"WHAT?" I said loudly through the phone that Sodapop was on the other end of.
"Yeah, I know" he said.
"So it's okay for Darry to get Jess pregnant but it's not okay for me to be?" I said angrily.
"Well, come on Kimi, she's older and she's got a job and all" Soda reminded me.
"Well, yeah but I just, I don't know. I just don't think it's fair"
"I don't see why he had to kick you out"
"Yeah" I said with a sigh.
I sure did miss home.
"Well anyway, the weddings in a month or so," Soda said.
"Why are you tellin me? it's not like Darry wants me there"
"Come on now, Kim,"
"Soda, he threw me out of the house, do you really think he wants me at his wedding? He probably expects me to screw something up or something. Or maybe he just doesn't want to see my face"
"I know he can be kinda harsh sometimes but he does love you, really, even though it may not seem like it."
"mmhmm" I mumbled.
"Uh-oh, I gotta go, call ya later!" Soda said amazingly fast. Darry had probably walked in.
"Lacy!" I called from the bedroom.
"Yeah" she poked her head in.
"You wanna go do something? Since I feel okay for the first time in like, two weeks"
"Well, I can't, I'm uh, meeting someone." she said suspiciously.
"Alright, whatever. We can hang out when you get back mkay?"
"Yeah, sure" she said as she grabbed her keys off the table and put her cancer sticks in her back pocket, "bye!" and she walked out the door.
"Don't do anything stupid!" I yelled after her.
Well, I could call that one chick, what was her name again? Carmen! That's it. Her number was still on my arm, why not?
"Hello?" a female voice answered.
"Carmen?" I said shyly.
"Hi Kim." she said warmly "How are ya?"
"I'm good, thanks for asking, how are you?"
"I've been better, but that doesn't matter," there as a little silence. "what's happenin with you?"
"Well, I was just sitting around and I thought maybe you might wanna go downtown and go see a movie or something"
"Oooo, sounds like fun, uh, when were you thinking?" she asked.
"Uh, right now if you can" "Okay, see ya in a few, by the bus stop kay?"
"Yeah"
I walked out the door casually and felt an incredibly painful jolt in my stomach. Ouch! I thought about callin our plans off, but I really needed to get out of the house.
I walked along the sidewalk, daydreaming about the first time I met Adam, and how I thought he was someone I could spend the rest of my life with. How we had talked for nine hours straight the first time he called. And how Darry had to tackle me to get me off the phone. Tears formed behind my eyes. Damn it. No matter how many times I promised myself I was done crying over him, this always happened. Suck it up, I said to myself. I walked on, getting stared at occasionally by some socs that were circling the neighborhood. But I had my switch, so I didn't let it show that I was nervous.
I approached the bus stop to see Carmen leaning against a parking meter smokin a weed. He hair was a light brown, like my eyes, and it looked really shiny in the sun. She was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. She looked a lot like I did, except I had a black shirt on. "Kim!" She said as she waved frantically. "Hi Carmen." I greeted her as I stumbled over the sidewalk.
"Smooth," She giggled.
"Yeah" I said sarcastically.
"Well, we could go to the movies, or down to the store, what do you wanna do?"
"The store?" What on earth can we do at the convenience store?
"Yeah, we could buy some cokes and a candy bar or two and just go down to the park and hang out or something?" she said nervously. I don't know why she was.
I nodded gingerly.
I spent most of the night talking to Carmen and learned a lot about her. She's 16 and has a younger brother that's Ponyboy's age. She works down at the DX's leading competitor, the Motrex part-time so she can support Matt, her brother, because they live alone with their dad and he, well, let's just say he doesn't treat them right. She showed me the bruises on her arms and shoulders. We stayed out pretty late, until about 10:30 and finally she had to go home with fear of getting slapped.
"Bye Carmel." I said as she turned to walk away.
"Carmel?" she turned back to me confusedly.
"Yeah," I chuckled, "it's the color of you hair."
She nodded coolly, "Okay"
And that was the best time I've had in the past two weeks.
"Lacy!" I called as I walked through the door, "You home?"
"Uh, I'm in my room," she answered.
I dragged my feet to her room and, to my surprise, saw Lacy's newest victim putting his shirt back on.
"Bye Lace," he said in a low and hurried tone and he rushed out the door.
I smirked and rolled my eyes as he walked past me.
"Did you just-?"
"Mmhmm" she smiled sickly.
"Lacy!" I said in a hushed voice, "Your dads home!"
"Yeah, but he's so juiced a freight train wouldn't wake him." She was obviously drunk too.
"Don't be a smart ass Lacy, it doesn't work for you"
"Okay, well, it's none of your business what I do with me boyfriend so just stay out of it got that?"
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" I snapped at her.
"I'm the one who's house your staying in because your own family doesn't want you"
"Bitch!" I pushed her back onto the bed. She glared at me.
"Don't make me throw you out too," she said through clenched teeth.
"Lacy. I just don't want you to end up like me."
"Yeah, who'd want that" she sneered.
I socked her right in her jaw.
"Get out!" she screamed.
I clapped my hands to my mouth. "Lacy, I'm-I'm sorry!"
"Just get out!"
"Lace, please," I begged her, "please, I'll have no where else to go"
"And Who's problem is that?"
Back to square one... again.