Chapter 7: This is the end:(
Jenna's POV:
I walked into my living room 11:00PM to find my uncles lying around the room, but not asleep. I mouthed 'please don't tell my parents'. I didn't see my mom and dad but I could hear them. They were talking, well more like yelling, about me not being home.
"She can't be out there until 12 in the morning! She's 14 and I know this town its not safe Alice, I won't sit here and wait for her to get hurt!"
"Dally it's 11 she is only an hour late! Trust her to make the right choice, can you do that for me, can you trust our daughter?"
That was my mother, always sticking up for me. She had me when she was 18, too young to have a child but she didn't give me away, she knew what it was like to not have a mother and swore her own child would. I began walking up to my room unnoticed by my parents but uncle Darry blew it.
"Dally, Alice, she's home!" He called.
"Jennifer Marie Winston where have you been!"
Crap. My mother used my whole name, this wasn't going to be good. She wasn't on my side anymore. Maybe if I kept walking she would leave me alone.
"Jennifer. Don't you walk away from me young lady. You can come down here and explain why the hell where you out until 11, you know very well your curfew is 10!"
Nope my luck isn't that good. "We lost track of time that's all mom, we were going to go see the movie and be back but we went to get food. I wasn't planning on being late."
"Not planning on it! We! Who the hell is we besides you and Liz!" My dad had a temper, always did according to my mom, but I was used to his yelling by now, or so I thought.
"I was with Liz," I paused. "And Jake, and Michael."
Michael was Liz's boyfriend, Jake was mine, and both were greasers.
"Jake was there! He was there and you didn't tell us. If that little hood tried anything on you I wanna know right now Jenna!"
"No! He's not like that daddy. I'm not like that, I wouldn't let him do anything like that! We just lost track of time, I didn't mean to be late! I'm sorry." I started crying. It's not something I normally you, I was a greaser girl too, we just didn't cry. And even though he was my dad, especially not in front of Dallas Winston.
"Why are you crying?" He said just a little too roughly, which made me sob even harder.
"Dallas Winston! I would have expected you to act better than this but I guess I was wrong! Jennifer, go up to your room, and I'll be with you in a moment to finish this discussion so don't think you off the hook."
I walked up the stairs but stopped just behind the wall to hear what they said, my little sister opened her down and I held a finger to my lips and she went back in her room.
"Dallas Winston what do you think you are doing! It's not one of us your blowing up at its your 14 year old daughter! She's just a little girl she doesn't understand that you just care about her and don't want her to get hurt! She doesn't understand that you are just looking out for her! You've got to learn to stop yelling and control your temper before she runs off like Pony did! And you've got to trust Jake, do you think Tim and Curly liked it when I started dating you, hell no Tim wanted to know every detail of every minute we spent together. Trust her to make the right decisions Dally, trust her to do the right thing."
"I trust her but one day she's going to get jumped and Jake or one of us isn't going to be there to help her and she's going to get hurt. And I'm never going to forgive myself for it."
"Dally things have changed. It's not as bad as it used to be."
"Alice time has changed, we have changed, but things between socs and greasers will NEVER change, they jump us and we defend ourselves and our girls but we can't defend Jenna if we're not with her! I don't trust Jake, I know his father, he's a rotten abusive drunk, I will never trust him until he proves he has no bad intentions towards my daughter."
"Dally, I love you and there is nothing in the world that can change that but sometimes I just want to strangle you."
With that I heard my mother start to come up the stairs so I ran to my rooms and jumped on the bed.
"Jenna, can I come in?" My mother knocked on the door.
"Whatever." I said plainly.
She opened the door and came and sat on the bed.
"Jenna what is this all about. Why are you being so defensive?"
"Because you and daddy don't know me! You don't understand what it's like to walk down the street with your friends and have socs jump you!"
I had sat up and was crying again. My mom looked at me, opened her mouth and then shut it again.
"You'd be surprised. I know very well what it is like, I really do. Do you know how Johnny got his scar?"
I shook my head.
"He was jumped, they beat him bad. Daddy used to get jumped, Pony was jumped, Soda and Steve were jumped. Your dad saved me one time from being jumped. My brothers got jumped all the time, why, because we were greasers, Jenna. Things are just the same now as they always were. Now be honest with me, you didn't go get something to eat did you?"
I shook my head again.
"You were walking back from the movies and you were jumped. The boys defended you didn't they. You saw your first fight."
"Yes ma'am."
"Look Jenna, I don't like it at all, but maybe it was a good lesson for you. Your father and I protected you from it as best as we could. You learned what goes on here between the greasers and the socs, sure it was the hard way but you learned. Do you understand now why your father worries so much. Jake is a tough boy, socs look for the tough ones to hassle, and I faced it with your father. I love you Jenna, your father does too. He just cant show it like the rest of us can, he gets upset when he doesn't understand or things aren't how he thinks they need to be. We all love you Jenna, you are the most precious thing to us. You know that don't you?"
"Yes" I said weakly.
She gave me one last hug and stood up, walked over to the door, turned off the light and turned back around before leaving the room.
"Get some sleep and we will talk with your father in the morning."
"I love you mom."
"I love you to Jenna." She left the room shutting the door behind her.
I smiled to myself, and laid down under the warm safe sheets of my bed and fell asleep immediately.
Alice POV:
I shut the door to Jenna's room and turned around only to run smack into strong arms that I knew o so well. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head into his chest.
"Is she alright?"
"Yea, she's fine. But they didn't go eat, Dally." He raised an eyebrow. "They were jumped."
He pushed me away but kept his arms on my sides. "They were WHAT?"
I placed my finger over his lips and pointed to the door behind me.
"The girls are asleep."
He took my hand and led me back down the stairs. The boys had heard Dally's yell and had stood up.
"Sit, and I'll explain."
They did as I said knowing very well it was late and I was tired.
"The girls didn't go to eat, but they were with Michael and Jake." I let a tear roll down my face and Dally put his arm around me. "They were jumped. I didn't make her tell me what happened, I plan on doing that in the morning. She finally realized what this town is all about I guess. I didn't want her to figure it out this way but I guess it's better than seeing one of you get hurt."
"She didn't know what goes on already?" Steve asked. I shook my head.
"Nope she knew there where fights but never just jumping for no reason, I tried to hide it from her we all have. And we know it. She guess your scar was from your father." I pointed at Johnny.
He looked back at me, I looked around the room, holy crap they were all looking at me.
"What?" I asked a little more defensive than I meant to and made Johnny jump. "Sorry Johnny."
"Ah that's alright."
"How are Jake and Michael?" Darry asked being the other parent.
"She didn't say, I didn't wanna push her. I'll talk to her in the morning," I turned to Dally. "And you get to apologize."
"For what?"
"Yelling at her like you did. Night guys."
I kissed Dally good night and headed for our bedroom knowing he would be follow in a minute. I got into one of his old shirts and lay down in the bed. I thought about when we had made the house bigger.
It was fine when only 3 of our gang lived here but when we all moved in it posed a problem. There was only 3 bedrooms but 8 of us now, 9 when Jenna was born. Jenna got Pony's old room upstairs and Darry stayed in his parent's room and Soda stayed in the room he and Pony used to share.
I thought of when I moved in with Tim and Curly Shepard. They had been my family ever since I was 14. I pretty much grew up here, this is my home, not the town where I was born. I though of how I used to pray every night that they'd come and get me, that never happened. All I ever got from them was a couple hundred dollars a month and a red Mustang for my 16th birthday. A tear rolled down my cheek and I closed my eyes tight. I felt a strong hand on my hip. I rolled over and into Dally's arms. I pressed my body up against him and fell asleep from him softly stroking my hair.
Jenna POV:
I woke up to the sound of the TV blaring Mickey cartoons and the sound of Soda and Steve playing poker. I pulled on my jeans and tee shirt and walked down the stairs. My mother was in the kitchen making breakfast with Darry and daddy stood in the doorway of the kitchen talking to her, Delaine was sitting at the counter eating a waffle.
"So are you going to wake her up, it's 10 o'clock?"
"Don't need to Dally, she's right behind you." Soda called from the living room.
"Morning daddy." I said, slightly scared he was going to yell at me again.
"Morning, angel, ya hungry?" I nodded and sat in the kitchen.
Mom slid a plate in front of me that had a waffle on it and a friend egg. "Thanks."
"Delaine why don't you go upstairs for a while your mom and me need to talk to Jenna." Daddy said. She got up and went to her room.
"Ya feel like talking?" My mom asked as she sat down beside me.
"Bout what?" I said with a piece of waffle in my mouth.
"Last night." Daddy said sitting down beside me.
"What is there to talk about daddy." The other guys had come into the kitchen to eat and all stood or sat around waiting to hear what I had to say. "We were walking back from the movies and these guys came up behind us and started talking trash about me and you and mom and Jake knew I couldn't defend y'all other than by words so he told them to get lost and they pulled a blade on him. Michael pushed Liz and me behind them and they got into a fight. There was about five of em and they bet em but Jake got a big ol cut on his cheek and busted his hand open and Michael broke 2 ribs and has a black eye. They walked me here and then walked Liz home and that's it. Daddy Jake is a really nice guy, he hasn't ever hurt me and doesn't make me do things I don't wanna do, please trust him, trust me."
"Jenna, why didn't you just tell us, me someone!" My mother raised her voice not meaning to.
"Because you don't get me mom! You won't understand! You said you've been jumped but you never saw your boyfriend get cut. Daddy was a good fighter daddy never got hurt! Jake did! You don't get me, you say you do but you don't! You treat me like I'm 4, news flash mom! I'm NOT! I'm 14! 14 years old I'm a woman and I wanna be treated like one not like a little girl. The difference between us is you didn't have a mom, I don't want one!" Dang I wish I hadn't have said that. My mom looked like she had just been slapped.
"Jenna..." My dad tried to talk but my mom raised up her hand as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I never had all this Jenna." She stretched her hands out around her. "I had a nice house and nice things but I didn't have parents that loved me. Do you know what happened, do you know what they thought of me?" I shook my head. "I was a mistake! A mistake Jenna! They didn't love me, they didn't want me, and my mother wanted nothing to do with me! When I was 14 they told me I had an aunt here and I would spend the summer with her, they lied! I didn't have an aunt here and they never came to get me! Tim and Curly took me in, they were my family. Then I met your father and uncles and they became my family. And I witnessed something I wish never happened I saw Dally get shot, I saw my boyfriend get shot, and live through it!" She paused and caught her breath.
"Now I could have dropped you on the streets. I could have put you up for adoption and gone on to college, and a lot of 17 year olds would have done that and not given it a second thought but that's not me, my best friend was adopted and I knew how she felt. I wouldn't have been able to do that I wanted to give my child more than that. But I can't give you the world, I sure as hell want to Jenna but I can't. I just can't do that and it kills me. And I try to be there for you! But if you don't want a mother that's just fine with me! You can forget I ever lived and you can walk out of that door whenever you want to. No one will stop you. But once you leave you can't come back, once you walk out of my life you won't be let back in. And you will see just how cruel this world is. You think this town is cruel, well that's one town not the world. If you want out then that fine with me LEAVE! GO AND GET OUT OF MY LIFE! BUT KNOW ONE THING YOU WERE ALWAYS LOVED! YOU ALWAYS WILL BE LOVED NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO! NO MATTER WHAT STUPID STUNT YOU PULL I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO PULL YOU OUT IF YOU'RE HERE!" My mom screamed this at me, and I stood there in shock, but not as shocked as Pony, I guess he thought he had had it rough with Darry but then he saw my mom go off and changed his mind. She was crying and so was I. Part of me knew what she said she didn't mean but part of me thought that maybe she was speaking her mind and really didn't want me in her life.
I let my emotions take over and meant every word I said.
"NO! YOU DON'T CARE YOU WANT ME OUT OF YOUR LIFE! YOU NEVER WANTED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU WERE 17! WHY WOULD YOU THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE FOR ME! OH THAT'S RIGHT YOU JUST WANTED THE BEST FOR ME! WELL YOU GET YOUR SECOND WISH! I'M GONE! I'M LEAVING! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
I stormed out of the kitchen crying. And ran up the stairs. I didn't care if I never saw my mom again I was getting out of that house.
Alice POV:
I watched Jenna walk out of the kitchen. I turned to Dally. I just stood there and cried, I couldn't do anything else. He wrapped his arms around me and I put my hands on his chest and cried. We stood there and cried. I cared about her so much. I would give my life for my daughter but she didn't see that. She couldn't see that, she was so much like her father it was scary. She looked just like me though. She had long brown hair and bright blue eyes, which looked like glass, she was 5'2" and skinny. I never meant to make her mad I just wanted to understand what happened, how we began to fight was beyond me. I said things I hadn't meant, and that I regretted now that I had said them. But I couldn't bring myself to forgive my daughter for what she said to me I couldn't let it slip from my mind. The words played over and over again in my head 'you didn't have a mom, I don't want one!' God that hurt, she hit a nerve with that one.
I had calmed down and stopped crying. Jenna had stayed in her room and Soda was with her to make sure she didn't leave. And possibly trying to knock some sense into her. Tim and Curly had come by and stayed at the house. Darry had taken Delaine over to Cherry's after I went to my room and then came back. I was sitting in my bedroom with Dally when I heard a knock on the door. I raised my head up when I heard Pony asked who they wanted.
"Alice! It's for you, I think." Pony called.
I looked at Dally questioningly and he shrugged so and we both walked outside. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who it was.
"Mom? Dad? Why are you here?"
"We wanted to see our grandchild, last time she wasn't born yet." They stood there on the porch and then asked. "Well, aren't you going to let us in?"
"Sure. Whatever. Why now, why not when she was born? Huh, why are you here now? Why didn't you come back after you learned how far along I was to see her be born."
"Well we were driving back through and thought we'd stop and see if you were still here and a girl at the diner said you still lived here and you had had the baby and then had another one. So we came."
"Why? You never cared to stop by years ago when she was little. Delaine isn't home, she's at a friends. Why do you want to see my daughter? Why the hell are you here!" I was so upset I yelled not meaning to.
Soda came down and stood by the other guys who were beside or behind me while my parents stood in front of the door still.
"I want to see my granddaughter." My mother said.
"I'm right here." I turned around to see Jenna walk down the stairs and come and stand beside Soda.
"Oh goodness. You look just like your mother did when she was younger. How old are you sweetie."
"My name's not sweetie it's Jenna. And I'm 14." She was defiantly Dally's daughter, she had such a lovely temper towards new people. Now my mom looked at me.
"You cant be that old, your mother was only what 15?"
"17." I said flatly.
"Where you married?" she looked at me.
"No." Jenna stated.
"Jennifer, do not speak unless you are spoken to." I turned to her and said.
"You threw your life away. You had a child at 17, what type of idiot does that."
"One who is in LOVE! L-O-V-E! LOVE! Something you don't know about. Because you don't love daddy, and you certainly didn't love me! I am married to the best man in the world who loves me and my daughter and I love him and Jenna."
"Did you go to college, do you have a job, does he?"
"No I didn't go to college, but I do have a job and so does he. I'm a waitress and he works at the DX. I'm so sorry I failed you and didn't go to college. I'm sorry I was born a girl, I'm sorry I didn't play football and was a complete screw up to you! I'm SORRY OK!" Things Jenna didn't know about me where revealed and I looked back at her and she was pale.
"We loved you Alice, I loved you! I didn't want you to leave." My dad spoke up finally.
"Then why didn't you come and get me? Why didn't you ever call, or write, I wrote you, or maybe just come and see me, me not my child!"
"I never got any of the letters."
"I wrote you for a year! I prayed and wished you would come get me! I wished every birthday for my daddy to come and get me to take me back home, to get me away from this place. But you never came so I stopped wishing. I asked God every night for my dad to come and take me away. But you never came, my prayers were never answered until now and now it's too late. I wrote you telling you how much I loved you and missed you but I never got one letter back, not ONE!"
"I never got those letters. I didn't know about them. They never reached the house. I just thought your mom wanted to see you last time we were here."
I turned to my mom. "You kept them. Dad never got the mail, you did. You kept them from him. YOU NEVER GAVE HIM MY LETTERS!"
"We sent you money and a car what more did you want from us?" My mom screamed at me.
"I never wanted money or a car! I WANTED YOU DAD! I WANTED PARENTS WHO CARED ABOUT ME! I LOVED MY CAR BUT IT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED! I WANTED YOU!" I calmed down and sarcastically asked. "Did you ever succeed in getting a boy or was I the only mistake?"
"No, you have 2 brothers, Matt, and Warren. I got pregnant again after we left you here." My mom stated rudely.
"How old are they?" Tears brimmed my eyes but I wouldn't let them fall, not now.
"Matt is 16 and Warren is 15." My dad said.
"Do they look like me?"
"Warren does, do you want to see them?" My dad spoke to me again.
"You have pictures?"
"No, they are in the car." My mom said as she turned around to get them. In a few seconds they were in front of me. "Matt, Warren this is your older sister Alice." Before they could say hello I spoke towards my mom.
"No. I am not their sister, they don't have a sister. They don't know me they never grew up with me. They might be my blood mom but they aren't my brothers." I pointed to Tim and Curly. "They are, they grew up with me, they love me, they know every little thing about be, what bugs me, what I love, what I like to do, they know." I pointed to the men in front of me. "They don't. And you aren't my mom. Mothers don't desert their children, mothers don't leave their children in a foreign town. Mothers love and protect their children, they want to give them the world, and they don't care if their child is a boy or girl. YOU are not my mother you are my acquaintance. I don't know whom these men are standing in front of me but I want them out of my house! What did you really come here for? You didn't come to just see Jennifer."
"No I didn't. I want her out of this neighborhood. I want her to come with me."
"Why? What can you give her? Huh mom what can you give my daughter?"
"A good education in a nice private school. I good home." She looked around disgusted and the look on her face made me want to hit her. "I can give her nice clothes, a car when she turns 16, and a good place to live away from fighting. I can be a good mother for her."
"I'm going with you!" Jenna screamed and ran up to my mom.
Tears that had stung my eyes threatening to fall fell now. "Is this what you really want Jenna, do you really want to go with them?"
"Yes I want to go with them."
"Alright, you can go, but just hear me out, listen to me for once. She can give you what I can't Jenna. She is right she can give you a good education and nice things away from fighting, but she will NEVER be your mother. She can't be a mother to you Jenna. She will give you everything but she won't love you. She can't love you Jenna, she will get sick of you being around, she will throw you right back out of that house just as quick as she took you into it. It is your choice but I don't want you to leave. You will always be loved here, you will always have family here, but you will never have nice things, you will never get away from the fighting and I hate that and want to change it but I can't Jenna. She can give you everything and I can't do that Jenna. I never will be able to."
"Your mother is right Jennifer, I can give you everything you want."
Jenna looked at my mom and then back at me. Almost like she wanted me to make the decision for her.
"I can't choose for you Jenna, this is your choice. Only you can choose."
"Jennifer come with me."
"No. I'm staying here." She said as she turned around to me. "I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry. I love you so much."
My mother grabbed Jenna's arm and whipped he back around grabbing both her arms. "Jennifer. I can give you the love and trust you need. I can give you a family and new friends and everything you've ever dreamed of."
"I don't think you heard me right. I'm staying here." Jenna shook her arms loose.
"Jennifer!" My mom reached out for her again but Dally swatted my mom's hand away from Jenna.
"Excuse me you have no right to touch me."
"O yes I do. Do not touch my daughter."
"Jennifer I can give you everything!"
"I have things to say to you. One my name is not Jennifer my name is Jenna. J-E-N-N-A. Jenna. Two I have everything I ever wanted right here. Are you deaf or something its all right here. Everything I want is right here. So I'll never get a car or nice things, oh well my parents love me and so do my 7 uncles, my friends and my boyfriend. I have everything right here. Three my mom is right I have something you can never give me, a mother's love. It's something you can never give me. Four I don't want nice things, I'm not that type of girl, I've got an attitude that can drive people crazy I am hard headed, girly but tough, everything that has made me who I am is right here in this house."
My mom looked shocked so I finished up for my daughter.
"What JENNA is saying to you ma'am is you can take your money, nice things, and college education and shove it!" I put my arm around my daughter.
"Alice how can you do this to me, I love you, I always have." My mom reached out for me but the boys stepped in front.
"I think she told you to shove it which is kinda your invitation to leave." Steve said.
I raised my hand to stop my parents from walking out. "No don't leave yet I have a few more words to say to you." I pointed to my mom.
"You never loved me, you don't know how to love me, you never will. You are not my mother, never were, and never will be. My daughter has no grandparents, she never has, and never will. You didn't love me so I know there is no way you can love her like we do. You just can't, and yes you can give her everything that money can buy, but you can never be her mother. That is a job for one girl and that's me. Now you said you loved me daddy, but you never came to get me, so you can't love me too much. Now I don't care if you sue the crap outa me, you aren't taking my daughter from me. So like Steve said, I think you can leave now." I spoke my mind and finally said how I felt after years of keeping it to myself.
"Alice I…" My dad began to speak but Darry, Dally, Tim, Curly, Soda, Steve, Ponyboy, Two-bit, and Johnny walked forward towards them, pushing them out the door.
"I'm sorry daddy, you might love me, or say you do, but I don't love you anymore, I just can't."
My mom in a furious rage got into her car with my dad and brothers and drove off.
Jenna began crying and latched on to my waist. "I'm so sorry mom. I'm so so sorry. I didn't know, I never knew about her. Please, I'm so sorry."
"Shh. Jenna it's ok. Don't cry, it's alright. I forgive you. It's ok." I wrapped my arms around her.
"No. No it's not. I…"
"Jenna" I lifted her head to meet my eyes. "I will love you no matter what you do. Know that ok."
"Ok. I love you mom."
"Now if I remember correctly you haven't really eaten anything, and I know Jake is probably worried about you so why don't you call him and have him come over for lunch. Tim, you and Curly stay too. Then call Cherry and have her bring Delaine back and see if she can stay for lunch too." I said.
"Ok" she said and wiped her eyes and then ran and called Jake. Dally walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me.
"Do you really think this is a good idea? Having him over." He said.
"Look at it this way, if he's over here you can keep an eye on him." I said and he grinned, "I love you Dally."
"I love you too." He said and I kissed him and then went into the kitchen to make lunch for everyone.
Everything was back to normal, for good. My life had changed so much over the years but it had all changed for the better. I wouldn't have had it any other way.