Chapter 7 "Only human, I crash and breakdown"

Johnny stepped out from behind us, "Johnnycake," Two-bit leaped up and hugged him. Johnny flinches which causes Two-bit to let go, and everyone else just too lightly hug him.

"Why are you out so early?" Pony asked.

"I worked things out with the doctor," Dally said, giving us an evil smirk.

"Of course you did," Soda said.

"Well, let's celebrate by getting ice cream," Two-bit said.

"No, I'll get the ice cream and bring it back, you guys stay here, Johnny just got home let him relax," Darry said, leaving us alone.

Johnny sat down next to me, and Pony on the couch. That night after we ate the ice cream Darry bought for all of us, Johnny fell asleep on the couch and I went upstairs.

The next morning, it was Saturday, 11 in the morning. That was the latest I ever woke up before. Darry had an extra shift, and so did Steve, and Soda, so they were already gone.

Pony, Dally, Two-bit, and Johnny were gone too. They probably went to DQ, or the DX, or The Nightly Double, or somewhere like that. Ciara, and Emmanuel were sitting on my couch watching The Addams Family.

"Hey, Ray," Ciara greeted taking a sip of her beer.

"Where did you get the beer?" I asked.

"Uh…the fridge," Emmanuel said.

"But we don't have any beer."

"That's why we bought you some," Ciara said cheerfully.

"I don't drink," I said sitting down.

"We could change that," Emmanuel said, trying to give me a beer.

I backed away, "No thanks, but I don't want to be throwing up everywhere tomorrow morning."

"Please, Ray you can't get sick over one sip," Ciara laughed.

"I don't care, I still don't drink," I said getting up and going to the kitchen.

I got a bag of Doritos, and went back in the living room.

"Come on Ray, it will be fine, we won't tell Darry or Soda or Pony," Ciara said.

"Like I said before, I DON'T DRINK," I yelled, opening the bag.

"Okay, Okay, don't get all mad, I don't have enough money to pay for a new house," Ciara said, drinking the last of the beer.

"Okay, I'm calm. I'm going to take a shower," I informed them, and went upstairs.

I took a shower then I got a pair of shorts, a cut off sleeves shirt, and flip flops, with my hair up in a ponytail. I went downstairs and Ciara was leaning her head on Dally. When Dally got there? I don't know.

Emmanuel wasn't there anymore, but he probably went with Tyler, or went with Pony, Two-bit, and Johnny, or just went home.

Anyways her head was on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her neck, and they were watching some action movie with all the lights out, and curtains shut, with popcorn, and beer.

I rolled my eyes as I passed them and went out the door, without them noticing. I walked to the lot, then to the park, then into town. I went inside the DX got a coke from Soda, and when I was there I ran into Ocean.

And when I say I ran into her, I mean I actually ran straight into her. Making her drop a comic, and a bag of chips.

"Sorry," I grabbed the things she dropped, and looked up, "Hey Ocean, haven't seen you lately."

She shrugged, her hair was in her face, I could only see one eye. I put the loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"What happened?" I asked, as I eyed her face, and then her jacket she had on.

That was weird cause it was like 80 to 90 degrees outside, the only other person that does that is….Johnny. She had a faded black eye underneath her eye, her cheeks were red so were her eyes.

"Why are you wearing a jacket, it's like 80 degrees out?" I asked.

I saw Soda in the corner of my eye, getting up from his chair behind the checkout desk, looking over the shelves at me, "You alright, Rayna?"

"Yeah," I reassured him, I turned to Ocean, "Want to go to 'Stop Light', and get a drink?"

Stop Light was a diner on the corner of the street in town, it had amazing food, and drinks. It was tiny, not a lot of room, it was probably the size of our living room, and kitchen put together, and that's pretty small.

We sat at the end by the window, "So want to tell me how you got all those bruises?"

She shrugged and looked down, "You can't shrug at something like that, trust me I know."

"How do you know?" she gritted through her teeth.

"Friends," I said, "Was it socs?"

"No."

"Other greasers?"

"No."

"Then who?" I asked.

"My foster parents," she whispered.

"…..Why did they do this to you?" I asked.

"He."

"He? What do you mean he?" I asked.

"My foster dad…he got mad," she said.

"So, I don't care if he was mad or not, I don't care if he was dying, he shouldn't do this to you," I started to yell, making people look at us.

I grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of there. I shouldn't have grabbed her by the wrist, I hated that because of my dad, and she probably hated it too. I knew she hated it, because she flinched the whole way out.

I let go and made her walk with me, "Why did he get mad?"

"I don't know," she said.

I shook my head, "Come on, we can go to my house."

I saw her tense up so I quickly added, "No one's probably there."

She nodded, and we went to my house. We went inside and sure enough, I was right, no one was there, the house was completely empty.

I plopped down on the couch, along with Ocean, and we started to talk, and we ended up talking for hours. Until Soda and Steve got home.

"Hey, Ray-…who's this?" Soda asked.

"This is Ocean Waters….! Ocean this is my brother Soda, and his friend Steve, you might know Steve from school," I said.

"Hey," Steve greeted and then went to the kitchen.

Soda frowned when Ocean looked up at him.

"Rayna, can I talk to you in private?" Soda asked, well more like commanded.

He pulled me up from the couch by my arm and led me to the kitchen, while Steve went to sit on the couch next to Ocean eating a piece of cake.

"Who is that?" Soda asked me, once we got into the kitchen.

"I told you already, that's Ocean Waters," I said.

"I know, it's the Waters girl, but how did you find out her name?" he asked.

"I didn't I gave her that name."

"She's come in the DX every day."

"Why? What does she buy?" I asked.

"Cancer sticks, snacks, drinks, stuff like that," Soda said.

"Cancer sticks?" I asked confused.

Almost everyone smokes around here, it's just Ocean doesn't seem like the kind of person that smokes. The whole gang smokes, even Ciara, and Scar. I'm the only one that doesn't, I'm allergic to nicotine and smoke so I can't.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's for her, maybe her parents."

"She doesn't have parents only foster ones," I said.

"Same difference. Anyways how did she get those bruises?"

"Her foster parents," I said sadly.

Soda shook his head and sighed, "How do you know her? How did you guys meet?"

"I saved her from some socs that were messing with her. She goes to school with me, she's the same age as me and is in my grade," I said.

"Huh? Well-"

All of a sudden Soda got cut off by screaming. We ran into the living room. Ocean was screaming, in a fetal position, rocking back and forth. I sat down by her and Soda was yelling at Steve trying to figure out what happened.

I hugged her tight, letting her snuggle into me. I led her out of the house, giving a death glare to Steve on the way out. I walked with her down the street, a arm around her, and her leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Its fine, your fine," I said.

"I-I panicked," she stated.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm scared," she whimpered.

"…..I don't understand."

"Me either," she whispered.

I looked down at her, "Why are you so scared? You don't have to be….I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I couldn't handle it, I-I'm sorry."

I gave her a confused look, "I don't understand. What are you talking about? Why are you so scared?"

"I couldn't handle everyone."

"Who's everyone?"

"Soda and Steve," she said, still not looking up.

"Why them? They wouldn't hurt you. Steve may seem that way sometimes but he would never hit a girl or hurt a girl for that matter," I told her.

"Their boys. Boys are dangerous."

"Ocean," I made her look at me, "are you afraid of boys?"

She broke down again, tears sliding down her cheeks, "Y-y-yes," she choked out.

"Why?" I asked.

"Their dangerous."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They'll hurt me," she said softly.

"No they won't, Ocean you have to believe me. They won't hurt you, not every boy is dangerous."

As I said that, Johnny came into my mind. No, not every boy is dangerous, and I had proof of that.

"Yes they will, boys will hurt you in every way possible. Physically, emotionally, every way possible," her voice raised.

"Not every boy, not every boy is like that. Yeah, I get it some boys do that, but not the gang. They would never hurt me or you."

"You don't know that," she said, then took off in a full sprint.