The next chapters will go by pretty quick, and they'll be pretty intense. Like I said, this is a pretty short fic. I should stop using the word 'pretty' now. Haha. Anyway, thanks to anyone who reviewed!
Before I left to go to the movies, I checked one last time in the mirror to see that my make up still in place –hoping I looked better than I felt-. Not that Dallas would care anyway.
I'd decided to wear a skirt for the sake of the general population. Prior to running away I'd been perfectly fine wearing feminine things.
The ring he'd given me dangled from my neck on an old chain I'd found after an hour of searching through Monica's jewelry box. I think she let me have it out of pity. She was so certain that my relationship with Dallas would kill me, whereas I highly doubted that and in all honesty could still not find a reason to begin to care.
Monica gave me a lift and said she'd be there to pick me up around twelve. Worry lines appeared on her forehead. I guessed she was regretting agreeing to drop me off, especially after I'd complained about a stomach ache earlier. I thanked her quickly –before she could attempt to persuade me to go back home with her- and went off.
It wasn't hard to spot Dallas. He wasn't in a car, and most of the kids here were. He sat beside two younger boys I'd never met.
"Ana," he said gruffly. "This is Johnny and Ponyboy," he gestured to the quiet boys who sat beside him.
"Hello," I said, managing a timid smile. I wasn't exactly prepared for guests.
They stared at me wide eyed for a long moment before hurriedly returning their gazes to the screen.
I sat next to Dally, just as soon as I had, he got up.
"I'm getting a coke, you want one?"
"Sure,"
I shrugged off his sudden courtesy and looked over at the boys expectantly.
"How old are you guys?" I asked.
"Fourteen, Johnny's sixteen." Ponyboy replied. I took a look at the boy who sat on the other side of him, a boy who barely raised his eyes to look at me. What was he so afraid of?
"Dally tell you anything about me?" Not that I expected it.
"Not really, 'cept that we're not supposed to do anything with you."
I laughed.
"What about you?"
It took me a second to get that he was referring to my age. I cringed.
"I haven't celebrated my birthday in a year or so." Birthdays had always been a hectic affair for me, so it was a relief to not celebrate one. I tended to forget my age because of this, and besides, I'd been lying about my age for awhile.
Neither asked why, for which I was appreciative. They seemed like nice boys, so I tackled another topic.
"You guys lived here forever?"
"Never been out of this town." The other boy finally spoke.
"Yeah,"
"I don't really remember how I got here." I threw in a laugh to make it less serious. "It's been a year or so. You guys like it here?"
"It's alright," Ponyboy replied.
"Yeah,"
I didn't bother them any longer. Dally was coming back with two cokes. He handed me one and kept the other to himself.
I took small sips, and tried to keep my mind on the movie, but it was terribly boring, and Dally would not stop whispering in my ear and teasing me by placing his hand under my shirt on the small of my back and navigating it around that area, sometimes going too low. How he knew I was ticklish there, I wasn't sure. I scolded him, but he only laughed.
"Not in front of your friends,"
"It's not nothing they haven't seen before, right?" he turned to them, and obediently they nodded in response.
I couldn't take it anymore. The coke wasn't helping. The ache in my stomach had only grown gradually worst since I arrived, and he wasn't helping.
"I need a smoke," I demanded.
He pulled the cigarette out and lit it for me. I felt no better after smoking it. In fact, it only made disproved things that much more. A dizzy sensation went through my head, and the familiar icky feeling rose in my stomach. I shot up and ran to the nearest trash can, gripping the metal as I vomited.
"Shit," I heard Dally saying.
"Stomach virus has been going around Dal," I heard the quiet one saying.
When I was finished I felt my way to the ground because my vision was too clouded, only to have Dally help me up.
"C'mon, let's get out of here. You guys finish up the movie."
I almost made it out of the place, but since the very little food I'd eaten all day was now in a trash can, I lost nearly all my strength. You'd think someone like me would've been tougher, but I wasn't. I passed out.
My consciousness was in and out for awhile. I heard Dally cussing at Monica, I felt my body being laid onto the couch. I heard a clink as a metal bucket was set below me.
I woke up several times that night and vomited into the bucket. I began to wonder where it was all coming from, since I'd barely eaten, but I was too sick to question it.
Very early in the morning I rose, gargled, and returned to the comfort of my bed. At last it was over.
Upon waking I was sure it was morning for two reasons. 1. Light streamed in from the window, and 2. the smell of food was making my empty stomach rasp and plead and scream for food. An arm was thrown across my waist.
"What are you doing here?" I murmured sleepily, too tired to lift my head and look at Dally.
"Go back to sleep, I'll explain later."
I was too tired to argue. I hadn't slept much the night before, so I complied. A bit later I woke up feeling less drowsy than I had previously, so I redressed despite the fact that Dally was telling me to go back to sleep.
"A lot's happened Ana,"
"You're not in trouble are you?"
"No," he gave me an odd look, as if worrying about him was stupid. If what he wanted to tell me wasn't so important, he probably would've gotten onto me about that.
"What is it then?"
"Go eat first,"
He lingered back in my bedroom, refusing to follow me into the kitchen where the twins still sat, chatting with Monica. She set a plate of steaming, buttery pancakes in front of me and demanded that I eat. I hoped she knew that she didn't have to tell me.
"So, Ana, how's the job treatin' ya?" Tracey asked, twirling her blond hair in her fingers.
"Fine," Even though it took a lot of practice learning to balance so many plates at once, I might've added. It required a few learned skills, but thankfully not a high school diploma, something I did not have.
"She wants to ask about your boyfriend." Stacey intercepted, her green eyes glinting as they caught a random spot of light that revealed the specks of gold within them. I had always thought the two twins had cat eyes.
"It's her business." Monica grumbled.
"But we just wanted her to know she's free to share the details, golly Monica, are you defending him?"
"Not him, just her."
Monica turned from the dishes that currently occupied her and gave me a brief glance of warmness, her closed lips tilting slightly upwards, an expression of affection that had seemed to vanish lately. Monica had it rough before I came, now she was always keeping up with my foolishness.
"I have to give the boy credit, he carried her here and came by around eight to see how she was doing."
I gave Monica a meaningful look of gratefulness just before she returned to doing the dishes.
"Well, we're heading out to go shopping."
The twins departed then. I never thought I'd been so happy to have them leave.
There was a moment of silence, then the sound of plates being set on the counter to dry. When I heard the crinkling of paper, I turned to see Monica was pulling an envelope from her apron. She handed it to me. I knew who it was from before my eyes ever met with the return address. It had been pity that Monica had displayed this morning. Merely pity.