Chapter 13: I want a New Drug (Skywriter's Point of View)

"No way Kate! No way! It's not happin'!" I yell. "You can't leave me here! I don't even know them!"

"Yeah but you know Dally! And Darry wants you here!" She yells back. I look at he like she's lost her mind. She has to of lost her mind. Damn it this is so typical Kate. She's known these guys for all of three hours…

"No. I don't care. My friends are in Broken Arrow!" I say, trying to find one inch of proof that my sister hasn't totally lost it.

"Your friends are assholes. There are lots of guys around here-" She states. I stare down at the street we're walking on and shake my head. I know Dally is talking to Darry about the exact same thing, and at this moment I think Dally and I are the only sane ones in the bunch.

"I don't care if there's lots of guys around here! This place is nuts! Not to mention Darry. Have you heard him? He's crazy! You know what he asked me the first time I met him? 'Aren't you too young to be drinkin'?' He actually asked that!" I protest. If we were under different circumstances, I probably would have laughed.

"Well, maybe you are." She states. I stop walking and stare at her. I don't know what to say. Hell, I don't even know where I'm going. I just had to get out of that house.

"Oh great! Just great! Now you're Miss responsible huh? That's just what I need!" I yell, kicking a rock and continuing my walk. I can't believe this. I really can't believe this. I feel like I have smoke coming from my ears.

"Sky…you seemed to like Pony a lot. And-" She states. I throw my hands in the air in total frustration.

"That's not the point Kaitlin! That's not the goddamned point! I don't know these guys! Just because I 'seem to like Pony' doesn't mean I should move in with him!" I scream. I'm glad there aren't a lot of people around, because we aren't exactly arguing quietly.

"Just calm down Lex. Look, I just think it'll be better if you're here. You used to always want to live with Dally." She says quietly, as if contradicting my last thought.

"Yes Kate, I know. But I won't be living with Dally. I'll be living with Mr. Aren't-you-too-young-to-drink." I answer, trying to control my anger. It's true I have a little bit of a temper issue.

"Just give it a shot. Give them all a chance. Just a month. At the end of it, if you don't like, you can come back and live with me." She says.

"Oh yeah, that'll go over real well with the court." I say, remember how much they hated me being moved from my aunts guardianship to my sister's.

"It's not their choice to make. Please Lexan. For me. Just give them a chance. One month, that's all I ask." She says. I make the mistake of looking into her eyes and seeing her desperation.

"Fine Kate, fine. But you owe me." I answer, wondering if prison is as bad as they actually say.

(Meanwhile) Darry's Point of View

"Look Dar, maybe you should think about this-" Dally states for about the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

"I have thought about it. And I want him here. I can handle it." I tell him confidently.

"I know you want him here now, but Lexan isn't a pet or an animal that you can give away when you get tired of him. He's a kid. And, I'm asking for him, that you think about this long and hard before you decide you want him moving in." Dally answers. I can feel myself getting angry.

"I know he isn't an animal Dally! Stop talking down to me like I'm a kid. I'm older than you! I know how to take care of someone." I answer loudly.

"I know you do Darry. But Lexan isn't like Soda or Pony. Lexan is stubborn and temperamental. He didn't grow up with parents like yours. He doesn't see a problem with drinkin' and fightin' and all kinds of other shit that would make your jaw drop. What happens when he comes home drunk, or cusses you out, or gets into a fist fight with Pony?" He asks. Sure, some of those things I never thought about, but I'm not about to back down.

"I'll figure it out when the time comes." I answer. He shakes his head, unsatisfied.

"No, you can't figure it out when the time comes, cause then it'll be too late. You gotta know now. Because I can assure you that these things will happen. You look at em' the wrong way, and he's ready to attack. It's just in his nature." He answers.

"Sounds like someone else I know." I can't help but comment. Dally rolls his eyes, but he can't hide the half-smile.

"I know, okay. I know. I'm just saying think about it." He answers.

"I have thought about it. I want him here. It's either here or with Kate, and no offense, but she hasn't done all that well of a job as far as I can tell." I assure him. He lights his forth cigarette and nods.

"I know she hasn't. She doesn't know how to deal with him. No one does." He says softly, almost shamefully. I wonder if there is an ounce of guilt in Dally's mind.

"But he's a shit load to deal with." He adds. Well, if there was any guilt, It's gone now.

"Okay, well, I'll manage." I say with a smile. He takes a long drag and blows the smoke out slowly.

"Damn I need a stronger drug."