Annndddd... *drum rolls* here's Chapter Number five! *audience
claps*...Anndd don't forgot to review folks...
Jkb: I just can't thank you enough for reading my story. I truly appreciate the reviews you give me, the specifics of your reviews and I will definitely continue this fic, if not for myself than most definitely for you!!! And it's cool how much you get out of my story, you totally understand it and you really notice even the little things that I put in there for the sake of the story. Even though Soda really does seem like a nice guy and everything, I was always bored with how people idolize him, so that's why I did it through someone else's eyes, other than just Ponyboy's eyes. And about the Johnny and Summer getting together thing...there are some things about it that are kinda up in the air right now, but you have predicted the correct path that I have in mind *smirks* you and Vampire-Slaying-Greaser-Gal both picked that up LOL. But shhhh I'm not giving it away...okay maybe I did just give it away. haha.
MissLKidd: I hope you keep readin' it girl, I hope you like this chapter as well.
Starstruck: It is so cool how everything you mentioned in the review is exactly what I was trying to portray in Summer, and these personality traits come out even moreso in this and the next chapter. I am glad you thought that the party and disneyworld scenes were grotesque and stunning, cause that's how I was trying to make them. Hey! BTW, glad you like the music:)
I better do this every once in a while: I don't any of the characters except Summer, her parents, Emily, and him. Alright on with the chapter...
Johnny kept his head down as he walked through the neighborhood, his feet crunching on the grass as he sat on the bench in the middle of the park. It was almost noon and the sun seemed to hanging right above him, taunting him to remove his jean jacket. He sat there for a while, each minute getting more and more painful. 'What is wrong with this weather?' he thought to himself while he ran a hand through his heavy mass of hair. The grease on his hand was almost as runny as water, mixed with the saltiness of his sweat. It was so hot and humid, and the sun was so strong, that nobody occupied the park. It was perfectly fine with Johnny.
Oddly enough, despite the hotness that surrounded him and the light blaring down, Johnny had a pack of matches in his pocket. He dragged it out of his back pocket where it sat next to his switch, and pulled out the cigarette that he had tucked away in his jacket. As he lit up he could hear someone stepping on the crisp grass, but tried to keep his face downward as he blew the smoke out from his nose. The person sat right next to him, and Johnny's eyes grew wide as his heart started to pound. He still refused to look up.
"Hey Johnnycakes," Dally spoke up. He took his cancerstick and held it in the scope of Johnny's vision so that he could light it up for Dally. "Why ain't you headed to the Dingo today?" Johnny's nerves slowly began to calm, a breath finally escaping his lungs. "I heard there was gonna be a good show there, Shepard is lookin' for this one dick, what the fuck is that guy's name? Oh yeah, sumthin like Mick or Mike or sumthin. Oh man when he runs into Shepard..."
Johnny kept his head down, not responding to anything Dally was saying. Okay, so at first Dally didn't realize something was wrong, Johnny's a shy kid. But not looking up once, or responding at all?
"Yo, Johnny, is something wrong?"
Johnny meagerly shook his head, the cuffs of his jacket swaying along with the movement.
"Why are you wearin' a jacket in this weather, Johnny?" This time Johnny shrugged, and he knew there was no way he could hide it anymore.
"Lemme see your face," Dally commanded. Johnny would hate to show it to anyone, especially Dallas. But he just couldn't disobey him...
He slowly rose his face, the bright rays shining into his glossy orbs. Dally caught a glimpse of Johnny's face, and it was almost as if he lost consciousness. His mind went somewhere else, and all he could see was bright red, thick red, deadly red, overtaking his vision. Dally could hear the pump pump pump of the blood in his ears. Suddenly he was thrown back from the alternate state of mind, his eyes now focused back on Johnny. He had to keep face for his friend. Nobody, no-fucking-body, was gonna worry him. Dally drew in harsh breath, trying to keep the shocked, disgusted look from creeping onto his face. He dropped his smoke to the ground, putting all his emotions into crushing the cigarette.
He couldn't figure it out, he didn't know why the hell it bothered him so much. He had seen people in New York, their skulls cracked open and blood leaking from their exposed brains. The eyes...these dead people's eyes were the worst, staring straight ahead into nothing. Dilated pupils and huge crimson veins making a roadmap on the whites of their eyes...
Pushing the rage down he rubbed Johnny on his back. Johnny winced, his teeth showing for the first time.
"Oh no..." Dally commented, his voice turning softer, "your back too?" Johnny hesitantly nodded, Dally quickly drawing his hand from the tender area. Johnny could feel his eyes getting watery. 'No!' he pleaded to himself, 'no! not in front of Dally, damnit!' Johnny was suprised when Dally took the cigarette from Johnny's shaking hand, smoldering it on the ground while he soothed,
"Shhhhh, it's gonna be all right, let it out."
Johnny let it out.
Not long after they pulled into a parking lot infested with teenagers. These were no normal teenagers. The Dingo was on the bad side of town, all the people hanging out there were greasers, hoods, JD's, whatever you want to call them. Of course you can't forget the girlfriends of these guys, they can't be ignored. The young ladies tottered into the restaurant with high heels and short skirts on, some of them with tight, black peddle-pushers. Thick red lipstick smothered their lips, mascara heavily applied to their eyelashes. Summer looked into the diner, memories overflowing her senses. Happy memories, but at the same time, that was where it all started. There was nothing that made her happy now, well, except for that one thing. The music was flowing from one of the cars in the parking lot, and Summer closed her eyes, reveling in the moment. A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey, girl, you wanna come in with us?" Two-Bit questioned, the other greasers already infiltrating into the diner. Summer sat in the car, not sure what to say. Well, she didn't have anywhere else to go, why not just kind of hang out with some kids for a few minutes? It had been such a long time since she had done that, such a long time since she wasn't alone...
"Ummm," she wavered, finally coming to a conclusion. "Yeah, I guess I'll come in with you guys." Two-Bit cracked a wide smile.
"Alright! Let's head in. You know," he admitted, sneaking a glance to make sure nobody was around to hear him, "I'd hate to see someone like you lost on this side a town anyways. You're safe with the four of us, don't worry." Summer followed, her gaze dropping to the ground. She never felt safe, no matter what the circumstances...
Steve, Pony, and Soda had miraculously managed to find a table. The two best friends were blowing tiny pieces of spittled napkin at eachother through straws while Pony looked on, chuckling. Two-Bit ambled over to the table, Summer following his path. Most of the customers in the diner were so involved in their own conversations that they didn't even notice the non-greaser female that had entered. Still, some noticed and followed her with their critical eyes, eyes disapproving of the girl that had crossed into their territory. Summer felt some type of emotion building up inside of her. She felt so uncomfortable when people stared at her, observing, analyzing the skin she didn't even fit in. Skin that wasn't hers...
The three greasers at the table looked up, confusion obvious in their body language. Steve cast an annoyed glance at Two-Bit. Oh well, that was Two-Bit for ya. The wisecracker just smiled and laughed it off, shrugging in the process.
He was about to slide into the seat next to Pony, then suddenly remembered his manners. His mom had taught him a thing or two in that department...
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. Ladies first," he said as he backed away from the booth, his arms guiding her in next to Pony as her skirt came in contact with the cheap plastic. She scooted over in the ample seat until there was enough room for Two-Bit to slide in. Almost on call, the waitress stepped up to table, popping pink bubble gum while she fished out the small notepad in her checkered apron. The waitress was in her early forties, her dull blonde hair pulled up into a high and tight bun. Overapplied blush sat stale on her cheeks, her facial expression stiff with boredom.
"Whadduya kids want?"
Pony spoke up first, his stomach growling more and more often the longer he was deprived of food.
"I'll have a chocolate milkshake, and a hamburger." The waitress unmotivatedly scribbled it down, waiting for the others to continue.
"Make that two," Steve stated.
"Make that three."
"Make that four!" Soda shouted in a kid's voice as held up four fingers. The waitress cast a look of disbelief at the kids. Jesus...when was this ever gonna end? The hands on the clock were never gonna move fast enough for her taste. She turned her head to the sole girl at the table, the pink chunk inside her mouth rotating between yellow teeth as she waited for the girl's order.
"Ummm, just give me a," she cast a look at Soda and Steve sitting in front of her, "a cola would be okay, I guess."
Her fingers were wrapped around the cold cola bottle as the song finished. He knew every word to the song. She never would have thought that a guy that looked like him would ever have anything in common with her, but alas, he did! She always thought those kind of guys only listened to that has-been with his stupid hip swivel. But no sirree, this was 1963 and the hood knew the fresh and glorius tunes from the new radio station. A new song started up inside the diner, and he raised his arms up in the air with a questioning shrug. She tilted her head to the side, not understanding what he was getting to. He pointed to her, mouthing the words,
"You. Me. Together. Forever." Summer furrowed her eyebrows together, trying to figure out the words his lips were forming. As she realized what he was saying, she grinned from ear to ear once again. Emily giggled along with her.
"Ooohh Summer he likes you..."
He pointed his index finger straight at Summer, and summoned her with his finger.
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the
weather charts see if it was safe outside
And little Early Burly came by in his curly wurly
and asked me if i needed a ride
"Come. Out. Side." Summer suddenly felt kind of...strange. Wait, it wasn't supposed to go this far. Mom told her not to do this kind of stuff..Hey, Mom told her not to do this kind of stuff! She placed the bottle on the counter as she felt herself rising out of her seat. She knew she wasn't supposed to do it, she didn't really want to do it.
"You. Know. You. Want. To." Did she really want to resist? Maybe she did, kind of, sort of, want to do it. She started to step through the glass doors, her surroundings turning into slow motion. It was sso wrrong. It wass sso thhrrillinngg.
"Summer! What are you doing?" Summer's tiny shoes stepped onto the black asphalt, and he opened the passenger door for her. She stopped. She kicked a pebble that was lifelessly laying on the ground.
"Mmmm, I dunno. If I want to go. With you." She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. Man, the July humidity was really pouring down on her. A single drop of sweat accumulated on her eyebrow. Summer rolled her shoulders back and her shirt rose just a tad bit, just enough to show her cute, tender, little belly button before it was covered as she rolled her shoulders forward again. His intense gaze met the scene of her bellybutton then rose to her face with a seductive smile.
"Honey babe, what do you mean you don't want to go?" She started to play with a string of her hair, her pale lips pursing in such a cute little way.
"I...I mean. Yeah, I dunno." This time he chuckled.
"You're so cute, you know that?" Summer's cheeks and ears turned red.
"Really? I still don't know if I want to go." He clasped both his hands over his heart, acting out as if he were in torment.
"It would pain my heart, sweetie child. You're just so beautiful." The words rang like music in her ears, and it was almost as if morphine had been injected into her skinny arm. She felt alive for the very first time since she had been born. She never got attention like this, not from anybody. It made her feel so wanted.
She was blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Her feet stepped one ofter the other mechanically on the black asphalt, until they lifted themselves up into the black car.
With that the waitress shoved the notepad back into her apron, pushing her fat arms through the crowd as her white shoes squeaked on the floor.
There was silence again for a moment. Pony being the shy self he usually was, felt kind of uncomfortable sitting so close to someone he didn't know, especially a girl. She simply stared down at the table, and Pony glanced at her profile. He noticed the long eyelashes curving up, her tender red lips. Soda exchanged glances with Pony and Two-Bit, while Steve just let out an exasperated sigh.
"So..." Two-Bit said, breaking the ice, "you said you're from Georgia. So, uh, why'd you'd move over here to Oklahoma?" She said nothing at first, finally answering,
"Just because." Two-Bit gave off a nervous laugh, trying to make the situation a little better. Okay, just the little ounce of compassion he had for girls was coming back to him and blowing him up in the face. Still, an image of his sister came into his head...
"So, uh," Two-Bit continued, "how you likin' Tulsa so far?" This time she didn't pause,
"Just as bad as the town I come from."
Johnny still sat on the bench, and after the emotions had somewhat been vented out, Dally stood up and turned to Johnny.
"You feel like goin' to the Dingo?" Johnny didn't answer, he didn't want to be seen. He didn't want to be seen today, tomorrow, ever again. He wished he could just disentegrate into a pile of nothing. "Come on," Dally said, "it's okay. The guys are gonna be there. Fuck everybody else. You know how much they care for you. I know you hate to be alone. You won't be alone, I promise. I'll always be here for ya, kid." Johnny got up from the seat, and followed Dally as he started off toward the diner. Damn, Dally was always right...
The waitress practically slammed the glasses down on the table. She then picked up each juicy hamburger, shoving them on the table to the rhythm of her gum chewing.
"Uuummm, excuse me miss," Soda injected, "I wasn't the one who ordered the cola, she was." The waitress grabbed the milkshake in front of Summer and the cola in front of Soda, and dragged them to the correct position. Lastly she tossed some straws on the table, then walked away, not pausing to see if anyone needed anything. Summer dipped the straw into the bubbly liquid, and while it rose through the straw into her mouth, her head slightly bobbed to the music. Pony looked to his side, and could almost see a flicker of something in the corner of her eye. His concentration was broken when he saw a towheaded hood and a jean jacket-wearing greaser step into the diner. Johnny's wearing a jean jacket in this weather?
Summer hadn't looked up, but her head popped up when she heard the familiar voice...
"Hey guys, slide over, it's me and Johnnycakes comin' through." As Dally squeezed into the seat next to Steve, his eyes grew wide as he saw the long dark hair, and the eyes, those eyes...
They both stared at eachother for a few seconds.
"Uhh, somethin' goin' on I need to know about?" Two-Bit asked, half joking yet half serious. They broke the stare, Summer going back to sipping her drink and Dally changing the subject.
"I heard there was gonna be a fight here today. You know I ain't gonna miss that stuff man. You guys hear about it?"
"Oh I heard about that one!" Steve replied, seeming enthusiastic about something for the first time. "I bet you Shepard is gonna beat Dillard's head in..."
Steve trailed off as he looked passed Dally over to Johnny. Everyone at the table directed their gaze to the gang's pet, who had obviously taken a beating the night before. Pony started to fumble around with the foam that was popping out of the cracked plastic seat, Soda suddenly finding his hamburger tasteless. Steve could feel that anger rising in him again, but like Dally, managed to suppress it for his friend. Two-Bit took a fork and started tapping it on the table.
Summer's gaze drifted among the six surrounding her at the table, oddly feeling out of place. They wouldn't say anything about the kid's horribly bruised and swollen face. It wasn't like they didn't notice or anything.
Something really freaked her about that black haired kid, too, made her feel repulsed. It reminded her, it reminded her of someone she couldn't quite place. But she hated looking at him, such a lame fucking site. God, the kid probably didn't even fight back. She knew it, she could tell. Summer felt uneasiness building up in her, she didn't know why the hell it was happening. The rage now that was overtaking her, except unlike everyone else she didn't know she was supposed hide it inside, for the sake of Johnny. She wasn't a part of the gang, she didn't know the secret code that ran through these six guys and the fact that youre not supposed to hurt little Johnny Cade. The anger was now bubbling to the surface. He was an easy target to let her anger out, just target some lame fuck and get him back...those dark eyes...
"What the fuck happened to your face?" She blurted out, disgust radiating off her, her dark red lips pursed together. "You get in a fight or something? It looks hideous. Dumb hoods always picking fights for themselves..." bitterness ran through her voice, hatred in her eyes.
Johnny dropped his gaze, his face concealed once again in the cuffs of the jacket. The table was dead silent. Suddenly he jumped up and ran through the double doors. A hand slammed down on the table, the drinks shaking along with the vibration. Suddenly the music stopped, and everyone in the diner had turned their heads toward the scene. Dallas's face was stark red.
He woulda beat her up right then and there, oh man he would have, but he knew that Johnny needed him. Dallas rose his crooked index finger slowly, and pointed it towards her...
"You. I'm gonna get you." He shoved himself off the seat and followed Johnny out of the diner.
Johnny's footsteps pounded on the concrete as he ran from that place. He ran. As fast as he could. That wasn't enough, apparently, because Dally caught up to him. He slowed his pace, finally coming to a walk. Dally came up beside him, Johnny kicking a pebble that lay in his way before sitting on the curb which was on his house's street.
"That bitch I swear..."
Johnny simply stared at the crack that was in the asphalt. He felt so embarrassed. Sometimes he just felt like giving up. His life was so, so extreme or something. It was like, people completely ignored him, or thought he was completely disgusting, or even scary. Ha. What a laugh. Johnny Cade scary. He wouldn't even hurt a fly, if he didn't have to. But it was almost always like people always jumped around the issue. They see the gruesome scar on his face, a big fucking black bruise surrounding his eye, and it's:
"Hey Johnny!" then the uncomfortable silence. "Uhhh..hey! You...you're lookin' good, Johnny Cade." Johnny would always crack a forced smile, hey, nothing was wrong at all!
Yeah right.
This time someone went straight to the issue, hit it right on its fucking head, just as he head been hit the night before. Strong and direct. It was so goddamn embarrassing, but...it was so goddamn real. She didn't tiptoe around the issue, she didn't dillydally and put on a fake smile. She was still a bitch. But a real bitch. Johnny started slipping the jean jacket off, hell, why wear something not fit for the weather? His embarrasment kind of started to subside...yeah...who really did give a fuck about others?
Johnny smiled, it was a smile that was finally different. Genuine. For once he just, he just...
"I'm gonna get her for you Johnny, don't worry man. That prissy piece of shit is never gonna mess with you again."
"No, Dally, it's okay. She was just stating what was, you know. Just telling the truth. Just..."
...Let go.
Lyrics by Manfred Mann "Blinded by the Light" ... it's funny, i just found out that Bruce Springsteen originally wrote and recorded that song, and I listened to it, and it sounds totally different than the version Manfred Mann did. So should I say lyrics by Bruce, or Manfred? The Manfred Mann one fits the story much much better. Not like you guys care anyway LMAO! ;)
Jkb: I just can't thank you enough for reading my story. I truly appreciate the reviews you give me, the specifics of your reviews and I will definitely continue this fic, if not for myself than most definitely for you!!! And it's cool how much you get out of my story, you totally understand it and you really notice even the little things that I put in there for the sake of the story. Even though Soda really does seem like a nice guy and everything, I was always bored with how people idolize him, so that's why I did it through someone else's eyes, other than just Ponyboy's eyes. And about the Johnny and Summer getting together thing...there are some things about it that are kinda up in the air right now, but you have predicted the correct path that I have in mind *smirks* you and Vampire-Slaying-Greaser-Gal both picked that up LOL. But shhhh I'm not giving it away...okay maybe I did just give it away. haha.
MissLKidd: I hope you keep readin' it girl, I hope you like this chapter as well.
Starstruck: It is so cool how everything you mentioned in the review is exactly what I was trying to portray in Summer, and these personality traits come out even moreso in this and the next chapter. I am glad you thought that the party and disneyworld scenes were grotesque and stunning, cause that's how I was trying to make them. Hey! BTW, glad you like the music:)
I better do this every once in a while: I don't any of the characters except Summer, her parents, Emily, and him. Alright on with the chapter...
Johnny kept his head down as he walked through the neighborhood, his feet crunching on the grass as he sat on the bench in the middle of the park. It was almost noon and the sun seemed to hanging right above him, taunting him to remove his jean jacket. He sat there for a while, each minute getting more and more painful. 'What is wrong with this weather?' he thought to himself while he ran a hand through his heavy mass of hair. The grease on his hand was almost as runny as water, mixed with the saltiness of his sweat. It was so hot and humid, and the sun was so strong, that nobody occupied the park. It was perfectly fine with Johnny.
Oddly enough, despite the hotness that surrounded him and the light blaring down, Johnny had a pack of matches in his pocket. He dragged it out of his back pocket where it sat next to his switch, and pulled out the cigarette that he had tucked away in his jacket. As he lit up he could hear someone stepping on the crisp grass, but tried to keep his face downward as he blew the smoke out from his nose. The person sat right next to him, and Johnny's eyes grew wide as his heart started to pound. He still refused to look up.
"Hey Johnnycakes," Dally spoke up. He took his cancerstick and held it in the scope of Johnny's vision so that he could light it up for Dally. "Why ain't you headed to the Dingo today?" Johnny's nerves slowly began to calm, a breath finally escaping his lungs. "I heard there was gonna be a good show there, Shepard is lookin' for this one dick, what the fuck is that guy's name? Oh yeah, sumthin like Mick or Mike or sumthin. Oh man when he runs into Shepard..."
Johnny kept his head down, not responding to anything Dally was saying. Okay, so at first Dally didn't realize something was wrong, Johnny's a shy kid. But not looking up once, or responding at all?
"Yo, Johnny, is something wrong?"
Johnny meagerly shook his head, the cuffs of his jacket swaying along with the movement.
"Why are you wearin' a jacket in this weather, Johnny?" This time Johnny shrugged, and he knew there was no way he could hide it anymore.
"Lemme see your face," Dally commanded. Johnny would hate to show it to anyone, especially Dallas. But he just couldn't disobey him...
He slowly rose his face, the bright rays shining into his glossy orbs. Dally caught a glimpse of Johnny's face, and it was almost as if he lost consciousness. His mind went somewhere else, and all he could see was bright red, thick red, deadly red, overtaking his vision. Dally could hear the pump pump pump of the blood in his ears. Suddenly he was thrown back from the alternate state of mind, his eyes now focused back on Johnny. He had to keep face for his friend. Nobody, no-fucking-body, was gonna worry him. Dally drew in harsh breath, trying to keep the shocked, disgusted look from creeping onto his face. He dropped his smoke to the ground, putting all his emotions into crushing the cigarette.
He couldn't figure it out, he didn't know why the hell it bothered him so much. He had seen people in New York, their skulls cracked open and blood leaking from their exposed brains. The eyes...these dead people's eyes were the worst, staring straight ahead into nothing. Dilated pupils and huge crimson veins making a roadmap on the whites of their eyes...
Pushing the rage down he rubbed Johnny on his back. Johnny winced, his teeth showing for the first time.
"Oh no..." Dally commented, his voice turning softer, "your back too?" Johnny hesitantly nodded, Dally quickly drawing his hand from the tender area. Johnny could feel his eyes getting watery. 'No!' he pleaded to himself, 'no! not in front of Dally, damnit!' Johnny was suprised when Dally took the cigarette from Johnny's shaking hand, smoldering it on the ground while he soothed,
"Shhhhh, it's gonna be all right, let it out."
Johnny let it out.
Not long after they pulled into a parking lot infested with teenagers. These were no normal teenagers. The Dingo was on the bad side of town, all the people hanging out there were greasers, hoods, JD's, whatever you want to call them. Of course you can't forget the girlfriends of these guys, they can't be ignored. The young ladies tottered into the restaurant with high heels and short skirts on, some of them with tight, black peddle-pushers. Thick red lipstick smothered their lips, mascara heavily applied to their eyelashes. Summer looked into the diner, memories overflowing her senses. Happy memories, but at the same time, that was where it all started. There was nothing that made her happy now, well, except for that one thing. The music was flowing from one of the cars in the parking lot, and Summer closed her eyes, reveling in the moment. A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey, girl, you wanna come in with us?" Two-Bit questioned, the other greasers already infiltrating into the diner. Summer sat in the car, not sure what to say. Well, she didn't have anywhere else to go, why not just kind of hang out with some kids for a few minutes? It had been such a long time since she had done that, such a long time since she wasn't alone...
"Ummm," she wavered, finally coming to a conclusion. "Yeah, I guess I'll come in with you guys." Two-Bit cracked a wide smile.
"Alright! Let's head in. You know," he admitted, sneaking a glance to make sure nobody was around to hear him, "I'd hate to see someone like you lost on this side a town anyways. You're safe with the four of us, don't worry." Summer followed, her gaze dropping to the ground. She never felt safe, no matter what the circumstances...
Steve, Pony, and Soda had miraculously managed to find a table. The two best friends were blowing tiny pieces of spittled napkin at eachother through straws while Pony looked on, chuckling. Two-Bit ambled over to the table, Summer following his path. Most of the customers in the diner were so involved in their own conversations that they didn't even notice the non-greaser female that had entered. Still, some noticed and followed her with their critical eyes, eyes disapproving of the girl that had crossed into their territory. Summer felt some type of emotion building up inside of her. She felt so uncomfortable when people stared at her, observing, analyzing the skin she didn't even fit in. Skin that wasn't hers...
The three greasers at the table looked up, confusion obvious in their body language. Steve cast an annoyed glance at Two-Bit. Oh well, that was Two-Bit for ya. The wisecracker just smiled and laughed it off, shrugging in the process.
He was about to slide into the seat next to Pony, then suddenly remembered his manners. His mom had taught him a thing or two in that department...
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. Ladies first," he said as he backed away from the booth, his arms guiding her in next to Pony as her skirt came in contact with the cheap plastic. She scooted over in the ample seat until there was enough room for Two-Bit to slide in. Almost on call, the waitress stepped up to table, popping pink bubble gum while she fished out the small notepad in her checkered apron. The waitress was in her early forties, her dull blonde hair pulled up into a high and tight bun. Overapplied blush sat stale on her cheeks, her facial expression stiff with boredom.
"Whadduya kids want?"
Pony spoke up first, his stomach growling more and more often the longer he was deprived of food.
"I'll have a chocolate milkshake, and a hamburger." The waitress unmotivatedly scribbled it down, waiting for the others to continue.
"Make that two," Steve stated.
"Make that three."
"Make that four!" Soda shouted in a kid's voice as held up four fingers. The waitress cast a look of disbelief at the kids. Jesus...when was this ever gonna end? The hands on the clock were never gonna move fast enough for her taste. She turned her head to the sole girl at the table, the pink chunk inside her mouth rotating between yellow teeth as she waited for the girl's order.
"Ummm, just give me a," she cast a look at Soda and Steve sitting in front of her, "a cola would be okay, I guess."
Her fingers were wrapped around the cold cola bottle as the song finished. He knew every word to the song. She never would have thought that a guy that looked like him would ever have anything in common with her, but alas, he did! She always thought those kind of guys only listened to that has-been with his stupid hip swivel. But no sirree, this was 1963 and the hood knew the fresh and glorius tunes from the new radio station. A new song started up inside the diner, and he raised his arms up in the air with a questioning shrug. She tilted her head to the side, not understanding what he was getting to. He pointed to her, mouthing the words,
"You. Me. Together. Forever." Summer furrowed her eyebrows together, trying to figure out the words his lips were forming. As she realized what he was saying, she grinned from ear to ear once again. Emily giggled along with her.
"Ooohh Summer he likes you..."
He pointed his index finger straight at Summer, and summoned her with his finger.
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the
weather charts see if it was safe outside
And little Early Burly came by in his curly wurly
and asked me if i needed a ride
"Come. Out. Side." Summer suddenly felt kind of...strange. Wait, it wasn't supposed to go this far. Mom told her not to do this kind of stuff..Hey, Mom told her not to do this kind of stuff! She placed the bottle on the counter as she felt herself rising out of her seat. She knew she wasn't supposed to do it, she didn't really want to do it.
"You. Know. You. Want. To." Did she really want to resist? Maybe she did, kind of, sort of, want to do it. She started to step through the glass doors, her surroundings turning into slow motion. It was sso wrrong. It wass sso thhrrillinngg.
"Summer! What are you doing?" Summer's tiny shoes stepped onto the black asphalt, and he opened the passenger door for her. She stopped. She kicked a pebble that was lifelessly laying on the ground.
"Mmmm, I dunno. If I want to go. With you." She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. Man, the July humidity was really pouring down on her. A single drop of sweat accumulated on her eyebrow. Summer rolled her shoulders back and her shirt rose just a tad bit, just enough to show her cute, tender, little belly button before it was covered as she rolled her shoulders forward again. His intense gaze met the scene of her bellybutton then rose to her face with a seductive smile.
"Honey babe, what do you mean you don't want to go?" She started to play with a string of her hair, her pale lips pursing in such a cute little way.
"I...I mean. Yeah, I dunno." This time he chuckled.
"You're so cute, you know that?" Summer's cheeks and ears turned red.
"Really? I still don't know if I want to go." He clasped both his hands over his heart, acting out as if he were in torment.
"It would pain my heart, sweetie child. You're just so beautiful." The words rang like music in her ears, and it was almost as if morphine had been injected into her skinny arm. She felt alive for the very first time since she had been born. She never got attention like this, not from anybody. It made her feel so wanted.
She was blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Her feet stepped one ofter the other mechanically on the black asphalt, until they lifted themselves up into the black car.
With that the waitress shoved the notepad back into her apron, pushing her fat arms through the crowd as her white shoes squeaked on the floor.
There was silence again for a moment. Pony being the shy self he usually was, felt kind of uncomfortable sitting so close to someone he didn't know, especially a girl. She simply stared down at the table, and Pony glanced at her profile. He noticed the long eyelashes curving up, her tender red lips. Soda exchanged glances with Pony and Two-Bit, while Steve just let out an exasperated sigh.
"So..." Two-Bit said, breaking the ice, "you said you're from Georgia. So, uh, why'd you'd move over here to Oklahoma?" She said nothing at first, finally answering,
"Just because." Two-Bit gave off a nervous laugh, trying to make the situation a little better. Okay, just the little ounce of compassion he had for girls was coming back to him and blowing him up in the face. Still, an image of his sister came into his head...
"So, uh," Two-Bit continued, "how you likin' Tulsa so far?" This time she didn't pause,
"Just as bad as the town I come from."
Johnny still sat on the bench, and after the emotions had somewhat been vented out, Dally stood up and turned to Johnny.
"You feel like goin' to the Dingo?" Johnny didn't answer, he didn't want to be seen. He didn't want to be seen today, tomorrow, ever again. He wished he could just disentegrate into a pile of nothing. "Come on," Dally said, "it's okay. The guys are gonna be there. Fuck everybody else. You know how much they care for you. I know you hate to be alone. You won't be alone, I promise. I'll always be here for ya, kid." Johnny got up from the seat, and followed Dally as he started off toward the diner. Damn, Dally was always right...
The waitress practically slammed the glasses down on the table. She then picked up each juicy hamburger, shoving them on the table to the rhythm of her gum chewing.
"Uuummm, excuse me miss," Soda injected, "I wasn't the one who ordered the cola, she was." The waitress grabbed the milkshake in front of Summer and the cola in front of Soda, and dragged them to the correct position. Lastly she tossed some straws on the table, then walked away, not pausing to see if anyone needed anything. Summer dipped the straw into the bubbly liquid, and while it rose through the straw into her mouth, her head slightly bobbed to the music. Pony looked to his side, and could almost see a flicker of something in the corner of her eye. His concentration was broken when he saw a towheaded hood and a jean jacket-wearing greaser step into the diner. Johnny's wearing a jean jacket in this weather?
Summer hadn't looked up, but her head popped up when she heard the familiar voice...
"Hey guys, slide over, it's me and Johnnycakes comin' through." As Dally squeezed into the seat next to Steve, his eyes grew wide as he saw the long dark hair, and the eyes, those eyes...
They both stared at eachother for a few seconds.
"Uhh, somethin' goin' on I need to know about?" Two-Bit asked, half joking yet half serious. They broke the stare, Summer going back to sipping her drink and Dally changing the subject.
"I heard there was gonna be a fight here today. You know I ain't gonna miss that stuff man. You guys hear about it?"
"Oh I heard about that one!" Steve replied, seeming enthusiastic about something for the first time. "I bet you Shepard is gonna beat Dillard's head in..."
Steve trailed off as he looked passed Dally over to Johnny. Everyone at the table directed their gaze to the gang's pet, who had obviously taken a beating the night before. Pony started to fumble around with the foam that was popping out of the cracked plastic seat, Soda suddenly finding his hamburger tasteless. Steve could feel that anger rising in him again, but like Dally, managed to suppress it for his friend. Two-Bit took a fork and started tapping it on the table.
Summer's gaze drifted among the six surrounding her at the table, oddly feeling out of place. They wouldn't say anything about the kid's horribly bruised and swollen face. It wasn't like they didn't notice or anything.
Something really freaked her about that black haired kid, too, made her feel repulsed. It reminded her, it reminded her of someone she couldn't quite place. But she hated looking at him, such a lame fucking site. God, the kid probably didn't even fight back. She knew it, she could tell. Summer felt uneasiness building up in her, she didn't know why the hell it was happening. The rage now that was overtaking her, except unlike everyone else she didn't know she was supposed hide it inside, for the sake of Johnny. She wasn't a part of the gang, she didn't know the secret code that ran through these six guys and the fact that youre not supposed to hurt little Johnny Cade. The anger was now bubbling to the surface. He was an easy target to let her anger out, just target some lame fuck and get him back...those dark eyes...
"What the fuck happened to your face?" She blurted out, disgust radiating off her, her dark red lips pursed together. "You get in a fight or something? It looks hideous. Dumb hoods always picking fights for themselves..." bitterness ran through her voice, hatred in her eyes.
Johnny dropped his gaze, his face concealed once again in the cuffs of the jacket. The table was dead silent. Suddenly he jumped up and ran through the double doors. A hand slammed down on the table, the drinks shaking along with the vibration. Suddenly the music stopped, and everyone in the diner had turned their heads toward the scene. Dallas's face was stark red.
He woulda beat her up right then and there, oh man he would have, but he knew that Johnny needed him. Dallas rose his crooked index finger slowly, and pointed it towards her...
"You. I'm gonna get you." He shoved himself off the seat and followed Johnny out of the diner.
Johnny's footsteps pounded on the concrete as he ran from that place. He ran. As fast as he could. That wasn't enough, apparently, because Dally caught up to him. He slowed his pace, finally coming to a walk. Dally came up beside him, Johnny kicking a pebble that lay in his way before sitting on the curb which was on his house's street.
"That bitch I swear..."
Johnny simply stared at the crack that was in the asphalt. He felt so embarrassed. Sometimes he just felt like giving up. His life was so, so extreme or something. It was like, people completely ignored him, or thought he was completely disgusting, or even scary. Ha. What a laugh. Johnny Cade scary. He wouldn't even hurt a fly, if he didn't have to. But it was almost always like people always jumped around the issue. They see the gruesome scar on his face, a big fucking black bruise surrounding his eye, and it's:
"Hey Johnny!" then the uncomfortable silence. "Uhhh..hey! You...you're lookin' good, Johnny Cade." Johnny would always crack a forced smile, hey, nothing was wrong at all!
Yeah right.
This time someone went straight to the issue, hit it right on its fucking head, just as he head been hit the night before. Strong and direct. It was so goddamn embarrassing, but...it was so goddamn real. She didn't tiptoe around the issue, she didn't dillydally and put on a fake smile. She was still a bitch. But a real bitch. Johnny started slipping the jean jacket off, hell, why wear something not fit for the weather? His embarrasment kind of started to subside...yeah...who really did give a fuck about others?
Johnny smiled, it was a smile that was finally different. Genuine. For once he just, he just...
"I'm gonna get her for you Johnny, don't worry man. That prissy piece of shit is never gonna mess with you again."
"No, Dally, it's okay. She was just stating what was, you know. Just telling the truth. Just..."
...Let go.
Lyrics by Manfred Mann "Blinded by the Light" ... it's funny, i just found out that Bruce Springsteen originally wrote and recorded that song, and I listened to it, and it sounds totally different than the version Manfred Mann did. So should I say lyrics by Bruce, or Manfred? The Manfred Mann one fits the story much much better. Not like you guys care anyway LMAO! ;)