Author's Note: Evidently no liked that last chapter anymore than I did. Sorry folks, it shan't happen again. Review, tell me what you want. Just review. Flame me for the love of Mike, just click the review button. It makes my mouth smile. Hey Sodapopsgurl, this is for you.
Disclaimer: Nah, I don't think S.E. Hinton even believe in pure unadulterated fluff.
Chapter 6
Angel's POV
I didn't even bother looking back to see if Darry would follow me, I was so distracted with my mulling. The poor little girl, that poor, poor little baby, my heart ached for her. I barely noticed when Darry hurried up beside me until he caught my hand in his, forcing me to stop. Tendrils of lightening flashed from his hand into my finger, up my arm, and down to my heart where they seemed to resonate in my chest.
"Hey."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"You forgot your lunch."
"What?" He turned my hand over in his and stuck a sandwich in it. "I don't want to eat anything."
"Hey, wasn't my idea. Sister Martha told me to make sure you ate a sandwich." He shrugged nonchalantly. "You can't exactly say no to a lady used to dealing with little kids." He made me smile and I took a bite of my sandwich before I started walking again.
"You're gonna be late." He shook his head.
"No worries. I work too long anyway."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, how's the little girl?"
When I told him that a hour or so after I'd left the dear had woken up screaming and crying so hard that she'd thrown up and that she hadn't slept the rest of the night, Darry got a strange look on his face. When I told him that she wouldn't tell us what had scared her so badly and that we had almost decided that the little girl herself didn't know what she was dreaming about. Then he told me that his youngest brother, Ponyboy, had had bad dreams right after their parents died in a car wreck. He told me that Ponyboy had woken up screaming but he couldn't remember what had frightened him so. He said that Soda had slept with him, which had helped, but not much. Finally Darry had taken Ponyboy to a doctor who'd told him to make Ponyboy play harder so he would be worn out by the end of the day. He told me it had worked. I stopped in the middle of crossing the street and looked and looked at him.
"He stopped having nightmares completely?"
"Yes, well, except for this one time, but he hasn't had one since then."
"He stopped though? He started sleeping regularly?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, you might have something there." I grinned at him. "We'll try it."
By then we had reached his work site. He told me to eat the rest of my sandwich, which had about three bites out of it and headed toward a pile of roofing tiles.
"What are you doing?" The dumb guy was trying to carry two loads of roofing tiles.
"Working, what about you?"
"Go one at a time Muscles, you'll feel better at the end of the day." He looked at me and I gave him a look. He sighed and dropped a load. I grinned and turned around.
"Where are you going?" He was halfway up the ladder, looking down at me.
"Home." He nodded and smiled.
"Good." I turned again and he added almost as an afterthought, "If you ever need anything..." I smiled at him over my shoulder.
"I know." He returned my smile and went up the ladder. "Thank you." I whispered, before hurrying off, my heart pounding.
I needed to get myself away from him fast. I knew better than to let myself get caught up in a guy. Look what Jim had done to me. I was not going to reduce myself to a shivering, weeping mass of flesh that was scared of her own shadow. So all guys weren't like that, but was I going to take another chance? No. Was I perhaps being a little too close minded? Yes, I was. Did I care to see if there were really nice guys out there? No, not really.
I still felt the lightening bolts in the center of my chest and down in my stomach. I remembered the day he'd saved me, the way he'd held me against him and spoke soft words into my hair. I remembered his heart beating in my ear, the comforting warmth of his arms around me. I loved the sound of his soft laughter and the way he smiled. I wanted to feel his arms around me again. I wanted his fingers to brush against my cheek again. I wanted him to grab my hand and pull me to him. I wanted him to—Stop it! Stop! Stop! STOP! I screamed in my head. Boys are bad news. Bad, bad, BAD. They're nothing but trouble. They seem nice at first and then BOOM! Once you feel safe they turn into horrible, awful people. I've watched it. I know. All they do is hurt you. But he'd been so warm, so gentle, and so sweet. When I was encased in his arms nothing could've hurt me. And he'd been so gentle when he was cleaning my cut, had that really only been this morning? He'd wiped away my tears with the pad of his thumb. Just like in the movies.
Darry's POV
I watched her walk away until the foreman hollered at me. She wandered in and out of my thoughts. I wondered briefly if she'd finished her sandwich. I wanted to remind her to clean that cut up. When I remember the cut, I remember how soft her skin had been. I saw her eyes, looking at me with trust. Something fluttered in my stomach, and I wondered if I had truly lost it. I hadn't dated anyone in at least two years. No, more than that. And she was younger than me besides. Not much more than a kid. She didn't act like it though.
I wasn't going to let myself be distracted by a girl. Not until Ponyboy had graduated anyway. There was too much to risk. The Social Services could come in at any minute and take Ponyboy and Sodapop away and put them in homes. Maybe not Sodapop, he'd run away before they'd put him in a home. But Ponyboy, he wouldn't. I couldn't stand it if they took them away. I'd die. They were what my life revolved around. Losing them would be like losing air or water. No girl was worth that.
Besides, she wasn't my class. She was going home. I'd seen her home, and it'd been better than any house in our neighborhood. She wasn't a Soc, but she wasn't a Greaser either. She would be at her house, waiting for her father to sleep off a drunken fit and then her life would go back to normal. She'd forget all about me. I'd go on with my life and eventually I'd forget all about her. She'd popped in and out of my life a few times, so what? I didn't even know her last name.
Angel's POV
The sky had grown black, full of angry looking thunderheads. I grinned at the sky. I love the rain. It started raining when I was about three blocks away from my house. The drops were cold against my face. I threw the hot, soggy remain of my sandwich in my hand to the street, hoping that the lightening bolts in my chest would go away with it. They didn't, of course. I tipped my head back and let the water hit me full on. Then I resumed walking with a smile on my face.
When I was a block from my house the drops grew big and fat and in minutes I was soaked. I threw my arms out and up towards the sky, spreading my fingers apart. The rain beat against me. The wind howled and the drops fell harder. I twirled on the sidewalk and moved on, my hands still raised over my head. I was laughing by the time I had reached the last street I had to cross before I got to my house on the corner. I spun in the middle of the street, twirling, laughing to the sky. Rain has always made me happy. I twisted like a dervish, laughing like a lunatic. Who needed boys anyway? Not me! I was fine without them! I didn't need Jim! I didn't need my father! I didn't need Timmy! I sure as heck didn't Darrel Curtis! Nope, I was doing pretty dang good by myself, thank you very much! I giggled to the sky. Spinning, laughing, twirling, giggling, and then BOOM! CRACK! I was interrupted by ear splitting thunder which was followed by lightening the lit up the relatively dark sky.
I ran to my house, instantly cowed. I let myself in the always unlocked by door, still giggling. My side hurt and I was dizzy from spinning so much. I collapsed onto the cool kitchen floor in another fit of giggles. Finally I stilled and just lay there, my arms and legs spread out, breathing heavily.
