The Drive North Chapter 10 The Drive North Chapter 10
By Jess MacIntoch
Outsiders AU Old West
Rated T
Outsiders and other Hinton characters, though nobody recognized the one in the last chapter. S.E. Hinton owns these charaters, and I am not making any money from this.
"Whoa, girls, look just what trotted in."
"All glossy and shiny from the bath house."
"Young studs, and ladies, I do mean young."
"I heard there was a trail herd outside of town. Lordy, I can see why they call 'em cowboys."
"I got dibs on the palomino."
"Awww, Lydia"
"Let her have him. Two years from now she'll be more concerned with the color of their money instead of the color of their hair."
"You got to admit, though, that is one hell of a good-lookin' young-un"
Pistol and Soda leaned on the bar and sipped at their drinks. Pistol trying not to take too big a sip of rot-gut and choke, and Soda cheerfully gulping a beer. Pistol let out a breath and tried to seem nonchalant. After all, he had been in a whorehouse a few times, and this was Soda's first time, and it irritated him that he himself was nervous and here was ol' Soda, just looking around, calm as could be.
Pistol smoothed down his mustache, an unconscious habit since he had grown it. He felt it made him look older, more manly.
Soda's hat hung by its leather strings, his dark gold hair still a little damp from the bath, a new red bandana around his neck to match the faded red checks of his gingham shirt.
"So, do we get to pick one or—"
"Hey there cowboy. Buy a lady a drink?"
"Sure"
Soda didn't stammer or leer foolishly or turn beet red, like Pistol did the first time he was approached. Pistol wished sourly he could hate his pard, but with Soda Curtis that was impossible. He did note, however, that the middle Curtis brother did flush a little under his tan; but it only made him better looking, so Pistol couldn't gloat about that.
But the next moment a bright-eyed blond took his arm and Pistol ordered two more shots of whiskey, and forgot all his grievances against his best friend.
"What would you like, ma'm?"
Lydia knew she was supposed to reply "Champagne" to get the boy to shell out for the over-priced drink, but there was something so sweet in those dark eyes she said "Beer, please."
Soda ordered, then turned to her again. The purity of her skin was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, until he looked down the front of her low-cut red dress.
Lydia watched his eyes get darker, and saw him swallow hard.
"My name is Lydia"
"Soda"
She put a light hand on his arm, and felt him tremble.
"I know a place where we can...talk more private."
Soda downed his beer, and nodded. And followed her.
Soda lay panting, trying to get the pounding of his heart under control.
He had thought he knew something about what was going to happen, after all, he'd been waking up with an itch to scratch for a few years now. But it turned out he knew nothing.
That another human being could do...that for him. It was like comparing a candle to the blaze of a noon-day sun. He tried to get the scattered remnants of his mind back, tried, even, to make since of what exactly had happened, but everything but the unexpected ecstasy was a blur. He had tried, at the time, to remember Darry's instructions and Pistol's advice, but something had over-come his thought process... he hoped she didn't figure out it was his first time, but didn't much care.
"Sugar" Lydia turned, propped on one elbow, stroking his cheek "You know, in a couple of years you're going to be the best-looking man in Texas."
She smiled, tenderly. The boy was so sweet—trying to be mannerly, apparently thinking if she was naked, (a favor she did not grant to all her customers) he should be, too; his desire to please her and his over-whelming need brought an unaccustomed lump to her throat.
Sweet child, she thought. She was all of three years older than he was, and she thought: Sweet child.
"Surely someone has told you that." She added, when Soda remained silent.
"Well, yeah, but it just never mattered before."
It does now, he thought, if it makes you like me more.
"I mean, my older brother is a top hand, but he worked hard to get there, and my little brother is smart, but he basically educated himself. Me, I was just born this way. Didn't do anything to earn it."
Lydia leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
Soda swallowed and said "When I come back this way, I'm gonna be rich. I ain't just a drover, I'm part owner of the herd. When we get to Abilene, I'm gonna have a lot of money. "
He wondered why he had never through of this before.
"Well, I sure hope you remember to look me up."
Soda sat up, totally unembarrassed by his nakedness.
"Maybe we could get married."
To have this every night, to wake up next to the most beautiful thing on earth—that's why people got married, he thought, it has nothing to do with breeding kids. He was so dizzy with love that his eyes began to water.
"Well, we can think about that when the time comes." She kissed him again, on the nose, and on the lips, and nibbled his ear lobe just a little.
"A girl could sure get used to a man like you."
Soda started to reach for her again, but she smiled sadly.
"I got to get back to work, honey. Buck-Tooth Sally saw me come upstairs with you, she'll be expecting me back in the bar."
Soda grabbed his pants and dug around in the pockets. He thrust some bills at her. Half his wages so far, twenty-five dollars.
"Wait for me. I can go get a loan on my next paycheck." He dressed hurriedly, tucking in his shirt and forgetting his new bandana. He pulled on his boots before she could even rise.
"Wait for me" He pleaded. "I'll be right back."
She watched as he ran out of her room, then got up to put her dress back on, re-do her hair.
"Sweet child."
Soda finally found Two-Bits in a poker game, and got the loan, more because Two-Bits was distracted and distraught over the way the cards were turning than any interest in Soda's incoherent explanation.
Soda calmed him self in front of the whorehouse door, smoothing his hair down, catching his breath. He didn't want to go charging into her room like a bull on the loose.
He took a breath and went in, intending to tell Buck-Tooth Sally why he was going back upstairs, show her the money if necessary.
But Lydia was at the bar, between two tall cowboys.
Soda's vision turned red and misty and for the first time in his life he felt a blazing rage. He felt a killing rage. He even fumbled at the gun in his holster for a moment.
His vision cleared for a moment, and he saw that Tim Sheppard was one of the cowboys.
She was looking up at the other one, hand toying with his shirt button, and he heard her say:
"A girl could get used to a man like you.
It was his brother, Darry.