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Chapter Twenty One

November 1968

It was a warm night for late autumn, and Curly found himself sitting on the porch smoking. No one else had come home yet, so he'd fixed himself a dinner of cereal washed down with beer and settled down in front of the television. But then he'd gotten antsy and come outside.

He'd contemplated going down to Buck's or the Dingo. It was a Friday night so there should be some action, it was better than sitting at home doing nothing. Putting out his cigarette, he slipped on his leather jacket, grabbing his keys from his pocket. He hadn't decided where he was going to go yet, figured he'd make up his mind once he was driving.

There was a figure across the road, and he wondered what they were doing roaming the streets at this time of night. Only troublemakers were out and about around this neighbourhood. Then the figure crossed the street, and he was even more confused when he recognised them.

"Peggy." He called out, watching her with a mix of suspicion and concern.

In no time at all she had crossed the yard, and without a stopping she almost flung herself against his chest, the textbook in her hands slamming into him. Somewhat hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her.

She leant her head down against his chest, her tears wetting his shirt. Comforting girls was hardly a common occurence for him, and crying girls made him uneasy. But this was Peggy, he couldn't turn her away.

They stayed like that for awhile. She'd long since stopped crying, but neither of them moved. It was nice, having her this close, feeling her pressed against him. Even if the circunstances were less than ideal. He hadn't thought she'd ever let her anywhere near him after he'd kissed her.

"You okay?" He whispered.

Peggy pulled back, wiping her cheeks with her hand. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She said. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone else in the neighbourhood."

"What happened?"

"I had work and a boy forgot his backpack, so I took it to his house." She explained. "And his older brother was there."

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, his fists curling at his side.

"No, he just threatened me."

She said it as if that somehow made it better. In Curly's opinion so much as looking at her wrong was a punishable offence. He had half a mind to reprimand Peggy for doing something so blatantly stupid, but those ideas disappeared when he felt her shaking in his arms.

"Where is he?" Curly demanded, through gritted teeth.

Peggy opened her mouth but quickly shut it upon realising that Curly planned on setting him straight with his fists.

"Please, not tonight," she whispered. Curly made to back away but she reached down to grab ahold of his hand, pulling him back to her. "I don't want anymore trouble. Just take me, somewhere, anywhere, anywhere but here."

She was looking at him with pleading eyes and he could feel his resolve faltering. Ordinarily he wouldn't have hesitated, but she looked like she'd start crying again any minute.

"Okay, c'mon."

Peggy trudged along behind him as he led her to the car. Once they were inside she shifted to his side once more, slipping her arm through his. Even if it was only because she was upset, he wasn't complaining. He started the car and backed out of the driveway, all the while grinning to himself.

Neither of them spoke during the car ride, and Peggy remained glued to him, her head resting against his shoulder. If she was starting to regret their closeness she wasn't showing it. He hoped she wasn't. He liked the feeling of her pressed against him, even if the circumstances weren't sexual.

Her silence unnerved him though. He'd never known Peggy to be quiet, the opposite really. The night's events had clearly shaken her up, but he didn't know what to say to make it better, if he even could make it better.

Once he pulled up in the parking lot she finally untangled herself from him, slipping out of the car. He quickly joined her side, watching with bemusment as she looked scornfully at the establishment.

"Where are we?"

"Buck's." He replied, reaching down to take her hand, pulling her forward. "C'mon."

"You better not be getting me into trouble, Curly Shepard."

"I wouldn't dare."

She smiled for the first time that night.

It was just as packed on the inside as it was on the outside. Curly slipped through the crowd, gripping Peggy's hand tightly as he tugged her along. Once they made it to the bar he let go of her hand, gesturing to Buck to get his attention.

"Two beers." He called out, practically sensing Peggy raising her eyebrows at him without even needing to look.

"Is it always this busy?" Peggy asked, shuffling closer to him.

"Nah, depends on the day." He replied, taking the beers from Buck and handing one to Peggy.

She examined it closely before taking a sip, her face contorting in revulsion as soon as the liquid touched her lips. All the while, Curly chuckled to himself. He hadn't expected her to like it on the first try, and he knew she hadn't drunk it before.

"That's disgusting." She said, putting the bottle down on the bar. "You can't honestly say you like that."

"It's an acquired taste."

"Much like yourself."

"You think you're so funny, don't ya?"

"I don't think, I know."

Peggy surveyed the crowd, her eyes hesistating over the dancefloor. The couples were pressed up against each other, swaying to the music. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Buck's, or even for a party for that matter.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just, don't know how people can do that."

"We've danced." He pointed out.

"Yeah, but not like that. I couldn't dance like that in public."

"In private then?"

Peggy blushed at him, but she didn't say no. He took that as an indication he had some kind of shot at getting her pressed up against him that close.

"D'you wanna dance?" He asked, and she raised her eyebrows up at him. "Not like that."

"How then?"

"Whatever way you want." He shrugged, holding out his hand.

With only a moment of hesistation she placed her hand in his, letting him pull her onto the dancefloor. There wasn't much space but he kept enough distance from her to make her comfortable as he twirled her around. Her beer sloshed around, almost spilling onto the floor, forcing her to take a long swig to lower the contents.

"Acclimatised yet?" He half yelled over the music.

"I think I'll need a few more before that."

"I bet." He grinned. "Wanna play a game of pool?"

Peggy nodded, and he grabbed ahold of her hand, pulling her over to the free pool table.

"Want me to show ya how to play?"

"I know how to play pool." She muttered, bitterly.

"I know you do."

She wasn't half bad actually, she was beating him at least. Not that he was bothered, he was too busy enjoying the sight of her bent over the table, her skirt lifting up ever so slightly. He remembered the softness of her skin, and he had a sudden urge to run his hands up her legs. But he had that urge pretty much every time he saw her.

"You ain't half bad."

"My grandparents have a billiards room in their house, us kids always used to have a game whenever we were there."

Curly didn't think you could fit a pool table anywhere in his house, let alone have a whole room dedicated to it. By the way Peggy shifted uncomfortably, he thought she might now be realising that it didn't exactly seem normal to him.

"They got money?"

"Yeah." She said, sheepishly. "My dad's family hasn't though."

The way she said it made it sound like there was a story there, but she didn't look to eager to tell him.

"I should come over for a game," he said. "Or won't they appreciate my leather jacket?"

"Not half as much as I do."

Peggy looked at him over her shoulder, flicking those long eyelashes at him. If she were anyone else he would've thought she was flirting with him. He was about to ask her what she was playing at, when Ricky Stuart strode up to them, leaning against the table uncomfortably close to her.

"What's your name pretty thing?" He drawled, taking his time looking her up and down.

"Peggy."

"Whatcha doing hanging around with this bum?" Ricky asked, nodding his head to Curly.

"Fuck off, Ricky." Curly spat, reaching out his arm to wrap around Peggy's waist to pull her against his chest. "Or I'll beat your ass just like my brother did."

Ricky grimaced. "You Shepard boys are stupid for pussy."

If Peggy hadn't grabbed onto his arm Curly would've jumped him then and there. A beatdown was nothing less than what he deserved for speaking Peggy like that. Rose too for that matter. He just might have to mention this encounter with Tim.

"You okay?" Peggy asked, eyeing him curiously but not moving away.

"I'm fine. You."

"Fine." She replied. "What was that about?"

"Didn't think you wanted him hassling you." Curly shrugged. "He won't if he thinks you're with me."

"That's stupid."

"Won't help again then." He scoffed, pulling his arm back.

"No, not that. Thank you for, that." She said. "It's stupid that he has more respect for your presumed claim on me than my right to reject him."

When she said it like that it did sound stupid, but he'd never thought to much about ut before.

"Who knew you were so chivalrous?" She teased.

"Don't say that too loudly." He said. "I've got a reputation to think about."

"And what kind of reputation is that?" She asked, tilting her head up towards him.

They were close enough that he could feel her breath, short and sharp, against his face. Her eyes were alight with something, what he didn't know, but whatever it was it was drawing him in. He was so caught up in her thar he didn't notice Jimmy approaching until he was right in front of them.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, man," Curly replied. "You know Ricky's all talk."

"You got that right." Jimmy said, his eyes flicking between him and Peggy expectantly.

"You know Peggy, right?"

"Yeah, we have gym together." Nancy said. "Never seen you 'round here before."

"First time." She admitted. "You two want to join us for a game?"

"Sure." Nancy said, ignoring her boyfriend's grumble. "Two-on-two."

"Careful with this one." Curly warned, pointing to Peggy. "She's a sore loser."

"Am not." Peggy claimed, giving him a playful shove.

For the most part Peggy managed to contain her competitiveness, which was a good thing since Nancy couldn't play pool for shit. But after only one game Curly could tell Peggy was one bad shot away from ringing Nancy's neck, so he suggested they take a break.

As they walked towards the couches, Curly leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You good?"

"Keeping it together." She replied, winking at him.

There were a couple cuddled together on the couch but they soon scurried away when Curly told them to beat it, ignoring Peggy's disapproving looks as they sat down. Jimmy was a bit muffed that Nancy had sat on the opposite end, too engrossed in conversation with Peggy to notice her boyfriend was pissed. But he wasn't about to complain.

The couch wasn't all that big, so he had Peggy pressed up against his side, like she had been for pretty much the whole night. He wasn't sure what was running through her head. She showed up on his doorstep in distress, and had spent most of the night teetering on the edge of flirtacious. If he was in her shoes he'd say she wanted to get laid, but that didn't sound like Peggy.

Curly felt movement next to him, turning to see Peggy casually stretching her hand out to rest on his thigh. She made no mention of this development, instead turning to talk to Nancy, but Curly followed her previous eye line to find a dejected looking Sarah Davis. He grinned to himself, slipping his arm around her side to rest on her hip.

Of course, Nancy just had to choose that moment to go to the bathroom and she just had to insist that Peggy join her. What was it with girls and moving in packs?

"You dating her?" Jimmy asked as soon as they were out of earshot, and Curly shook his head. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah I'm sure."

"You sleeping with her?" He asked, and Curly grimaced. "Why the hell not? She's clearly into you."

"Don't think she knows that."

"Shit man, she knows."

By the time the girls returned from the bathroom Jimmy had had enough. Getting up from the couch he strode over to them, whispering something in Nancy's ear before the two of them scuttled up the stairs. Curly was glad his friend was getting some, but also annoyed that he wasn't.

Peggy looked lost as she tried to weave her way through the crowd towards him, giving him an appreciative smile when he met her halfway.

"You wanna bounce? Get something to eat?"

"Sure."

Curly had half a mind to slip his hand into hers as he led her outside, but thought better of it. He wondered if Peggy was disappointed or relieved, but considering she made no move herself he guessed she didn't care. They weren't cuddled up during this car ride, but Peggy wasn't exactly keeping her distance either, like she couldn't make up her mind.

When he pulled into the carpark at The Dingo he was reminded of the last time he'd brought her here. It was emptier now. He wondered if Peggy was thinking about it too. He thought she might be, she struck him as the sentimental type.

There was silence between them once they'd given their orders. They'd never had a problem with talking before, but this was different. Everything that had happened was hanging over them. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, to pull her closer. He wanted to kiss her senseless and run his hands up her body and whisper dirty things in her ear. But he couldn't do any of those things.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm all good now." She assured him. "Thanks, for all of this. You're a good guy, you know that."

"Most would disagree with you."

"Maybe I just know you better than them." She suggested. "Or maybe I just don't know you well enough."

He wanted it to be the former, but it was most likely the latter.

The waitress returned with their food before he could reply. There was more silence as they ate, but this time it didn't feel awkward like it would with anyone other than Peggy.

"What's upstairs? At Buck's."

For a momet Curly was too taken aback to ask. He thought about lying but decided it wasn't worth it.

"The bedrooms."

Peggy nodded back, casually, but he knew it made her uncomfortable. She wasn't so naive that she couldn't guess what happened in said rooms.

"Have you been up there?"

Her gaze was steady, unpeturbed. If the idea of him having sex at Buck's bothered her she was letting it show. But why should it? They weren't together and she didn't want them to be, that much she'd made clear.

"Yeah. Couple of times." He admitted. No use in lying about it. "Does that bother you?"

"Why would it?" She asked, returning her gaze to the fries she was pushing around her plate.

"Yeah, why would it? Ain't like there's anything between us."

Peggy dropped the fry in her hands, leaning back and crossing her arms. He hadn't wanted to start an argument but he couldn't help himself. He'd been angling for something and she hadn't given it to him, whatever it was.

"Mature, reasonable people don't care about other people's exes." She pointed out. "Do you want me to be jealous? Would you be jealous if I'd been up there with Michael?"

"Michael's too much of a punk to go anywhere near Buck's."

"That doesn't answer the question."

Curly clenched his jaw. She wasn't going to let it go. That was the one thing he didn't like about Peggy, she was like a dog with a bone, she'd never learned to drop it. He supposed no one had ever taught her to.

"I wouldn't like it."

It wasn't much of an admittance but it was all he was going to give her. He wasn't going to tell her that the mere idea of anyone else touching her had him on the brink of rage. It was stupid. Most of the girls he'd hung around with weren't virgins and it had never bothered him before. He didn't think it would've bothered him that much if Peggy wasn't. What really bothered him was that they weren't sleeping together.

"What's it feel like?"

"Huh?"

"Sex." She clarified, blushing slightly. "What's it feel like, to be with someone like that?"

"I don't know, it's good I guess." He replied, forcing himself not to laugh. She looked so genuinely curious that he couldn't embarass her like that. "Feels good."

"I know that."

It took a few moments of watching Peggy's face redden to get what she'd meant, by then he was grinning ear to ear. He certainly hadn't expected her to do that let alone outright admit it.

"You,"

"Yes." She said, stubbornly jutting her chin out. "You got a problem with that."

"Nah, baby, just really turned on."

Unbelievably so. He couldn't help the mental image of Peggy, naked and writhing in her bed. It wasn't a new fantasy, but since he'd never seen her bedroom he always pictured her in his, and never alone. He wondered if she'd ever pictured him like he had her.

Peggy gave him a coy smile that looked almost like an invitation. He imagined it was the kind of look she'd give him in the bedroom, begging, pleading for him and him alone.

But then the smile was gone, her eyes all innocence once more.

"My sister, Anna, she says it's better when it's with someone you love."

"Wouldn't know."

"Me either." She said. "Obviously, I don't know why I said that, you already know that, and now I'm rambling."

"S'okay," he said, grinning at her. "Why didn't you sleep with Michael? Can't believe he dated you for that long and didn't want to."

"I didn't want to."

"Not ready?"

Peggy shrugged. "Everything with him was so obligatory. I don't know if I ever really liked him like that. It never...Kissing him didn't feel like kissing you."

Curly hadn't expected that. He'd seen her with Michael enough to know she'd never really liked him. And he knew that she was attracted to him, that he could make her feel things that Michael couldn't. But the way she said it made it sound like there was more to it, more than physical that is, like their kiss had been more than a kiss.

Of course it was more, a voice in his head told him, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't.

"Maybe he's just a shit kisser."

It wasn't the right thing to say. Her downcast look made that clear. But he didn't know what she wanted from him. He could never tell with her. Other girls were obvious, they either wanted to date him or sleep with him. He thought Peggy might've wanted both of those things.

"Yeah, maybe." She agreed, with what almost sounded like disappointment as she flashed him a half-hearted smile. "You should probably take me home now."

Curly nodded, pulling some notes out of his pocket and chucking them on the table. If she kept needing to be cheered up she was going to run him dry. He led her to his car, considering opening the door for her but knew it was a stupid thought. It wasn't like this was a date.

Peggy watched him as he started the car, hesitating for a moment before sliding across the seat to settle against him, her head resting against his shoulder. Curly grinned to himself, leaning down to brush his lips against her forehead. It was a stupid move, but she didn't move away so he figured it couldn't be too bad.

Her house was dark when he pulled up out the front. He'd offered to park around the street, but she insisted that she couldn't sneak into her house anyway.

"You gonna be in trouble?"

"Probably. Not much I can do about it now." She said. "Thanks, again, you've been a real friend to me tonight."

The words sounded like poison to him, and he bitterly regretted how much it affected him.

"Not a problem." He shrugged. "I was going out anyway."

Peggy nodded awkwardly, neither of them sure what to say. He wanted to say something, if only to make her stay a little longer. He had a feeling she'd be pretending this night didn't happen, just like she pretended there wasn't anything between them. A damn phoney is what she was.

"Curly," she said, turning to look at him as she opened the door with such honest eyes that it felt like a punch to the gut. "It bothers me."

Then she was gone.