~Steve~
The dumb fortune was only something about hating. Shouldn't really mean anything, right? But there was that gut feeling, you know? Like the fortune was important.
"Who do I hate?" Ponyboy asked. I looked up at him confused. I thought about the fortune again. Not until then did it dawn on me what the fortune meant.
There's somebody out there that I hate and I ain't suppose to. Well, narrowing it down to…I got about all the Soc population and half the greaser one. I sighed and continued to lie back on the floor. I probably had no valid reason to hate the people I do, but the fortune said individual. One person…
Nah, I couldn't think of anybody. I glanced at Ponyboy who seemed to be thinking the same thing. He probably hated lots of people, too. But who did either of us actually hate?
I closed my eyes and emptied out my brain. I wanted it blank for a while. To forget that I'm not me. I was soon dreaming about Evie and me (as in me ).
My amazing dream was interrupted though. Someone was nudging me and I was caught between dream world and reality. I woke up slowly to see my own face. It took me a moment to remember what had happened and when it hit me as it did so many times before; I groaned and slammed my head back on the floor. Which hurt…bad.
I ignored the pain throbbing in the back of my head and had a sudden impulse to chase Ponyboy around with a wrench in my hand waiting to strike him on the head. My eyes were shut in hope of falling asleep again into the lalaland where I wasn't a fourteen-year old kid.
"Think the kid's knocked out again. How 'bout we try a bucket of water this time, Steve?" I heard a familiar voice suggest which I soon recognized as Two-Bit's.
"I wouldn't mind," I heard Ponyboy chuckle. I heard footsteps walking into the kitchen and then rummaging through the cabinets.
I open my eyes as soon as I heard the footsteps return. I said, "I'm awake. You-"but it was too late. Ponyboy had splashed what I realized a glass instead of a bucket of water on my face. He was on the run right when he saw my outraged face dripping with ice cold water. I sprinted behind him yelling, "You aren't gonna get away with this, Ponyboy!"
I came into the hallway and pounced on Ponyboy before he could enter the bathroom to lock himself into. I had positioned both of his arms behind his back but his (as in not his) legs were kicking and thrashing my back and eventually succeeded in pushing me off of him.
"Only a glass of water," he panted as he sat up and leaned his head against the wall. I was lying back on the floor yet again.
"Only interrupted me from a good dream," I retorted.
"Can I guess?"
"Go ahead."
"You were yourself again."
I had the impulse to chase him around with a wrench in my hand again.
~Ponyboy~
I really wouldn't mind dumping water on Steve though Two-Bit thought it was me. So, that's exactly why I did. Right when I saw Steve's spitting mad face, I ran. My destination was the bathroom, and I was so close until Steve tackled me down to the ground. My feet tried to kick…no, my feet succeeded in kicking Steve off of me and he was once again resting back on the floor.
"Only a glass of water," I panted.
"Only interrupted me from a good dream," he replied.
"Can I guess?"
"Go ahead," he allowed.
"You were yourself again," I said. Steve didn't reply-just look like he wanted to run around trying to attack me again. It must've been a real good dream. I had good dreams like those, too. I hated waking up because then you had to realize that it was just …a dream.
You realized that you may be stuck like this forever. I bet the dreams gave Steve as well as they did to me some hope. At the moment, my dream wasn't to be a track star or a writer…it was to be myself. Me. And I believed it could happen.
"Hey…whoa, what happened?" Two-Bit said while coming into the hallway.
"He pounced. I pushed. We're tired," I explained shortly.
"Well, better luck next time, kid. I mean if there should be a next time because I never thought I'd see the day when Steve would run away from you, "Two-Bit replied. He plopped on the floor beside Steve and shoved him playfully.
"Tell me something's wrong with my hearing. I could've sworn that you yelled Ponyboy when you ran after Steve…Ponyboy," Two-Bit said. Before Steve could give an explanation, I said something.
"Something must be wrong with your hearing, Two-Bit. He yelled Steve, you dipstick. He's lucky to be alive if he called me Ponyboy," I said as hotheaded as I could.
"Got anything better to do than pour cold water on little kids?" Steve said genuinely hotheaded.
Two-Bit shrugged.
"We were having a little fun. But if you didn't need the cold water... smile on your face sure showed you were dreaming something nice though. I wonder…"Two-Bit teased, but Steve whacked him on the head before he could continue. He flushed a good shade of red just like I would've, so everything was clear.
"What time is it? Kathy going to be mad…looks real cute when she is though," Two-Bit asked.
"Get the hell outta here, will ya', Two-Bit? Less doom for us and you," I said half-forcing him and half-joking around with him.
"Nah, you mean less happiness for you and more left for me," he said and stood up. Steve rolled his eyes and Two-Bit joked, "Aw, you know you love me."
Soon, the jokester of the gang left Steve and me alone yet again.
"I have those dreams, too," I said, disrupting the peace and quiet.
"They're nice," Steve said simply.
"Bein' you again," I whispered.
"You know, I'm tired of hearing Darry tellin' me to do better. I want to hear my dad tellin' me to do better, and I hate when he does that," Steve admitted.
I gave an empty chuckle to what he said. Steve had closed his eyes again and was possibly attempting to fall asleep again.
"Dreaming isn't going to get us anywhere," I told him.
"I know," he said softly, not opening his eyes.
I knew that, too, but dreams gave hope. Hope gave us a chance. We needed a chance. A chance we could take to be ourselves again.
(A/N) Reviews please!!! I'd like to know what you thought.