The next day I had an abundance of company.
Anna and Alison came in first thing in the morning. I was glad to hear Ali say that she had been talking to Darry the whole time we were missing… it was good to know that she stuck with him through it all. The last thing I wanted was to mess up Darry's chance at a good relationship because Pony and I were causing too much trouble.
Anna and I told Alison and Darry to get lost so we could talk about them, although of course we just wanted them to have some time together alone. Neither one protested, and Anna and I raised our eyebrows at each other as Darry took her hand on the way out the door. I don't know why they felt they needed the excuse of the two of us to be together.
"So, tell me everything!" Anna said. "What the hell happened? Did you run away? Did you see them kill that kid? You were lost in the woods? God, Scout! Meanwhile I'm sitting in school wondering what happened to you!"
There was really no way to tell her the story except from the beginning. Darry and Ali tried to come back in the middle and we sent them away again so I could tell the story without feeling like Darry was listening in. I told her most of what happened, leaving out the part about Darry hitting Pony and saving the part about Pony and I looking at the stars for myself. I just wanted to keep that private, it had meant that much to me. I didn't have a whole lot of special memories of just me with Pony. Finally I was done, and exhausted, just as Darry and Alison came back again.
"Are we allowed in yet?" Darry asked. I don't know where they had gone but when they came back Ali's cheeks were flushed and Darry looked happier than usual. Anna and I shot each other a glance.
Alison must have sensed what I needed and she offered to brush my hair for me, since, with my arm in a cast, I couldn't. Of course none of the boys offered to help me with it. Alison brushed it out and put it in two pigtails, since now it was too short to braid and it was driving me crazy being in my face.
"Thanks Ali," I said. "It's nice to have a few other females around here."
"I agree," Darry said, and smiled at her.
Not long after, they left, saying that they had to get back to the restaurant.
"Scout, you're allowed to eat whatever you want in here, right?" Anna asked.
I looked at Darry. He nodded. "I guess so," I said. I hadn't had anything but hospital food, so far.
"Maybe Darry could come get a pizza for you sometime and bring it in. You know, Angelo's is a lot better than hospital food!" It was so obvious how we kept trying to get Darry and Alison together but they played along.
"That's a great idea," Ali said. "Come by anytime."
"That does sound pretty good," I said, eyeing Darry.
"We'll see," he said. "Bye ladies," he said as Anna and Alison left.
I just stared at him after they left.
"What?" He asked.
"Why don't you just really ask her out, Darry?" I said. "It's so obvious you like each other. And she's great."
"It's more complicated than that, Scout. I have a lot of other things to think about."
"Well, if you're talking about me, that's just a bad excuse. I know I've been a lot of trouble lately, but there is no reason you can't take time to be with a girl, Darry. Especially a really super-great girl like Alison."
"Scout, when you and Pony were gone, Soda and I spent every second of the day trying to find you. We didn't care about anything else. There was no time for anything else."
"She said you talked to her every night."
"On the phone, yes," he said. "When it was too dark or late to look for you."
"Well, now I'm back, and I'm OK. And Pony's OK. So I want you to promise me, when I get out of here, you'll take Alison out. Not with me and Anna, and NOT at Angelo's."
"Since when do you call the shots?" he asked, slightly amused.
"Since I'm the one stuck in this bed, and if you agree it will only motivate me to get out of here sooner."
Darry just shook his head at me. He must have been able to tell that I was falling asleep because he never answered and I drifted off before I got a chance to get on his case again.
A/N: I know it's a little annoying to be posting shorter chapters at a time, but I hope I post often enough to make up for it! Thanks again to and Itaque81 for reading and reviewing like champs! Also whatcoloristhesky for her help on Epiphany Revisited (I am not sure if she is reading this one or not!) Keep reading and reviewing, please!