"Dallas Winston, you need to come with me down to the station for some questioning." It was a police officer that had pulled up beside us. It was kinda awkward because he pulled up right in the middle of our perfect hug.
"For what? I didn't do anything!" He complained, letting go of me.
"We feel you have a part in hit-a-run that happened earlier this week. It was a couple of young boys. You need to come with me now." All I could think was that Dallas was being hauled into the station because of what Pony and Johnny did. It fit the officer's story perfectly. So Dallas left me here, not that it was fault, and there was nowhere near that I could go. Luckily, Darry was driving home and saw me.
"What're you doing by yourself?"
"Some police officer came by and took Dallas to the station for questioning. I was with him but… yeah." I said.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride back to my place." I got in the car without thinking.
"Um, Darry can you take me to my house?" I asked before he got too far.
"Yeah, did something happen between you and Soda?" He turned around with concern on his face. I like how he just suspected that the problem was between me and Soda.
"Um, yeah, I don't wanna talk about it right now. Soda can tell you if he wants; I don't really care." I sighed.
"Alright. Will I not be seeing you for a while?" What he really meant was: is this fight bad enough that he won't see me for a while because Soda and I keep a distance from each other when we get in a fight.
"I don't know. I didn't mean to hurt him; he just took it the wrong way. I was trying to keep him from making a big mistake." I thought about what I just said, saying too much.
"Wait, wait, wait; now you have to tell me what's going on because I'm really confused."
"Soda told me he is going to marry Sandy and today I found out she was pregnant." Darry slammed down on the brake and I flew forward, stopping myself by putting my hand on the dashboard.
"So now Soda's gonna be a father at sixteen?" Darry asked beginning to move again.
"No, it's not Soda's baby. Anyway, he got real defensive and said he knows I like him but he doesn't want to marry me, he wants to marry Sandy." I murmured. I was beginning to get real sad and not wanting to talk about this anymore.
"He said that to you?" I nodded in response. "I'll talk to him because I know he doesn't mean that at all." We ended the conversation.
We got to my house and Darry followed me inside. I ignored him for awhile but then he spoke again, "Typhani, he likes you, like really, really likes you."
"Then why did he ask Sandy out first?"
"He was afraid of risking your friendship. When you went out with Bobby, he was… mad, upset that you would go out with Bobby first."
"So we're kinda in the same position. Well, now we're even, I guess. I just want things to be okay between us." I moaned.
"I'll make sure things are okay." Darry assured me. He left, leaving me at my house, alone. I couldn't think of anything else to do but cry. So I went to my room to do just that, cry. I cried myself to sleep that night.
Next thing I knew I found myself at the Curtis house. I couldn't stay away. Everyone was there and we were trying to get Dallas to tell us where Pony and Johnny were. Of course, I already but Dallas would kill me if I said anything.
"I don't know where they are. I don't know why you think I know where they are." Dallas said. He was such a natural liar.
"Dal, c'mon, whatdya think we're gonna do? Turn you into the police?" Soda snapped.
"Well, I will say that I told the fuzz they were in Texas." All of a sudden Two-Bit got up and moved toward the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"Texas." He said. He had a serious look and he was legitimately gonna find his way to Texas to search for Johnny and Pony.
"What? Two-Bit they are not in Texas. Dallas, will you just tell them where they are?" I said.
"Nope." He shook his head.
"Then don't tell us but give this to Ponyboy." Soda gave Dallas a note. They all knew Dallas knew where Johnny and Pony were. It was the kinda thing he did.
"I don't know where they are." I slapped Dallas in the face for being stubborn. He gave me the death-stare.
"Just give it to him." I wasn't afraid of Dallas. I knew he would never try to hurt me, again. He walked out in an angry rage.
At school again and it was Wednesday and it was Soda's day to come to our school but I don't think he was gonna come anymore. If he and Sandy did get married, I was done for. Soda was part of the reason I am still alive right now, what would happen to me now that Soda was no longer in arm's reach. Today was the day Sodapop Curtis got down on one knee for Sandy Mason but all I wished was that she would tell him about her little incident and I would get Soda back, not like he was ever mine to begin with.
It seemed as if Sandy and Soda were haunting me because it seemed like I saw them everywhere. I could just see it now, Soda waiting at the altar for his beautiful wife that cheated on him. I didn't want to make anything worse between Soda and I, so I couldn't say anything more to Soda about Sandy, which would wreck everything! It's hard to love someone you can't have.
Surprisingly, Soda didn't come to our school for lunch but then Sandy wasn't at school either. Something suspicious was going on. And unfortunately, Steve couldn't stop talking about them getting married, so the thought never left my mind.
"I cannot believe Soda is gonna marry her. I didn't actually believe he loved her that much." Steve kept talking but I wasn't paying any attention. I just kept thinking about me losing Soda and what in the world I was supposed to do when I was officially replaced by Sandy.
"Are you even listening to me?" Steve interrupted my thoughts.
"No, but I am now, what?" I said.
"Aren't you concerned about Soda?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, but there's nothing we can do now, he's proposing to her today! It's too late." I complained. I got up and left. I didn't know where I was going but I was leaving, tired of hearing about Sodapop. Steve, unfortunately, couldn't let it go and continued to drone on about Soda.
"Look, shut up about Soda! You can't do anything and I especially can't do anything!" I yelled.
"I thought Soda was your favorite subject to talk about?" Steve joked and I rolled my eyes. I admit it, yes, talking about Soda gives me goose bumps, but I can't talk about Soda anymore without feeling guilty. I had to get used to not having Soda around as much as I'd like, only because Sandy will steal him away from seeing any of his friends, or just me.
The plan was to go to Soda's house after he proposed and she said yes, we would all come to celebrate. Well, I guess it's not that exciting for me but I would be supportive and come to celebrate. First, Soda would have to call us all to give us the "good" news because he was getting the whole house to himself.
I was waiting by the phone, hoping, the call would say she said no. If what she told me was true, she probably would say no but who could say no to Sodapop Curtis. Soda was different from any other guy in town and almost every girl fell in love with him, or just his handsome face. But I know for a fact that none of those girls ever fell as hard as I did. The phone rang. I was quick to answer it.
Typhani: Hello?
Soda: She said yes.
Typhani: Congratulations.
Soda and I could both tell that I wasn't really that happy that she had said yes. It's surprising but true, Soda was very picky about girls and we all thought he would be the last to get married; now he's the first. I laughed to myself, remembering that I made a deal with Dallas that I wouldn't get married to Soda and I was right, he owes me ten bucks. I got up off the couch and made my way to my car.
I was the first person to arrive. Soda was on the couch with his head buried in his hands. I was confused for a moment, wondering why he looked so depressed for someone who is getting married. I spoke to break the awkward silence. He jumped when he first heard my voice.
"You look so depressed for someone who is getting married." I commented.
"She said no." He looked up at me.
"But you said she said yes." Now I was really confused. Why would Soda lie about what she had said?
"I lied so you'd come over."
"I would've come no matter what." I said.
"I know."
"Soda, I'm sorry—"
"You don't need to be sorry. I'm the one to be sorry. You told me she was pregnant and I didn't want to believe you because I loved her." I noticed he said loved her. He no longer loves her, I guess. I had to smile, but I wiped the smile off my face. I went to go sit next to him and I leaned my head on his shoulder. He hugged me and I could feel my shirt getting wet because he was crying.
"I asked her yesterday if she would ever consider marrying me and she said she would. Then I asked her for real today and she said no and that her parents would never let their daughter marry a sixteen-year-old kid." He said.
"She got your hopes up didn't she?" I asked.
"Yeah and now she's completely leaving me." He looked at me and continued, "She's moving to Florida to live with her grandmother and raise her baby." I hugged him one more time before everyone else came in.
"Woo hoo!" They all screamed. They all stopped though seeing Soda and I hugging. "Whoa…" Soda and I let go and then it was silent.
"She said no." Soda said.
"But—you said… she said yes." They were all confused so Steve spoke for all of them.
"I know what I said; I just couldn't say it yet." Soda was down crying but anger and shock was still left in his system.
"Well, then you moved on pretty fast." Two-Bit joked, pointing his fingers at both Soda and I. I threw a pillow at him and he dramatically fell back into Dallas, who I just noticed was there. Dallas dropped the cigarette that was in his hand and put it out. Darry came in and only said a few words before walking away, "Sorry it didn't work out, little buddy."
"Sorry." Everyone said and Soda got up and left. He walked out the front door and was gone. I didn't hear the car start so I figured he was going for a walk.
"You're so immature." I walked past Two-Bit and went out to catch up with Soda, but he was gone, nowhere in sight. I got outside and planned to look everywhere until I found him. I didn't want him depressed for the rest of his life because Sandy didn't love him as he expected. Of course, it started to rain. It took me about fifteen minutes to find him. He was just wandering.
"Soda! Soda!" I yelled and he turned around. He stopped when he realized it was me.
"What are you doing out here?" We were practically shouting at each other because the rain was so loud.
"Please, stop worrying about her. If you let her believe you'll give her a second chance, she will come back. Give the ones that actually love you a chance." I bit my lip, hoping he would get my hint. He leaned down and brought my face to his and kissed me. For a second, I couldn't feel the ground and couldn't tell where I was. This kiss had swept me off my feet. It took a second to realize what was going on and then I wrapped my arms around him. I had a perfect kiss in the rain. My heart dropped down to my stomach, I felt light-headed, and my fingers were intertwined with his soft, greasy hair. He released me but I held him around the neck. We smiled at each other. This moment was too good to be true. I couldn't believe that I actually kissed Sodapop Curtis. I felt a bit guilty but he kissed me, I didn't kiss him. What a cliché.
"Typhani, I'm sorry for everything I said the other day. It was never my intention to hurt you. The truth is… I like you too."
"Uh, Soda, maybe you should give it a couple days before dating again. You know?" I said.
"Or you can recover from shock." He joked. Soda has always known I liked him but he never joked around about it, but now that I know he likes me, it's okay to joke about it, I guess. "Okay, you're right, I'll give myself a couple of days and then I can date you."
"Ha ha. Let's wait for Ponyboy and Johnny to come back." I suggested. He put his arm around my shoulder and led me home or his home at least. Soda was not like others guys. He was understanding, sweet, handsome; not as much athletic as I may like or smart but he's perfect just the way he is. He has no desire to pick a fight with anyone unless he had a reason to. I knew him better than any other person because I've known him since grade school.
Soda and I agreed to keep the kiss a secret. We stayed outside until Steve got us a towel. I went to the bathroom to change into some of Soda's clothes that might fit. I didn't stay much longer after changing clothes, neither did Steve, Two-Bit, or Dallas. We all left around nine-thirty. This was the best night ever. I might actually get that chance with Soda I never thought I'd get. I had to tell someone what happened and when I can't go to my friends, I go to Travis. If Travis was to tell anyone, I'd be his friends and they could care less. I drove my car to my old house, where my parents, Max, and Travis still lived. I parked a few houses down so no one will see my car outside my house. I crawled through my window, which had the rock still between the window and lock to keep the window open. My room was empty. Everything that used to be in here was now back at my house. The door was closed, so I carefully opened it and closed it again. Travis' room was next to mine, so I didn't have to walk far.
Travis was sound asleep. He would be mad if I woke him but I couldn't keep this to myself anymore. I sat on the side of his bed and shook him a little. He moaned and turned towards me.
"Typhani? What're you doing here?" He was quiet, not to wake anyone.
"I have to tell you something I couldn't tell anyone else. I'll be fast; I just have to tell you."
"Go ahead, what is it?" He adjusted himself.
I hesitated to speak at first but then I just came out and said it, "I kissed Soda." I couldn't stop smiling. It might be weird for some people to tell their brother who they have a crush on and who you had your first kiss with but Travis was all I had and he cared. I didn't have a sister I could tell everything to and I never really had any girlfriends, so I turn to Travis to talk to. Travis and I have a very interesting relationship, nothing like any other brother and sister.
"Congratulations for you, your very first kiss." He smiled. I didn't say anything and tried not to make a face when he said 'very first kiss' but he figured something was up. "What?"
"That wasn't my first kiss." I admitted.
"Who did you have your first kiss with then?" He sat up.
"Uh, you don't know him." I lied.
"Was it Bobby?"
"No, I never kissed Bobby, just on the cheek." I said.
"Who else did you date?" He paused, thinking. Then he whispered to himself, "Dallas…" He looked at me. "You had your first kiss with Dallas Winston!"
"Maybe. Yes I did." I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I didn't panic, I mean, who would be up this late? "I've gotta go, I'll see ya later." I snuck back out of the house and into my car a few houses down. When I got home, I went right to bed.
The next day were all hanging out at the vacant lot. Soda came along just so he wouldn't be alone. Two-Bit and Darry were playing football and Dallas, Steve, Soda and I were just hanging out. Cherry pulled up in her little old sting ray, which takes nerve to do for her being a Soc. When she got out of the car, she showed no nerves, only confidence. She had something on her mind; I could see it on her face.
"Hey, guys. I wanted to talk to you about the fight tomorrow night." Darry and Two-Bit stopped playing football and came over to join the conversation. Cherry continued, "I feel that this whole mess is partly my fault. I didn't mean for any of this to happen and I will testify that it was self-defense and I'll help you out with the fight tomorrow, let you know what's up with them." I didn't say anything; I let the guys do the talking.
"Thanks, Cherry, that means a lot." Two-Bit thanked her. She was about to leave but Dallas went to go talk to her. I didn't hear what he was saying to her but it must've been bad because she was yelling and pushing him off of her. She left, leaving Dallas standing alone. He came back over to us.
"What did you say to her?" I asked defensively.
"I just asked her out and she told me to go…" He pointed down and laughed. Dallas must've been drunk before coming here.
"Why would it be okay to ask her out when her boyfriend was just killed?" I walked off in a huff. I drove back home. Cherry had just pulled up as I did.
"Hey, I'm sorry about Dallas." I apologized.
"It's fine." She smiled as if something was up.
"What? Do you like him or something?" I asked, following her inside.
"I don't know. There's just something about him." The good thing about Cherry was that she said things as they were. She didn't try to hide things or have a fit about secrets. That's something I liked about Cherry.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dallas maybe a delinquent but he was different with me and I guess Cherry saw in him what I saw. I saw a side of him that people normally never see. Dallas was more than a delinquent; he sometimes could be a gentleman.
It was late in the afternoon and I didn't have much to do. I was enjoying the time to myself. I was lying on my bed, thinking about everything. My friends, my family, my whole life; I recalled that dream I had about seeing my past and it made me think of everything I've done, maybe I have created a bad life for myself, my father would say I did.
Casey made dinner and I was done in like ten minutes. I was in no rush to get anywhere but I wasn't in the mood to be with people, one of those leave-me-alone moods. The next morning, though, I was in a much better mood. Today felt like a good day, nothing could spoil my good mood.