Disclaimer: Same as the last one.
Cutting Trees: Chapter Two
"Since you're bumming around here," Soda started then hit with the trash. "You take it out."
"Damn man! This reeks!"
"No shit. It's been in for almost a week," Soda laughed. "And I'm starting dinner, so ya want food or not?"
"What you make isn't called food..." Steve drawled. Lighting a cigarette, he trooped out the backdoor into the alley with the stink bomb of all stink bombs. What the hell could three brothers fit in this little black plastic bag? It smelled like a dump. -Probably because we all live in one,- he thought sourly. Lifting the tin lid, he looked in, thinking momentarily how they all should get out of this Ritz, that wasn't really Ritz, but ended up just dropping the trash inside.
From the house just over he heard what he'd called as a young kid "unhappy noises". And the things coming out of that house were the worse kind. Breaking dishes, not just some but a lot then a long stint of yelling, including many profanities, before another crash and bang. He heard a lot of this kinda crap at his house; that's why he was over here, but apparently he couldn't escape it. Yelling, screaming, and a loud crack followed by the momentary silence of shock, even if it was the hundredth time, then a low vow of revenge before an angry voice followed a sobbing girl out the door. Steve's mouth twitched, he shouldn't be watching this. To anyone it was personal, he knew that all too well, but... he knew the feeling. It was almost comforting to know it wasn't just him and he couldn't just -let- her cry... "Ya know me 'n my old man fight a lot too."
She started, "Were you listening to that?"
"Nope. Just taking out the garbage," he lifted the lid, to prove his story, then with his free hand took a long drag on his cancer stick. All that meant was he overheard, he just wasn't purposely listening. Only someone very sick in his head would want to listen to someone get beaten down.
She bit her lip and wiped her eyes clear of her tears. Steve's mouth twitched again. "Whaddya speak?"
"Whaddya mean?" she sniffed, approaching the low chain fence hesitantly.
He set the lid to the garbage can back down and leaned on the fence. "I mean... my house yell sin English but you weren't yelling in English. There were a couple of English words, but-"
"Navajo," she replied. "We yell in Navajo mostly.
"Then its real interestin' you come to Oklahoma," he laughed thinking about what little he actually paid attention to in school about the state's history. It used to be used to keep Indians 'til just a while ago. "You're part Indian in Oklahoma, Navajo from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho - which Pony told me where that was - even though the Navajo's from the Southwest - four corners, descendants of the Anasazi right?"
"Yeah," she cocked a jet black eyebrow, with a slight smile forming at her lips.
In-between two drags he nipped her chin with his fingers like he would have done to any -sweet- girl down and out. But this was no ordinary, sweet as sugar girl; it was Cedar Rain who'd bit his head off from the get go. "C'mon in , it'll be warmer inside." He gestured to the house invitationally.
"I thought you didn't live here," she smirked.
"I invite myself to occasionally," he replied. She grinned as Ponyboy came out, shouted an invitation himself; she accepted. Just when Steve was about to offer a hand to help her over the fence, she simply jumped over herself and landed right in from of him. Smiling at the awkward situation, she winked and took his cig. He crooked a smile and followed the rear trotting up to Ponyboy Curtis and greeting him cordially. "Ya got too much sass, -sugar-."
"No, I'm only made of spice," she informed him and blew a puff of smoke in his face, following Pony into the house.
-She's got too much of that goddamn spice if you ask me,- Steve thought sourly. -And here I am comfortin' her. Ha! Steve you're an idiot.- Soda was taking another swig of a beer when he entered the house. "You get drunk your brother will shoot me," Steve warned.
Soda started laughing, "Won't that be quaint for me? With no one to complain how bad my food is!"
"What happened to Ponyboy and the hot-mouthed chick?"
"I dunno," Soda shrugged. "They disappeared."
"What a cradle-robber," Steve drawled, popping the top off of another cheap bottle of beer and collapsing beside Two-Bit. "Hey sticky fingers, whatcha get today?"
Two-Bit looked up from Mighty Mouse, chocolate cake, his cig, and a tequila and shrugged, "Not much. Just a couple sticks of gum, small stuff today bucko. So Ponyboy done and got him a girl, eh? That's crazy man. At least it might lighten him up a little."
"For your information I'm no one's girl."
"Hey sister, we're just'a notin' that you two disappear into Soda and Pon's room," Two-Bit replied shrugging his shoulder. "The kids hardly fifteen years old, so we'se just a'commentin'..."
"That's all you're good at," Soda replied from behind the counter. "And ya don't even know, chicks get lookin' old fast now-a-days."
"I'm only sixteen," she replied. "And I still wasn't cradle-robbing, because at least he's not out here getting drunk."
Steve set his bottle down, fuming. Didn't this broad beat all? She was cynical and she was using up his cig. His! And this wasn't her hang out, she was intruding. So what he'd invited her in? She was a guest. A guest!
His thoughts were cut off abruptly by a deep voice from the front door, "Yeah, getting drunk? You little shits are too young to be drinking anyway, and Soda you get as drunk as I see your buddy here then you're mince meat. Furthermore, who the hell is she? And what's burning?"
"Um, hey Darry!" Soda smiled. "Uh, that's probably my roasting chicken - "
"The only chicken that's roasting right now is you. That chicken is -burnt- ."
Two-Bit and Steve cracked up laughing. "That lil' spit-fire over there is Miz Cedar Rain, fancy her parents having a thing for weird names like yours. Same one we toldya about the other day, the one Ponyboy's been hitting on," Two-Bit gave plenty of his two cents in and Ponyboy who'd just come in the room, sincerely thought about socking Two-Bit right where Steve always did just to make sure it hurt.
"Me 'n Steve invited her in, Darry," Ponyboy told his older brother with little emotion in his voice, not the same lightness he used with the other guys. The girl turned around and cocked an eyebrow.
"We're just showin' neighborly hospitality," Steve said sarcastically.
"You don't live here," Darry pointed out and looked at the girl. She seemed harmless enough; a little short but he just bit his tongue and looked in the oven. "You are confiscated from cooking buddy," he pointed at Soda who pointed at himself as if there were someone standing behind him. Darry just shook his head and smiled. It was hard to be mad at Soda.
He looked at the girl again. Not many girls were after his youngest kid brother, they were all after Soda. When he looked again, the two were gone. He'd have to keep an eye on her, he just didn't like the way she held herself up. She was suspicious and he didn't like her around a boy as soft as Pony. And she reminded him of someone, he wasn't exactly sure who, but he knew he didn't like it.
.-*-.
A.N. Please, please, please review! Okay. Over and out now!
Cutting Trees: Chapter Two
"Since you're bumming around here," Soda started then hit with the trash. "You take it out."
"Damn man! This reeks!"
"No shit. It's been in for almost a week," Soda laughed. "And I'm starting dinner, so ya want food or not?"
"What you make isn't called food..." Steve drawled. Lighting a cigarette, he trooped out the backdoor into the alley with the stink bomb of all stink bombs. What the hell could three brothers fit in this little black plastic bag? It smelled like a dump. -Probably because we all live in one,- he thought sourly. Lifting the tin lid, he looked in, thinking momentarily how they all should get out of this Ritz, that wasn't really Ritz, but ended up just dropping the trash inside.
From the house just over he heard what he'd called as a young kid "unhappy noises". And the things coming out of that house were the worse kind. Breaking dishes, not just some but a lot then a long stint of yelling, including many profanities, before another crash and bang. He heard a lot of this kinda crap at his house; that's why he was over here, but apparently he couldn't escape it. Yelling, screaming, and a loud crack followed by the momentary silence of shock, even if it was the hundredth time, then a low vow of revenge before an angry voice followed a sobbing girl out the door. Steve's mouth twitched, he shouldn't be watching this. To anyone it was personal, he knew that all too well, but... he knew the feeling. It was almost comforting to know it wasn't just him and he couldn't just -let- her cry... "Ya know me 'n my old man fight a lot too."
She started, "Were you listening to that?"
"Nope. Just taking out the garbage," he lifted the lid, to prove his story, then with his free hand took a long drag on his cancer stick. All that meant was he overheard, he just wasn't purposely listening. Only someone very sick in his head would want to listen to someone get beaten down.
She bit her lip and wiped her eyes clear of her tears. Steve's mouth twitched again. "Whaddya speak?"
"Whaddya mean?" she sniffed, approaching the low chain fence hesitantly.
He set the lid to the garbage can back down and leaned on the fence. "I mean... my house yell sin English but you weren't yelling in English. There were a couple of English words, but-"
"Navajo," she replied. "We yell in Navajo mostly.
"Then its real interestin' you come to Oklahoma," he laughed thinking about what little he actually paid attention to in school about the state's history. It used to be used to keep Indians 'til just a while ago. "You're part Indian in Oklahoma, Navajo from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho - which Pony told me where that was - even though the Navajo's from the Southwest - four corners, descendants of the Anasazi right?"
"Yeah," she cocked a jet black eyebrow, with a slight smile forming at her lips.
In-between two drags he nipped her chin with his fingers like he would have done to any -sweet- girl down and out. But this was no ordinary, sweet as sugar girl; it was Cedar Rain who'd bit his head off from the get go. "C'mon in , it'll be warmer inside." He gestured to the house invitationally.
"I thought you didn't live here," she smirked.
"I invite myself to occasionally," he replied. She grinned as Ponyboy came out, shouted an invitation himself; she accepted. Just when Steve was about to offer a hand to help her over the fence, she simply jumped over herself and landed right in from of him. Smiling at the awkward situation, she winked and took his cig. He crooked a smile and followed the rear trotting up to Ponyboy Curtis and greeting him cordially. "Ya got too much sass, -sugar-."
"No, I'm only made of spice," she informed him and blew a puff of smoke in his face, following Pony into the house.
-She's got too much of that goddamn spice if you ask me,- Steve thought sourly. -And here I am comfortin' her. Ha! Steve you're an idiot.- Soda was taking another swig of a beer when he entered the house. "You get drunk your brother will shoot me," Steve warned.
Soda started laughing, "Won't that be quaint for me? With no one to complain how bad my food is!"
"What happened to Ponyboy and the hot-mouthed chick?"
"I dunno," Soda shrugged. "They disappeared."
"What a cradle-robber," Steve drawled, popping the top off of another cheap bottle of beer and collapsing beside Two-Bit. "Hey sticky fingers, whatcha get today?"
Two-Bit looked up from Mighty Mouse, chocolate cake, his cig, and a tequila and shrugged, "Not much. Just a couple sticks of gum, small stuff today bucko. So Ponyboy done and got him a girl, eh? That's crazy man. At least it might lighten him up a little."
"For your information I'm no one's girl."
"Hey sister, we're just'a notin' that you two disappear into Soda and Pon's room," Two-Bit replied shrugging his shoulder. "The kids hardly fifteen years old, so we'se just a'commentin'..."
"That's all you're good at," Soda replied from behind the counter. "And ya don't even know, chicks get lookin' old fast now-a-days."
"I'm only sixteen," she replied. "And I still wasn't cradle-robbing, because at least he's not out here getting drunk."
Steve set his bottle down, fuming. Didn't this broad beat all? She was cynical and she was using up his cig. His! And this wasn't her hang out, she was intruding. So what he'd invited her in? She was a guest. A guest!
His thoughts were cut off abruptly by a deep voice from the front door, "Yeah, getting drunk? You little shits are too young to be drinking anyway, and Soda you get as drunk as I see your buddy here then you're mince meat. Furthermore, who the hell is she? And what's burning?"
"Um, hey Darry!" Soda smiled. "Uh, that's probably my roasting chicken - "
"The only chicken that's roasting right now is you. That chicken is -burnt- ."
Two-Bit and Steve cracked up laughing. "That lil' spit-fire over there is Miz Cedar Rain, fancy her parents having a thing for weird names like yours. Same one we toldya about the other day, the one Ponyboy's been hitting on," Two-Bit gave plenty of his two cents in and Ponyboy who'd just come in the room, sincerely thought about socking Two-Bit right where Steve always did just to make sure it hurt.
"Me 'n Steve invited her in, Darry," Ponyboy told his older brother with little emotion in his voice, not the same lightness he used with the other guys. The girl turned around and cocked an eyebrow.
"We're just showin' neighborly hospitality," Steve said sarcastically.
"You don't live here," Darry pointed out and looked at the girl. She seemed harmless enough; a little short but he just bit his tongue and looked in the oven. "You are confiscated from cooking buddy," he pointed at Soda who pointed at himself as if there were someone standing behind him. Darry just shook his head and smiled. It was hard to be mad at Soda.
He looked at the girl again. Not many girls were after his youngest kid brother, they were all after Soda. When he looked again, the two were gone. He'd have to keep an eye on her, he just didn't like the way she held herself up. She was suspicious and he didn't like her around a boy as soft as Pony. And she reminded him of someone, he wasn't exactly sure who, but he knew he didn't like it.
.-*-.
A.N. Please, please, please review! Okay. Over and out now!