To my sweet pals reading this book, I want to thank you. When I was in my prime for fanfiction on , I finally realized that I wasn't writing for myself anymore. I was not enjoying my craft like I was when I started writing. Now, with Sylvia, I am relearning to love writing. Sylvia has already taught me an incredible amount. I cannot believe that I could already love a character so much. I hope you are loving her as I do, and seeing the potential and good she has in her heart. So, review, favorite, or just read, I hope you are enjoying the journey we are going on.
As always, Love to all,
dedicatedwallflower
"Golly, I didn't realize it would be this much fuss in one little date." I complain as Karen applies some kind of thick power to my eyes.
With my great luck I'll end up looking like a common prostitute, or worse, Angie.
"You sure do whine a lot, Sylvia." She laughs, continuing to slather things all over my face.
When I told Karen about the date, she rushed on over, claiming that she needed more than two hours of a heads up, and she's been bossing me around ever since she got here.
I am quite nervous, mostly because Danny nearly had a fit when I told him I would be going out for the third night in a row. He seems to think that I can't leave the house or the whole damn thing will fall apart. Karen says I should tell him to shove off, but I just take it. I don't want to cause no trouble, but I also can't help but be intrigued by the offers of Dallas Winston.
It's silly, really, that a girl like me would catch his eye. I'm having a hard time believing any of this is real. Then there's the matter of Tim.
"You look like you're suckin' a lemon, what's got you all worked up Sylv?" Karen stops putting makeup on my face, sitting down on her bed next to me.
"Kare, what if Danny is right?" I sigh, looking down "What if I really do have no place chasing some rowdy greaser from another gang. What if I cause too much trouble?"
She looks at me right in the eye, it's what I admire so about her. Karen ain't ever afraid of a fight, she's got greaser written all over her, and no one dares take advantage of her, even Curly. Glory, I can't even imagine Curly trying to get Kare to do anything she don't want to do.
"Sylvia, it's not like you're fixin' to marry him. It will be one date, and I'll deal with Danny if he makes one peep."
Nothing about her words comfort me, but I do know she speaks truth. Especially about Danny, Danny would never dare mess with Karen. I swear he hates her so because he's terrified she will sic Curly and Angela on him. That thought alone is probably enough to scare anyone sensible.
"I suppose you're right, it's just a date." I smile up at her.
"That's my girl, now, don't go running away on me when I show you the top I found for ya, I figured we could put it with that red skirt you brought, that way you don't look like you're changing too much." She grins, running her hand through her dark hair.
I look in her vanity mirror while I wait, raising my eyebrows at the slightly dark makeup on my face. I am awful thankful that I still look like myself though. Karen spent nearly an hour making my hair look somewhat presentable, she muttered curse words the entire time though.
"Okay, here it is." She squeals, handing me some kind of shirt with no shoulders.
She must sense my utter confusion, because she takes it back, trying to show me how it works. In the end she just stuffs me into it, again cursing at me when I get stuck.
"Glory, I've never seen a girl get lost in a shirt with a head hole so big."
"Oh shut it, Karen." I groan, pulling up my red skirt.
Karen starts on me again with the hairspray, and I swear if Dallas lights up a cancer stick near me, I may go up in flames.
"Alright Sylvie, you're perfect." She pushes me to the mirror, and I let out a little smile, actually pleased by the way I look.
"Karen?" a voice carries into her room and my eyes widen.
"Shit, I told him not to come over here. Act natural." Karen throws me a book, rushing to the door to greet her boyfriend.
Curly walks into the room as she fixes to leave it, and stops when he sees me.
"Tim know you're running around looking like that?" He smirks, but I can feel the implications behind his words.
"Does Tim know what?" I could die, Tim walks in behind him, and I wish I could shrink into the floor.
I look at Tim, wide eyed, and especially nervous. When his eyes meet mine, I drop them to the ground.
"Sylvia, why are you dressed like that?" he almost growls out, and I shrink back further.
"She's going out tonight." Karen speaks for me when I don't.
"And who do you think you're going with?"
I swear I could cut the tension in the room straight through with a blade.
Finally getting the courage to speak up, I whisper "Dallas Winston."
Tim looks like he's mad as hell, stomping over to me.
"No you ain't." he grabs me by my arm, dragging me towards the stairs. He's hurting me, but in my moment of panic I can't form words, choking on air as I stumble behind him.
Karen trails us, for once she looks afraid, and that just scares me more. Even Curly doesn't say a word to his brother.
Tim's fingers dig into my arm where he holds me, and tears start to prick in my eyes.
Just when I think it can't get any worse, Tim flings open the door to find Dallas Winston walking up Karen's porch steps. Tim stops yanking on me, and I fall forward, thankful that he's still got a grip on me I don't manage to hit the ground.
"Shepard." Dallas acknowledges Tim, his eyes travel to me, looking me over and finally landing on the hand that holds me tight.
"Winston, you ain't going anywhere with my girl."
I want to tell him that I ain't anyone's girl, but I bite my tongue. Dallas tries to look at me again, but I fix my eyes on the rotting wood beneath us.
"Man, look at her, let her go." Dallas rolls his eyes, stepping closer.
"Sylvia, tell him you ain't going anywhere with him." Tim warns, holding me tighter. It hurts, and I let out a little squeak before speaking.
"I can't go Dallas." I whisper so quiet that I pray he won't hear it.
"Come on, you got all dolled up, and you look like a star. I told you I was takin' you out, and that's what I plan to do." I try to break free from Tim at Dallas' words.
Karen suddenly unfreezes, grabbing my other arm and yanking me so hard I swear both of my shoulders will dislocate.
"Tim, I'm fixing to beat the tar out of you." She glares, and gives me another tug. To my surprise he lets go and shoves me towards Karen and Dallas.
I nearly fall, but Dally catches me, holding me up like the proper gentleman he told me he would be.
Tim moves to go inside, But Dallas stops Tim, wrapping an arm around me, he looks to Tim with disgust.
"Don't you dare lay another hand on her, man." He growls.
Tim ignores him and goes back inside, taking Curly with him.
I look at Karen, still in awe of her actions. I would have never been so brave.
"Will you be okay here?" my voice shakes, and I hate that I can't be more tuff like the two with me now.
"Of course," she smiles, but it don't reach her eyes "you just go have a fine time, I'll take care of Tim."
She turns and walks into the house, shouting and making a racket as she does.
"Well, you look like a doll." Dally smiles, trying to be real gentle with me "let me see that arm." He runs his hand over me, turning my arm around in his hands, looking at the red marks that already have a small purple tint.
"I don't know why he did that. He…he's never done that before." An ice cold fear runs through my body at the thought of Tim touching me.
"It was stupid, let's get out of here, arm looks okay." He lights a cigarette, tossing the arm he doesn't use around me like he always does.
"So Mr. Winston, what's the plan?" I smile softly, looking up at the puffs of smoke that billow around his face.
"Let's just get out of here, away from all this." He grins "I got just the place."
We get to his car, and he puts me in first, running around to his side.
"So where are we going?"
"I know this place in the city, a few hours from here. I have a friend who will let us use his place for the weekend. I'm talking shopping, maybe seeing some races, shows too." He throws the car into drive, the engine purrs underneath us.
"Dallas Winston, are you kidnapping me?" I kid, watching as the houses fly by us.
"Man, you came willingly." He turns a corner, he's real proud of himself for getting me to come, I can tell.
I smile, staying quiet. I can barely feel the throb of my arm anymore, so I smooth out my skirt, fiddling with a loose thread on the seat of the car.
"So, we got a while, tell me more about yourself, and dammit, if you tell me about your brothers or science, I'll stop and leave you here." He's gone serious again, and I internally sigh, it's not often that I like to tell anyone about myself, it's too heavy to just spill.
"Like what." I answer the same, fiddling with the thread furiously so that I don't notice the stare he's giving me. When I do look up I realize that we've drifted into the other lane.
"Dally, watch the road." I gasp, and he swerves to avoid a big truck.
"Calm down, I've got it under control."
"Well obviously not!" I exclaim, clutching at my heart, it feels like it's trying to beat out of my chest.
"Man, just tell me something about you."
I notice that he doesn't look at me this time, and I smile, knowing he's learned his lesson.
"Well, before I left school, one time I played Juliet in the eighth grade play." I loved that play, I loved that I could be someone completely different, someone who could be do what she wanted and was strong enough to go against what her family told her time and time again.
"Hey, I like that, I'm gonna call you Juliet." He smirks, laughing a bit at me.
"My dad took the night off, and got me flowers, Charlie even came, and Danny too. I was so happy when I came out from backstage after the play. Dad promised he would take us all out that night to a fancy restaurant, we just had to go get my mom because she wasn't feeling well enough to sit through my play." My mood changes after that thought, and I stop talking real quick.
"Well, did he take you out?" Dallas tries, keeping his eyes on the road.
"No, we came home and my mom, well she had packed everything that was hers and left. My dad grabbed his bottle, and sat on the couch for a month while I tried to pick up the pieces."
I can't help but hate remembering that night, those months following. My dad just drank, and he didn't say a word, of course Danny tried to take up his place, but it was just too much.
"He told me he couldn't send me back to school the day before my first year of high school, and it crushed me, ya know." I trail off, my fingers find the string again.
"Damn, Juliet." Dallas is silent.
We drive a little longer, finally outside of Tulsa, and I watch the trees pass us by.
"Ya know, the kid I hang out with, Johnny, he thinks you're something else," he pauses, turning down the radio "he says that anyone who can back talk me like you do is a real keeper."
"Well you tell Johnny that I am a real keeper." I laugh, scooting close to Dallas.
"I'm thinking the same way, Juliet." He flinches when I smack him.
"Stop calling me that, Dally." I exaggerate my new nickname for him.
"I will when you stop with the Dally, man, you make me sound like a girl." He mutters.
"So, how much longer exactly?" he puts his arm around me at my question, chuckling lowly.
"Don't you be askin' me that the entire time, we still got a while before our first stop."
I admire him as we ride in silence. He's so different than everything I'm used to. He makes me feel like I'm free, like its okay to challenge and be tuff. And he is tuff, so tuff, and with him right now, I feel like I could be something, like a something more than just a girl who cooks and cleans like a mother even if she isn't. But how would I know, I am just that silly girl.
I contemplate this as we fly down the road, and with each mile freedom seems attainable, like I could reach out and grab it.