"Happy Birthday!" Laughter surrounded my bed.
I rubbed my eyes. They focused on Sodapop.
"What the hell are you guys doing in here?" I said my voice was croaky from just waking up.
"Ouch." I heard Two-Bit say. "It's your birthday sleeping beauty."
I blinked. I didn't care if it was Christmas. It still was 7 am and I wanted to sleep.
"Valentine, get the hell up." Darry's voice said.
"Leave me alone." I whinned pulling the covers over my head.
"Get up and open your presents." Pony was shaking me softly.
"Whahoo! Presents." Soda laughed his head off.
"I'm tired." I groaned trying to shake Ponyboy off.
"Too bad." Darry pulled the covers off of me and a rush of cold air hit my body. Suddenly all of the boys went quiet.
It took a few seconds for me to snap to reality.
"Darry!" I yelled pulling my covers back on me.
"I'm sorry." He said shocked. "I didn't know you slept naked."
"I don't sleep naked! I wear my bra and underwear!" I snapped.
"I'm sorry." He repeated.
"Well what the hell are you all gawking at?!" I snapped at the boys, feeling sick.
"When did you get those?" Two-Bit asked. I could of died.
"Get what?" I shot at him. "Ugh! Will you just leave?"
"Get those!" Dally pointed to my chest area the covers were hiding.
"A long time ago!"
"You wear bra's?" Soda asked.
"Yes, Soda, I only am 15 years old!"
"16." Johnny corrected.
"16 years old." I said.
"But where did you get it?" Darry asked. "I never bought it for you."
"I asked Leah's mom to get it for me! Now will you please leave?" I begged looking from each face to the next.
The boys hurried off. I put my face in my hands and sat there for a couple of seconds. They just couldn't face the facts that I was growing up.
I went to my dresser and grabbed out a pair of blue jeans and a yellow button up top. Regretting it, I walked down the stairs and entered a living room full of silent boys.
"Well?" I asked, they woke me up, they better say something.
"Happy Birthday!" Steeve said. He handed me a not-so-neatly-wrapped present and reached out to hug me but it wasn't a full hug. He pulled away when our skin made contact and I rolled my eyes. I'm a girl and all girls will or have breast.
"Happy Birthday & Valentine's Day, Valentine." Ponyboy handed me a present without even a kiss on the cheek.
"What's with you guys?" I said. "Just get over it!"
Darry handed me an envelope. No doubt full of money. I smiled sheepishly.
"Happy Birthday Miss Sweet Sixteen." He smiled down at me. "From me and Soda."
Two-Bit gave me an unwrapped wood handled switch blade. Darry glared at him. I laughed.
"Lemme guess? Five finger discount?"
"Yessiree." Two-Bit grinned proudly.
"Thanks."
"You better not use it." Darry warned.
"I will on you if you don't stop hounding me." I flicked it out and Darry gripped me in a headlock.
"Here Val." Johnny passed me another present.
"Oh and you've got one more." Dally rumaged in his pockets and finally found what he was looking for, another envelope.
I started on Pony's first.
I ripped open the package and read the front cover of the book. "Completed Poems." I smiled at Ponyboy. We both loved poems. "Thanks Pony." I hugged him, still smiling.
Johnny's present was a picture of the whole gang together at a barn fire a couple years back.
"Oh thanks Johnny!" I kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
Steeves was a big teddy bear that had "Happy Valentine's Day" embroided on it's tummy.
"Oh gee, they have a whole day named after me?" I joked.
As predicted Darry and Soda gave me money. 32 dollars. 16 from them each. I now had 42 dollars all together. Dally had given me 10.
I thanked them all and kept repeating how much I loved the presents until Two-Bit and Steeve brought out the cake. Chocolate cake, just what I liked.
When everyone had eaten their share of dessert we had sat down and watched T.V. till noon. Finally Johnny said he was going to the drugstore to buy candy because he was craving some and I insisted on coming with him. I had to get out of this house.
"Sweet Sixteen huh?" Johnny said grinning. Wow, it'd been a long time since he did that.
"Yup, sweet sixteen and kickin'."
We enetered the store. I walked a long the shelves scanning for candy that I might like. Johnny handed me a brown paper candy bag and began dishing peperments in his own.
"What do you think the guys would want?" I asked my eyes moving down the shelves.
"Aha! Chocolate Maltballs." I took the shoveler and put a bunch in the bag. Who doesn't like chocolate? I set aside that bag for the boys and grabbed another and began choosing all the sour candies that I liked. I saw from the corner of my eyes that Johnny was shaking his head and smiling. I turned to face him.
"And what's so funny?" I asked him.
"How can you stand those?" He gestured to the candies I was piling in my bag.
I had forgotten that only Pony, Dally, and I could stand the sour ones.
"I don't know." I got up from my knees and dusted off my pants. "Their good."
I headed for the counter and paid for my candy while Johnny gathered his last few peices and gave the owner the money.
"Thanks for the present, Johnny." I said, thinking back to the night the barnfire was held.
He looked as though he was going to tell me something for a second but changed his mind. "No problem."
We continued to walk.
"Hey Valentine." He stopped me.
I turned around. "Is something wrong?" I looked at him concerned.
"I have, sort of a question." He said looking at his feet. "Well not me-a friend-but I'll ask you."
"Yeah?" I said raising my eyebrows.
"You see my friend," He began, rubbing the back of his neck and thinking hard as though every word he chose had to be perfect, "likes this girl."
"Oh?" I looked at him. "Tell me Johnny, who is this friend?"
"A guy from school, you don't know him." He said quickly.
"Well, this girl, does she like him?"
"I don't know." Johnny said, still talking fast. "But, my friend wants to get this girls attention and somehow let her know how he feels."
"So he really likes the girl?" I asked, already knowing where this was heading.
"Yeah, a lot actually." He stopped rubbing his neck and began to walk again. "Nevermind I'm sure he'll figure it out."
"This girl likes him too." I answered.
"How do you know?" He asked confusion on his face.
"Because I do like you." I said smiling brightly and with that I jogged across the street and entered the house.
I rubbed my eyes. They focused on Sodapop.
"What the hell are you guys doing in here?" I said my voice was croaky from just waking up.
"Ouch." I heard Two-Bit say. "It's your birthday sleeping beauty."
I blinked. I didn't care if it was Christmas. It still was 7 am and I wanted to sleep.
"Valentine, get the hell up." Darry's voice said.
"Leave me alone." I whinned pulling the covers over my head.
"Get up and open your presents." Pony was shaking me softly.
"Whahoo! Presents." Soda laughed his head off.
"I'm tired." I groaned trying to shake Ponyboy off.
"Too bad." Darry pulled the covers off of me and a rush of cold air hit my body. Suddenly all of the boys went quiet.
It took a few seconds for me to snap to reality.
"Darry!" I yelled pulling my covers back on me.
"I'm sorry." He said shocked. "I didn't know you slept naked."
"I don't sleep naked! I wear my bra and underwear!" I snapped.
"I'm sorry." He repeated.
"Well what the hell are you all gawking at?!" I snapped at the boys, feeling sick.
"When did you get those?" Two-Bit asked. I could of died.
"Get what?" I shot at him. "Ugh! Will you just leave?"
"Get those!" Dally pointed to my chest area the covers were hiding.
"A long time ago!"
"You wear bra's?" Soda asked.
"Yes, Soda, I only am 15 years old!"
"16." Johnny corrected.
"16 years old." I said.
"But where did you get it?" Darry asked. "I never bought it for you."
"I asked Leah's mom to get it for me! Now will you please leave?" I begged looking from each face to the next.
The boys hurried off. I put my face in my hands and sat there for a couple of seconds. They just couldn't face the facts that I was growing up.
I went to my dresser and grabbed out a pair of blue jeans and a yellow button up top. Regretting it, I walked down the stairs and entered a living room full of silent boys.
"Well?" I asked, they woke me up, they better say something.
"Happy Birthday!" Steeve said. He handed me a not-so-neatly-wrapped present and reached out to hug me but it wasn't a full hug. He pulled away when our skin made contact and I rolled my eyes. I'm a girl and all girls will or have breast.
"Happy Birthday & Valentine's Day, Valentine." Ponyboy handed me a present without even a kiss on the cheek.
"What's with you guys?" I said. "Just get over it!"
Darry handed me an envelope. No doubt full of money. I smiled sheepishly.
"Happy Birthday Miss Sweet Sixteen." He smiled down at me. "From me and Soda."
Two-Bit gave me an unwrapped wood handled switch blade. Darry glared at him. I laughed.
"Lemme guess? Five finger discount?"
"Yessiree." Two-Bit grinned proudly.
"Thanks."
"You better not use it." Darry warned.
"I will on you if you don't stop hounding me." I flicked it out and Darry gripped me in a headlock.
"Here Val." Johnny passed me another present.
"Oh and you've got one more." Dally rumaged in his pockets and finally found what he was looking for, another envelope.
I started on Pony's first.
I ripped open the package and read the front cover of the book. "Completed Poems." I smiled at Ponyboy. We both loved poems. "Thanks Pony." I hugged him, still smiling.
Johnny's present was a picture of the whole gang together at a barn fire a couple years back.
"Oh thanks Johnny!" I kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
Steeves was a big teddy bear that had "Happy Valentine's Day" embroided on it's tummy.
"Oh gee, they have a whole day named after me?" I joked.
As predicted Darry and Soda gave me money. 32 dollars. 16 from them each. I now had 42 dollars all together. Dally had given me 10.
I thanked them all and kept repeating how much I loved the presents until Two-Bit and Steeve brought out the cake. Chocolate cake, just what I liked.
When everyone had eaten their share of dessert we had sat down and watched T.V. till noon. Finally Johnny said he was going to the drugstore to buy candy because he was craving some and I insisted on coming with him. I had to get out of this house.
"Sweet Sixteen huh?" Johnny said grinning. Wow, it'd been a long time since he did that.
"Yup, sweet sixteen and kickin'."
We enetered the store. I walked a long the shelves scanning for candy that I might like. Johnny handed me a brown paper candy bag and began dishing peperments in his own.
"What do you think the guys would want?" I asked my eyes moving down the shelves.
"Aha! Chocolate Maltballs." I took the shoveler and put a bunch in the bag. Who doesn't like chocolate? I set aside that bag for the boys and grabbed another and began choosing all the sour candies that I liked. I saw from the corner of my eyes that Johnny was shaking his head and smiling. I turned to face him.
"And what's so funny?" I asked him.
"How can you stand those?" He gestured to the candies I was piling in my bag.
I had forgotten that only Pony, Dally, and I could stand the sour ones.
"I don't know." I got up from my knees and dusted off my pants. "Their good."
I headed for the counter and paid for my candy while Johnny gathered his last few peices and gave the owner the money.
"Thanks for the present, Johnny." I said, thinking back to the night the barnfire was held.
He looked as though he was going to tell me something for a second but changed his mind. "No problem."
We continued to walk.
"Hey Valentine." He stopped me.
I turned around. "Is something wrong?" I looked at him concerned.
"I have, sort of a question." He said looking at his feet. "Well not me-a friend-but I'll ask you."
"Yeah?" I said raising my eyebrows.
"You see my friend," He began, rubbing the back of his neck and thinking hard as though every word he chose had to be perfect, "likes this girl."
"Oh?" I looked at him. "Tell me Johnny, who is this friend?"
"A guy from school, you don't know him." He said quickly.
"Well, this girl, does she like him?"
"I don't know." Johnny said, still talking fast. "But, my friend wants to get this girls attention and somehow let her know how he feels."
"So he really likes the girl?" I asked, already knowing where this was heading.
"Yeah, a lot actually." He stopped rubbing his neck and began to walk again. "Nevermind I'm sure he'll figure it out."
"This girl likes him too." I answered.
"How do you know?" He asked confusion on his face.
"Because I do like you." I said smiling brightly and with that I jogged across the street and entered the house.