Sunsets and Cigarettes
Rumble.
Rumble.
Rumble.
The word kept pounding through my brain like a tick that wouldn't go away. God, I couldn't stand these fights, I really couldn't. I couldn't handle the stress they put me through, especially right now..I still felt an odd weariness from the hospital, and I couldn't stand having yet another night where I had to worry over whether or not I'd see my friends the next day, much less my brothers. Didn't they realize how much it hurt when Mom and Dad died? Pony, Darry, and Soda should know. How the hell could they go and risk their lives when we were the only family each other had now?
"Robin?"
I blinked out of my thoughts, to see Darry starring at me. "What?"
"You comin'?"
I shook my head no. "I doubt Dally wants to see me right now. Anyways, I've got homework."
He nodded. "Sodapop, go get the car started. I'll tell Pony we're goin'."
I sighed and retreated to the back porch, where I sat facing away from the house. It was my silent way of turning my back to the imminent violence that my brothers were allowing to happen. I was furious. It was all selfish, this fighting..was it impossible for people to just let things go once in awhile? Obviously not.
Before I knew it, someone had joined me on the steps. It was Johnny.
"Sunset's pretty, huh?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Good Lord, that kid could creep up on a mobster with the radar of a cat. He always scared the hell out of me when he came up behind me so quietly.
"Oh, hey, Johnny..yeah, the sunset sure is nice," I said, hugging my knees to my chest, noticing for the first time that there was a beautiful golden sheen running across the sky. It really was breathtaking, yet it took someone as perceptive as Johnny or Ponyboy to get me to stop and notice nature.
"You doin' okay?" Johnny asked, his deep ebony eyes searching my face for an answer.
I shook my head, smiling softly. "No, not really, Johnnycakes."
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, just the rumble." I sighed, setting my head down on my knees. "I really hate 'em, Johnny, ya know? I mean, I didn't always. They used to be kinda exciting, back before...well, you know. Now it just pisses me off. You'd think my brothers wouldn't wanna go try and get themselves killed, too."
Johnny nodded his head and threw an arm around my shoulders. "Yeah, I dig. But listen, they don't wanna get hurt. It's just...well, rumbles are all we know. It's part of life, just like wakin' up in the mornin' and goin' to sleep at night." He dug into his pocket, producing two cigarettes. After lighting one, he handed it to me, keeping the other for himself.
I took a long drag. It helped calm my nerves. I used cigarettes like Sodapop did, for relaxant purposes. In general, I smoked about one or two packs when a rumble was going on-that's how anxious they made me.
"Don't you ever get sick of it?" I wondered aloud after a few minutes of silence. "The fightin', I mean."
"Yeah," Johnny admitted softly. "Yeah, I do. 'Specially after I killed Bob."
Oh, damn, I hadn't even thought about that. I wasn't the most tactful person on the planet, was I? "Oh, Johnny, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
He shook his head. "Ain't your fault. Just happened."
"Still.." I didn't continue. I didn't have anything to say.
About ten more minutes of comfortable silence endured before Johnny and I heard the front door slam open and shut, and three voices entered the house. Dally was back and from the tone of Darry and Soda's voices, he had done quite a job on that Soc.
"Hey, you would've done the same damn thing if you saw the bastard, and you fuckin' know it!" Dally was yelling as he came into the living room.
"Jesus, Dallas, you really fucked up this time. This rumble ain't gonna be skin after the Socs see what you did..it's gonna be knives, heaters...the boys are gonna flip," Darry called back.
"Look, what he did to your sister was a whole hell of a lot worse, you can't deny that. So just think of it as payback!"
"Yeah, well, go ask her if she's real happy about what you did. If she's real happy about us havin' a rumble involvin' knives and chains and guns...bet she'll jump up for joy!" Sodapop shouted. It was so rare that he became truly angered by something that I barely recognized his voice.
It was at this point that I walked inside. It only seemed appropriate that once they mentioned my name, that I join the conversation.
"Well, I'll ask her when I see her..where is she?" Dallas was asking as I came up behind him. Soda and Darry looked at me, causing Dally to get the idea that I was right there. He turned around slowly, his eyes meeting my own.
A/N: You knew I couldn't keep Dally and Robin apart too long, didn't you? Well, thanks a lot to everyone who has reviewed continually, and to all the new reviewers, too. I'm always very motivated when I hear that ya'll like the story! And don't worry, I'll keep updating-you can't get rid of me that easily. ;)
Much love, Ash
Rumble.
Rumble.
Rumble.
The word kept pounding through my brain like a tick that wouldn't go away. God, I couldn't stand these fights, I really couldn't. I couldn't handle the stress they put me through, especially right now..I still felt an odd weariness from the hospital, and I couldn't stand having yet another night where I had to worry over whether or not I'd see my friends the next day, much less my brothers. Didn't they realize how much it hurt when Mom and Dad died? Pony, Darry, and Soda should know. How the hell could they go and risk their lives when we were the only family each other had now?
"Robin?"
I blinked out of my thoughts, to see Darry starring at me. "What?"
"You comin'?"
I shook my head no. "I doubt Dally wants to see me right now. Anyways, I've got homework."
He nodded. "Sodapop, go get the car started. I'll tell Pony we're goin'."
I sighed and retreated to the back porch, where I sat facing away from the house. It was my silent way of turning my back to the imminent violence that my brothers were allowing to happen. I was furious. It was all selfish, this fighting..was it impossible for people to just let things go once in awhile? Obviously not.
Before I knew it, someone had joined me on the steps. It was Johnny.
"Sunset's pretty, huh?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Good Lord, that kid could creep up on a mobster with the radar of a cat. He always scared the hell out of me when he came up behind me so quietly.
"Oh, hey, Johnny..yeah, the sunset sure is nice," I said, hugging my knees to my chest, noticing for the first time that there was a beautiful golden sheen running across the sky. It really was breathtaking, yet it took someone as perceptive as Johnny or Ponyboy to get me to stop and notice nature.
"You doin' okay?" Johnny asked, his deep ebony eyes searching my face for an answer.
I shook my head, smiling softly. "No, not really, Johnnycakes."
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, just the rumble." I sighed, setting my head down on my knees. "I really hate 'em, Johnny, ya know? I mean, I didn't always. They used to be kinda exciting, back before...well, you know. Now it just pisses me off. You'd think my brothers wouldn't wanna go try and get themselves killed, too."
Johnny nodded his head and threw an arm around my shoulders. "Yeah, I dig. But listen, they don't wanna get hurt. It's just...well, rumbles are all we know. It's part of life, just like wakin' up in the mornin' and goin' to sleep at night." He dug into his pocket, producing two cigarettes. After lighting one, he handed it to me, keeping the other for himself.
I took a long drag. It helped calm my nerves. I used cigarettes like Sodapop did, for relaxant purposes. In general, I smoked about one or two packs when a rumble was going on-that's how anxious they made me.
"Don't you ever get sick of it?" I wondered aloud after a few minutes of silence. "The fightin', I mean."
"Yeah," Johnny admitted softly. "Yeah, I do. 'Specially after I killed Bob."
Oh, damn, I hadn't even thought about that. I wasn't the most tactful person on the planet, was I? "Oh, Johnny, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
He shook his head. "Ain't your fault. Just happened."
"Still.." I didn't continue. I didn't have anything to say.
About ten more minutes of comfortable silence endured before Johnny and I heard the front door slam open and shut, and three voices entered the house. Dally was back and from the tone of Darry and Soda's voices, he had done quite a job on that Soc.
"Hey, you would've done the same damn thing if you saw the bastard, and you fuckin' know it!" Dally was yelling as he came into the living room.
"Jesus, Dallas, you really fucked up this time. This rumble ain't gonna be skin after the Socs see what you did..it's gonna be knives, heaters...the boys are gonna flip," Darry called back.
"Look, what he did to your sister was a whole hell of a lot worse, you can't deny that. So just think of it as payback!"
"Yeah, well, go ask her if she's real happy about what you did. If she's real happy about us havin' a rumble involvin' knives and chains and guns...bet she'll jump up for joy!" Sodapop shouted. It was so rare that he became truly angered by something that I barely recognized his voice.
It was at this point that I walked inside. It only seemed appropriate that once they mentioned my name, that I join the conversation.
"Well, I'll ask her when I see her..where is she?" Dallas was asking as I came up behind him. Soda and Darry looked at me, causing Dally to get the idea that I was right there. He turned around slowly, his eyes meeting my own.
A/N: You knew I couldn't keep Dally and Robin apart too long, didn't you? Well, thanks a lot to everyone who has reviewed continually, and to all the new reviewers, too. I'm always very motivated when I hear that ya'll like the story! And don't worry, I'll keep updating-you can't get rid of me that easily. ;)
Much love, Ash