A/N: Hey all! Wow, this is probably one of the fastest updates I've ever posted! I really wanted to get this chapter out as quick as I could... I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you all like it. But I do apologise if it's a bit rushed. I had a teeny bit of trouble with it, and it is, like 2:20 am now. But it is another one of the sneak peeks done! So...yeah. please R&R, hope you like it!
Straight after work the next evening, Darry jumped in the truck and headed down to Ginny's. He had spent the last day and night thinking of some way to help both her and Tommy out. He hadn't yet come up with a working solution, but hopefully that afternoon would give them a chance to sit down and talk about it clearly.
As soon as he pulled up outside her house, Darry noticed that something wasn't right. In a matter of hours, the atmosphere of the house had changed quite drastically. The front door was wide open with a few boxes stacked up beside it.
Through the window he could see Tommy sitting on the couch patiently while Ginny busied herself inside. A moment later, she came outside carrying a heavy-looking box.
"Ginny?" Darry called out, getting out of the car. If she heard him, she didn't give him any notice. Darry rushed up the path towards the house.
"Ginny? Baby, what's going on?" he asked. He stood in front of her, determined to get some kind of recognition.
"Darry, I can't talk now." Ginny said brusquely, refusing to make eye contact with him. She sidestepped him and placed the box with the others before walking back into the house. But Darry refused to leave without a proper explanation.
"What do you mean 'can't talk now?'" he said, following her inside. "Why's all your stuff packed up?" Not even a second after the words came out; something deep within him told Darry why. He shook the feeling away, not wanting to believe it as the truth. Ginny stopped what she was going and sighed.
"Tommy, go play in your room." She said calmly.
"But Gin..." Tommy protested.
"Now."
Tommy sighed and jumped off the couch, making his way to his bedroom. Darry watched the ten year old close the door behind him before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.
"What's going on?" he asked again.
"We're leaving." Ginny said. Darry suddenly felt sick. It was true.
"Leaving? Why?" He wondered, trying to hide the desperation in his voice. Ginny sighed and shrugged nonchalantly.
"I just can't stay here anymore." She said. "Not after all of this. I don't have a choice." Darry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Look, I know you're hurting...but that doesn't mean you have to leave." He said. Ginny scoffed.
"Yes it does! We have nothing, Darry! She gambled everything away, you know that!" She said, raising her voice. "I have no car! No Money! Soon I won't have a house! I was fired from one of my jobs..."
"Wait...you were fired?" Darry interrupted. Ginny sighed again.
"Yes, I was fired from the dress store this morning." She said. "There is nothing left here for me in this town. I can't do it anymore!"
"There's me." Darry said quietly.
"Darry..."
"I'm here. "He said. "We can get through this, Ginny. I can look after you. I can..."
"How? " She wondered. "Darry, you can barely look after yourself and those kids, let alone Tommy and me as well."
"I don't know...but we can work it out." Darry said.
"No Darry, we can't." Ginny said. She shook her head and headed back into the kitchen, picking up where she left off with the packing.
"What can I do to convince you to stay?" Darry wondered, following her.
"Nothing. I don't wanna stay...I can't stay." Ginny said. "There is nothing that you or anyone else can say or do that will make me want to stay here. Why can't you understand that?"
"Because I don't think that just packing up and leaving will solve your problems, Ginny!" Darry exclaimed. Ginny remained silent as she continued packing. Darry sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"When my parents died, part of me wanted nothing more than to just pack up and leave town." Darry admitted. "But I knew I couldn't. I knew it wasn't the right thing to do."
"When your parents died, you had a house, and a car, and a job...and a life to go home to." Ginny snapped. "I have nothing."
The two of them were silent for what seemed like a lifetime. The only sounds that could be heard in the entire house were the sounds of rustling newspaper which Ginny was using to pack and the faint sound of Tommy's voice in his bedroom.
"Tomorrow." Darry said finally. "Give me til tomorrow. I promise we can work this out...please?"
"No, Darry."
"Gin...please. I...I'm begging you. Just give me tomorrow."
Ginny put down the plate she was wrapping and sighed. After a long while she nodded her head.
"Fine." She said quietly. Darry let out a deep sigh of relief. He walked over to her and took her hands in his.
"Thank you." He said. He lifted her chin so they were looking eye-to-eye. He smiled a small smile before kissing her lips gently.
And with that, he broke away from her and left the house, promising to be back the next morning. He said goodbye to Tommy before heading out to his truck. As he drove down the road, he couldn't help noticing Ginny's reluctance to kiss him back.
oOoOoOoOoOo
"That was out of bounds and you know it!" a loud, angry voice came from the front lawn. As he pulled up at the house, Darry saw that most of the gang was outside.
"Bullshit that was out of bounds!" Dally responded. "You're just mad 'cause we're kicking your ass."
"So it has nothing to do with the fact that Two-Bit practically trampled him and tackled him to the ground so that you could take the ball and score?" Ponyboy wondered, sitting down on the porch. Dally shrugged and grinned.
"Speaking of which...do you think that maybe you can, oh I don't know...get your fat ass off me, perhaps?" Steve wondered from his spot on the ground...still under Two-Bit. The latter grinned brightly.
"Oh but Stevie, we're having ever-so-much fun!" he laughed, jumping up and down a little. But he stopped suddenly and frowned. "And my ass is not fat!"
Steve simply rolled his eyes and shoved Two-Bit off him. Soda was sitting in the porch, laughing at the scene that was taking place.
"Oh, hey Darry." He said, looking up at his brother walking through the gate. Darry looked up and nodded a response to his brother before walking inside. He put his work things down in his room before walking into the kitchen.
"Hey Johnnycake, could you grab those paper plates for me?" Mel asked, facing the kitchen stove.
"Not Johnnycake." Darry replied. Mel turned around and smiled.
"Hey, where've you been?" She wondered, tucking a loose strand of hair under the DX cap on top of her head.
"Just had some things to work out." Darry said, handing her a stack of paper plates. "What's going on?"
"It's a nice night. I thought we could eat outside for a change." Mel shrugged. "Go relax. There's a new stock of beer in the fridge if you want one."
Darry didn't argue. He went and had a shower and got changed out of his work clothes before helping himself to a beer and heading outside. A little while later, Mel and Johnny came outside carrying plates full of burgers.
The eight greasers sat on the front porch eating their dinner. Two-Bit and Steve were talking about something and the others were only just paying attention. Mel, who was sitting with her back against Dally's chest, turned her attention away from her friends and noticed her eldest brother staring into space.
"...all I'm saying is that with a little effort, and if you weren't such an ass, Stevie, you might be able to relieve some of that obvious sexual tension." Two-Bit said, finishing off his strange rant.
"What the hell are you talking about, seriously?" Steve wondered. "But hey, at least it's not as bad as these two." He pointed over his shoulder at Mel and Dal.
"Ew." Soda shuddered. Dal simply grinned.
"Don't have that problem anymore, right babe?" he said. Mel rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. Soda pulled a face of disgust.
"Okay, I'm leaving before I have to hear anything else like that about my sister." He said, getting up off the porch steps. Mel shook her head before turning her attention back to her big brother. If Steve's comment didn't pull him out of his reverie enough to cause reaction, he must be thinking about something pretty hard.
"Hey," she said, pulling him out of his trance. "You okay?"
Darry nodded his head, silently telling her that he didn't want to discuss it any further. He grabbed some of the nearby empty plates and beer cans, mostly courtesy of Two-Bit, before heading inside. Mel watched him go with a look of both sadness and curiosity, wondering what had him so vexed.
Shaking her mind clear of the thoughts, she leaned across Dal's lap and hit Two-Bit on the back of the head.
"Seriously, those kinds of comments may actually get you into trouble one day. What would Kathy say?" she asked.
"Speaking of which, where is the missus tonight, man?" Dally asked.
"She's not feeling well." Two-Bit said. "When I went to her house this morning she was sick so she called in sick for work and stayed in bed all day."
"Come to think of it, she was a little pale yesterday." Mel said. "I Hope she's okay."
"Hey, how about some of that chocolate cake, Mel?" Steve asked from his spot on the porch steps. Mel looked at him incredulously before shifting her feet to kick him in the head.
"Uhh, how about no." She said. "I cooked you dinner and let you stay in my house, but I ain't no goddamned maid."
The others all looked at each other silently, waiting for someone to get up and get dessert. Finally, Ponyboy sighed and got out of his seat.
"I'll go get it." He said. The others grinned in thanks.
"Gee, thanks Ponyboy." Two-Bit smiled. Ponyboy rolled his eyes, the most common trait of the Curtis children, and headed inside.
oOoOoOoOoOo
"Sooo..." Two-Bit said, casually sipping on what had to be his sixth beer. "New Year's is in...three days."
"Quick! Someone go get Channel 5!" Steve said dramatically. "Two-Bit can count!"
"Har, har, har." Two-Bit drawled. "Boy, you're a riot Stevie."
"Yeah, well when you don't have brains, looks or personality, something has to come in handy." Mel laughed. Steve mock glared at her, placing his hand over his heart.
"You cut me deep, Mel." He said. Mel grinned and blew him a kiss.
"Anyways," Two-Bit interrupted. "What's the plan this year? Same as always?"
"What? You mean you all come 'round here, drink our booze, eat our food and pass out somewhere...probably our couch or our yard?" Soda laughed.
"So, a normal night for us?" Johnny wondered.
"Well, why not?" Two-Bit asked. Mel shrugged her shoulders.
"Sure, I guess." She said. "I mean, we'll have to check with Darry, but it should be okay. I mean, he's never really had a problem with it before. Neither did Mom and Dad." Two-Bit grinned brightly.
"Alright! So, I'm thinking..."
"God help us." Dally said. Two-Bit went to glare at him, but chose to ignore and continue.
"As I was saying...I'm thinking a bonfire; A little music, a lot of booze...maybe some fireworks, if we can."
"You can get fireworks again?" Ponyboy wondered. "Even after last time?"
"I have connections." Two-Bit shrugged.
"Meaning they fell off the back of a truck." Mel laughed. She took her DX cap off her head and put it on Dally. He glared at his girl, yet made no more to take off the cap.
"Hey, our New Years Eve parties are tuff enough." Two-Bit defended. "And besides, it wasn't my fault last time. Steve was the one who aimed them at the window."
"Yeah, Pop wasn't too happy about that one." Soda laughed. The others all had a good laugh about it as they remembered.
"Oh god...I'll never forget the year we found Two-Bit passed out on the roof." Mel laughed.
"How the hell did you end up there anyway?" Dal asked. Two-Bit shrugged and finished off another beer.
"Glory, I didn't know then and I sure as hell don't know now." He chuckled.
"It's getting pretty late." Soda said, leaning back a bit to check the clock in the hallway. "Steve, we got work tomorrow." His friend nodded and got up off the porch steps.
"I guess I better head off too." Two-Bit said. "Wanna crash at my place, Johnnycake?"
The younger boy nodded and said goodbye before leaving with Two-Bit and Steve. Soda and Ponyboy said goodnight before heading inside to their room. Mel leaned her head back so she was looked at Dal.
"You gonna go?" she asked. Dal grinned and kissed her.
"And give up that comfy bed? No way." He laughed. Mel smiled and shook her head before getting up. The two got up and packed up the remaining rubbish before heading to bed.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Darry woke up with the sun shining in his eyes. He pulled himself out of bed and looked out his window. He saw that the twins' car was gone, meaning that Soda had gone to work already. He silently cursed himself, realizing that he had slept in far longer than he had initially intended. Sticking his head out of his bedroom door, he looked at the time on the clock in the hallway. It was early afternoon!
"Damn it!"
He left his room, and looked around the house quickly, wondering if anyone else was home. Both the boys' and Mel's bedroom doors were opened, telling him that he was alone. Not wanting to waste any more time, Darry decided to skip breakfast and headed to the bathroom. He jumped into the shower, silently thanking his siblings for being kind enough to leave him some hot water.
When he was done, he headed back into his room looked the first thing he could find to wear. He grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and got changed. Before he left, Darry walked over to his bedside drawer and searched inside. Beside the letter from his parents, lay the object or his search. He grabbed it, shoved it in his pocket before getting his keys and racing out to the truck.
After what seemed like hours, Darry pulled up outside his destination; Ginny's place.
Darrell Curtis Jr. had had his fair share of heartbreak over the last year or so. He thought that his heart had recovered... but he thought wrong. Darry could have sworn that he could feel his heart shatter into a million tiny pieces at what he saw.
Every window in the house was boarded up, as well as the door. All the boxes that he had seen the day before had vanished. Darry got out of the truck, hoping that he was just dreaming. But it was no dream. As he circled the house, the cracks in his heart became deeper and deeper. What was once a friendly and inviting home was now desolate and abandoned. It was as if there was no sign of anyone ever living there. He would have believed it if he didn't know the truth.
Darry let his head drop. Deep down, he knew she wouldn't stay. But no matter how much he knew it, he begged himself not to believe it. A single tear fell down his cheek, burning his skin, as he held the small object in his pocket.
oOoOoOoOoOo
"Got any threes?" Soda asked. Ponyboy grinned and shook his head.
"Go fish."
Soda sighed and picked up yet another card from the deck. He, Ponyboy and Johnny were sitting in the middle of the living room floor playing 'Go Fish'. He had finished work early that afternoon and met up with Mel, Dal, Pony and Johnny in the lot on his way home from work. The other two were lying on the couch together relaxing.
"Any sevens?" Pony asked. Soda groaned and handed his seven over to his little brother. Pony grinned triumphantly, adding yet another pair to his pile.
"Remind me again why you three are playing a little kid's game?" Dal asked.
"Go fish is not just a little kid's game, Dal." Soda said, focusing all his attention on his cards. Dal rolled his eyes and turned to Mel for a straight answer.
"It's an old favourite." She said. "Besides, it's one card game where Sodiepop here can't cheat!"
"Hey!"
"Well, it's still lame." Dal said. Mel shook her head.
"No it's not." She insisted. "What about when I had the chickenpox? You and Two-Bit played like a thousand games of Go Fish with me."
"We had to play it through the window." Dal reminded her. Mel couldn't help but smile at the memory.
She caught chickenpox when she was thirteen, and was kept in complete quarantine for what seemed like an eternity to her and the gang.
Flashback
Thirteen year old Melody tossed yet another auto magazine aside. She was thankful that her brothers had gotten them for her, but there were only so many times you can read one magazine cover-to-cover. She sighed and sat back on her pillows, trying to think of something to occupy herself for a little while.
"Pssst!"
Mel looked around her room for the source of the noise. But she couldn't see anything or anyone. Which probably was a good thing, considering that only her parents and Darry had had chickenpox before.
"Pssst! Out the window, dummy!"
Mel looked out her window and saw Two-Bit and Dally outside her window. She couldn't help grin as she got out of bed and walked over to her window. She opened the frame and rested her arms on the window sill.
"What are you doing here?" Mel asked. "I'm still sick...you'll catch it too."
"Wow...look at you. You look like a leopard!" Two-Bit laughed. Mel glared at him and slapped the back of his head.
"Seriously though, why are you guys here?" she asked again. Dal reached inside his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards.
"Saves you from being bored out of your skull." He said. Mel grinned. "What ever game you want."
"Aww you guys are sweet." She said. Two-Bit grinned while Dal looked like he was gonna be sick.
"I ain't sweet." He insisted. Mel rolled her eyes and smiled. Two-Bit went and got a couple of old chairs for them to sit on and put them by her window.
"So kid, what'll it be?" Dal asked, shuffling the cards. "Blackjack? Poker? 52 pick up?"
"Go fish." Mel said.
"What?" Dal asked. Mel grinned.
"Go fish." She repeated.
"That's a little kid's game." He scoffed. Mel crossed her arms and pouted.
"You said whatever game I want." She said. Dal was about to protest, but sighed and started dealing the cards instead. Two-Bit merely chuckled and shook his head, amazed at the power that Mel had over Dal.
End Flashback
"I honestly thought you two were idiots for risking catching it." Mel said. Long story short, after their games, Two-Bit caught chickenpox himself. But at least he wasn't alone; he had Mel to keep him company, even after she got better.
"Hey, I didn't get sick." Dal pointed out. Mel laughed and cuddled closer to him.
"Yeah, cause you're just too damn tuff to get sick." She said sarcastically.
"Damn straight." Dal said. Mel rolled her eyes.
"The point is that you still played it and without any complaints too." She said. Dal was about to respond but the sound of the screen door opening interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey Darry." Mel smiled. But her older brother remained silent as he put his keys on the table. Mel cocked her head to the side.
"Darry?"
By now, the guys had forgotten about their game and had turned their attention to their Darry, wondering what was going on. With a shaky breath, the eldest Curtis looked up at them. The five kids were shocked to find Darry's eyes red and puffy. They knew that he had been crying for some reason. Immediately, they thought the worst. The last time they saw him like that...was the night of the accident.
"Darry...what happened?" Ponyboy asked quietly. Darry was quiet an awfully long time, as if trying to figure out how to word his reply.
"She's gone." He said simply. There was no question about who he was talking about.
"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" Soda wondered. Darry sighed.
"She's gone...and she's not coming back." And with that, he headed to his room and shut the door behind him. The five remaining were in complete shock. They sat in silence, trying to comprehend what they had just been told. Finally, Melody snapped out of it and went into 'mother-mode'.
"Uhhh...alright." she said. "Soda, I need you to go find me the strongest stuff we got."
Soda nodded and dropped his cards before getting to his feet and heading into the kitchen. The others could hear him practically tearing the kitchen apart in a frantic search. Mel sighed and turned to Dal.
"Why don't you take them to the lot or something?" she suggested. Dal silently nodded his head and got up off the couch. "Just be back before dark."
"What are you gonna do?" Johnny asked. Mel sighed and ran her hand through her hair.
"Damage control."
oOoOoOoOoOo
"Darry?"
Mel quietly knocked on her brother's door, hoping to a reply. In her hand she held a glass of vodka that Soda had found.
"Dar? It's me. I'm coming in okay?"
She pushed the door open ever so gently. She was met with the sight of her older brother; the strong, brave, superhero of their family, lying on his side on his bed, with his back facing her. Mel sighed and closed the door behind her. Walking over to the bed, she placed the glass on the opposite bedside drawer and sat down next to him.
"Wanna talk?" she asked. Darry remained silent. Mel sighed once again and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Please Darry."
After a moment or two, Darry shifted and turned around so he was facing her. He sighed and sat up, leaning his back against the headboard, much like Mel. His sister reached across and handed him the glass. He accepted it wordlessly and sipped it.
"She just left." He said. "When I went over there yesterday, she was packing boxes. I didn't want to think anything of it, but I guess I knew all along."
"Did she say why?" Mel asked.
"She had no money. Eileen gambled it all away before she died." Darry explained. "The car was repossessed and she was fired from one of her jobs.
"I had been racking my brain for the past week trying to think of ways to help her."
"That's why you were so quiet yesterday." Mel said, more to herself. Darry nodded and finished the last of his drink.
"I couldn't come up with much. Just one crazy idea." He said.
"What?" Mel asked. Darry said nothing, but picked something up from beside him. It was a small box. He opened it and showed his sister what was inside; a simple gold band with a small diamond in the front.
"...Mom's ring."
When their children were young, Margaret and Darrel Curtis made a list of who their wedding bands would go to when they were older. Darry and Sodapop would get their mother's engagement and wedding rings respectively. Margaret had hoped that her two eldest sons would give them to the girls that they had intended to marry. Melody was given her father's wedding ring, which she kept in a small jewellery box that belonged to her mother. Ponyboy was given their father's class ring from high school; a token that he had admired from a young age and therefore a present from both his parents.
Upon seeing the ring, Melody then understood.
"Oh my god...Darry..." she said sadly. Darry shrugged.
"I had it all planned out." He said. "Then this happened so I thought I'd ask her sooner. I guess it wasn't supposed to be then." Mel sighed sadly.
"I can't help but think..." Darry started. "If I had gotten their earlier, maybe I could have convinced her to stay."
"I'm sorry, Darry." Mel said. "But it sounds like she had this planned for a little while."
"Guess you're right." Darry admitted quietly.
"I really am sorry."
"It's not your fault." Darry said softly. The two sat in silence for a moment before Darry put his glass down and went to get off the bed.
"I gotta go start dinner." He said. Mel shook her head and pulled him back.
"Soda's got it covered." She explained. "Dal took Pony and Johnny to the lot for a bit. They should be back before dark." Darry sighed and sat back down on the bed.
"Thanks." He said.
"What are families for?" Mel wondered, resting her head on his shoulder. Darry sighed and rested his head on top of hers. And that's how they stayed for a little while; both in silence, but nothing needed to be said. Both now understood the pain of saying goodbye to love.
oOoOoOoOoOo
"I swear, it almost killed me to see him like that." Mel said. It was later that night, and everyone else had gone to bed. Dal was sitting on the couch, with Mel in his lap. Her legs were pulled up close to her chest, with one of Dal's arms wrapped around them.
"The last time I had seen him like that was when mom and dad died." She explained. "The night of the accident, when he knew he couldn't go to college...and now this."
"Superman's strong. He'll be okay." Dally said, trying to comfort her.
"I know. But I know what its like," Mel said. "This kind of heartbreak isn't easy to fix."
Dal pulled her closer, trying his best to calm her down a little. Mel sighed, hoping to god that he was right; that things would work out soon, for all their sakes.
