Chapter 13
Two-Bit
"No," I said weakly. Mom was trying to give me some soup, and I didn't want it.
"Yes," mom replied firmly. "I'm tired of you starving yourself. I know you're depressed, but you have to eat."
"I don't want food," I whined. "I want Savannah."
Mom got really quiet and stared at me worriedly. She still doesn't think that Savannah is real. I've tried to tell her that she is, but mom won't listen to me. I'm tired of arguing with her. Actually, I'm just plain tired. I just want to sleep. But I want Savannah too. Which one do I want more?
"You have to eat," mom said.
"Go away," I said. "Let me sleep."
I actually was hungry. I didn't want the soup though. It looked and smelled awful. It was the same stuff that Savannah had made when I was at her house, but everything was better with Savannah. I know that if I could see Savannah I would feel better.
"Mom," I said. She was just starting to leave.
"Yes," mom said hopefully. She was probably hoping that I'd decided to have some soup.
"Bring me Savannah," I whimpered.
"Honey," mom started.
"She works at the pharmacy on the corner," I said. "She has really green eyes, and black hair, and pale skin, and…she's perfect and I love her and I need to see her."
Mom sighed and shook her head. "Fine," she said. "I'll go look for her."
Mom left the room, and a few minutes later I heard the door slam. Maybe I'd finally get to see Savannah. Why had I even left her apartment? If I had known that I was coming back to this; to Pony being dead and to Darry and Soda being so upset then I wouldn't have left, but I didn't know that any of this was happening when I left.
Mom might be a while. I wonder if she's even going to look for Savannah. I curled up in a ball and closed my eyes. I'll take a nap while she's gone. Maybe when mom comes back she'll have Savannah with her. I hope so.
Savannah
I'm bored.
We haven't had many customers today. I've been missing Two-Bit a lot lately. I wonder if he misses me. I wonder if he's Ok.
I heard the door open and I looked up. A woman wearing high heels is walking in. She kind of looks like Two-Bit; she has his hair and his eyes. She walked over to the counter.
"I need to buy some Aspirin," she said.
This is too weird. Aspirin was what Two-Bit wanted when he came here a few weeks ago.
"Sure," I said to the woman at the counter. "I'll be right back." I wonder if Two-Bit is her son.
"Is this all?" I asked when I came back with the Aspirin.
"Yes," the woman replied. She started digging around in her purse.
I wasn't going to ask her, but I heard myself asking "Do you have a son? People call him Two-Bit."
The woman's jaw dropped, she looked up at me, and then to my name tag.
"I don't believe it," she said softly.
"What?" I asked.
The woman shook her head. "Yes," she stammered. "Two-Bit is my son. He's…he's really sick, and he keeps asking for you. I had no idea…I just thought…he has a really high fever and…" The woman's voice trailed off.
"You need to come with me," she said. "He's dying. He won't eat, he can hardly sleep, he keeps asking for you. He needs you."
I was kind of scared. What if this woman was going to kidnap me and then kill me or something? If she really was Two-Bit's mom, and if Two-Bit really was sick then I had to see him. I decided that this woman probably really was Two-Bit's mom. They look a lot alike.
"Let me talk to my boss," I said slowly. "I'll be right back."
I went to my boss and explained, with some fake tears, that I had just gotten the news that my uncle had died. The boss actually bought it. She said she was sorry and to take as much time off as I needed. The boss actually likes me for some reason.
When I got back, Two-Bit's mom was still there. "Ok," I said. "Where's Two-Bit?"
