I've been working a long time on this chapter so that's why I haven't
posted in a while.
Chapter 7
"That Tim Shepard sure is a-"
"Look, there's Soda and the others," Taylor interrupted. They walked over to them. Steve was with a slight girl with black hair that had ringlet curls. She wore a lot of eye makeup and her skirt was a little short. Taylor assumed that she was Edie. Another girl with natural blonde hair and pale blue eyes stood beside Soda.
"Hey Two-Bit, hey Taylor," Soda greeted, "This is Sandy."
"Hi," she said sweetly, she seemed nice. Steve came up next to Soda.
"This is Evie," he said, indicating the girl with black hair.
"Hello," Taylor said, Evie just nodded and smiled.
The six moved out onto the dance floor and danced for a while. Two- Bit kept making faces when he tripped over himself and Taylor would start laughing so hard tears began to come into her eyes. She was having a great time. They had been there for about and hour and a half already.
Taylor was thinking about how much she liked it here, how much her attitude had changed. She wasn't so secretive and cold, not so quick to push people away. Suddenly, people started yelling, breaking into Taylor's thoughts. Two-Bit pushed through the crowd, following Soda and Steve. People began to pull back and Taylor saw that there had been a fight. Soda plunged into it, grabbing one of the guys by the shoulders and yanking him back. The fighter turned away and Taylor saw that it was Dally. Their eyes locked, and he quickly broke away. Taylor saw so much anger and hate in those few moments in Dally's eyes. But she had seen something else too, but she couldn't place what it was, Regret? She didn't know, but like she had said many times before, she didn't care.
Two-Bit came back to her. "Let's go," he said quickly. They hurried out the door and to his car.
"Two-Bit!" a voice called. They turned around and saw Soda running to them, "Dally's gotta get outta here, someone called the fuzz. Can you take him?"
"My car only fits two cause of all the junk in the back."
"I don't mind walking," Taylor said.
"Are you sure?" Two-Bit asked.
"I'll walk her home," Soda offered. Two-Bit looked hesitant but he nodded. Steve and Dally came running over.
"Get in," Soda told Dally. Two-Bit and Dally got in, and drove off. Soda turned to Steve.
"Steve take Sandy home, I'll walk with Taylor."
"I can walk myself you know." Taylor interrupted.
"No, I'm walking you home, so don't argue."
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Fine."
Steve drove off with Evie and Sandy, and Soda and Taylor started walking.
"So are your parents gonna be mad that you're gonna get home so late?"
"They didn't even know I left," Taylor replied.
"You snuck out?"
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to go out, who cares they're gonna kill me anyway."
They walked in silence for a while, staring at the stars.
"Hey Taylor?" Soda asked, breaking the long silence.
"Yeah?"
"How come you don't like Dally?"
Taylor stopped walking, she turned to face him, "Who said I didn't like him?"
"Well, every time someone mentions his name something changes in your eyes, and when you look at him it looks like you're gonna kill him."
Taylor bit her lip. The past had caught up to her once again. And here she was keeping secrets again. It had to stop, but this, she couldn't tell anyone.
"Are you okay?" Soda asked in concern.
"Yeah, it's just…"
"You don't have to talk about it."
Taylor shook her head, "No, you have a right to know. I did know Dally in New York City."
Soda stayed quiet. He waited out her silence as she fought with her past.
"I have a brother. He's about a year older than Ponyboy. Travis was… lost. Growing up on the streets isn't easy, you have to fight to stay alive, and sometimes you still don't make it. Travis felt that if he belonged to a gang, he wouldn't have to fight so much; the gang could take care of him. One day he came home and told me that he had found a gang to belong to. That he was going to the initiation that night. I tried to talk him out of it but once his mind is made up, no one can change it. In order to get into the gang he had to break into this store and steal money out of the cast register. Well, someone called to police and the gang split, Travis got caught. The judge put him in jail, and my parents refused to pay the bail. Like an idiot I tried to raise the money myself but…" Taylor stopped. She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. She hadn't thought it would be this hard. Soda took her hand and pressed it between his.
"I don't want you to be hurt. You don't have to tell me," He told her. She barely heard him, she was lost in the memory.
"He got out 3 months later on probation. He came home and told me that he was gonna kill the person who put him in jail. That person was Dallas Winston. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he said that name. Travis had changed so much, his eyes were so hard, so angry. It scared me, I was afraid that he really would kill him. He showed me that he had gotten a gun, I tried to stop him but I couldn't," She felt her voice starting to crack, "He went out that night and I sat there, waiting. I didn't know what to do. I heard police sirens and I knew they were going after him. The police came and told me and my parents that Travis was in jail again. That was a month before we left," she stopped and the tears started falling. Soda pulled her into him and she buried her face in his chest, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
"We left without him! He doesn't even know. And it's all my fault, I should have gone after him, I should've stopped him. I just sat there while he was getting arrested. And it's all cause of Dally. He knew that the store was alarmed, the test was to see if he could get away from the cops. If he did, he was in the gang. If not, he was in jail."
Soda held her against him, "Taylor it's not your fault. You said that once his mind was made up no one could stop him."
"I should have tried," she sobbed, "but I didn't and now he's rotting in jail and I'm on the other side of the country and everything's so screwed up! I thought that maybe I could write to him and tell him where we are but then I found out Dally's here and… he knows me too. After my brother went to jail, I went looking for him, I wanted to meet him face to face. I wanted to kill him and I would have but…"
She stopped and pulled away from Soda.
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes, "I shouldn't have told you."
"No, I'm glad you did. You needed to get that out."
"But he's your friend and-"
"He's trying to change. I know it may not seem like it but he is. Maybe you meeting again was supposed to happen. Everyone deserves a second chance."
Taylor was silent; she didn't think Dally deserved a second chance. But Soda was a loyal friend who was there for her, and she thought very highly of his opinions. And besides, If Dally was Soda's friend; maybe he was trying to change.
"Come on, we're almost home." Soda said,
Home. The word used to have no meaning to Taylor. She thought of the saying 'Home is Where the Heart Is'. Well, Taylor didn't exactly know where her heart was but she was beginning to believe more and more that it was here, in Oklahoma.
*Please review*
Chapter 7
"That Tim Shepard sure is a-"
"Look, there's Soda and the others," Taylor interrupted. They walked over to them. Steve was with a slight girl with black hair that had ringlet curls. She wore a lot of eye makeup and her skirt was a little short. Taylor assumed that she was Edie. Another girl with natural blonde hair and pale blue eyes stood beside Soda.
"Hey Two-Bit, hey Taylor," Soda greeted, "This is Sandy."
"Hi," she said sweetly, she seemed nice. Steve came up next to Soda.
"This is Evie," he said, indicating the girl with black hair.
"Hello," Taylor said, Evie just nodded and smiled.
The six moved out onto the dance floor and danced for a while. Two- Bit kept making faces when he tripped over himself and Taylor would start laughing so hard tears began to come into her eyes. She was having a great time. They had been there for about and hour and a half already.
Taylor was thinking about how much she liked it here, how much her attitude had changed. She wasn't so secretive and cold, not so quick to push people away. Suddenly, people started yelling, breaking into Taylor's thoughts. Two-Bit pushed through the crowd, following Soda and Steve. People began to pull back and Taylor saw that there had been a fight. Soda plunged into it, grabbing one of the guys by the shoulders and yanking him back. The fighter turned away and Taylor saw that it was Dally. Their eyes locked, and he quickly broke away. Taylor saw so much anger and hate in those few moments in Dally's eyes. But she had seen something else too, but she couldn't place what it was, Regret? She didn't know, but like she had said many times before, she didn't care.
Two-Bit came back to her. "Let's go," he said quickly. They hurried out the door and to his car.
"Two-Bit!" a voice called. They turned around and saw Soda running to them, "Dally's gotta get outta here, someone called the fuzz. Can you take him?"
"My car only fits two cause of all the junk in the back."
"I don't mind walking," Taylor said.
"Are you sure?" Two-Bit asked.
"I'll walk her home," Soda offered. Two-Bit looked hesitant but he nodded. Steve and Dally came running over.
"Get in," Soda told Dally. Two-Bit and Dally got in, and drove off. Soda turned to Steve.
"Steve take Sandy home, I'll walk with Taylor."
"I can walk myself you know." Taylor interrupted.
"No, I'm walking you home, so don't argue."
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Fine."
Steve drove off with Evie and Sandy, and Soda and Taylor started walking.
"So are your parents gonna be mad that you're gonna get home so late?"
"They didn't even know I left," Taylor replied.
"You snuck out?"
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to go out, who cares they're gonna kill me anyway."
They walked in silence for a while, staring at the stars.
"Hey Taylor?" Soda asked, breaking the long silence.
"Yeah?"
"How come you don't like Dally?"
Taylor stopped walking, she turned to face him, "Who said I didn't like him?"
"Well, every time someone mentions his name something changes in your eyes, and when you look at him it looks like you're gonna kill him."
Taylor bit her lip. The past had caught up to her once again. And here she was keeping secrets again. It had to stop, but this, she couldn't tell anyone.
"Are you okay?" Soda asked in concern.
"Yeah, it's just…"
"You don't have to talk about it."
Taylor shook her head, "No, you have a right to know. I did know Dally in New York City."
Soda stayed quiet. He waited out her silence as she fought with her past.
"I have a brother. He's about a year older than Ponyboy. Travis was… lost. Growing up on the streets isn't easy, you have to fight to stay alive, and sometimes you still don't make it. Travis felt that if he belonged to a gang, he wouldn't have to fight so much; the gang could take care of him. One day he came home and told me that he had found a gang to belong to. That he was going to the initiation that night. I tried to talk him out of it but once his mind is made up, no one can change it. In order to get into the gang he had to break into this store and steal money out of the cast register. Well, someone called to police and the gang split, Travis got caught. The judge put him in jail, and my parents refused to pay the bail. Like an idiot I tried to raise the money myself but…" Taylor stopped. She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. She hadn't thought it would be this hard. Soda took her hand and pressed it between his.
"I don't want you to be hurt. You don't have to tell me," He told her. She barely heard him, she was lost in the memory.
"He got out 3 months later on probation. He came home and told me that he was gonna kill the person who put him in jail. That person was Dallas Winston. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he said that name. Travis had changed so much, his eyes were so hard, so angry. It scared me, I was afraid that he really would kill him. He showed me that he had gotten a gun, I tried to stop him but I couldn't," She felt her voice starting to crack, "He went out that night and I sat there, waiting. I didn't know what to do. I heard police sirens and I knew they were going after him. The police came and told me and my parents that Travis was in jail again. That was a month before we left," she stopped and the tears started falling. Soda pulled her into him and she buried her face in his chest, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
"We left without him! He doesn't even know. And it's all my fault, I should have gone after him, I should've stopped him. I just sat there while he was getting arrested. And it's all cause of Dally. He knew that the store was alarmed, the test was to see if he could get away from the cops. If he did, he was in the gang. If not, he was in jail."
Soda held her against him, "Taylor it's not your fault. You said that once his mind was made up no one could stop him."
"I should have tried," she sobbed, "but I didn't and now he's rotting in jail and I'm on the other side of the country and everything's so screwed up! I thought that maybe I could write to him and tell him where we are but then I found out Dally's here and… he knows me too. After my brother went to jail, I went looking for him, I wanted to meet him face to face. I wanted to kill him and I would have but…"
She stopped and pulled away from Soda.
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes, "I shouldn't have told you."
"No, I'm glad you did. You needed to get that out."
"But he's your friend and-"
"He's trying to change. I know it may not seem like it but he is. Maybe you meeting again was supposed to happen. Everyone deserves a second chance."
Taylor was silent; she didn't think Dally deserved a second chance. But Soda was a loyal friend who was there for her, and she thought very highly of his opinions. And besides, If Dally was Soda's friend; maybe he was trying to change.
"Come on, we're almost home." Soda said,
Home. The word used to have no meaning to Taylor. She thought of the saying 'Home is Where the Heart Is'. Well, Taylor didn't exactly know where her heart was but she was beginning to believe more and more that it was here, in Oklahoma.
*Please review*