Okay this chapter is really short and I know it's taking me a while to
update, but I'm going through lots of writer's block. It may take a while
for my next chapter to get up.
Chapter 15
It took Taylor a while to calm down, to stop worrying about Alyssa. Every time she would try to talk to Alyssa, she would just change the subject abruptly. Taylor knew in her heart that what Alyssa was doing was wrong, but there was nothing she could do. And besides, she had other things to worry about.
"I'm never gonna get this right!" Pony said, flinging his pencil across the room.
Taylor came in through the kitchen and examined the paper Pony was leaning over, his math homework.
"Well there's the problem," she said, pointing, "Just change the fraction to a decimal."
"What's the difference?" Soda asked from the couch.
Taylor threw him an annoyed look, "Shut up."
Soda pretended to look hurt, "Ok."
Taylor picked up the pencil Pony had thrown and threw it at Soda. He ducked it, then picked up a pillow from the couch and chucked it at her. It hit her in the back of the head.
"Hey!" she glanced at Ponyboy and he nodded. Together they raced toward Soda and leaped on him, wrestling him to the ground.
"What's going on?" Darry asked from the other room. He walked in just in time to see them knock over the coffee table.
"Oh that's it." He said, diving in. Taylor tugged at Soda's hair, as he tried to grab her arms. Pony leaped onto Darry's back, and Darry flipped him over. The four erupted in laughter as they sprawled out onto the ground. Taylor shook her head, clutching her side. This was what her life should be like; she shouldn't have to be worrying about the things she was worrying about. Why did Alyssa have to do this, why did Taylor have to worry so much about her? With a sigh, Taylor stood up and went into the kitchen. She leaned against the sink, staring out the window.
"Taylor?"
She jumped, not realizing that Soda had followed her.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"yeah, just thinking."
"About what?"
Taylor continued to stare out the window, not responding. Soda walked up next to her.
"You've gotta stop beating yourself up about Alyssa. It's not your fault."
Taylor shook her head, "I don't care. If she wants to ruin her life, fine by me."
Soda put his hand on her shoulder, "You do care, why else would you be like this?"
She pulled away from him, "I don't care! And apparently she doesn't either."
Soda wasn't sure what to do; he couldn't get her to listen. Taylor tried to walk out of the kitchen but he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Let go!"
Soda looked into her eyes, "Taylor, what's going on? Why are you being like this?"
"Like what?" she snapped.
"You need to calm down, take a breath. What is it?"
Taylor stopped trying to pull away, "Nothing, I just…" she slumped into a chair.
"What is it?"
Taylor took a deep breath, trying to piece it all together.
"I don't know what to do, why is she doing this?"
"You can't stop her, it's not your fault."
"I don't care! It still feels like it."
Soda looked into his clasped hands, trying to decide what to do.
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
"What?"
Soda turned to face her, "I can try to talk to her, maybe I can find out what's wrong."
Taylor shook her head, "She won't talk to you; she doesn't like talking to people."
Soda smiled, "I know. She doesn't like telling people what she's thinking or feeling. A lot like someone else I know."
She glanced at him, "Who?" when he didn't say anything, she hit him in the arm, "You're making fun of me!"
Soda held up his hands in a gesture of peace, "Don't hit me again."
She rolled her eyes, "You can try talking to her but I doubt it will do anything."
Soda touched her arm briefly before getting up and heading towards the doorway, "It's worth a try," he said.
She followed him outside, where he stopped and looked back at her.
"Listen, don't take things so personal, not everything is your fault."
"Not everything?"
"Well most of the time it is your fault."
She threw his jacket at him, "Just find out what's wrong."
"You wanna come?"
"Nah. She won't say anything if I'm there. She's really mad at me now."
"I'll be back soon."
"Thanks," she said as Soda began to walk away, "Hey Soda?"
He stopped, "Yeah?"
"I… never mind. Good luck."
He paused for a moment, and their eyes met. She quickly looked down at the ground, and Soda walked off. Taylor sighed and sat down on the porch. She lit up a cigarette and watched the stars for a little bit, trying to get away from her life. She didn't even hear the door open.
"Where'd Sodapop go?" It was Ponyboy.
She looked back at him, "He went to go talk to someone. He'll be back soon."
"Is something going on?" Pony asked, sitting next to her.
Taylor smiled, "You're just like your brother, you always have to know everything."
"Not true!" Pony protested, "So what's the secret?"
Taylor laughed, something she was surprised she could do.
"Nothing Pony. How's your math homework going?"
"Okay, Darry made me finish it before I could come out." He lit up a cigarette.
"He just wants to make sure you use you brains before you come out here and smoke."
"You don't like me smoking?"
"No. You're 14, I don't like you ruining your lungs and stuff."
"You're smoking."
Taylor threw her cigarette away, "Happy? Never mind, I'm just being paranoid."
"I know."
"Hey!"
Pony smiled and ground his cigarette under his heel. He stood up and went back inside. Taylor leaned back and watched the stars, not wanting to go inside. She waited for an hour, lost in thought. Slipping in and out of sleep, she heard footsteps approach. She leaned up and saw that it was Soda. She leaped to her feet and ran out to him. He looked pale, as if he had seen something horrible.
"What is it?"
Soda's voice shook, "It's Alyssa," he said quietly, "She's dead."
*Please review*
Chapter 15
It took Taylor a while to calm down, to stop worrying about Alyssa. Every time she would try to talk to Alyssa, she would just change the subject abruptly. Taylor knew in her heart that what Alyssa was doing was wrong, but there was nothing she could do. And besides, she had other things to worry about.
"I'm never gonna get this right!" Pony said, flinging his pencil across the room.
Taylor came in through the kitchen and examined the paper Pony was leaning over, his math homework.
"Well there's the problem," she said, pointing, "Just change the fraction to a decimal."
"What's the difference?" Soda asked from the couch.
Taylor threw him an annoyed look, "Shut up."
Soda pretended to look hurt, "Ok."
Taylor picked up the pencil Pony had thrown and threw it at Soda. He ducked it, then picked up a pillow from the couch and chucked it at her. It hit her in the back of the head.
"Hey!" she glanced at Ponyboy and he nodded. Together they raced toward Soda and leaped on him, wrestling him to the ground.
"What's going on?" Darry asked from the other room. He walked in just in time to see them knock over the coffee table.
"Oh that's it." He said, diving in. Taylor tugged at Soda's hair, as he tried to grab her arms. Pony leaped onto Darry's back, and Darry flipped him over. The four erupted in laughter as they sprawled out onto the ground. Taylor shook her head, clutching her side. This was what her life should be like; she shouldn't have to be worrying about the things she was worrying about. Why did Alyssa have to do this, why did Taylor have to worry so much about her? With a sigh, Taylor stood up and went into the kitchen. She leaned against the sink, staring out the window.
"Taylor?"
She jumped, not realizing that Soda had followed her.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"yeah, just thinking."
"About what?"
Taylor continued to stare out the window, not responding. Soda walked up next to her.
"You've gotta stop beating yourself up about Alyssa. It's not your fault."
Taylor shook her head, "I don't care. If she wants to ruin her life, fine by me."
Soda put his hand on her shoulder, "You do care, why else would you be like this?"
She pulled away from him, "I don't care! And apparently she doesn't either."
Soda wasn't sure what to do; he couldn't get her to listen. Taylor tried to walk out of the kitchen but he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Let go!"
Soda looked into her eyes, "Taylor, what's going on? Why are you being like this?"
"Like what?" she snapped.
"You need to calm down, take a breath. What is it?"
Taylor stopped trying to pull away, "Nothing, I just…" she slumped into a chair.
"What is it?"
Taylor took a deep breath, trying to piece it all together.
"I don't know what to do, why is she doing this?"
"You can't stop her, it's not your fault."
"I don't care! It still feels like it."
Soda looked into his clasped hands, trying to decide what to do.
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
"What?"
Soda turned to face her, "I can try to talk to her, maybe I can find out what's wrong."
Taylor shook her head, "She won't talk to you; she doesn't like talking to people."
Soda smiled, "I know. She doesn't like telling people what she's thinking or feeling. A lot like someone else I know."
She glanced at him, "Who?" when he didn't say anything, she hit him in the arm, "You're making fun of me!"
Soda held up his hands in a gesture of peace, "Don't hit me again."
She rolled her eyes, "You can try talking to her but I doubt it will do anything."
Soda touched her arm briefly before getting up and heading towards the doorway, "It's worth a try," he said.
She followed him outside, where he stopped and looked back at her.
"Listen, don't take things so personal, not everything is your fault."
"Not everything?"
"Well most of the time it is your fault."
She threw his jacket at him, "Just find out what's wrong."
"You wanna come?"
"Nah. She won't say anything if I'm there. She's really mad at me now."
"I'll be back soon."
"Thanks," she said as Soda began to walk away, "Hey Soda?"
He stopped, "Yeah?"
"I… never mind. Good luck."
He paused for a moment, and their eyes met. She quickly looked down at the ground, and Soda walked off. Taylor sighed and sat down on the porch. She lit up a cigarette and watched the stars for a little bit, trying to get away from her life. She didn't even hear the door open.
"Where'd Sodapop go?" It was Ponyboy.
She looked back at him, "He went to go talk to someone. He'll be back soon."
"Is something going on?" Pony asked, sitting next to her.
Taylor smiled, "You're just like your brother, you always have to know everything."
"Not true!" Pony protested, "So what's the secret?"
Taylor laughed, something she was surprised she could do.
"Nothing Pony. How's your math homework going?"
"Okay, Darry made me finish it before I could come out." He lit up a cigarette.
"He just wants to make sure you use you brains before you come out here and smoke."
"You don't like me smoking?"
"No. You're 14, I don't like you ruining your lungs and stuff."
"You're smoking."
Taylor threw her cigarette away, "Happy? Never mind, I'm just being paranoid."
"I know."
"Hey!"
Pony smiled and ground his cigarette under his heel. He stood up and went back inside. Taylor leaned back and watched the stars, not wanting to go inside. She waited for an hour, lost in thought. Slipping in and out of sleep, she heard footsteps approach. She leaned up and saw that it was Soda. She leaped to her feet and ran out to him. He looked pale, as if he had seen something horrible.
"What is it?"
Soda's voice shook, "It's Alyssa," he said quietly, "She's dead."
*Please review*