Not much more than a week after the first football game, it was Pony and I's two-year anniversary. The store was absolutely dead, so I got out of work a couple hours early and got ready at home, changing out of my jeans, sweater, and T-shirt and pulling on a tent dress that my family from Boston had sent me for my birthday since it was "all the rage". I didn't know how they had gotten it, but I appreciated it nonetheless. I hadn't tried it on yet, much less worn it.
When I looked in the mirror, I quietly swore. The damn dress didn't work on me. My breasts were too big and just made the entire thing look awkward. Letting out a huff, I fell back on my bed.
"Damn you evil things", I muttered, looking down at my chest. Why couldn't I just be like all the girls in the magazines like Twiggy or Audrey Hepburn with their skinny bodies and small chests? My mom was smaller like Audrey was and she looked good in practically everything.
I stood back up and looked in the mirror again, turning to and fro, and trying to find any angle that looked good. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
That was when the adventure of digging through my drawers and closet in an attempt to find something passable began. Skirts, shirts, and dresses were tried on and flung onto my bed. After half an hour, I finally found something that worked: a midnight blue skirt that went came down to my knees and a grey sweater with a camisole underneath and my grey Converse. My hair had been in a Dutch braid all day, so I just took it out and braiding the front sections of my hair before spraying the waves. Already having most of my jewelry on, I just put in some silver studs and sprayed some perfume. I wasn't a huge fan of the newer fashion that had been coming out, so I stuck to the basics since I had always been a simple person, anyway.
I waited for Pony for a good twenty minutes, getting increasingly frustrated and scared. He was never this late and I couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to him. I knew that he had gotten out of work a little early too.
Soon, I just got up and walked to his house myself. The entire way, I rang my hands and racked my brain of the possible situations.
He could be getting jumped, I thought. He could be hurt. What if he's been in an accident?
When I got to his house, I saw an unfamiliar car in the driveway and immediately became more concerned. I ran up the porch and anxiously knocked on the door.
A moment later, Darry opened it. He had an abnormal nervousness written on his features and looked a little flustered.
"Darry, where's Ponyboy?" I asked hurriedly.
He sighed and ushered me in, closing the door behind us.
"The social worker's here", he whispered as we walked to the living room.
I looked at him in shock. "Why didn't anyone tell me they were coming?"
"We didn't even know", Darry told me. "She just showed up."
The two of us walked into the living room to find a woman with pursed lips and a tight, slicked-back bun sitting stiffly in Darry's recliner. Ponyboy and Sodapop were on the couch.
My boyfriend stood up and rushed over to me, giving me a hug. "I'm so sorry, darlin'."
"It's okay, honey", I cut him off, looking up at him. "It's not your fault."
"Sorry to break up this reunion, but I'm conducting an interview", the social service woman broke in harshly.
Pony and I pulled away, but held hands.
"And who are you?" the woman asked me.
"I'm Ponyboy's girlfriend", I told her.
"Why are you here?"
I looked at her strangely. "Well, he was supposed to pick me up for our date over half an hour ago, so I got worried and came over."
She looked me over for a while, studying me. "I suppose that since you're here, I may as well include you in the interview as well."
Confusion overtook me. Was I not even being given a choice in this?
When I looked up at Ponyboy, he just shook his head and I knew not to say anything.
"What is your name?" she asked.
"Lily Smith", I answered. "And yours?"
"I am Mrs. Ryan. So, how do you know the Curtises?"
"As I said before, I'm Ponyboy's girlfriend."
"How old are you?"
"I'll be sixteen in two days."
"And how long have you been together?" she questioned. She sounded very bored and snobbish.
"Today's two years", I said.
"And is there any possibility that you might be pregnant?"
My cheeks reddened and my eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"If Ponyboy happened to get you pregnant under Darrel's watch, it could prove a point that he is not a fit guardian. Especially since you are too young to be financially stable."
"No", I told her, "there's no chance that I'm pregnant."
"Alright. Do you think Darrel, here, is a fit guardian for Ponyboy?"
"Of course. Darry is the best guardian for him. Him and Pony and Soda all love and care for each other and they should never not be together."
"And do you come here often?"
"Yes, I come here all the time."
"How are you treated when you come here?"
"I assume they've told you about the gang?" I inquired, earning a curt nod from Mrs. Ryan. "They all treat me like a sister. Except for Pony, of course. They all treat me well."
She continued her interrogation for almost an hour before finally picking up her files, dusting herself off as though she was repulsed by the vinyl of the recliner, bid us goodbye, and flounced haughtily out of the house, her kitten heels clicking on the wood floor.
I groaned loudly and fell onto Pony's lap when she was gone.
He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "I'm so sorry, darlin'. I didn't know she was coming and now it's late and the night's ruined and you probably hate me…", he trailed off slightly, sounding like he was about to cry. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily.
I sat up so fast I almost smacked heads with him and cupped his face. "Pony, honey, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I'm not mad and it's not your fault. The night's not ruined. Sure, we're a bit delayed, but it's okay. We'll make the best of it."
Pony sighed and nodded slowly before pulling me into his chest and kissing my head.
We sat there in silence until I spoke.
"What were we going to do tonight?"
"I was going to take you to the park for a picnic", he sighed again, throwing a glance outside, "but the sun's gonna set soon, so that's out of the question."
"Hey, Pony?" Soda said. "Can you some into the kitchen with me and Dar for a minute?"
Pony and I shared a glance.
"I guess so", he responded hesitantly. I got off of him so he could move.
The boys went into the kitchen where I only heard their muttered voices. I wondered what they were talking about. They came out after a few minutes, Darry and Soda with small grins on their faces and Pony struggling to hold one back.
"You wanna go to the movies, darlin'?" he asked, holding up his hand which held the keys to the truck.
"Sure", I smiled and stood up. The two older Curtis brothers followed us and waved to us from the doorway as we drove away.
"What were y'all talking about in the kitchen?"
"They just asked if I wanted to take the truck and take you to the movies."
I could tell he was lying, but decided not to push it.
"What do you wanna see?" I asked when we got to the movie theater. We always went there since it was quieter and less rowdy than the drive-in.
"I dunno. To Sir, with Love looks pretty good. What about that?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
He paid for the tickets (even though I offered) and a Pepsi for us to share. Personally, I was partial to both Pepsi and Coke, but since Pony's favorite soda was Pepsi, I usually said it was my favorite too, just to make things easier when we shared.
During the movie, my head rested on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around my shoulders. By the time the movie ended, it was almost 9 o'clock and I was hungry.
I thought that we got back to his house, we would go in and eat some chocolate cake if there was any left before he took me home.
That's not what ended up happening.
Pony and I walked into the house to find most of the lights dimmed, with the exception of a few lamps. I turned to him and scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. He simply smiled at me and closed the door.
Then out came Sodapop in a T-shirt, jeans, and a tie with a piece of black paper cut into the shape of a mustache and taped to his upper lip.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Curtis and Miss Smith", he greeted in an eccentric Italian accent. "How are you this evening?"
"Noi stiamo bene. Che cos'é questo?" I answered. I felt like messing with him a bit by speaking in Italian since he was speaking in an Italian accent.
Soda just stared at me for a moment before saying "Wonderful! Follow me."
He led us to the kitchen table, which was covered with an old tablecloth with silverware and plates on top.
Pony pulled out my chair for me and I hesitantly sat down, still not sure what was going on.
"The special tonight is the spaghetti and meatballs because that's the only thing we made", Soda continued in his accent. "Now what would you like to drink?"
"Water?" I said like a question.
Pony just looked at his brother and Soda made a finger gun and clicked his tongue before lunging into the refrigerator and pulling out a pitcher of water and a carton of chocolate milk, pouring them both into glasses and setting them on the table.
"If you need anything else, just ring!" he exclaimed and ran off.
"Love?" I started. "What is this?"
"Darry and Soda wanted to do something for us since we couldn't go out for our picnic and I suggested dinner", he told me, a pink blush tinting his cheeks. "I didn't expect somethin' like this though."
"So this is what you were talking about in the kitchen earlier?"
"Yup", he smiled and took my hand from across the table.
"Is this why you took me out for a movie?"
He nodded. "And Darry called your parents while we were out so they didn't get concerned that you were out so late."
"You guys are so sweet", I grinned.
Just then, Darry came into the kitchen and went to the oven, checking on the food that I hadn't even noticed was cooking before taking it off and bringing it over to the table, putting some on Pony and I's plates.
"Grazie", I told him. He looked at me strangely and said "Yup", making me laugh.
"What are you speaking?" Pony asked when Darry left.
"Italian", I shrugged, taking a sip of my water.
"Don't you only speak English and Spanish?"
"Well, my mom's pretty fluent in Italian since she grew up around it, so I know quite a bit too."
"Say something else", he insisted with a smile.
"Ti amo così tanto, amore mio. Buon anniversario", I told him.
He understood the basics of what I said because he responded in Spanish. "Te amo tambíen, mi amor. Feliz aniversario."
For over an hour, we ate and talked before the radio suddenly came on. It must be Darry or Soda, I thought to myself with a small grin.
Pony stood up and came over to me, holding out his hand. "May I?"
"Of course", I smiled and took his hand, standing up myself.
My arms wrapped around his neck and I lay my head on his chest, while his arms hugged my waist.
We didn't really pay attention to the songs that were playing and just swayed along.
"I'd say this was a good anniversary, wouldn't you?" I said.
"Mm-hm", he hummed in agreement.
Not long after, it was time for me to go home. Pony ducked into the refrigerator and pulled out a small bouquet of white lilies, handing them to me.
"Lilies for my Lily", he smiled.
"Thank you, love", I giggled. "Should I get you a field of ponies for our next anniversary?"
"I don't think that's necessary", he chuckled.
"You goin', doll?" Soda asked as he walked into the kitchen, Darry following behind him.
"Yeah, I don't want my parents getting too concerned."
I walked over and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Soda."
"No problem, doll. It's what we do", he responded.
Then, I gave Darry a hug and thanked him too.
"Your welcome", he said, laughing a little.
XxXxXxXxXx
The next day was Labor Day, so I woke up late. In the afternoon, Anna and Henry went off to meet up with their respective friends and Mom and Dad went shopping.
A few hours after they all left, the door was opened and slammed shut and I was tackled by my sister.
"Well, hello there", I laughed, but instantly my smile went away when I saw her face. She was crying.
"Anna, what's wrong?"
She just shook her head against my chest.
"Anna,what's wrong", I repeated, putting a little firmness in my tone. It was the same one I had to use occasionally when I was teaching the girls and someone wasn't listening.
Anna continued to cry, her tears soaking through my shirt.
"Okay, Anna", I relented temporarily and rubbed her back. "Just let it out." Her arms clutched my waist.
After a few minutes, her crying had lessened to slight whimpering and the occasional tear.
"Anna", I started and shrunk down a bit to be at eye-level at her, "what happened?"
"I-I asked out T-Tommy Rivers…", she stuttered.
It was starting to make sense. "So, I'm guessing it didn't go well?"
She stepped towards me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I could feel her shake her head into my shoulder.
"Did he say something mean to you or are you just crying because he said no?" I asked.
"Just because he said no", she answered quietly. The poor thing, I thought.
"Did he say why?"
"He doesn't like me like that", Anna muttered into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Annie."
"It's okay."
"If it wasn't meant to be, it just wasn't meant to be", I told her and rubbed her back. "You'll find someone. And, anyway, you're only twelve. You've got a lot of time."
"I know", she sighed. "I was just kinda hoping…"
"That he would say yes?" I finished.
She nodded.
"Not everyone finds love on the first try."
"You did", she pointed out.
"That's true, but I just got really lucky."
"You're tellin' me."
"I gotta go get ready for dance", I said, standing up and kissing her head. "If you need to talk, I'm always here."
"Okay", Anna said. "Thanks."
"I'm your sister", I smiled. "This is what I do."
The "Swan Lake" auditions that night went well, I felt, though I didn't find anything out until the next week. If we got in, practices would be Mondays and Thursdays for a few hours after my regular classes, which couldn't have been planned any better for me because of my work schedule.
The day after my auditions was my sixteenth birthday and per usual, I went to school and had a little family party. Everyone in the gang that didn't go to school sent their "happy birthday"s through Pony and Steve, which I appreciated. Ponyboy gave me a card with some pictures on it that he had drawn along with a tiny bouquet of the few wildflowers that were still alive in September, which he had picked on his way to my house.
The morning after I found out I got in, I pulled "a Ponyboy" and jumped on him out of excitement.
"Pony!" I shouted at him when I raced out of my house and attacked him.
He stumbled back and laughed, holding me in his arms. "What? What's happening?"
"I got in, Pony! I got in!"
Ashlynn already knew and we had had our freak-out the night before when we had both found out that we were in.
"That's great!" he exclaimed and gave me a hug.
"Ashlynn, get in here!" I commanded to which she complied with a chuckle.
"Were in the same number, you know", I said to Pony once we pulled away, "Ashlynn and I."
"Really? What is it?"
"Danse des petits cygnes", I told him.
"Again with the French?" he teased.
"Yes, 'again with the French' ", I mocked him jokingly.
"What does it mean?"
"Dance of the Little Swans."
"There are four of us in a line with our arms all intertwined and we dance", Ashlynn said to him.
He nodded with a grin at us. "Good job, y'all."
"Thank you", we both said.
"When's the show?"
"Around Christmas-time", I answered.
"Y'all excited?" Pony asked.
"Hell yeah, we are!" I exclaimed and gave Ashlynn a high-five.
"Good to know", he laughed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
XxXxXxXxXx
I had bitten off more than I could chew. Almost every day, I had work of some kind and if I didn't have work, I had practice and school, which wasn't getting any easier. Pony must have realized how stressed I was because one day we were in science class only a week and a half after I had started my new schedule, and he just randomly said, "I'm taking you out tomorrow."
"What?" I questioned, looking up from my paper.
"I said I'm taking you out tomorrow", he repeated, the start of a smile making the sides of his mouth begin to rise.
"Honey, that's awful sweet of you, but I got stuff to do tomorrow."
"Lily, darlin', you're stressed. You need a break", he argued and softly rubbed my hand.
"I know, but I still have stuff to do."
He held my hand as he thought. "I'll take you out Saturday night, then. After you get off work we can go to the movies or something. You don't have work the next day until twelve-thirty, so you'll be fine."
I pondered it for a minute before leaning tiredly against his shoulder. "That sounds nice, love. That sounds really nice."
The next day, when I got off work, Pony came and picked me up. I was really tired and I was yawning the entire way to the movie theater.
"You think you'll stay awake?" Pony laughed.
"I'll be fine soon when I get some caffeine", I shrugged.
Pony paid for our tickets, though I insisted on paying for the food and drinks: a soda and popcorn.
They were having a Richard Beymer mini-marathon with two of his movies being shown back-to-back. The movies were The Diary of Anne Frank and West Side Story, which I seen both of before and loved them. They were some of my favorites and Richard Beymer was one of my favorite actors.
"Did you know about this?" I asked.
"Maybe…", he said innocently, a smile spreading across his face, making one spread across mine too.
The first movie shown was The Diary of Anne Frank and during all the scenes with Anne and Peter, I had a goofy, giddy smile on my face as I cuddled up to Pony.
"In still believe in spite of everything", I whispered along with the movie near the end, "that people are really good at heart." The Diary of Anne Frank was also one of my favorite books, hence why I could quote it.
Ponyboy chuckled quietly as I spoke and kissed my head, pulling me closer to him.
When West Side Story came on, I leaned over to Pony and whispered, "Maybe that's what you should do with the gang when you're tryin' to look tuff; the whole snapping thing."
He snorted and laughed under his breath. "Sure, and we'll start spontaneously breaking out into song and dance too."
"You see, now you're gettin' it", I laughed.
I could see him roll his eyes in the glow of the movie screen.
"Te adoro, Ponyboy", I told him as María said it to Tony.
"Te adoro, Lily", he repeated it back when Tony said it back to her.
As we walked back to my house, I started humming "I Feel Pretty". Pony looked down at me in amusement and twirled me around before waltzing me down the sidewalk.
"See?" I laughed. "I told you you'd start dancing down the streets!"
He laughed too and squatted down, gesturing for me to hop on his back.
"You sure about that? I'm pretty heavy."
Pony turned his head and tried to cock an eyebrow. "No, you're not, darlin'. Just get on my back. It'll be fine."
"Alright", I sighed, "you asked for it." And with that, I jumped on his back and hooked my arms around his neck. His arms held up my legs.
"Y'see? Everything's just peachy", Pony said.
"I guess you're right", I admitted.
"Aren't I always?"
"No", I told him teasingly, "no, you're not."
"At least let me have the delusion that I am."
"Fine, I'll give you that", I grinned and kissed his cheek.
Soon, we got to my house, where he put me down.
"Thanks for the ride, Horseman."
"I love you", he said and gave me a kiss.
"I love you too, honey", I told him, giving him a final peck on the lips before heading into my house.
XxXxXxXxXx
The anniversary of Johnny and Dally's deaths was on the twenty-fifth and the sky seemed just as depressed as we were, overcast and grey. It was obviously going to rain.
Everyone was somber the entire day, even Ashlynn who had never met either of the boys looked quite solemn. I, of course, rambled on about useless things the whole time, and Pony accepted it like he had the year before.
During lunch, we were outside of the school since there was a lull in the rain, the water that had been pouring down from the heavens calming to a drizzle where the rivulets occasionally dampened a spot on our clothes or hair. I was talking on about something or other, my boyfriend stuck to my side and me stuck to his when Steve suddenly burst.
"Goddammit, would you shut the hell up!" he yelled. "I'm done with your talking! We're all keeping to ourselves and bein' quiet and then you bust in with your damn blabber! It's like you're not even thinking about them!"
My teeth clenched. "Excuse me? What the hell did you just say to me?"
"I thought that I said it loud enough, but apparently you couldn't hear me over all that bull comin' outta your mouth!"
Evie and Ashlynn both looked shocked.
"Steve", Evie said quietly, touching her boyfriend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.
"No, she needs to know how stupid she's being. How she doesn't even seem fazed by all this. It's like she doesn't even care!"
"You asshole!" I screamed as I stormed up to him. "Are you really that stupid! Get your head out of your ass and get it through that damn skull of yours that I care. I care just as much as you do. You weren't there when Johnny died. I was. You didn't go into that damn church. I did. Do you know how much I regret that day? How much I regret not pulling Johnny out of that goddamn building with me? It kills me all the damn time that I didn't help him! Sure, maybe I didn't know them as long or as much as you did, but I still miss them and think about them every damn day. Did it ever occur to you that maybe all this 'damn blabber' is how I cope? That if I didn't do all think freaking talking, I would break? Maybe you should think about what the hell other people have gone through before complaining about something as stupid as talking! Screw you, Steve."
I had started crying early in my rant and by the end, I was sobbing. I ran across the schoolyard, getting caught in the rain that had once again picked up.
Eventually, I stopped and leaned against a tree at the end of the yard, continuing to cry. A few moments after I stopped running, Ponyboy caught up to me and rushed over, wrapping me in his arms. I bawled into his chest.
"Shh", he whispered in my ear, "I know, baby, I know. Shh. It's okay, baby. I'm right here."
I whimpered into his shirt and tried to calm my breathing.
"He didn't mean it, baby. People in mourning say stupid things. You remember what I said last year, don't you?"
"Mm-hmm", I hummed in response.
"He was just having one of those moments. He didn't mean what he said."
"I know. B-but it hurt. I do m-miss them. I miss them s-so much", I whispered, stuttering over my words.
"I know you do, baby", Pony soothed, bending down a bit so he could fully embrace my waist and rubbing my back. "We all do."
We stayed like that for a while, his arms around my waist and mine securely wrapped around his neck. The sound of rain pattered against the leaves and sidewalks and the drops that made it through the branches fell on Pony and I.
I eventually calmed down and just stood there, wishing that I could just stay in his arms and breathe in the smell of his cologne mixed with the rain.
Ponyboy pulled away slightly so he could look down at my face. "You wanna go talk to him?"
"Not really, but I will", I sighed and grabbed his hand.
He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb before we sprinted across the schoolyard in the rain to Steve, Evie, and Ashlynn.
Evie and Ashlynn were both chastising him and the latter was glaring daggers.
They all shut up when Pony and I walked over and Steve walked towards us sheepishly.
"Can I…?" he trailed off.
"Yeah", I said and smiled lightly at Pony to tell him that I would be okay without him as I talked to Steve.
"I…I'm real sorry, Lily", Steve told me and looked down at his scuffed up shoes. "I wasn't thinkin' and It's been a hard day and my temper got the best'a me. I know you miss 'em; we all do. You didn't do nothin' wrong and you didn't deserve that."
I sighed and looked up at him. His dark green eyes showed his sincerity.
"I forgive you", I told him. "I'm sorry too."
"For what?"
"All that stuff that I said to you back there…", I said shyly.
"You don't have to be sorry for that, doll. I deserved it", he admitted. "Hell, you can punch me if you want. I'd deserve that too."
I smiled a little and lightly punched him in the arm, not really wanting to hurt him.
"C'mon, you can do better than that", he egged on, a smirk making its way onto his face.
"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.
"Positive", he confirmed.
"Okay…", I said before winding up and punching him hard in the arm, making him yelp.
"Are you okay?" I exclaimed.
Steve just laughed and rubbed his arm gingerly. "I'm fine, don't you worry. Damn, you got one hell of a hit."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"It'll bruise, but I'll be good. Nothin' a little ice can't solve."
I walked over and gave him a hug, making him stiffen momentarily before hugging me back and giving me a platonic kiss on the cheek.
When we went over to Ashlynn, Pony, and Evie, they looked at us.
"Well?" Ashlynn asked.
"We've buried the hatchet", I answered. "There's no use in holding a grudge."
Pony came over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, kissing my head.
That was when the bell rang, signaling that we had to get back to class and making us all go our respective ways.
When we went to the graves after school, Ashlynn and I had to leave early so we could get to dance. I wished I could be there for the entire time with the gang, but I was just too busy and couldn't be late.
XxXxXxXxXx
We visited the graves again on Dally's birthday like we had on Johnny's about 8 months before and when Thanksgiving Break came along a few weeks later, I was happy for the time off.
"I just need a while to recuperate", I said to Pony on the first day of break. Neither of us had work and I didn't have dance.
"You can say that again", he sighed.
"Isn't Thursday the last game of the season?" I asked. Our team was playing some other team for the Thanksgiving game.
"Yeah. I really like football, but I can't wait for it to be over. I need some time that's not spent playing sports or working."
"Me too", I told him before getting an idea. "Why don't we just not do anything?"
"What?"
"During the break, we just do nothing at all except be lazy."
"I like that idea", he said before shifting and wincing.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothin', Princess." He was lying.
"Ponyboy, you're lying and we both know it", I said and gave him a look.
He maintained eye-contact with me for a bit before figuring out that I wasn't about to give in and relenting.
"I'm just sore from playin' football. I'm fine, really."
"No, you're not, love. I just saw you wince", I pushed. "Where is it worst?"
"My shoulders", he sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win.
I moved and sat on the back of the couch behind him.
"What're you doin', Princess?"
"Just relax", I told him and started massaging his tense shoulders.
He moaned, making Soda and Steve run in from the kitchen.
"No funny business on the couch!" Soda exclaimed.
"There's no 'funny business' goin' on here, Soda", I laughed.
"What the hell's goin' on here, anyway?" Steve asked.
"Your brother is sore from football, so I'm massaging his shoulders."
"Ain't that funny…", Soda trailed off.
"What?" Pony asked with a small groan.
"I do the same thing to Darry when he pulls a muscle. Guess I don't have'ta worry 'bout doin' it to you", he laughed. "You got Lily, here."
I rolled my eyes at him as a smile tugged at my lips. "Okay. All is well. Y'all can go back to your card game now."
"Will do", Soda chirped and ran back into the kitchen, Steve following behind.
"Feelin' better, honey?" I questioned.
"Glory, am I ever", Pony sighed and sucked in a breath when I pressed down on a particularly tight spot right at the place where his shoulder met his neck.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. That's just a real sore spot."
"Well, there's a real tight knot there, so I'm gonna do it again. If it hurts too bad, just tell me", I said and proceeded to rub the spot again, causing him to deeply groan.
I continued working out the kink, rubbing it for a few minutes until it loosened up.
Pony sighed in relief. "Damn, that feels good."
"Glad to know that", I laughed a little.
"How do you know how to do this so well?"
"You get cramps all the time in ballet, so you learn pretty quickly how to massage them out", I shrugged.
"Even if you stretch beforehand?"
"Even if you stretch beforehand", I repeated in conformation.
"Damn", he muttered. "That's tuff."
"Thanks", I laughed. "How're your shoulders feeling now?"
"Great", he said and leaned his head back so it rested on my knees.
"Good", I smiled and kissed his forehead.
"How's the stuff for "Swan Lake" been goin'?"
"It's going well. It's hard and exhausting, but it'll pay off in the end. It makes me stronger anyhow."
He tried arching an eyebrow, which looked ever weirder since his face was upside down. "Stronger?"
"Yeah. We do lots of exercises to make us stronger and they say to do stuff at home too. Planks and barre stretching and stuff."
"Like stretching at Buck's or something?"
"No", I laughed. "Not like that. B-A-R-R-E. It's like a railing that you hold onto and put your leg on during exercises."
"What are these exercises?"
He still looked confused, so I sighed and moved his head off of my legs, looking around the room for something that was about the same height as a barre. Eventually, I figured that I would use the top of the armchair. I lifted my leg onto it and pointed my toes as much as possible in Converse.
"What on earth are you-?" Pony started, but cut himself off when he saw me practically doing the splits, one leg on the chair while the other was on the floor.
I moved that leg off the chair and put the other one up to stretch it as well.
"Jesus Christ", he muttered, causing me to laugh.
"How're you doin' over there, honey?" I chuckled and took my leg down.
"Are you okay? Is that normal?"
"Yes, it's normal", I laughed. "And I'm fine. My leg is supposed to look like that when I stretch."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure", I assured Pony as I sat on the couch next to him.
Hey guys! My summer work is done, so hopefully I'll be able to update more before school starts up again. I'm going to be happy to see friends again, but I'm not particularly excited for the lack of sleep that is sure to come. While I was writing the anniversary part, I didn't really realize what I was going to write until I got to it and I squeaked. I don't really know why I squeaked at my own writing, but I did. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13