For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 7
You Want Proof Paul?
I'll Give You Proof
It was exactly one week later since everything happened with me and Darry. That day, he had driven me back to my house and then over to work, leaving me to relax on the way there. He'd been so nice about everything, which is exactly why I invited him to come to the diner today, my treat. Well, actually, it was more Joe's idea than mine. I didn't mind though. In fact, I thought that it was a great idea. Although, I also knew the truth behind why Joe was doing this. The man treated me like a daughter and he was trying to make me happy.
It was around 7:30 or so when I heard the bell on the door ring, alerting me to our next customer. I was hoping that it was Darry, but it wasn't. Instead, it was an elderly couple, a man and his wife.
"Good evening," I smiled, grabbing a couple of napkins and some silverware as I set them on the table for the two of them, along with their menus. "May I take your coats?" I offered.
The old woman smiled at me as she turned a bit, trying to take her coat off.
"Here, let me help you with that Ma'am," I said, easily helping her take it off.
"Thank you sweetie," she said as she sat down across from her husband, allowing me to hang her coat up along with her husband's.
"Would you like me to take your hat for you Sir?" I asked.
He too smiled at me, removing it from his head and handing it to me.
"If you please," he said, gently taking hold of his wife's hand afterward.
"Would you like me to give you a few minutes to decide?" I asked.
They looked at each for a moment, before turning back to me.
"Just some potato soup and tea please, for the both of us," he said kindly.
"Yes, Sir, and might I say, Joe makes the best potato soup around," I smiled, writing the orders down and going behind the counter, clipping it to the turner. "Two orders of your potato soup Joe," I said, spinning the thing around for him.
"Coming right up," he said.
While he was doing that, I started on the couple's drinks, putting ice in them and filling them up. I then placed them on a tray right as Joe hit the little kitchen bell.
"Orders up," he called, placing the bowls out for me.
"Thanks Joe," I said, grabbing them and placing them on the tray with the drink as I got ready to go back around the counter again.
Just as I was rounding the counter, the bell at the door rang.
"I'll be right with you…" I stopped when I saw who it was. "D-Darry," I swallowed, looking over at the elderly couple for a moment. "Um, sit where ever you like and I'll be with you in a second," I told him, quickly making my way over to the couple.
T
It was about 7:20 when Darry left the house. Abigail had invited him to the diner to come and eat, saying it was on the house. Knowing that she had invited him, he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. He'd even put on his best jeans along with a nice fitting black t-shirt for which he tucked in to his pants. He had even rolled the sleeves up to make it look a bit better. Pony had even asked him where he was going since he looked so nice. When he told him that he was going to see Abigail, he almost didn't believe him.
When he got to the diner, it was a few minutes after 7:30.
From his spot in the truck, he could see Abigail behind the counter setting things down on a tray. She had her hair pulled back into a messy bun, a few pieces falling out into her face. He couldn't help, but to smile a bit as he watched her. He'd never seen her at work before, so he was trying to take everything in.
A minute later, he finally decided to get out of the truck and walking inside, the bell on the door giving him away before he even knew it.
"I'll be right with you…" she started, but stopped once she saw that it was him.
She seemed at a loss for words as they stood there.
"D-Darry," she stuttered, looking over at the elderly couple that were seated in a booth. "Um, sit where ever you like and I'll be with you in a second," she told him, before quickly making her way over to the couple, her tray in hand.
He heard a bit of laughter back in the kitchen as he walked over and sat down on one of the bar stools at the counter, a face soon looking in through the open kitchen window. It was the face of a man, one with short brown hair, and blue eyes.
"So, you're Darrel Curtis then?" the guy asked, coming out of the kitchen and standing in front of him.
"Um, do I know you?" Darry asked curiously.
"No, the name's Joe, Joe Taylor," he said, introducing himself. "I'm the owner here," he said proudly, before looking over at Abigail.
She was standing there, talking with the couple, a smile on her face. Although, her face went slightly red for a moment when the old woman said something to her, her eyes flickering over toward Darry for a moment.
T
"Go on now, we'll be fine," the woman said. "Besides, I can tell you fancy him," she said, making my face go red.
"Let her be Mildred," her husband chuckled as he placed a hand gently on mine. "We'll be fine dear, go take care of that nice young man over there for now," he said softly, reminding me of how my father used to be.
All I could do was nod my head in response, before turning around and walking back toward Darry.
"H-Hi," I whispered, still a bit embarrassed.
What made matters worse was the fact that Joe was standing there with him.
"Hey there," he said back, a charming smile on his face.
I wasn't sure what to do as I stood there in front of him, still a bit shocked that he came. Although, that's when Joe decided to take over for me, making things a little bit easier for me.
"Pick anything off the menu, it's on the house," Joe said, handing Darry a menu. "That means you too missy," Joe said as he pointed a finger at me. "You haven't eaten all day."
I remained quiet as he said this, sitting down next to Darry at the counter.
"Just a small bowl of soup," he said.
Joe didn't like this much.
"Oh no you don't. A strong young man like you needs more than just that," Joe started. "Now, I've raised two boys, so I know better. How about a nice hearty Barbeque sandwich," Joe said, watching Darry give in with a nod.
It was then that Joe turned toward me.
"You'll be having the same," he announced.
Before I could protest, he went back into the kitchen, a satisfied look on his face.
"So…" I started awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.
"How long have you been working here?" Darry asked as he rested one of his arms on the countertop, turning a bit to look at me properly.
"Since I was about Ponyboy's age, so about 6 years," I told him, looking over into the kitchen for a moment to see Joe smiling at me. "I've been with Joe the longest out of anyone," I said, resting my head on my arms tiredly.
"She's my best worker too," Joe said from the kitchen, making me go slightly red at his praise.
Apparently, it was easy for Darry to put two and two together, turning back toward me again.
"He likes to embarrass you, doesn't he," Darry said, trying his best not to laugh.
"Only around you," I said quietly, burying my face in my arms.
A minute later, Joe came back out with a tray in his hands. I saw what was on it and held back a remark. Not only did he have our sandwiches, but he also had a sundae on it.
"Joe," I hissed, my face going red.
I could understand embarrassing me in front of Darry or making me eat like he did, but this was over kill. He had done this deliberately just to embarrass me further.
"What? I figured the two of you would like dessert with your food," he said, trying to play innocent.
"Joe, I'm warning you," I said quietly, sitting up a bit more in my seat.
"Play nice now you two," he chuckled, before walking off and back into the kitchen.
I heard Darry chuckle a moment later, causing me to shove his arm in embarrassment.
"Oh, hush you," I mumbled, bringing my sandwich to my mouth and taking a bite out of it.
To be honest, it was really good, but that didn't stop me from being annoyed at him. So, without thinking about anything else, we sat there and ate together. It had been so long since I had done something like this. It was nice having time like this, it really was. Even better I suppose that I got to spend it with Darry.
"You seem content," Darry commented.
"Maybe I am," I said with a shrug, glancing over at him for a moment.
I nearly choked on my food when I looked at him, my hand going over my mouth as I held in a laugh.
"What?" he asked, giving me a strange look.
I couldn't help it, I swear that I couldn't. I mean, the guy had barbeque sauce on his nose.
"Darry," I snickered, pulling his hands down for a moment as he went to take another bite.
"What?"
I leaned forward for a moment, a napkin in my hand as I wiped the tip of his nose, before showing it to him. I could have sworn that his face went a bit red upon realizing everything, but it could have been my imagination.
"Sorry," I snickered, trying my best not to laugh too much.
After a second look though, he didn't seem to mind as much as and laughed with me instead. That actually made me feel a lot better when he did that, it made me feel more comfortable to be honest.
"Maybe I'll start coming here more often," Darry said.
I paused for a moment though as he said this. If he came here more often, especially around this time, then I'd get to see him more often. I'd have a friendly face to look at every now and then instead of Joe all the time.
"That would be nice," I said quietly, before going back to my food.
We didn't get to talk too much more between eating though before someone else came into the diner, the sight of them making me completely forget my food.
"Oh no…" I whispered, turning back around and hoping that they wouldn't see me.
"Abigail, what's wrong?" Darry asked, glancing over at who just came him.
"Hey there Abby," came the voice of a man, but not just any man.
No, it was Paul, Mr. Super soc. Sometimes, he was just as bad as he buddies when it came to bothering me. In fact, he had two of them with him, but luckily they stayed by the door.
"Well, hey there Darrel, didn't expect to see you here," Paul said as he walked over, throwing his arm around my shoulders and resting his chin on my shoulder.
I could feel my whole body stiffen as he did this, my hand clenching the edge of the counter as it shook a bit. I just prayed that Darry would notice this and help me, I really did. The last thing that I wanted to do was be touched by someone like Paul or any one of his little buddies.
T
The moment that Paul put his arm around Abigail, Darry noticed that something was wrong. He could see her hand start to shake and curl up as Paul stood there with his chin on her shoulder, his breath tickling her ear and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end.
"What are you doing here Paul?" Darry asked carefully as he sat in his seat, keeping a watchful eye on Abigail.
"Just came in here to get some food," Paul said as his nose touched Abigail's cheek, her eyes turning wide and scared almost. "That and pay Abby here a little visit," he told him.
Darry knew that he had to do something, her eyes were pleading for help as he glanced over at him, he just hoped that Paul would believe it and leave them alone.
"Well, I that's fine by me, but I'd like it if you'd leave her alone," Darry said, reaching over and grabbing hold of Abigail's hand, giving it a small comforting squeeze.
"And why should I?" Paul asked as he raised an eyebrow at his old high school buddy.
"Because she's my girlfriend," Darry said.
At this, Paul gave him a hard look, not believing a word that he said. He then laughed.
"You're lying Darrel," Paul smirked. "Besides, what would she want with a Greaser anyway?" he laughed, the sound of it making Abigail even more uncomfortable. "You have nothing to give her," he said.
T
"J-just leave me alone Paul," I said, quickly standing up as Darry did the same.
I quickly went and stood behind Darry, wrapping my arms around him from behind and resting my face against his back. Darry didn't tense or anything, if anything, he relaxed a bit from what I could tell.
"Darry, get me out of here?" I whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.
From there, he reached his hand around and gently took hold of my arm, taking it easy as he pulled me forward a bit as he walked toward the door. I could see Joe staring at me from the back, giving me a nod that it was okay to go. All that I could do was mouth a thank you to him before Darry got me outside and headed to the truck. We couldn't seem to get there fast enough though as Paul followed us out of the dinner.
"Get behind me," Darry instructed, blocking me from Paul's view.
"You're lying through your teeth buddy," Paul said.
"Leave us alone," I told him, my hand curling around the back of Darry's shirt.
"Tell me something Abby, what is that he has that I don't?" Paul asked, taking a few steps forward.
I could feel Darry's muscles tense up a bit as Paul got closer to us, but Darry still held his ground.
"Do you really want to know Paul?" I asked, poking my head out from behind Darry.
Paul nodded his head, gesturing for me to continue.
"Well, for one, kindness," I said, my eyes looking somewhere else for a moment.
"I can be just as nice," Paul countered, making me continue.
"Love," I said.
"I can love you just as good as he can," he grinned.
This made me groan.
"Compassion," I added, raising my voice a bit.
"I can be compassionate too," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "And I've got money," he gloated.
That's what did it, that's what hit a nerve, it's also what caused me to step out from behind Darry.
"I don't care about money Paul," I told him, my face going slightly red from the fact that he thought that I was that shallow. "Darry works his butt off every day to get where he is. I bet you've never worked an honest day in your life," I said, taking a step forward. "You want to know the real difference between the two of you? It's heart! Darry puts his heart into what he does. He's an honest man and a gentleman!"
I stood there, shaking a bit after venting everything. Surprisingly enough though, it was all true, every word that I spoke was true. Darry was by far much better than Paul could ever hope to be.
"Why don't we just settle this like men," Paul said, before shoving Darry backwards.
I had to move out of the way before I got hit. All I could do was stand there as Paul and Darry rolled around on the ground, Paul pulling as many punches as he could.
"Stop it!" I yelled, running over and trying to push Paul off.
All that did was get me sent flying a few feet onto my back in pain.
"Abigail!" Darry cried out, his temper flaring as he punched Paul in the face, knocking him off of him.
Darry was kneeling next to me a second later, pulling me into his arms and holding me. We both looked over at Paul as he started toward us. In that moment, I knew what I had to do.
"You want proof Paul? I'll give you proof," I said angrily, turning toward Darry. "Darry…" I whispered softly, before taking his face into my hands.
He didn't stop me as I leaned forward, pressing my lips gently against his. I felt him place his hand on my cheek as I did this, a wave of warmth washing over me. It was perfect if it weren't for the fact that it was to prove something to Paul. I honestly think that that's the part that hurt the most. It felt so right, but it was for the wrong reason.
When we broke apart, Paul stood there with a pissed off look on his face, but he didn't do anything though.
"So, that's how it is then? I thought that you wanted to change," he said, annoyance still filling his voice.
"I did change," I muttered, laying my head against Darry.
The whole thing was so believable, it actually hurt. It felt so real. I felt like crying as I sat there, those thoughts running through my mind.
"Now that you have proof, leave us alone Paul," Darry told him, carefully pulling me up as he stood.
I stood there with him, his arms wrapped around my waist and my arms around his necks. We looked like a real couple standing there in front of Paul. Anyone else would have believed it too.
"Fine, but things aren't finished with you and me Curtis," Paul warned as he walked away, his buddies following behind him.
When they were gone from sight, I let out a sigh of relief, resting my head against Darry.
"Finally," I breathed.
"Abigail?" Darry said, causing me to look up at him.
"Yeah?"
Before I knew it, his lips were against mine, kissing me softly. I found myself unable to think clearly, but I found myself smiling as I kissed back. I guess it wasn't pretend after all.
"Did I overstep?" he asked, pulling back after a minute.
"Do you really think you'd be standing if you did?" I asked, a smile breaking out onto my face.
"So, what does this mean then?" he asked, a small smile on his face as he stroked my cheek gently.
"Something good," I whispered, leaning into his hand as I closed my eyes.
It felt so good to feel such a comfort after all these years.
"Darry?" I whispered, still enjoying the feeling of his hand on my cheek.
"Yes, Abigail?"
I opened my eyes back up and looked him in the eyes, placing my own hand on his cheek.
"Before we go any further with whatever this is, I want you to promise me one thing," I said.
"Anything," he breathed, looking back into my eyes with those beautiful blue ones of his.
"Never leave me?" I whispered, my eyes slightly watery.
"I promise," he told me.
With that, I leaned up and pressed my lips to his like I had done before, enjoying the warmth of his lips on mine. I never liked playing pretend anyway.
Chapter 7. Yay! :) I REALLY hope that everyone liked this chapter. I know that this is something that a LOT of you wanted to see. :) Please remember to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings about this chapter/story. I'd really appreciate it. REVIEWS keep me posting. :)