Things between Johnny and me were going very slowly. And in a way I respected that, but in a way I wanted it to move faster. He never said anything again about marrying me, and it was a month after Sodapop and Becky's wedding. And in that month, Lucy had big, big news. News that would make me enraged with her.
In just two months of being married to Dally, he had already gotten her pregnant. They were going to be parents. Johnny and I weren't even married!
A while after Lucy told the gang about the baby, I resented her quietly but definitely. Johnny told me I was being immature, and I told him to shut up. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but he knew how upset I was with her. Lucy just didn't have to know why I was so upset with her.
Not long after she told us, Lucy and I had a discussion about it. This discussion was key to the biggest change I've ever been through in my life.
We were alone at my place because I lived alone.
"Why are you into this, anyway?" I screamed at her. Good, now I could yell at her and she would be defenseless. No big brothers, best friends or husband to take her side.
"Into what?" she asked.
"Oh, don't play dumb, Lucy! You know what I mean. Look, you got married when you were twenty and now you're twenty-one. Two months later you found out you were gonna be a mother. How do you manage with this speed? It's way too fast, and I don't like it."
She stared at me, but I don't think she was going to cry. Like most people, she was processing my words.
"Kelcie, it's my decision. Just because you want to move at the speed of a turtle on a hot day doesn't mean I have to!"
A turtle on a hot day. Seriously, that's what she said. I'll never forget that, either.
So I stood in front of her, glaring. She deserved all of this, because she knew that I wanted to come first all the time. And having someone who had the talent of coming first as your friend hurt like hell. Friend. Lucy Curtis was my friend, and now she was my enemy. At first I just competed with her, but it led to being an enemy. It was time to ask myself if this was what I really wanted.
"Very funny. I just don't understand why you think taking it slow is so hard."
"Because it wasn't for me! I was meant for what you might call rushing into things, but the things I rushed into were real! You and Johnny have something special too, but it's different. It's not bad, but the way Dal and I took things isn't either!"
Lucy gave me a disappointed look and ran out of my place. She was running to her old house, which was a half-mile away. I didn't chase after her just yet. After all, I didn't really want to.
About two hours later, Johnny came in. He saw me on the couch, staring ahead at the walls.
"Hi Kelcie. Why do you look so sad?"
"We need to go to the Curtis house now. Things need to be settled, whether they work out happily or not."
"Okay. Let's go now."
Johnny took my hand and we ran, the same way Lucy had, but it felt so much faster.