Losing Grip(Chp. 3)
Disclaimer: I own nothing of course.
Rating: PG-13, just to be on the same side.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, I've working on other stuff and school as well. Anyway, since I stayed home from school today due to the stomach flu(Way to much information already, lol) I was finally able to finish this chapter. I just wanted to say that toward the end of this chappy(cute name for chapter….*hangs head*) there is something you might remember from the movie "She's All That". I admitting it, I don't care anymore, I'm stealing some things from the movie, not everything but some.
There she
goes
There she goes again
She calls my name,
Pulls my train
No one else could heal my pain
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains
-Sixpence None the Richer
It's 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon.
Most kids my age are either at the mall or getting high right about now. Out of the house, doing something, something at all.
As far as I go, I'm not doing any of those things and I'm not at any of those places. Quite the contrary, I'm doing the opposite. Which is sitting on my ass here while I wait for a one Sodapop Curtis.
Geez, I never even realized I would be checking my watch for someone like him. Never in the lifetime of a loser, a loser whom currently goes under my name. Some part of me is screaming "Get out of the house, don't wait for him like a lackey! He's probably going to play a prank on you with some of his buddies" but then there was the other side which was reassuring me that everything was going to be alright and I was only going to spend an hour, two at most, with a student who's in dire need for assistance on his homework.
I would normally listen to my second side (Which must be the little Angel Jara on my right shoulder) if it weren't Sodapop-the Greaser -every-girl–in-town-drools- over- Curtis!
I sighed, rolling over on my bed and falling off the other end. I took my time walking throughout my room as I got it at a state where it wasn't havoc but not squeaky-clean like Soda would probably think it was.
I didn't worry about making noise, since my mother was out. Again. I almost always had the house free, if I had close friends I would invite them over and have parties without my mom ever knowing.
And if she did, I doubt she would ground me. You see, she's a bit distant from me. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't always like that. Just one day, everything changed……..
I let out a dissatisfying grunt escape my mouth as I took a look into my bedroom mirror. It was a routine I had. I would look into the mirror, hate what I saw, and continue whatever the hell I was doing.
A routine. I blew at my long dark bangs and brushed them to the side, letting it cascade over the part of my face. As I reached for my hair clip, I stopped. The person looking back at me from the glass, my reflection, came off somewhat……Mysterious, exotic, not so bad.
Just then the doorbell rang, making me accidentally knock a few things over from the top of my drawer. "Freak" I muttered, trying not to curse out loud.
The bell rung once more, and then again, and again, and again! "I'll be right there!" I yelled, taking my fallen contents and dropping them messily on my nightstand.
Once last glance at my reflection and with a disgusted snarl, I took my clip and pulled my hair back tightly with it.
The person behind the door had taken a liking to banging on it at this point, as I practically tripped on my long skirt while I made my way down the stairs, I held onto the railing.
"I don't know if she's here!" The voice was saying to someone. I soon heard the response "Well, come on, if their not there, you mightest well not wait-." I opened the door, and leaned against it slightly "I'm here" I said, coming face-to-face with my "client", my freakin' tutor buddy.
Soda was standing on my porch, wearing his brown leather jacket, and a large grin plastered on his bright face. I could almost see how he could be related to Ponyboy.
He turned quickly and waved off at a pick-up truck that was parked in the driveway "Forget it, Dar! She's here," He said, from the distance.
What must have been his older brother, nodded "Call me to come pick you up" He replied, pulling out.
Soda glanced over his shoulder to me "I see you're still…..you" He observed, walking pass me and into the house. "Well, come in" I invited through my clenched and unclenched teeth, closing the door and not liking him barging in here one bit.
I stopped as I realized what he had told me "Wait, what do you mean, I'm still me?" I asked, folding my arms before me.
He looked around the place, taking in his surroundings and then with a curt nod, he let his gaze fall back onto little old me.
"Nothing. Just thought, you know, since you were out of school you wouldn't be dressing like….that" He gestured, warily to me and began taking his jacket off.
"What's so wrong with what I'm wearing?" I defended myself, looking down at my attire. I found it perfectly find, I wore a purple turtle neck sweater with the same colored skirt, my hair pulled back out of my face and my glasses being the only shield of my sudden shyness towards the Greaser.
He shrugged "Never mind"
"I will. So, where's you stuff?" I noticed he was carrying no books, no schoolwork, no nothing. The only thing he held was his jacket in his right hand, letting it lightly drag on the floor.
I came to him and took it, putting it up on the coat rack and then turning back with a still questioning expression that wanted an answer.
"…..I forgot" He finally blurted out, giving me a slight smile, like that would make everything better.
I clenched my teeth once more but managed to give him a forceful smile. It wasn't my fault he was a slow moron. "You brought……nothing?" I wanted him to reassure me, he couldn't of been such a dush-bag and come over with nothing at all.
"Yup. Slipped my mind" He acted as if he didn't care the slightest, that tutoring was the last thing on his mind and he came here with other intentions….?
"So, where's your room?" He suddenly asked, putting both his hands in his back pockets.
My eyes widened momentarily "What? Huh? My room, why do you want to know? That's the last place we're going!" Ok, I freaked, I panicked, whatever. I know he probably meant something else by the question but I couldn't risk that. God, I'm such a dork.
He was staring at me now, and then shaking his head, he started again "Don't flatter yourself. I meant, aren't we going to study in your room? Maybe we could use your books instead," He explained, I didn't know if he was lying, but if he was, he was doing a damn good job at it.
I gave him a suspicious once-over and stepping forward pass him, I said "Yeah. Good idea"
Soda's POV
When I walked into Jara's room, I wanted to fall onto the floor laughing. It was like walking into a pink wonderland gone to hell. Even though, I urged to say something about it, I held my tongue and just smiled politely.
Jara paced about, knocking some clothes she had on her bed and telling me that I could sit down. Instead, I stood and walked about, trying to get a closer look at everything. I honestly didn't know why I was so interested in what this geek had in her room, but this might be the first and last time I'm ever going to be here. I wanted to make the most of it, plus, I had to get to work. I had only a month, and no more unless theirs a freak hurricane or worst and causes the Prom to be cancelled….hmm…..It could probably be easier to get a hurricane during a June then there is to get Jara into a decent dress!
She was babbling about something now, I wasn't paying attention to tell you the truth, but I gave her a couple of "Uh-Huh's" so she wouldn't think she was doing nothing for me, which she wasn't.
I stood by her nightstand, and raised the picture frame that was on it.
The photo was just some little girl with her arms around a bigger rougher looking man. Any idiot could see that the small kid was Jara and the guy had to be her father.
I glanced at "The Bet" and held up the frame, "Cute" I commented, placing it back.
She rolled her eyes and turned, leaning forward in the bed and grabbing her backpack that was at the foot.
"I thought we could begin with some Math," She said, opening an Algebra book. The last time I was in that class was…..Never!
I nodded "Read some problems, I'm listening"
She sighed and agreed "Ok,…..Um, if a train to Chicago leaves at 4:00pm going at-…"
"You have a really nice room, the pink and blue bunnies on the wall clash real good" I was being sarcastic, jeez, I think I would give sleeping up if I had to stay in a room like this.
I saw she was glaring from the corner of my eye, then she looked away "Originally, it was my little sister's room, I just moved in here because it was bigger…." Her voice oddly soft for someone who just got 'told off'.
"You have a sister?" I asked, facing her, both my eyebrow
raised. There was another sibling to the Pagan's, another little Jara. Yikes!
She shook her head, "…..Well, yeah, I had a sister, but…..She-she died a couple of years ago, car accident…..Um, Why don't we start with History instead….." She closed the textbook and rummaged in her bag.
I stared at her, the words "oh" forming on my lips. I almost felt guilty acting so fuckin' stupid right about now, "…I'm sorry, I didn't know" I whispered, but I think she was able to hear my attempted apology.
She was gazing at me, no expression on her face, it was blank "Don't be, it's not your fault…..and-and it was a long time ago anyway…." I noticed she spoke with a slight stutter, as if she was unsure of her words and suddenly worried what the person she was talking to thought of her.
I finally sat down next to her, this time I was uncertain of my words, and I didn't know what to say next.
Jara's POVSeveral Hours Later…
"Soda, for the last time, France is not the capital of Oklahoma," I said, in between my laughter.
"Well, who said it's not!"? The Greaser argued, grinning at me from where he laid on my bed. His hands behind his head.
I sat on the other end; we had been like this for a couple of hours. It was getting late, and I'm surprised that the study session lasted so long, if you want to call it a study session. The most intelligent conversation we had so far was 'which brand of soda was better, Coca-Cola or Pepsi? I liked the first one; Sodapop argued and said they were both the same drink but different company. Now, we're here.
I was actually having a pretty okay time, maybe I was a bit harsh in the beginning on my thoughts about the hood, I mean, Soda.
"Who said?……Well, Mr. History Book says so" I replied, chuckling and finding myself at the end of my rope on 'smart' comments.
"Mr. History Books has a lot to say…..I should Mr. H-B!" He sat up, like I was, and outstretched his arm. Looking up at nothingness, he vowed "To this day forward, I will be the next Mr.-.." I threw the stuffed pig; I liked to call him Gordo, at the Greaser.
"Hey!" He threw the pig back, and this time, hit me with my pillow along with it.
I yelped, very girly-girl surprised yelp. Urgh.
The next thing I knew, we were hitting each other playfully. Me with Mr. Gordo, and Soda with my fluffy pillow that was going to be flat in a few seconds.
When we stopped, I was laughing and pulling back my hair that had become loose.
He sat back on my bed, his face red but energy still invented in him.
He was staring at me strangely now and as I took my hair clip out, I said "What?" scrunching up my face, slightly.
"Uh, nothing…" He quickly snapped, shaking his head like he had just gotten out of a trance.
"…Do you need your glasses?" He suddenly asked me, raising his self on his knees by my standing form beside the bed.
"I-I only need them for reading, but-.." I felt his strong hands on my face at this point, and I stiffened "But, why bother losing them, I just wear them-.." I managed to continue, not very well though. "……You should take them off….Since you have….very….pretty eyes?" He slipped my dark glasses off, and I could only stand there in shock as I gazed back at his green-gray eyes that were directed to me, a small smile on his face.
A wave of surreal ness washed over me all of a sudden, and I realized what I was doing, what we were doing. My eyes widened, much like earlier, and I pushed him away.
He fell backwards and off the side of the bed, making a huge "Thump!" sound when he landed.
I turned away, embarrassed, and not wanting him to look at me with those….those freakin' hypno eyes any longer!
"What the hell was that for!?" He raised his voice, as he scrambled to his feet. From my mirror, I could see he was pissed, anger and confusion written all over his face.
"What for? What for!" I shouted, turning myself toward him once more.
His arms fell to his sides, in a frustrated manner "Yeah…..What?"
I rolled my eyes, dramatic speeches weren't big on him was my guess. "I have the most Girl-Magnet Greaser in my room right now, feeling my face, and you find nothing wrong with that?……I do…."
He gave me a "What's you freakin' problem, you alien!" expression and said "I'm just giving you a compliment…..God, you didn't have to blow up like that,"
"I don't need your compliments! You think, you going to make my day by saying I have pretty eyes! I don't buy and I don't tolerate it!……."
He glared, seething madness seeping out. He started for the door "I'm going to leave…..Since it's obviously that time of the month where you have to be a bitch, oh wait, that's always!" He slammed the door shut and I heard his heavy footsteps down the steps, they disappeared just as the front door opened and closed.
I rubbed my temples with my hands; I could feel a migraine coming on.
That wasn't supposed to turn out that way. I guess you could use the euphuism that this got way out of hand!
I opened my door, the eeriness and silence of the house appearing like it had never been there before. I switched on the lights as I walked through the hallway and made my way down the stairs.
I stopped mid-way, my hand gripping onto the railing. This wasn't going to be the last of Sodapop Curtis…….
He had left his jacket on my coat rack…….
He would come around to get it……
Unless I got to him first….
