Lyk, OMG, the divider works! I missed it so!

Haven't updated this in awhile. But I've had this chapter lying around for a bit. If you haven't already, read my finished story, Running In The Dark. I like it better...and it's finished.

Oh, go to my livejournal (link in my profile) and find a picture of Lauren and Angela. Tell me what you think, yes?

P.S. did you hear the rumors? Outsiders 2 baby. xD

But, who knows if that's true. Just...keep a look out for it. If it's twenty years later and still no sign, find something better to look for.

Identity Crisis

Four

I recognized faces at the party, but that was it. I had wanted to just stick around Tim, but he went off with the boys from his gang, talking to the girls that were hanging around. So I was left to fend for myself, really. The Angela side of me didn't care, but I was feeling more like a Lauren at the moment, so I cared and felt extremely out of place.

This of course was amplified by the fact that I didn't even belong in this time period. But they didn't know that. They still saw Angela; except she was hiding in the shadows and watching everyone, refusing to drink, smoke or flirt. But Angela's lungs didn't seem like those of a smoker, so I guess I was just continuing the fight against peer pressure.

I didn't take comfort in the music either. I didn't really know any of it and it was hard to hear over the talking and laughing and the shouting. It was kind of dark too, so any hopes of even finding Tim were gone now. So I decided to an Angela sort of thing and asked for a beer.

I was kind of surprised at how quick I got one. It was sort of passed down to me and the last person opened the bottle for me, before handing it over and returning to their conversation. I thought it was a little strange, but I didn't say anything and tipped the bottle back. I knew that beer tasted awful and Angela seemed to think so too; until after the fifth one. Then it tasted okay.

Angela's frame of mind seemed to be taking over my own as I walked upstairs which, my own frame of mind knew, was probably a bad thing. But despite that, I pushed open a door, a playful smirk on my lips as I said something. I didn't really hear what I said. My voice sounded muffled, but I recognized the person in the room.

"Angela?"

I sort of stood there and blinked, swaying. I shook my head and muttered more things I couldn't really hear. I stumbled forward and hit a dresser before he walked over and took my arm.

"Who the hell are you?"

I groaned and leaned forward, barely noticing the blond wisps of hair that fell in my eyes. I grabbed his arms so I wouldn't fall to the floor and looked up at him.

"You're that Lauren girl, aren't you? You know your clothes don't fit, right?"

"Dally...can..." I paused the room seemed to tilt slightly and I shook my head. "Curtis house?"

He didn't seem happy with me and pushed my hands away, as if just me touching him would give him a disease and he'd die. "Why the fuck are you here?"

I held my head in my hands. I felt like I was flipping between two stations. Station one: Lauren; Station Two: Angela. I could feel it too. My normaly straight hair would suddenly curl or the features on my my face would change slightly. Dally seemed more than a little creeped out by now and had a firm grip on my arm again.

"What the hell is goin' on with you?"

"Curtis house, Soda," was all I managed to gasp out before Dally dragged me back down stairs and out the door. I was vaguely aware of him pushing me into his car before he sped off, glancing at me every so often as I groaned, hunched over in my seat. It was painful, to be switching between myself and Angela constantly.

I felt the car stop, but Dally didn't pull me out of the car. I heard him jump the chain link fence around the Curtis house and walk inside, shouting for Soda.

"Lauren? Lauren what's wrong?"

I sobbed. My head was throbbing as if someone was beating it with a hammer and my whole body ached. "I don't know."

"Lauren, listen, okay? What hurts?"

"She won't get out," I hissed, realizing what was going on. Somehow, Angela was pushing her way back into her body. But where would I go? I didn't know how to get back. "She's trying to get back in."

"What are you doing? Stop it! I don't have anywhere to go!"

"Get the hell out! I ain't livin' your life anymore, I want my body back!"

"I'd give it back if I knew how!"

I felt the pain ease a bit and my hair changed back to Angela's long curly dark mess, instead of a mix of my hair and her's. I was in a small state of shock, because I didn't realize Soda was calling my name until I felt his hands on either side of my face.

"Lauren?"

I only let out a small "Hm" in response. I wanted to look at him and tell him I was fine now, but I couldn't. Angela had almost made it back. Why couldn't I? Was it because her will was stronger than mine? Was she trying harder? I didn't think I'd ever know and I couldn't ask Soda either. Not only did I lose motorskills of every kind, but I heard a car pull up and knew it was Tim. I felt Soda's hand move to my shoulder and the other at the back of my head.

"What the fuck were you thinkin'?" was all I got out of his little rant, with Soda intervening and trying to explain. I think Tim may have been a little worried when I didn't even look up as he called me names. I don't think I even blinked.

"You think she might've drank too much?" Soda asked. Apparently, everyone knew of Angela's drinking habits.

"Angela, you fuckin' idiot...I tell you all the time to get out of that kinda stuff and you just blow me off like I'm our fuckin' stepdad or somethin'."

"I don't wanna go home," I said suddenly, though, it sounded like I had a mouth full of cotton. But the mention of my "step-dad"... I remembed the looks I had gotten from my step-father. It wasn't something that happened to me before, being looked at like that by an older man. I was always in a group of girls and a few guys when I went out and I didn't draw in attention. I didn't want any now.

I didn't hear what Tim said and Soda gently shook my shoulder, pushing my hair out of my face. "Lauren, are you okay?" Soda asked quietly. I heard Tim shouting for Dally and Darry yelled at him for screamin' in the street when his parents had work tomorrow.

"He looks at me...the way he looks at me...I don't want to go back there. But how am I supposed to tell him?" I whispered.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Angela's stepdad...he...looks at her funny."

Soda looked a bit concerned then and looked back as Tim walked down from the house, wiping a bloody lip. I don't know why he had a bloody lip again, but, I figured it was no big deal. Soda stood up, leaving me in Dally's car, the door wide open. I saw Tim sort of mellow out when he saw the look on Soda's face.

"What's wrong?"

"Tim, did you notice the way your step-dad looks at Angela, or talks to her?"

"He don' talk to her last I checked... he avoids her, when I've seen him."

"What about Curly? Did he notice anythin'?

"Soda, you know Curly and I ain't home most of the time," Tim said, getting a bit irritable. "Why? Is he doin' somethin' to her? I'll fuckin' kill that bastard if he did," Tim muttered, looking down at me. I didn't say a word. The last thing I wanted was to send Angela's brother to jail for murder, because, I believed almost anything that boy said.

"Angel," Tim said firmly. "Tell me."

"C'mon Tim...she probably would have left the house by now if somethin' happened. You know how Angela is."

"Yeah, well she ain't been actin' right lately. Like she's someone else or somethin' and it's gettin' on my nerves."

"...Maybe you should...stay here with her," Soda suggested, crossing his arms, and looking away from Tim to look at me. "If you just drop her at home when she's like this-"

"Angela, did that fuckin' bastard do anythin' to you?" Tim demanded. He seemed to be getting angrier by the second. Maybe he thought I was staying quiet so Angela's step-father wouldn't get in trouble. "Did he?"

"Tim, yellin' at her ain't gonna help!"

"Curtis, if I need advice-"

"Tim..." I said slowly. "Don't make me go back. I refuse to go back."

"Angela."

"Stop it!"

Everything went real quiet then. I couldn't take it. I wasn't Angela...I didn't have the will to face the things she did everyday. I didn't even have the will to get back to my own body...and I think at that moment, I decided that I would have to start being more like Angela.

"Just stop it, Tim! If I don't want to go back and I'm not going back! I'll stay here and you can go off with what ever girl you happened to meet tonight!"

Tim glared at me, and normally, I would have shrunk back and avoided his gaze. But I held it, with my chin high in a defiant manner. He called me a few names and walked back to his car. I sighed as he drove away. Maybe I should have tried acting more like Angela along time ago...I'd probably be home sooner.

xxxx

Angela rolled her eyes as she lay on Lauren's bed. One of her "friends" was babbling on in her ear about some boy and since she didn't know either of them, she didn't quite care. She was more interested in the fact that the phone she was using wasn't connected to a wall.

"Lauren? Lauren are you even listening?"

"No."

"Lauren, what's wrong with you? You've been acting really strange lately."

"Look...what's your name again?"

"...Look, I've been playing along with this long enough, but I've already told you who I was almost everyday. If you don't want to remember me, I get it. You could just tell me, ya know, instead of leading me on like this."

"I ain't leadin' you on. The only person I ever led on was that one-"

"Lauren, stop. I don't know why you're doing this, but I'm sick of it. I'll talk to you later."

Angela sighed as the dial tone started. She pressed the 'End' button and tossed the phone aside. If it were possible, she'd say that Lauren had more drama in her life than Angela did. But she knew that wasn't true. Lauren had a fairly easy life with a lot of overly dramatic friends. Honestly, Angela found Lauren's life absolutely boring.

"And that bitch won't even let me back in my own body..." Angela muttered, staring up at the cieling. "Probably enjoying all the boys that I'm not getting."

"Lauren, what are you still doing up?"

Angela groaned and covered her face with a pillow. She really wanted to go back home.

Fin. Biznatches.