at the head of the table looking a bit menacing while Owen and Soda either didn't notice or pretended not to, though, I could bet that neither noticed. They're both pretty easy-going like that. They expect that people will like them, and are shocked when some don't.
Eventually, though, conversation drifted forward, with Soda answering my brothers' questions with an unexpected, albeit much appreciated ease. I think that put Toby at rest a little more and he eventually relaxed out of interrogation mode into fun brother mode. They talked about cars and jobs and life back in Oklahoma City. Owen talked about Jake and my dad, reminding Soda subconsciously, I think, that there were more men to deal with, should my tender heart be broken. Mostly I sat in silence and enjoyed the ease around the table.
Soda kept glancing my way and smirking or winking, making my skin warm with desire and hope.
As dessert was finish, the unexpected happened.
"Toby, Owen, would it be okay if I spoke with you in private for a moment?" Soda asked, gesturing my way.
The look on my face had to be priceless, I can imagine, because Owen stifled a laugh and I excused myself to the kitchen to clean up.
This night so far had been perfect, but I don't think I'd ever been as nervous in my entire life as I was right then.
Soda's P.O.V.
"Toby, Owen, would it be okay if I spoke with you in private for a moment?"
I had been preparing for this moment for hours now, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to say and how to say it. Sam excused herself and my palms suddenly grew sweaty, even though I felt like the evening had gone well so far. Darry had given me some tips on dealing with parents, since he had dated some middle-class girls in high school with very protective parents, but this was different. These were brothers. I tried to imagine if I had a sister, what I'd want to hear, and I began.
"It's been very nice to meet you, and I want to talk with you for a minute about Sam," I said, sounding a lot more confident than I felt.
Owen grinned, like he didn't really need to be in this conversation but he would enjoy it all the same. Toby stared at me with a hard look, as if he was trying to judge my character by my appearance and my words.
"I really like Sam. She doesn't know that, but I do. She's fun and sweet and real and honest and I respect her for being all those things. Plus," I grinned with admiration, "not many girls can tear apart an engine like she can."
Even Toby smiled at that. Maybe he remembered teaching her.
"I would like to ask her on a date," I went on, "but first I wanted to ask your permission. If I had a sister, I'd like to have a say in what she does, and who she does it with. I won't hurt her. I'll treat her with respect. In fact, if you agree and she does too, tomorrow night, we won't even be alone. We'll be with a bunch of people at the Dingo and the Double."
"Sodapop, is it?" Toby asked. I nodded. "Well, Sodapop, Sam is our only sister. She is our baby. And she is my responsibility."
He paused. In the background, I heard an Elvis album being put on, and I couldn't help but smile. Steve told me the things he told Sam and it seemed like she was following them to a 't'.
Toby relaxed his facial expression, and I knew at this point, I was a shoo-in.
"You will treat her with respect. You will not pressure her. You will have her home by the time I say to have her home, no matter when that is. You will protect her and stand up for her, should the occasion arise. You will be a good kid. You will not get into trouble; you will not get put in the cooler." He laughed when my eyes shot up, seeing as how I'd never been in the cooler for anything. "And if you do not do these things, you will answer to me and you will not like it."
I reached out and shook his hand, then Owen's. He was still laughing.
"Thank you, I said. You won't regret it. I will do all those things, and if I don't, I'll have to answer to my brother too, so don't worry. Thank you. Thank you." I said. I couldn't help but grin. This was perfect.
The table was cleared and Owen and Toby looked tired. Seeming a little wary still, Toby spoke hesitantly. "We will go to bed now. You can ask her here, if you like. We won't interrupt. But then you should get home. It's getting late."
He looked at me pointedly as he said "get home." He was a good brother, I could tell.
With that, they stood up, climbed the stairs, and left me to my next feat.
I crept into the kitchen, and watched Sam's hips sway to Elvis crooning a song about heartbreak while she did the dishes. Maybe she's expecting the worst, I thought amused.
I slid in behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and turned her to face me. As coy as could be, and with a grin plastered to my face, I asked her, "Can I have this dance?"
She smiled, dried her hands on a dish towel, and nodded.
As I gathered her in my arms, we swayed and I smiled at her. "Don't be mad," I pleaded as I pulled her hair tie out to let her curls free.
"I'm not," she whispered a moment later.
Burying my face in her hair, I kept up the slow movement and asked her what I'd been dying to ask for the last 2 days. "So, your brothers said it's okay if you want, and I'd like to know if you'd go out with me tomorrow night. Would you?"
Not replying, she sighed and rested her head on my shoulder and pressed a gentle kiss to my neck. I shivered at the shock running through my body as she continued to do this, but after a minute or two, I pulled back, realizing I had not gotten my answer.
With what I hoped was a smile in my eyes and not the unadulterated passion I was feeling, I asked, "So, is that a yes?"
In reply, she leaned forward, pulled my head to hers, and kissed me the most passionate kiss I had ever experienced, even if her technique showed a bit of inexperience. Actually, I found that to make her even more attractive.
Then, softly, almost vulnerably, she said, "Yes, Soda. I'd love to."
I smiled, leaned down again, dipped that girl backwards and kissed her the best I knew how. Her face flushed and I knew she was happy as I was, but I needed to go if I didn't want her two brothers on my tail, not to mention Darry.
Telling her as much, I started toward the door. She followed and stepped on the porch to give a final goodbye. I hugged her and gave her a chaste kiss, turning to walk to the truck, which Darry let me borrow. She waved and went inside and as I looked back a final time, I noticed that from his window, Toby was brooding at me. When I waved to him though, he smiled, and I knew that he wasn't as tough as he was trying to be. He waved too, and I drove off, sure that tomorrow would be the best day of my life.
