1Disclaimer- You know, I still don't own The Outsiders, and whoever thinks I do... no...just no... I'm shaking my head at you.
A/N– I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I got grounded from the computer. I err... talked back to my mother. Smart move, Gracie!
Chapter 2
I opened my eyes on the cold November morning, and huddled close to my blanket. Another Friday night had come and gone, and Marie was here sleeping in my bed. I got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower and stuff. After I got out, I heard Marie stir. She was still pretty much passed out on my bed. I changed my clothes into my jean skirt, white tank top, and leather jacket. I went into the kitchen and ate a bowl of cereal. My stomach still lurched when ever I ate. Even after a year.
I heard Marie walk into the kitchen. "Hey, honey, how ya feeling?"
"Better, my stomach feels bad, but I don't feel much worse other than that..."
"That's good. I suppose you don't want anything to eat? Maybe some bread?"
"Toast would be nice. Are you goin' out without any make up again? Can I please put some on you? It will be fun! I gave you some make-up for your birthday, I know you have some. So go into your room, let me get started. And I need to borrow some clothes."
"Hey, you can borrow some clothes, but I'm not so sure about the make up..."
"Aw, come on, like I said, it'll be fun." She went into my room. I sighed and put some bread in the toaster. "Hey, girl, why you got this ratty jacket? It's all used up and stuff, don't you know how to throw away? I mean, look, it has little holes and everything." She came out carrying a certain jean jacket I would never give up for anything.
"No! I'm keeping that," I yelled, walking briskly over and snatching it. I didn't mean to be so rude about it, it just came out like that.
"Why? I mean, no offense, but look at it."
"Cause, well... cause it's kinda special to me. I mean... remember that kid who died in the fire last year?"
"Yea, you used to hang out with him."
"It was his, he gave it to me... I know that's awful corny, but I can't help it. It was a present kinda, I guess..."
"Aw, okay, sorry. Well, I'm going to go change, and we can leave."
"Okay, come out when you're done." a few minutes later I heard Marie calling for me. I rolled my eyes and went into my bed room. The door slammed behind me, and she stood there holing out a brush and some blue eye shadow. She came towards me.
"What are you-Wait, no, no make up. Oh come on, seriously," I said backing up a little.
"We're not goin' out 'til you put some on. I did not give you this for nothin'. Okay. Sit down!" She said, pushing me down a little onto my bed.
"Well... just lightly... I've never worn make up before really... do you think it'll look good?"
"Yea, anyways, we're goin over to see Angela... and Curly," she said, smiling down at me. I looked up, I knew that smile.
"What are you thinking... you can not be serious. Me and Curly? He doesn't like me like that! I mean... does he?" I said, smiling at the thought of it. He was kind of nice... and he did say something about the dance the night before. She applied some blue eye shadow, and then she pulled out two lip sticks.
"Which one?" She asked. I chose the one that wasn't as noticeable. She started speaking as she applied it as well. "You know, this is cool, I don't have that bad of a hang over..."
"Don't get any ideas," I said, looking up at her.
"Well, a little sometimes won't hurt. It's not like I'll become an alcoholic."
"Just make sure of that."
"Okay! All done!" she said as she finished my make up. I went to the mirror and actually kind of liked it.
"Well... it's not bad, I guess..." I said. Marie looked at me, smirking. "Okay, I love it. Can you do my hair?" She laughed and pulled my hair expertly into a tight and high ponytail. I smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem. Okay, well, let's get goin'."
"Okay, off to Angela's!" I said, walking out of my room and then front door with my finger in the air.
"And Curly's!" She said, looking at me again and breaking out giggling.
"And Curly's!" I shouted and jumped over my gate. Well, more like climbed over it quickly. I ran a few houses over, but Marie had stopped in front of the Curtis house.
"Hey, didn't Angie want you to get Ponyboy to take her out? I mean, maybe we should stop and talk to him."
"I'm not so sure about that. Maybe we can just tell her I tried..."
"You really don't wanna talk to him, do ya?" She said, staring at me. I shook my head.
"Not really."
"Oh... okay."
"Well, let's go," I said as I looked away from the house, and I walked down the side walk without the enthusiasm I had about a few seconds or so before.
"Well, so, you talk to Ponyboy? Please tell me you have!" Angela said as we sat out on her front porch. As you can tell, her house is the house you just... go to.
"Not yet, Angie. I haven't seen him for a while, and frankly, I don't want to."
"Oh, come on, you gotta admit he's hot."
"His hair's not red enough."
"But it's blonde-ish red, and we both have the same taste in guys." She said, looking at me.
"Well... he's okay looking."
"Hah! Okay, just say something to him. Please. Anyways, who you want to take you?" She asked, looking at me with her striking blue eyes. I stood up, and walked to her door.
"I'm going to get a drink, you want something?" I asked her.
"Nah, what about you Marie?" Angela asked Marie. Marie looked up.
"Uhhh... no. What time is it? Oh, dammit. I gotta go see Austin. I'll talk to you later. Bye, huns," She said, looking through the windows of Angela's house to her clock.
"Okay, bye, Marie," Me and Angela said. Angela pulled out a magazine and I walked into her house.
"Hey, Curly," I said, walking past him. He followed me into their kitchen.
"Hey. What are you doin'?" he asked me.
"Oh, just gettin' a soda, you want one?"
"Uhh, sure. Hey, you know about the dance coming up?" he said, walking a little closer. I turned around, so I was facing him.
"Yea, we were talkin' about it last night, remember?" I said, smiling up at him. He laughed a little. I grabbed two cokes and handed one to him.
"Anyways, I was wonderin' if-"
"Okay, what's taking so long?" Angela said, coming in. "Why are you two in here? Okay, Corey, hurry up already." I shrugged and walked out the door. Curly followed us outside.
"Seriously, don't you have your own life?" Angela said as we sat down. Curly just stared at her and sipped his coke.
"Hey, I'm going home. I'm going to do my home work now. I don't want to leave it 'till the last minute." I said standing up. Angela nodded, and said goodbye. She walked inside her house.
"You, uhh, want me to walk you home? It's already started to get dark."
"Oh, thanks, Curly." We walked in silence for a bit. My house was only a couple streets away from Angela's so it didn't take long. We got to the front of my house. It was unusually warm out for a November night, and the Curtis's had their door open.
"Hey, Corey, what I was just tryin' to say earlier, before Angel interrupted me, was I just wanted to know if you'd want to go to the dance with me." He said, looking down. I smiled hugely.
"Of course I will! I'll see you and Angie tomorrow. Bye," I said, with the same grin on my face. He kind on nodded a little, and walked away in the opposite direction that his house was in. I walked up to my door with that sort of good butterfly feeling in your stomach that you get when you're really happy. I looked over and Ponyboy was sitting down on his front porch, just looking at the ground. I thought maybe I could go and talk to him, maybe mention Angela like she asked. But he looked up first and smiled.
"Hey. Long time no talk."
"It's been only a week," I said. There was an uncomfortable silence. I decided to break it. "So, you goin' to the dance that is next week? Are bringing some one?" I asked. He looked up again after looking down.
"Nah, just goin' with my friends."
"Oh."
"Yea..."
"Uh huh..."
"Well..." Ponyboy looked up at his door. Sodapop jumped out and got beside Ponyboy. I was leaning on the fence separating our two houses.
"Hey, Pony, Darry says you have to do home work. HI, COREY!" he said, coming up to the fence. I smiled a little.
"Hello, Soda," I said.
"I heard you goin' to the dance with Mr. Curly Shepard. Hah, Curly and Corey. Hah, that's sounds cool together. Anyways-"
"What, how is it you know everything? Were you spying?"
"No, but I heard." I looked past Sodapop and Ponyboy was gone inside his house or something.
"I'll talk to you later. And, Sodapop, can you do me a favor? See, Agela wants to go to the dance with Ponyboy. So can you like.. Insinuate it at Ponyboy to take her?"
"Uhhh okay..."
"Oh thanks, Sodapop," I said and stepped back a little. He turned around and went into his house.
"Uhhh, Darry? What's insinuate mean?" I heard him say when he got inside his house. I laughed and walked inside, vowing never to talk to them again if I needed not. I didn't have anything against them, I really didn't. It was just too painful. It reminded me of my past. I hated being reminded of those horrible, but wonderful days. The days where I had two actual best friends. The days where I didn't worry about being cool enough for my friends. But you can't get to attached to something, nothing ever stays the same. I walked up to our living room, to find my father and his girlfriend present.
"You two are back/ I thought you guys were gone for the week?" I asked, horrified almost.
"Well, we're not you ungrateful bitch. Now go to your room or something. We're... busy, he said, pushing something away. I looked and recognized marijuana, but there was another I couldn't. I set that picture aside in my mind.
"Fine," I said and walked into my room and shut the door. I walked over to my bed and started my home work. I didn't want to get any more detentions. I heard my father and his girlfriend "Sun Flower", as she likes to be called, laughing hysterically. I pulled my science, math, world history, and literature books into my arms, grabbed a pen and notebook, and fled out my window.
I walked down a few streets to the park I would go to think at, or when I was mad, or sad. I sat down under a tree, and restarted my home work. It took a while, but it was finished. When I looked up again, it was completely dark. I walked up to the old swing set, and set down my books. I sat on one of the creaky old seats, and sat on it, moving as slow as molasses in January. I never really understood that saying, I mean, what if the molasses was heated? I mean, just cause it's January doesn't mean its freezing... anyways, I was sitting there, when I heard a noise.
"Who's there?" There was nothing. I stood up. "Hello?" I asked. It was starting to scare me. The last time I had been in this park with some one... it had been Johnny. It was our special place to go sometimes. Like, our hang out.
"Hello?" I heard an echo type voice say. Shivers started to go down my spine. I wasn't listening to the actual voice, just the words. "Hello?" The hello was elongated that time.
"Who's there?" I asked. I was breathing a little off. No one answered, but I heard a rustle over near some trees. Then I heard a twig break near the see saw... in the complete other direction. "Okay, this isn't funny, who ever you are." I said with a confidence un-known to me.
"Yea, it was." I whipped around, and there was Nakia Jackson, standing right behind me.
"Oh my... how did you? I heard the trees... and see saw... and voices... what?" I said. She laughed.
"Well, I came over here cause I saw some one, and it turned out to be you! I haven't talked to you in forever! Guess what? I moved here!"
"Wait, here? Why here? This part of town sucks," I said. She was the one that lived in the middle part of town. She didn't have to worry about the problems of a greaser... or a Soc, for that matter.
"Well, financial problems. That's mainly it. So what's been goin' on?" She asked, looking at me.
"Well... nothing really I guess. So where do you live now?"
"Uhhhh, about four blocks down that way."
"That's cool..." I said, looking down at the grass. "Wanna go on the swings?" I asked. She nodded and we sat down next to each other. I just sat there, but she was swinging back and forth very slightly.
"So... how has been everything?" She asked. I shrugged.
"Fine... I guess." We sat there in a silence. "You?" She shrugged as well.
"Better. Umm... you remember that problem you had? With the throwing up? Is it better?" she asked. I looked down.
"Yea." We sat there for a while.
"Well, I had better get home. Maybe I'll see you around some time?"
"Yea..." I said, and started swinging a little bit as she stood up. She stood there for a second, and then started to walk off. "Hey, how about at 2 tomorrow, same place," I hollered when she was a couple yards off. She turned around and smiled.
"Great, see ya then!" She said and walked off. I stayed there for about an hour, then left for home.
AN- I'm sorry I took so long! No excuses! Thank you for reading, and I'm sorry it's so short! Please review! For the love of God, REVIEW. Thank you... if you do...
