Hey guys! So, can I just say, I LOVE MY READERS AND REVIEWERS! 3 You guys are absolutely amazing! I have received so many reviews, even after being gone so long without update! Well, here is another chapter, just because you guys are so awesome! Remember, only Brenda belongs to me! On with the sappiness!
The weekend passed peacefully, and brought some very good news for Brenda: the police had served her father with a copy of the restraining order, and he was to leave the house for two hours on Friday so she could collect her things. Her uncle had told her she had a place in his house as long as she wanted it, which she was grateful for. Things seemed to finally be looking up.
The ride with her uncle to work that morning was a pleasant one, and Brenda was surprised to find herself humming "My Girl" when she entered the office. She smiled as she remembered the impromptu duet between herself and Darrel Friday night. (A/N: I am just going to say it was Friday night, I have no clue if I said the night in a previous chapter, if I did, just let me know so I can correct!) She had never pegged him as the singing type, but was pleasantly surprised by his pleasing bass voice.
She sat about her work that morning, reflecting back on their date fondly. The morning passed quickly without incident, and at the noon whistle, a knock upon the door surprised both Brenda and her uncle. "Come in!" her uncle said to the door.
Brenda smiled as a certain roofer she was very fond of came through the door. He smiled and waved pleasantly at her, then turned to her uncle. "Mr. Watson, I think we are just about done out there. All we like are a few of the gutter caps."
"Wonderful!" Her uncle gave the man in front of him a broad smile. "That means, should all go well, we can start on the Hersen complex Wednesday! About the same size as this one, but needs a lot more work! Just passed to a new owner you see, after being abandoned for years!" With the, John turned to Brenda. "Brenda, would you mind giving Mr. Hersen a call, and asking him to meet me at that cozy little café down the street from his complex in about-" Her uncle glanced at his watch. "Half an hour, so we can work out the fine details?" Brenda nodded and picked up the phone. John turned back to Darrel. "Tell the crew that as soon as they finish up lunch, to get back to work quickly. As soon as we finish here, we need to get ready to move the operation to the Hersen complex. That's what we'll do tomorrow, then, if everything goes well, we'll start bright and early Wednesday morning!"
"Will do, sir," Darrel said with a smile. "I was wondering if I could steal Brenda away for a few minutes?" Brenda looked at her uncle hopefully, who nodded his consent. She smiled and went to head out with Darrel, then turned, suddenly remembering something.
"Mr. Hersen said he would be happy to meet you, Uncle John," she said, grinning from ear to ear. Her uncle nodded. Brenda turned and went out of the trailer with Darrel behind her.
"So what did you need to steal me for?" she asked, turning to the sweaty man in front of her. He grinned and took her hand in his. They walked over to his truck, where he settled her carefully on the tailgate (Brenda couldn't help but wince slightly as his hand hit a tender spot on her side) before taking a seat himself.
"I was wondering if you like track meets?" he said, opening his lunch box and pulling out an apple. He offered Brenda a second apple, which she accepted with a smile.
"I've never been to one," she said truthfully, taking a bite of the apple. This was easier said than done with how sore her lip seemed to be. She managed though, and chewed carefully. Darrel swallowed, and then started to talk again.
"Well, would you like to go with me to one?" he said, taking a long gulp of coffee from his thermos. "My little brother Pony runs track, and he has a meet tomorrow night at the high school. What do you say?"
"I think that would be quite nice," she said, smiling up at him. "What time?"
"How about 5:30? That should give us enough time to get out of work clothes and into something more comfortable. The meet starts at 6:30, so we will have time to get there, and let you meet the rest of the gang." Darrel turned to her, gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and hopped off the back of the truck. He helped her down, holding both her hands like he had done Friday night.
"Yes, Darrel?" she said, looking up at him with a smile. He grinned back at her.
"You ran off Friday night, before I could return this," he said, and with a gentle move, leaned down and kissed her cheek. He came up with a smile on his face. She looked down, feeling her cheeks grow hot. Then she looked back up at him, a broad smile on her face. "And, if you like, you can start calling me Darry. Everyone else does, so hearing Darrel is a little strange. What do you think?"
"I like that, Darre- Darry," she answered, still in shock from his kiss. He smiled and squeezed her hands. They parted way and Darry headed back to the roof, while Brenda headed to the office, still feeling his hands in hers, and his lips on her cheek. She started humming again, feeling very much like, in the words of the song on her lips, she had a sweeter song than the birds in the trees.
(Let's pretend like it's Tuesday night and we are at the Curtis house, shall we? We shall? Great!)
"Two-Bit, if you don't turn that blasted mouse off, I'm gonna strangle you!" Steve yelled, over the sounds of Mickey Mouse blasting from the television. Darry rolled his eyes, but a grin crossed his face all the same. Truth be told, the house wouldn't be the same without the chaos. Things were just getting back to some semblance of normal after- after that night. Darry still couldn't stand to think about, much less talk about, Johnny and Dallas.
He finished drying his back and pulled a clean t-shirt on, tucking it into his jeans carefully. He pulled on a light button down and looked in the mirror. After fixing his hair one last time, he walked into the living room. He needed to talk to the guys before he left.
Soda's butt was sticking up in the air as he looked under the sofa; Two-Bit was sitting in Darry's chair, eating an orange and watching Mickey Mouse; and Steve was sprawled on the couch, reading a car magazine. The three of them were riding to the track meet together, since Darry was picking up Brenda. Soda got up and turned to Darry. "Dare, have you seen my shoes?"
"Last time I saw them, they were under your bed. Sit down right quick, though. I need to talk to y'all." Soda took a seat on Steve, who then promptly pushed him off. Steve pulled his knees up and sat up. Soda resumed his seat, watching Darry with apt attention. Two-Bit flicked Mickey Mouse off, looking at Darry with a bored look. Darry cleared his throat, and then spoke.
"Alright, guys, you all know that I am bringing Brenda to the meet tonight. I've only known her for about a month, but I'm really starting to like her." Two-Bit proceeded to make wet kissing noises. Darry threw a book from the table at him and continued speaking. "She's really timid, though, barely opens her mouth most of the time. She is especially skittish around men, so I need y'all to tone it down a bit tonight. That means no rough playing, no crude language, and no rude jokes!"
"You must really like this chick, Dare," Soda said with a smile on his face. "You've never given us rules about meeting your dates." Darry smiled at Soda's understanding. Steve had simply shrugged and returned to his magazine and Two-Bit was hanging upside down in the chair, looking at Darry and making odd faces. Darry rolled his eyes and picked up his keys.
"I'm gonna go pick up Brenda, the meet starts at 6:30; please don't be late," Darry said, taking his jacket from the rack. "This is a big meet for Pony, determines state championships. We need to be there for him." With that, Darry waved goodbye and walked out to the truck. He prayed that at least a few words of what he had said had penetrated his friends' thick skulls. He really didn't want them to scare Brenda away, not when things seemed to be going so well.
(Darry driving, driving, driving; gets to Brenda's house; what do y'all think of my page breaks?)
"Is this right for a track meet?" Brenda asked her aunt. She was in a blue jean skirt that came to her ankles, black converse sneakers, and a t-shirt that she had borrowed from her cousin. He was about the same size as her, although he was nearly six years her junior. She had pulled her hair back into a French braid, and put on some makeup to hide what remained of the bruises on her face. She was finally starting to heal up a little bit, and she was grateful.
"You look wonderful, dear," her aunt said with a smile on her face. "You need to take a jacket, though. It might be a little cool later tonight." Brenda smiled and hugged her aunt. "You know, this boy must be good for you. I've never seen you this happy." About the time she finished speaking, the doorbell rang. "You better go grab a coat, dear; I think your friend is here."
Brenda ran to her room and grabbed one of her favorite jean jackets, one she saved especially for when she wore this skirt. Her aunt had offered to take her shopping for some pants and knee-length skirts, and while she might consider the skirts when she was bruise free, she couldn't see herself in pants. While Brenda didn't believe it was a sin for a woman to wear them, which is what her Father had always said, she rather liked the light, airy feeling she had in a skirt. She thought she might feel restricted by pants, after wearing a skirt for so long. After a moment, she broke from her thoughts and headed downstairs.
Darry was standing in the doorway, a smile on his face. He looked really handsome, framed by the setting sun coming through the glass front door. He was in a white t-shirt, with a blue button down left unbuttoned over it, the color drawing attention to his eyes. His hair was combed back, slightly messy, but in a windblown sort of way. His look was completed by a pair of faded out jeans that were ripped slightly at the knee, and a pair of grey Converse shoes, which replaced his usual work boots. She smiled at him and hurried down the stairs.
"Hey, don't you look nice?" Darry said. She smiled at him and turned to her aunt and uncle.
"You two know the rules," John said, grinning. "Wish your brother luck for me, Darry, I hope he makes state." With that, he and his wife kissed Brenda goodbye, and she and Darry left for the meet, a slight breeze making her feel freer than ever. She couldn't wait to see what the night had in store for her.