Sixteen
Chapter Five

Author's Note: If any of you are familiar with my updating schedule, then you should recall that I normally post updates around 4:00 (on weekdays). Well, I think I'm going to bump my updates back an hour. Instead of 4:00, new chapters will come within 5:00 & 5:30 (more so closer to the hour). That way, I'll have more writing time between the ending of school and then, I won't feel as rushed. :)

Oooh, I hope you're all ready. This is a pretty big chapter! I'm excited to share it with all of you, and I hope you like it as much as I do. :)

Please, as soon as you finish reading, leave me some feedback. I love to hear from all of you, and after discovering the contents of this chapter, feedback will really help me get a general idea of what everyone thinks. Plus, I really appreciate when you guys get in touch, letting me know how I did.


It's nearing the beginning of November, and the burden of my punishment is finally lifted from my shoulders. I'm a free woman – free to do whatever I please.

Over the last two weeks, I would be lying if I said my relationship with Steve hasn't been strengthening to something more than acquaintances. He's taken the liberty of sitting next to me everyday in algebra and chemistry, effectively making me feel obligated to help him with his academics.

Plus, he wouldn't be able to stare at me so fluently from a distance.

I'll be honest, I've caught him watching me a couple times, and sometimes, I'll spot him staring from the corner of my eye. Then, I'll look towards him, and he'll quickly look away. Although his staring can very well be harmless and unintentional, I can't help but wonder what his girl, Evie, would say about his wandering eyes.

XxXxXxX

Like usual, Steve takes a seat next to me in chemistry. His book falls to the metal lab table loudly, earning a few glares from the nerdy students – all of which fall blindly onto Steve. "I heard you n Sandy n Evie are gettin' together this weekend." He comments, taking a seat on the bar stool.

Over the course of my punishment, not only did I establish a better friendship with Steve, Sandy and I are quickly becoming close friends. We've talked to each other on the phone numerous times (one of the few privileges my parents didn't revoke), and a few days ago, she actually asked if I wanted to spend the night at her place.

Considering what happened last time I slipped away from my house unannounced, I asked my parents for their permission. Both of them remembered Sandy vividly, remembering the description Imogene left them with, and they saw no problem in allowing me to stay the night at her house – but on one condition. Mom, instigated by Dad, made me solemnly swear that I wouldn't be anywhere near Soda or Steve. I agreed, with my fingers crossed behind my back, and as soon as they saw my "sincerity", they eased up more with their decision – appearing more comfortable that I was hanging out with someone who isn't a JD.

And there was no way I was letting them know that Evie was also making an appearance at this shin dig.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" I ask while scribbling down the remaining touches to last night's homework, finally answering his question. Steve merely shrugs.

"I dunno," he answers. "I guess it's surprisin' and all that your parents are lettin' you hang out with 'em girls. I thought they said you weren't allowed to hang with us?"

"They did. Thanks to my older sister, but with the description that was provided for Sandy, my parents saw no problem with me going to her house."

"What 'bout Evie? There ain't no way in hell that your parents are okay with you bein' with Evie." Steve continues, pulling his notebook out from the depths of his backpack. His pencil falls silently onto the faded blue cover. Against my will, I start to grin maliciously.

"That's why I didn't tell them that Evie is going to be there," Steve starts to smirk. "If they knew she was going to be partaking in this get together, you're right. There's no way my parents would've been okay with any of this."

"Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think a smart, goody two shoes girl like you could be so sneaky and secretive." I shrug my shoulders in response to his statement.

"What can I say? There's a lot more to me than you know, Steve Randle." He laughs sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I'll say."

XxXxXxX

"What time do you have to go home, Darling?" Grandma asks, sifting through a slightly wet cardboard box. "Do I have to take you home as well?" Silently, I take a seat on top of her dryer, watching her go through her belongings.

Right as soon as I woke up today, Mom and Dad decided to ship me off to Grandma's. Neither of them were very clear as to why I was coming to her house, I think it's to help her tidy up, but even Grandma is being vague with why I'm here. Whenever I ask her a question, she never clearly answers it, and she immediately starts a new conversation before I can prod for more information. That's not unusual for her, though, Grandma has always been this way. But while I was confused and oblivious with their decision, Imogene was downright annoyed. As soon as she found out what was going down, she wasn't too keen with the idea of bringing me over to Grandma's house.

She even got into a little argument with my parents.

To say it was amusing would be an understatement.

"I think Imogene is going to pick me up around 5:00," I answer slowly, mesmerized by the antiques Grandma is pulling from within the box. "I'm not too sure. I'll have to call my mother later." With her hands pressing firmly into her lower back, Grandma stands up. When she turns around to face me, her face drops in disapproval.

"Honey, get down from that dryer," she scolds. "That thing is so old, who know what'll happen, and I don't want you to somehow get hurt." I nod my head, hopping off from the top. "Thank you, Dear."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"All right, Honey. Are you ready to start working on this mess of a house?" Grandma starts heading towards her bedroom. With another quick nod, I follow behind her.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Douglas picks me around 5:30 – half an hour later than when I was suppose to be picked up. His girlfriend, Elaine, resides in the front seat, leaving me with the joys of the riding solo in the backseat. "Where does your friend live?" Doug asks, driving towards the East side. I ramble off her address nervously, silently fearing that it might be wrong. "I can't believe they're letting you stay with Sandy tonight after what happened a few weeks ago." Douglas grumbles, locating her house.

Pulling hard on the handle, the door swings open. As I step out onto the Griffin's nicely manicured lawn, I can hear Elaine prying for information on a topic that doesn't even concern her.

In my opinion, Elaine is like The Beatles – a little bit goes a long way. And I'll leave my thought at that.

XxXxXxX

Evie picks silently at her fingernails, acting completely oblivious to Sandy and me and her surroundings in general. Sandy stops abruptly in the middle of her sentencing, frowning slightly; she redirects her attention towards Evie. "You okay, Evie? You're awful quiet over there," Evie sighs sadly, shrugging her shoulders in response. "C'mon. Talk to us. We ain't gonna tell anyone, and you can trust us." Evie looks at me, searching for a guarantee that what she discloses won't be repeated. Quickly, I nod. Evie sighs again – this one proves to be more dramatic than the last.

"I ain't too sure what to do with Steve." She admits quietly, looking helplessly at her hands. She bites her bottom lip nervously, silently wondering how to continue. Sandy stares in confusion.

"I don't understand what you mean, Eve."

"I don't know, Sandy. I don't know what to do," she groans loudly, irritated with herself. "I love Steve. I mean, I always will, but I don't feel like this relationship is worth anything anymore. I don't feel like either of us are into it like we were when we first started dating, and I dunno. I don't feel like he's satisfyin' my needs and stuff." She stops, weakly looking up to meet Sandy's eyes. "Brian Antisdale asked me out for tomorrow night, and I told him yes. I feel terrible doin' this to Steve, and I think I'm gonna to break up with him soon. I think we're both itchin' to get out there and start seein' new people. I mean, I find myself lookin' at other guys, and it's sure as hell obvious that Steve has taken an interest in her." Evie sighs exasperated, throwing her hand out towards me. Sandy sits silently; I avert my eyes downward, focusing hard on a crack in the hardwood flooring.

I feel guilty. I feel as though I'm a factor to their dwindling relationship, but it's not like I asked Steve to take an interest in me. That was all of his doing – leaving me with no reason to feel bad.

I repeat this thought to myself several times, but it fails to decrease the guilt my body seems to be submerged in. I dwell on this idea; slowly, I'm drowning in guilt. I'm succumbing to the feeling.

Evie sighs again, bringing me back to my reality. She stares blankly at me, but deep within her eyes, I can see pain. Evie looks pained. "Don't feel bad," she comments, picking up on my emotions. "It's ain't your fault, Eileen. Trust me. I've been dealin' with this long before you came along." I swallow hard, searching hard for the strength I need to address the topic at hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Mmhmm," Evie hums, forcing a smile. "We've run our course, and I think it's time Steve and I came to an end." Sandy frowns, staring blankly at her floor.

"I could never imagine leaving Soda."

XxXxXxX

"I'm bored, Sandy," Evie whines, hanging upside down of the bed. Sandy grins sweetly, ignoring Evie as she continues to paint her nails. "Can we go somewhere? I'm hungry too. Let's go to The Dingo." My eyes widen nervously upon hearing her suggestion.

"Wait," I comment. "Did a girl get stabbed there once?"

"She didn't get stabbed. She was shot," Sandy answers, failing to meet my eyes. "But that was a couple years ago, and it hardly did any damage."

"Sandy, what the hell are you talkin' 'bout?" Evie inquires, sitting up. With her long, sandy brown locks a mess, she twists around to face Sandy and me. "It barely missed her heart. She had to get a lot of blood replaced, and she nearly died." Sandy's face drops, and it looks as though she's seen a ghost.

"Dallas said that she didn't get badly injured!" Evie snorts, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly.

"Ain't you realized that Dallas is a lyin' sack of shit half the time?"

Evie and Sandy lead the way towards The Dingo with me following behind them like a lost puppy. "I've never gone to The Dingo," I comment, straining to past their heads – the struggles of being short. "We're not going to get hurt, are we?" Evie shakes her head confidently.

"As long as you mind your own business and don't mess with no one you don't know, you'll be fine."

XxXxXxX

Lying silently on Sandy's bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling, I think back to what happened at The Dingo. Sodapop and Steve showed up, and while Soda and Sandy looked comfortable together, Steve and Evie looked stiff and awkward – thinking back on it, I wonder how I was oblivious to it to begin with.

"Eileen, are you still awake?" Evie whispers, loud enough to be heard over Sandy's snoring. I answer with nothing more than a hum, and for a second, I wonder if she actually heard me. "Sandy was right. You ain't too bad, Eileen. You ain't too bad. Do you think you'd be willin' to give me another chance to be friends and all?" Staring at her ceiling, I can't help but smile. I never thought I'd see the day where Evie Kline was asking to be my friend.

"Yeah, Evie. I'd like that a lot."

XxXxXxX

On Tuesday, Steve misses out on algebra. I dismiss it, assuming he's going to show up halfway through the class like he's known to do.

But when he fails to attend chemistry, I know he's gone for the day.

Although I won't admit it to his face, I'm upset. Without him, I have no one to talk to, and he never fails to entertain me. I find it amusing how he can never grasp the concepts of chemistry, and his negative comments directed towards the class, Mr Daley and the assignments are funnier than they shoulder be.

It makes me pretty eager for tomorrow – when I can see him again.

With a dull thud, my pencil hits my chemistry table, shattering the silence surrounding my hardworking classmates. My eyes widen drastically as the realization sinks in. My heart starts to race as I come to terms with my new discovery. Never in a million years did I imagine this would happen.

I've got a crush on Steve Randle.


I understand that I seem more needy for reviews. But this chapter contained a couple major plot points that'll play along with the rest of the story, and I would like to know how I did. :)

Please, if you're reading this note, take a couple seconds out of your day to let me know how this chapter was. It'll really help me get an idea as to what everyone thinks, and I will REALLY appreciate it. So, please, review.

For the sake of this story, please review. Do it for Johnny. ;)

PS - I should make it clear that I don't hate The Beatles. They're very talented, and I'll admit that they have some good songs. The implied negative reference was merely for the sake of the story.