Author's Note: I'm glad that you guys like me going on with it, keep reviewing. I don't know why I didn't reply to reviews earlier, but here they are:
rhaine: I had to read The Outsiders in Lit. as a last week of school, nothing better to do thing. That's what started all this. Amazing book, isn't it? I absolutely love it. Read it three times in one week. Haven't bought it yet...Have you seen the movie? I can't find it at any movie stores and at the library and Blockbuster's it's ALWAYS out! Ugh!
Amber: Darry's my favorite too. I guess it's an oldest thing. I dunno, doesn't really matter too much, huh? I feel so bad for him, what with all his jobs and trying to keep his family together and having to give up his dreams. I could never be that brave.
Sodapop Curtis DX: I've read some of your stories! They're so good! I'm gobsmacked that you like mine! Thanks for the compliment about writing like S.E. Hinton, that's the highest praise you could ever give me! I'm not losing it, am I? I feel like I'm losing her flavor...The book is never in the library when I go, so I can't compare her style to mine...I hope I'm not losing it...
Disclaimer: Why, why, why bother! It'd be impossible anyway...
Darry's POV
I shook off the memory impatiently and closed the distance between us quickly. I cupped her face in my hand and gently examined the cut. Angel flinched when my fingers brushed the bruise.
"Did you clean it?"
"No."
"When did you get here?" She frowned and shook her head absently.
"I—Um...Three, four maybe? I don't know. I was so mad; all I wanted to do was get away. I walked around downtown for a while. I—I just...I couldn't stay there. Not with him. He hit me Darry! He took his fist a socked me. I think he was aiming for my mouth, but..." Angel laughed a little mirthless laugh. "He always did aim high...What am I going to do? Darry," She started crying, her tears running down her face and over my fingers, which were still cupping one side of her face. "What am I going to do?"
"Hey now, it's not that bad. You're gonna be okay." I wiped away the tears and turned around. "C'mon, let's get that cleaned up."
She followed me to the bathroom wordlessly and sat down on the toilet while I rummaged around in the medicine cabinet. I keep a lot of different stuff in that cabinet and the more I put in there the more chances to use it come up. I've got everything in there ace bandages, cough syrup, aspirin, sleep aides, the whole shellac. It comes in handy, especially after a rumble. After a few minutes I came up with some peroxide, rubbing alcohol, Band-Aids, and a couple of cue-tips.
"Hold still." I took her chin in my hand to steady her head so I would be able to clean the cut with the least amount of pressure. "Close your eyes, kay? I don't want this stuff to change your eye color." She obligingly shut her eyes. The cut wasn't too nasty, I've seen much worse, but I knew that it hurt nonetheless. Angel hissed and opened her eyes when the alcohol touched it.
"That hurts."
"Rubbing alcohol wasn't made to feel good. I'm almost done, shut up and hold still."
"Sorry."
"Stop moving your mouth and close your eyes, alright? I don't want this to get in them."
I stopped with the rubbing alcohol and started with the peroxide. I wasn't sure if I was doing things in the right order. I had taken a CPR class back in the tenth grade and I remember them covering how to clean cuts, but that had been at least four years ago. I turned my attention back to her cut, trying to ignore how her eyelashes fell so softly against her cheeks. I dabbed away the remaining liquid, let got of her face, and tore open a Band-Aid.
"I don't need one of those."
"You need an aspirin?"
"No."
"What about breakfast?"
"I guess I could stand to eat something. Last time I ate was yesterday morning."
"Where were you that you missed lunch and dinner yesterday and made you so late coming home?"
"I was at the orphanage. You know the one over on Eighth Street?" I knew of the one she was talking about, it wasn't the one Ponyboy or Soda would get sent to, it was shabbier place, kinda small, for little kids. It was across the street from a Catholic church and run by some nuns.
"What were you doing there?" She looked sad.
"The nuns that run it are getting older. They can't get down and play with the kids as much. I volunteer there. Yesterday they really needed some extra help, there's a bunch of holes in the roof. It's supposed to rain real bad this week, ya know? I got up on the roof and tried to cover some of them up. The building's really run down."
"Patching the roof made you stay out so late that your father got worried?"
"Nah, there's a little girl there who's parents just died. Poor thing, she's only three or so. Well, anyway, she's had some trouble falling asleep. The baby has nightmares, and the only thing you can do is hold her until she quiets down and falls asleep." Angel shook her head and a tear trickled down her cheek. "I was putting her to sleep and I guess I fell asleep myself. The nuns hadn't realized I was still there; otherwise they would've woke me. I didn't get home until almost 1:30. That's what got my dad so angry. He doesn't like the fact that I help out there." She shrugged and rolled her eyes, "Where do you keep the cups?"
"Over there," Angel stood up and went in the direction I pointed, "The second cupboard to the left."
That girl was something else! No one I knew would ever think to help out an orphanage. No one liked the nuns. They were a bit eccentric and all of them were really old. I had met a few of them when my parents died, but that had only been for a few minutes. Buddy ,that had been enough for me. And the way she talked about the little girl, her eyes had spoken volumes. It was as if she felt the child's pain.
"Thanks," She took a cup and went to the coffeepot and poured herself a cup, "You want some?"
"No thanks," I hate coffee. It's terrible stuff, bitter and strong. They only time I'll ever drink it is if I need to stay awake.
"Do you have chocolate syrup?"
"For what?"
"For coffee, what else?" She went to the refrigerator and opened the door, "Aha, I knew you would."
"If only Ponyboy were awake..."
"Say what?"
"Nothing," I sat down at the table with a plate of chocolate cake in front of me and motioned for her to sit across from me, "Chocolate cake?"
"Sure." When I got up to get her the pan of chocolate cake that was sitting on the stove I saw what time it was.
"HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD! I've got to get to work!" The boss was gonna kill me if I was late. Let a girl into your life for ten minutes and everything falls apart. Lord Almighty, would I have to speed to get there on time. Dang it! She was sitting at the table, her legs folded up beneath her, looking pained.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you late." She was wearing one of my shirts. It looked a heck of a lot better on her than it did on me.
"Huh? Don't worry. Um, just stay here and eat...When Soda wakes up have him borrow Two-Bit's car and drive you home, okay? I'm sorry I can't drive you there myself, but--"
Angel had stood up while I was talking and walked over to me. Now she had her fingers over my lips. I stopped breathing.
"Shut up, will you? You're yammering isn't going to get you anywhere."
I made it on time. As I worked, images of her kept popping up in my mind. How vulnerable she'd been with tears running down her cheeks, the way she sipped her coffee, how she'd had my shirt wrapped around her, hugging her curves. I remembered the shirt now; it was an older work shirt, worn and comfortable. I kept feeling her fingers pressing my lips, they had been awfully cold. She had a beautiful smile.
I still didn't know her last name.
