A/N – I've had a real lack of ambition to type all this up lately, but due
to the calm in the storm known as homework, classes, Girl Scouts, yoga,
salsa, and work I decided to be a responsible author and update. Enjoy!
Home chapter 9
The night, after Curly went home, we ate dinner together like a family. Darry had made chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. He had greatly improved in his cooking skills since the days when he babysat us kids. I had forgotten how wonderful those meals were though. They were loud, everyone talking at once while they ate hungrily.
After dinner came chocolate cake, a staple in the Curtis house. Soda had baked it tonight and had written on top in blue frosting was "Welcome Back, Chloe!!"
I smiled; they were such a sweet group of boys even if all you could see on the outside was a bunch of hoods. Despite myself I choked up and tears sprung to my eyes.
"Thank you guys, it feels good to finally be back again." As I spoke, my tears flowed freely from my eyes. Soda gave me a one armed hug from his seat.
"Stop crying, you freak. That's Pony's job." I smiled. Pony was supposed to be the sensitive one. Darry came over and knelt next to me, turning me so that I was facing him.
"You have a very different life now, Chloe. We'll understand if you want to live that one only. But if it's what you want, we'd love to have our sister back."
I was crying so hard now all I could manage to do was to pull him into a hug. We had all lost so much in the years we had been apart; it was nice to finally get something back.
A few hours later Soda, Steve, Pony, Two-Bit and I were standing outside the fence of the "Nightly Double". It had been forever since I had been to a drive in...longer still since I had snuck into a movie.
One at a time playing lookout for each other we carefully slid under the fence and then casually walked away from it.
Once seated Soda offered to get some snacks.
"No, I'll get them," I said standing up.
"No way, you can't pay your first night back," Steve said.
"I'm not paying," I said with a sly grin, "Curly's paying."
Soda came with me to the concession booth to help me carry the popcorn and drinks. As we walked there, I tried to push back the feeling that I was falling for my best friend.
In the snack bar, surrounded by other loud, happy teenagers I leaned against the coral bar, Soda leaning towards me, his hands holding the bar on either side of me. He was pointing out people from our childhood, making me laugh till I cried with stories of the high school years.
He was in the middle of telling me how Janie and a few other girls I had been friendly with got sloshed on prom night and ended up skinny dipping in the pool with their dates – and how Principal Wood had come into investigate some noises. It was then that I felt the familiar stickiness of a spit ball embedding itself in my hair.
I whipped around prepared to tell Two-Bit where to go. But it wasn't Two-Bit standing behind me laughing; it was Randy and a few other guys.
Soda looked angry and made a motion as if to go over to them. I put my hand out to stop him.
"I've got I," I said. Soda nodded and I felt him slip his blade into my back pocket as I jumped over the coral bar and walked over to Randy and his cronies. As I walked, I pulled the spit ball from my hair.
"I believe this belongs to you," I said throwing the spit ball into Randy's face.
"You greaser bitch," he growled at me. "I see you've returned to your roots."
"I've come back to people who love me. Please leave me alone, Randy."
"Not a chance. I want you, and I always get what I want." He took a step foreword and instinctively I took a step back. It was then that I felt Soda's strong arm come around my waist.
"Hey Chloe, we're missing the movie, let's go." Randy didn't say a word as Soda led me out... but I could feel his eyes staring at us.
Home chapter 9
The night, after Curly went home, we ate dinner together like a family. Darry had made chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. He had greatly improved in his cooking skills since the days when he babysat us kids. I had forgotten how wonderful those meals were though. They were loud, everyone talking at once while they ate hungrily.
After dinner came chocolate cake, a staple in the Curtis house. Soda had baked it tonight and had written on top in blue frosting was "Welcome Back, Chloe!!"
I smiled; they were such a sweet group of boys even if all you could see on the outside was a bunch of hoods. Despite myself I choked up and tears sprung to my eyes.
"Thank you guys, it feels good to finally be back again." As I spoke, my tears flowed freely from my eyes. Soda gave me a one armed hug from his seat.
"Stop crying, you freak. That's Pony's job." I smiled. Pony was supposed to be the sensitive one. Darry came over and knelt next to me, turning me so that I was facing him.
"You have a very different life now, Chloe. We'll understand if you want to live that one only. But if it's what you want, we'd love to have our sister back."
I was crying so hard now all I could manage to do was to pull him into a hug. We had all lost so much in the years we had been apart; it was nice to finally get something back.
A few hours later Soda, Steve, Pony, Two-Bit and I were standing outside the fence of the "Nightly Double". It had been forever since I had been to a drive in...longer still since I had snuck into a movie.
One at a time playing lookout for each other we carefully slid under the fence and then casually walked away from it.
Once seated Soda offered to get some snacks.
"No, I'll get them," I said standing up.
"No way, you can't pay your first night back," Steve said.
"I'm not paying," I said with a sly grin, "Curly's paying."
Soda came with me to the concession booth to help me carry the popcorn and drinks. As we walked there, I tried to push back the feeling that I was falling for my best friend.
In the snack bar, surrounded by other loud, happy teenagers I leaned against the coral bar, Soda leaning towards me, his hands holding the bar on either side of me. He was pointing out people from our childhood, making me laugh till I cried with stories of the high school years.
He was in the middle of telling me how Janie and a few other girls I had been friendly with got sloshed on prom night and ended up skinny dipping in the pool with their dates – and how Principal Wood had come into investigate some noises. It was then that I felt the familiar stickiness of a spit ball embedding itself in my hair.
I whipped around prepared to tell Two-Bit where to go. But it wasn't Two-Bit standing behind me laughing; it was Randy and a few other guys.
Soda looked angry and made a motion as if to go over to them. I put my hand out to stop him.
"I've got I," I said. Soda nodded and I felt him slip his blade into my back pocket as I jumped over the coral bar and walked over to Randy and his cronies. As I walked, I pulled the spit ball from my hair.
"I believe this belongs to you," I said throwing the spit ball into Randy's face.
"You greaser bitch," he growled at me. "I see you've returned to your roots."
"I've come back to people who love me. Please leave me alone, Randy."
"Not a chance. I want you, and I always get what I want." He took a step foreword and instinctively I took a step back. It was then that I felt Soda's strong arm come around my waist.
"Hey Chloe, we're missing the movie, let's go." Randy didn't say a word as Soda led me out... but I could feel his eyes staring at us.