Maggie stood before Dallas. Her throat for some reason was raw and her face was flushed from anger. Tiny wisps of hair found themselves in front of her blazing slate eyes and you could feel the tension between her and Dallas all the way across the room.
No one moved. No one dared to talk or even take a breathe. It was just Maggie and Dallas, there breathe escaping their lips and colliding in between them to form a little patch of moisture. A red hand print could be seen on the side of Dally's porcelain white face and Maggie could feel the pride running through her veins. She was one of the few girls that had dared to hit Dallas Winston. She knew she shouldn't be proud for hitting him, but she couldn't stop it.
Maggie held her breath as Dally eased forward a bit so his face was closer to hers. She was expecting him to curse at her or throw an insult in her face but instead he shoved her aside and stomped out the door, curses flying loudly from his mouth. She cringed, slowly beginning to doubt slapping him and yelling at him. She turned, though, and watched through the muggy DX windows as he walked quickly to a car and pulled open the drivers door harshly. He disappeared inside and seconds later the car whipped out of the parking lot and was gone down the road.
The whole room seemed to erupt in noise as everyone started breathing at once.
"Hey, Maggie, come by tonight so we can hang out. We haven't done that much since you were here." Soda spoke up as he rang up Maggie and Pete's food. His eyes were once again shinning with playfulness and a wide smile was spread across his face again. He seemed to break some of the tension that was hanging in the air.
"Are you kidding?" Maggie snapped as she hopped up on the counter beside Two Bit and gave him a playful shove. "I'm not going anywhere near you're house with Dallas there!" she told them all, a firm nod followed her words. Two Bit cackled in laughter from beside her and she glared at him.
"Well, he won't be there tonight. Not after that. He'll go to Buck's and get drunk. Either that or go hang with Shepard." Steve said as he leaned in the door frame to the garage.
"Ok. But if he shows up, I'm murdering all of you." she told them, pointing a finger accusingly even though they hadn't done anything yet. They all nodded and replied with simple yeah's before Maggie and Pete headed out. Bennie and Val stood outside, leaning on the car.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're sane." Val told her with a shake of his head. He was smiling though and his eyes, for once, told her he was amused. She smiled sweetly up at him as she handed him a Coke.
"I wonder, too, sometimes." she winked at him before laughing and crawling in the back seat.
"By the way, we're going to the Curtis' tonight to hang out." Maggie told them firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Maggie finished putting on a bit of makeup before dressing in a pair of jeans and a simple white tee shirt. Her hair was gathered at one side of her neck in shoulder length light blond wisps. She smiled at her reflection, examining her teeth to make sure she had gotten them clean enough for her liking. She nodded to herself and opened the door. Only to find Val on the other side ready to knock.
"Sorry for taking so long." she told him trying to ease around him. At the same time he tried to ease around her and they ended up knocking into each other with a lot of force. Maggie stumbled and Val caught her by the shoulders before she could fall. Her gaze shot upward to lock with his and she seemed to be in a trance while she stared into his green orbs. Butterflys filled her stomach and her face started to flush as she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Why was she thinking about these things?
Hormones, her conscious answered with a simple shrug.
A few seconds later she shook the butterfly feeling out of her stomach and smiled at Val, apologizing again and heading out of the bathroom. Bennie raised an eyebrow at her flush as she walked into the room and he smirked at her from across the room where he stood in a pair of jeans and no shirt. He, too, had a tattoo of a tiger, but his was on his right shoulder blade. He was smirking at her knowingly as if he had read her thoughts.
"Fuck you." she told him before turning away.
Maggie was greeted by the voices of some of her favorite friends and smiled to all of them. She gave high fives to Steve and Soda who were yet again playing poker. They never got tired of that game! She nodded to Darry, only giving him a once over before sitting down on the couch. Pete, Val, and Bennie walked in after her. Val took the seat next to her while Pete and Bennie joined in on Soda and Steve's poker game.
Two Bit, as usual, had a beer in his hand and was sitting in front of the t.v., watching Mickey and eating chocolate cake. She shook her head down at him and he shrugged. He was going to be drunk before long. Pony and Johnny sat at the table in the dinning room, doing God knows what.
"You must be Val then?" Soda asked as she looked up from his cards, giving Steve the perfect chance to look at them. Maggie sniffled her laughter and looked over at Val as he nodded his head. Soda turned back suddenly, making Steve snap his head back to act like he was being innocent. Soda gave him a wary glance before turning back to his cards.
"You guys always watch Mickey Mouse in this house?" Val whispered in her ear. She smiled and nodded up at him.
"He's obsessed with it." Maggie explained as she pointed to Two Bit. Val nodded again and let out a forced chuckle. Maggie removed Val's arm from her shoulders and got up, walking into the kitchen and hugging Johnny from behind.
"Hi ya, squirt." she told him while sitting down beside him. He was still blushing from the hug that she had just given him. She laughed and looked at what they were doing. Pony sat with a book in front of him, Gone with the Wind, and from the looks of it, he had been reading it to Johnny.
Pony looked up at her as if to ask her if she needed something and she shook her head.
"Maggie, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" a strong, deep voice asked. Maggie looked up, her eyes instantly narrowing as she looked into Darry's icy eyes. She nodded and followed him as he lead the way. It was silent for a few moments, Darry deciding what he wanted to say and Maggie waiting for him to say it. He took a deep breathe and Maggie looked at him expectingly her arms crossed over her chest.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't really mean to upset you so much. And I'm sorry for all the things I said. I just worry about you is all. I mean, you're like Pony and Soda. You're like my younger sister. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." he explained to her finally, not able to make eye contact with her.
"Darry, look at me." Maggie pleaded. When he looked up, she continued, "It's ok, Superman. I understand your worry. I just wish you would back off a bit sometimes. You can worry, just don't smother me!" she told him, her eyes soft and sincere. He nodded and smiled softly at her before pulling her into a hug.
About two hours later all 10 of them sat around the small t.v, watching a cheesy version of Frankenstein. Maggie had been shoved into Val's lap to make more room on the couch. Bennie and Pete sat on the floor below them and Steve sat right beside Val with Soda next to him. Pony and Johnny sat hunched together in a dark corner and Darry was still occupying the chair. Two Bit was right smack dab in the middle of the t.v, his mouth opened as he watched. Maggie would have laughed at him, but she was too busy listening to Val's heart as it beat in his chest. Her left ear was pressed right up against it, one hand resting on his thigh and the other resting on the arm rest. One of his arms was wrapped around her middle and the other was right beside her hand on his thigh, his head resting on top of her head. They had been like this ever since the movie started. Maggie was enjoying the warmth that was radiating off of him and Val just sat below her, as calm as could be.
Two Bit howled with laughter as Frankenstein through someone down a flight of stairs, the sound of his voice drowned out the sound of someone entering the house and slamming the door behind them. They didn't realize that Dally was in the house until he flicked on the lights and stared at all of them, his eyes full of fire. He wasn't drunk at all, actually he was quite sober. Maggie's breathe seemed to catch in her throat and she wished she could disappear into Val.
Tension seemed to fill the room like someone filling a glass of water and no one said a word. A scream from the t.v filled the room but still no one moved. Dallas glared at Maggie, taking notice the way she was sitting in Val's lap. Maggie just glared strait back, her stubborn side taking hold of her.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Dallas asked just as the credits stopped and the movie ended. Their was a slight fuzzy sound before the national anthem begun to play.
"Watching a movie." Maggie answered simply before turning to glare at the rest of the gang. They shrugged at her, not sure why he was even there.
"Let's go outside for a smoke." Val whispered into her ear. She nodded back at him and got to her feet, helping him up.
Val pushed his light brown hair out of his eyes as he made his way towards the door, holding Maggie's hand and leading her outside. He glared at Dallas as he passed him and then shoved Maggie out the door. She was really tense and he wanted to calm her down.
He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and handed her one. He light it for her before lighting his own and leaning up against the house.
"Asshole." Maggie muttered under her breathe. "I mean god! He does that on purpose you know? He angers me for his own amusement. I can't stand him!" she shrieked finally, waving her arms angrily.
"Calm down." Val said, his voice low. Maggie knew it was a command and not a request but she ignored it.
"I swear if I was taller I would have beaten him up a long time ago. That asshole as no right to control my life. I'm 16! I'm old enough to take care of myself! He thinks he can-" Maggie was cut of my Val pushing her roughly to the side of his house. She watched him as he glared at her, his weed at the corner of his mouth. His light green eyes seemed to glint in the mood light, almost making him look like he was evil or something. She had a huge urge to reach up and run her hands through his silky brown hair but she held back and stared into his eyes instead.
She brushed her blond hair out of her eyes and looked to the ground, her anger suddenly leaving her and being replaced by a deep red blush as thoughts of what it would feel like to kiss him came flooding through her head for the second time that day.
The air around them seemed to build up with electricity and Maggie was suddenly reminded off her last night with Dallas. Their kiss. She tried to shove by Val so she could get away from him. So she could run away from him. But he held her firmly in place with one hand on her stomach. She looked up at him again, her eyes searching his for answers. When she found nothing she looked down again and chose to lean against the house. Her leg bent at the knee and she rested her foot flat against the house, not caring if it made a print. She took in a deep breath and let the cool and fresh air calm her. Her eyes slid shut and she thought about exactly what she was doing here. She loved Tulsa, more then anything, but she was starting to love New York and the people in it just as much.
She couldn't stop the confusion that forced its way into her mind and she had a dull feeling that she was going to have to choose who she belonged with in the end. She pushed it aside and took another breathe. Could she really leave the Tulsa gang? Could she really leave the Tigers?
She opened her eyes and looked at Val again, realizing what she must look like she blushed again and looked down. His fingers caught her chin and brought her face gently back up so she was craning her neck and looking at him. His eyes glinted in the light again and she shivered. Thinking she was cold he moved closer, his hard chest pressing against hers. She took in shaking breathe and tried to shake off the tingling feelings that filled her thoughts and body. She blinked, trying to decide whether Val was moving closer to her or if it was her imagination playing tricks on her. She realized after a few seconds that it was the first. His lips seemed to part a bit and she shivered again.
(Kind of graphic part up ahead)
She slowly began to close the gap between them, her eyes locked on his. She moved closer and closer until she could feel his breath on her mouth, lingering with hers.
He closed the last few centimeters and his lips pressed softly against hers. It was as if she was in a dream as she pressed even closer to her, coming to rest right up against her on the other side of her bent leg. She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him as close as she could manage. He leaned into her, pressing his body firmly against hers. She could feel every inch of him and it only made her moan again. She could feel him smiling against her lips but she didn't care.
This felt so right. She didn't have any doubts like she did with Dallas. It was just her and Val. She felt like she belonged there, in his arms. He slowly slid his tounge out of his mouth and ran it along her bottom lip, asking for entry. She granted it and parted her lips, meeting his tounge with her own with a soft caress. She slipped her hands up his beater and ran her finger nails softly down his bare back, knowing it would send shocking little tingles all the way through his body. He moaned into her lips and deepened the kiss even more. He pulled back unexpectedly and she whimpered. She tried to pull him back but he resisted.
"Don't." he managed to say. "Too fast." he let out a shaky sigh, one hand coming to rest on her hip and the other one leaning against the house above her head. His hand gripped her hip roughly, as if he needed it to hold him up.
"How can it be too fast if it feels so right?" she asked him, pulling her hands out of his shirt and leaning up against his chest, listening to his fast beating heart again. She could feel him panting as she leaned into her again and she hugged him closer. Was this where she belong? Here? In Val's arms? She had no objections if it was.
She tried desperately to ignore the yelling that came from inside and instead focused on listening to Val's heartbeat, her eyes slipping closed again. Val pulled away suddenly and put space between them. Maggie stumbled but caught herself before she could fall.
"This isn't right." he said suddenly, his voice was hoarse and had a sharp edge to it. It cut her like a knife.
"W-what do you mean?" she asked, trying to reach out for him. He jerked back.
"This isn't right." he repeated again. "You're 16. I'm 19. This isn't right. I should be taking care of you not..not making out with you. This can't happen." he said, his voice was urgent as he explained it to her.
"But it is right. It is." she pleaded with him. She didn't know why but tears were starting to form in her eyes and spill down her cheeks.
"No, its not." he said firmly and harshly. Her body shook with silent sobs as she nodded and walked back into the house. She felt numb again. She didn't know what to feel. She was awake but she felt like she was some where else, like in a dream. She walked into the room. Dallas had taken Val's spot on the couch. Maggie walked to Steve, trails of her tears evident on her cheeks. She asked him with her eyes if she could sit on him instead and nodded, pulling her down by her wrist. She settled into him, trying her hardest to hold back her tears as the whole gang looked at her.
"It'll be ok." Steve whispered in her ear, as if he had been outside when everything went down. He reached a hand up and brushed her tears away before hugging her from behind and giving her a reassuring smile over her shoulder. She smiled sadly at him, her body still numb.
She couldn't think at all. Val's words just kept repeating themselves over and over and over again in her head. It was as if they were a broken record that wouldn't stop playing. It hurt her even more each time she heard it, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. Was he right? Was it wrong to have a relationship with him?
She shook it off after 15 minutes of silent thinking and leaned back into Steve's chest. She was suddenly exhausted. She had, basically, been dumped by 2 guys in over 2 days. She was emotionally and physically exhausted and she didn't to protest as the darkness took over her.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR REVIEWERS:
Now that that chapter is over and done with I just wanted to give a quick shout out to all my reviewers. I love all of you guys and I'm so happy that we are almost to 100 reviews! At first I thought this story wasn't going to go as well as the first one but you guys are quickly making me look like an idiot lol (meaning this story is doing well). So this chappy goes out to all of you guys who have stuck with me through the first and second story. I'm really lucky to have you guys to boost my confidence and to keep me writing!
