Along Came a Spider
Chapter 14: Along Came a Spider
Steve is quieter than I remember, which is normal I guess given the circumstances. Even though they released him from the hospital, he still has to see a therapist twice a week. It seems weird that Steve would be the one needing a therapist, but I guess war can really change a person.
"So, after all that, how'd you still manage to come out of this as a mechanic?" Steve asks Soda, peering down at his cards. His cigarette lies in the ashtray, ignored for the last five minutes, as the poker game between him, Soda, and Two-bit, gained intensity. All three of them are sore losers.
"Don't know really. Just told the boss my talents and-" He begins to explain, when Two-bit lets out an amused grunt.
"Talents? Please soldier boy. How'd you really get the job? Promise to marry the lieutenant's daughter?" Two-bit grins jokingly, tossing three chips into the stack.
"Shit, I fold." Steve mutters, slapping down his cards on the table.
"How ya been kid?" He addresses me, bored with the lighthearted argument between Soda and Two-bit. I look up from the book I'm reading to see him standing over me.
"Nobody can just disappear nowadays. No one is that smart." He reads from over my shoulder. I cringe because I always hated it when people did that. He flips the front cover forward so that he can read it.
"Along Came a Spider by James Patterson. Interesting. What's it about?" He asks, looking genuinely interested. It's weird because Steve has never seemed interested in me before, especially not when it came to the books I was reading.
"Two-bit, I swear to God, if you've been hiding cards again…!" Soda threatens. Steve and I smirk at the continuing poker game, now becoming more of a wrestling match.
"A psychopath." I answer Steve distractively. "More or less."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoO
We're all playing football, and it's super cold. Only two more days of school before Christmas break, so the wind, sleet, and snow don't bother me. It seems like it's been forever since we've played football.
"Bombs away!" Two-bit yells, passing me the ball. I put my hands in front of me just in time, catching it and running for the sake of the game. My thoughts are definitely elsewhere. I'm thinking about how small our teams are now that Johnny and Dallas are gone, and how rare rumbles are as well. For a moment I have this sinking feeling that we're growing up, and that that could mean we're growing apart. I wonder how much longer we're going to be playing football like this, and hanging out in the summer, and playing poker when we don't have any money to lose. Even as Darry lightly tackles me, I wonder how much of a gang we'll be when we all have families and live in different cities.
"C'mon Pony, you're making it way too easy for em'!" Soda complains. Darry pulls me up to my feet, and I brush myself off uneasily. Except for Steve, our little family conflict is no secret, and Darry makes sure to treat me as if I'm breakable. That's because you are, I tell myself, and grimace at the thought. That's because we all are, except for Dallas. I remember that I need to write him, and I promise myself that I will tonight. No more putting it off.
"Hello, earth to Pony!" Darry teases. I look at him, feeling embarrassed that all of the guys are staring at me.
"Did you say something Darry?" I ask with confusion. He laughs and nods, tossing the ball to Steve.
"Yeah, I asked if you were okay?" He says questioningly. I roll my eyes and walk back over to my side.
"Yeah," I lie. "Why wouldn't I be?"
oOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Dear Dallas, I write on the sheet of notebook paper that covers my book. I'm sitting cross-legged on my bed, trying to think of what to say to Dallas Winston. I've look over at the other crumpled attempts and wonder why it's so much harder writing him than all the others. I've already given up trying to write it in my head, but am finding writing it on paper just as hard. I cross out what I've written and start over.
Dally,
People say that everything happens for a reason, but I think that sometimes that's not true. I think some things just…happen. Not because they're supposed to, and not because we want them to, but just because they do. I think that sometimes there is no answer to the question 'why?'. And I think if there was always was an answer then we wouldn't be satisfied with it. See the way I look at it is, people do things because they want to. We do things because they seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Like running into a burning building to save a bunch of children, or dying because we don't see a reason for living anymore. We start fights and wars because we don't know how to live in peace. We lie and cheat because we're afraid of the truth. We turn against each other, because we're afraid of what might happen if we get too close. This is how we live. Not because we want to, but because we just do. And maybe heroes and criminals and murderers and saints are all alike. Maybe, we're all the same, just doing what we can to survive. Maybe what we really want is to just disappear. But nobody can just disappear nowadays. No one is that smart.
But I could be wrong.
-P.M Curtis
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Along Came a Spider was originally published in 1992. However, since this story was titled after it, I wanted to include it in some shape, way, or form. Thanks to James Patterson for writing it, along with all his other amazing books.
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