For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 24
Home Is Where The Heart Is
"Hey, Ponyboy, come here," I called, walking up the stairs.
I heard the sound of his footsteps against the floor, the door opening a moment later.
"Yeah?" he sighed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Come downstairs with me for a minute," I said, gesturing towards the stairs.
He just shook his head no, before trying to go back into his room.
"Ponyboy, come on."
"I don' wanna," he grumbled.
I knew what his problem was, he didn't want to be around Darry, and I couldn't really blame him for it. My thing was though, I wanted to get his neck cleaned up so it wouldn't get infected. Knifes aren't always as clean as they may look, something else that I've learned from personal experience. At times, it can be rather easy to get infection. Especially, if you don't clean them properly on a regular basis.
"Ponyboy, just come downstairs for a little bit, alright? Just long enough so that I can clean you up," I tried to compromise, my hand on his shoulder.
He heard him sigh though, before finally nodding his head, finally allowing me to guide him downstairs. The kid was so bothered by Darry that it saddened me. Darry was his big brother and he should be able to look up to him, but not this.
"It'll be alright kid," I said quietly, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Yeah right," he mumbled, taking a seat on the stool in the bathroom.
I merely closed the door behind us, before wetting a wash cloth, the cool water meeting the warmth of my hands.
"You know, he's just worried is all," I said, gently placing my hand on Ponyboy's cheek.
"Yeah, that's a real good excuse," he scoffed.
I caught him though before he could roll his eyes at me.
"You three are brothers, nothing can change that," I pointed out. "It's like me and Eden, we're all the family we've got left," I said, gently wiping at the spot on his neck.
He winced as I did this, trying to pull away a bit.
"What you don't realize, Ponyboy, is that it's hard raising a kid on your own."
My words were quiet, but true. He didn't realize the strain it could put on you when you were left responsible for someone, having to provide for them and protect them. They came first and any dreams you have, they have to be put on hold.
I was a lot like Darry in those regards. Like Darry, I couldn't go to college, I couldn't afford and continue to take care of Eden and do that at the same time. Granted, I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself, but there were possibilities for me out there. My main priority was Eden though. Without me, she'd have nothing. I was all that she had and she was all that I had. All that me and Darry wanted to do was protect them because neither of could bare losing them, that, I knew for sure.
"There, all done," I smiled, wiping at the bit of rubbing alcohol that I had applied.
He didn't like it very much, but he nodded all the same, easily standing back up and walking out the door.
"He loves you, remember that."
I'm not sure if he heard me or not, but I still said it all the same.
T
"I'll see you guys later, I gotta get to work," I said, grabbing a piece of toast as I walked out of the kitchen. "You ready to go Darry?"
"Yeah, I'm ready," he said with a nod.
Once again, he was taking me to work. If I had a car of my own, then there'd be no need to bother him, but I didn't. Otherwise, I would have just let him sleep, but after everything that was going on he still wasn't letting me walk by myself. I couldn't really blame him though.
"Hey, Soda, ya need a ride," he called, grabbing his keys off the counter.
"Nah, I'm just going to walk," Soda told him as he sat at the table finishing his breakfast up.
"Well, let's get goin' then," I pipped up, pulling my jacket on as I walked out the door, Darry following right behind me.
I didn't have time to do anything with my hair, so I just ran my hands through it a few times and patted it down.
"Would you rather use my comb?" Darry asked, taking his place in the drivers seat and starting the truck up.
"I thought that a man's comb was sacred," I teased, a small smile on my face.
"Oh, it is, but I think I can let you use it just this once," he chuckled.
I just burst out laughing at this, just one of those goofy moments that we had together. It was one of those things that we would banter back and forth with a bit just for kicks I guess. After all, we couldn't go without teasing each other a bit every now and then. Hell, it was probably one of the few things that would put us in a good mood at times.
T
"I'll see ya later Dar," I said, leaning over and kissing his cheek before hopping out of the, closing the door behind me.
"I'll be back at four to pick you up," he called, leaning his head out his window.
"See ya later," I waved, before hurrying inside.
I was taking the early shift today and Jennifer was taking over at around four o'clock, so I was left with Joe and the morning crowd. I didn't really mind it though since I was used to switching out half the time. I mean, I still got more hours in than anyone else did, so I was good for the most part. Only thing I didn't like about it was how tired I was at times at the end of the day. The other week, Darry even had to carry me to bed because I was too tired to get up after pulling double shifts three days in a row. Just thinking about it made me tired.
"Alright girl, we're pullin' all the stops out today, so be on your toes," Joe said.
"I'm always on my toes," I cried, giving him an incredulous look.
The man knew better than to say something like that to me. I wasn't like Christine, the one who'd normally take Sundays and Mondays at times. Normally, all that girl did was sit around on her butt. The tables were never clean, floors left unswept, and dishes dirty in the sink. It was terrible. At least with Jennifer, she did her job. Regardless though, I was still Joe's main waitress and it'd likely always be that way.
"In fact, if you want us even quicker, then why not put us on skates like those other places?" I suggested.
"Now, you know that we'd be picking Christine off the floor every five minutes," he chuckled. "And if you're not careful, we might have to end up doing the same for you."
I just stood there with my mouth hanging open as he said this, wondering if my ears had heard correctly.
"Excuse me?" I felt insulted by his words.
"Well, it's not like I'm saying that you're clumsy or anything," he grinned.
"Oh, stop it!"
"Oh, customer!" he countered, a smirk on his face as he turned back toward the kitchen, the entrance bell ringing a moment later.
And so began a long day.
T
By the time that four o'clock came rolling around, I was beat. With all the specials that Joe had going on today to up business, it left the place packed, leaving me without a minutes peace.
I swear, my feet were killing me as I stood near the counter, calls for more drinking ringing in my ears. I wish I could have a moment of silence, but no, it wasn't possible.
"Another coke, sir?" I offered, walking over to a table of football players.
"Yeah," he nodded.
"Me too," his friend called, a grin on his face as he looked me up and down.
I swear, I couldn't wait til Darry came to take me home. Although, I'd still have to wait until Jennifer arrived, but at least I'd have a ride home.
"Coming right up," I sighed, walking behind the counter and filling them up. "Lord, give me strength," I prayed quietly, quickly returning over to the table to give them their drinks.
No sooner did I do that, another group was calling for me. It was like a battle of tug of war between dogs and I was the chew toy.
The Beatles 'Ticket To Ride' was playing in my ears from the jukebox and all I wanted was a ticket out of here.
"How ironic," I snorted, quickly cleaning up as a group got up and left.
I found myself irritated when I realized that they'd left no tip behind, merely leaving behind enough money for the food. Even worse, there'd been five of them.
"Great…" I sighed.
Unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do about it as I wiped things down, balancing all the dishes in my arms. Before I could do much of anything else, the bell rang again, but this time to my relieve it was Darry.
"Thank you God," I breathed, a smile making its way onto my face. "Darry, be a dear and choose something from the jukebox?" I called over my shoulder, before walking back into the kitchen and setting the dishes in the sink.
Before I knew it, Elvis' 'One-Sided Love Affair' was playing. I just rolled my eyes when I heard it, the sides of my mouth twitching slightly. He'd picked that song on purpose. It was his way of pulling my chain, especially, since he knew that I love him and showed it. The song itself was almost like an inside joke between the two of us, one that I was sure Joe would no doubt pick up on quickly.
"Is that Darrel sitting out there?" Joe asked, looking out his little window.
"Yes, it is," I nodded, cleaning a few of the cup, before placing them upside down on a tray.
"Well, get the boy a drink while he waits. It'll be at least another 15 minutes before Jenny gets here," he said.
"Yes Sir," I complied with a small salute.
That was another game that we would play at times between the two of us. I'm just glad that he didn't call me maggot, then we'd have some real problems. I still got Darry's drink nonetheless though, walking back over to the booth that I'd just cleaned and placed it down.
"If you keep pullin' stuff like that, you won't be getting nothin'," I whispered in his ear before letting loose a quiet laugh.
He just threw a smile my way though.
"You got somethin' better in mind then?" he asked, a coin resting in between the fingers of his outstretched hand.
"I suppose," I said with a shrug, slipping the dull looking coin from his fingertips and into my own.
Now, it was my turn to embarrass him a bit as I popped the coin into the music machine and punching a couple buttons in. A moment later, the melody of The Crystals 'He's A Rebel' started playing out. I merely smiled to myself as I walked back over to him, resting my chin on his shoulder for a moment.
"I think that this one is much better," I smiled, before pressing my lips to his cheek in a quick kiss.
That was all that I had time for as I stood back up properly, my hand brushing his arm for a moment as I walked down to the other end of the diner, my hands expertly sweeping over the table. At least this group had been kind enough to leave a tip for me, each of them had in fact left a tip. This made me grin.
"Hey, Sweetheart, another coke," I heard one of the guys from a few booths over call.
"One moment," I groaned lightly, gathering everything in my arms.
I managed to grab the guy's glass as well and took it behind the counter with me. I then filled it up after setting things down, easily making my way back over to the small group and setting his newly filled glass down in front of him.
"Thanks Sweetheart," he smiled.
"No problem," I nodded, quickly turning around.
I felt him grab hold of my wrist though before I could go anywhere, my body freezing up for a moment at the contact.
"One more thing. What say you join me in a movie tonight?" he said smoothly, trying his best to give me a dashing smile.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," I breathed.
"Why not?"
"Because," I paused, before directing him to the guy at the end of the diner. "I've got a boyfriend," I pointed out, before giving Darry a little wave.
He did the same, before causing the guy to pale a bit. It was so fun I nearly laughed, but that would have been rude and frowned upon, so I just walked away and back down toward Darry.
"I swear, I can't wait to get out of here," I told him, taking a chance and sitting down for a quick moment.
"Shouldn't Jennifer be here already?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, yes she should, but she's not."
Unfortunately, Jennifer was always 15 to 30 minutes late. Granted, she did her job fairly well, but she had a habit of not being on time for some reason or another. Even though that resulted in more money for me, when I was tired, I couldn't care less.
"When we get, can we lay down for a bit?" I pleaded, my head falling down into my arms on the table.
"Sure, but do you mind goin' up to the hardware store with me after this for a bit? I gotta pick a few things up before they close," he told me, before taking a drink of his coke.
I groaned for a moment, but nodded nonetheless.
"Sure," I sighed, trying my best to bite back a yawn afterward.
"It shouldn't take too long, I just gotta pick up a few boxes of nails and a couple bundles of roofing," he explained.
"It's fine, I don't mind."
It was true, I really didn't mind at all, I was just tired and run down from running back and forth all over the place today. It was order after order and no rest. Heck, it'd probably be the same way tomorrow and tomorrow was Saturday. I then gave another yawn as I took hold of Darry's hand, glancing down at his watch. I groaned when I saw that it said 4:38.
"That girl is trying to put me in an early grave," I whined, resting my cheek on top of his hand.
If I didn't get out of here soon, I'd go crazy. Then, almost as if answering my prayers once more, the bell rang and in she stepped.
"Jennifer," I cried, standing up from my seat and walking over to her. "Where have you been?" I exclaimed, nearly ready to start pulling at my hair.
"Sorry, car trouble," she said nervously, scratching the back of her neck. "But I'm here now, so you can go," she told me, quickly making her way behind the counter to put her stuff away.
I just sighed and shook my head before untying my apron and shoving it under the counter.
"I'll see you later Joe," I called, before taking hold of Darry's hand.
"Take care," he said, going back to his cooking a moment later.
"Now, let's get out of here before something else happens."
Darry just laughed at this, pulling me to him as we walked out. I didn't really see what was so funny about it though.
"It's not funny," I whined, getting in when he opened the truck door for me.
"Oh, not funny persay, just interesting to watch," he offering making me narrow my eyes and smack his arm.
Him and his games, it was enough to drive one crazy at time. Then again, any of the guys could do that to you. It just so happened that mine was Darry.
T
By the time that we finally got done and started heading back, I was already halfway asleep in my seat. It had taken even longer to get done because the guy at the hardware store was still new and getting used to everything. I couldn't really hold it against him for that, but it took forever. All that Darry had gotten were a dozen boxes of nails and two bundles of roofing material. It really wasn't that much and yet it took so long to get it done. Plus, the guy kept messing up on the register. The whole thing left me even more tired than I was before.
"Are we almost home?" I groaned, a bump in the road sending my head up an inch or two.
"Yeah, we're almost there," he nodded, reaching a hand over and pushing a bit of hair out of my face.
I gave him the best smile I could as I closed my eyes again, a yawn escaping my lips. I was so tired, but at least we were going home. Then again, what was home anyway?
T
As Darry looked over at Abigail he found her head to be slumped to the side, her eyes close, weight pressed up against the door. She was asleep, not bothering to wake at the occasional bumps that they hit. Once again, her hair had fallen into her face, leaving him to push it back out of the way.
"Abigail," he whispered, turning off the car as he pulled up in front of the house.
Her skin felt so smooth against his calloused hand and sending a rush of feeling through his nerves.
"Let's get you inside," he said quietly, going over to the other side of the truck and opening the door.
She nearly fell out when he opened it, but he was quick to react, grabbing her up in his arms.
"Darry?" she groaned quietly, barely cracking her eyes open enough to look at him.
"Just go back to sleep," he told her, placing one of her arms around his neck as he closed the door back.
Within in seconds, she nodded back off, her eyes rolling into the back of her head with visions of peace. He was just thankful that no one was home yet and no one would be home for a least another hour or more.
Steve and Soda were going out to watch the game with Sandy and Evie, while Johnny and Ponyboy were going out with Dally to the movies. All that, left them with peace and quiet. It also meant that Darry had the chance for some quality time with Abigail once she woke back up, the mere thought of it putting a smile on Darry's face.
"I guess a short nap couldn't hurt," he voiced outloud, gently setting her down on their bed.
That was one thing that after a while, he'd found himself strangely happy with, sharing a bed with her. It allowed him to keep an eye on her and be close to her. Sure, he didn't know what is parents would say about it if they were still around, but that was neither here nor there. The fact of the matter was that it was good for both of them, mainly Abigail. She was so used to being by Darry's side that she couldn't sleep without him half the time, one of the reasons why they'd said the hell with it and agreed to share the bed together. To Darry, that was far better than sleeping on the couch. Besides, it wasn't as if they were doing anything. Kissing and sleeping side by side was the only intimacy that they'd come to know. Anything further than that, well, that would have to wait. If there was one thing that his parents did, then it was raise him right. Darry would marry her first before they tried going any further.
With that thought in mind though, he removed his shirt, coming to lay down beside her as he pulled her against him.
"Darry…" she murmured, her hand coming to lay on his chest, right above the beating of his heart.
Darry could feel his eyes lids growing heavy as he laid there, the sound of their breathing melding into one, and their hearts coming to beat together in unison. As he fell asleep, it was like they were one.
T
As I came to, I felt something warm and firm beneath me, a certain smoothness against my fingertips. It was the smoothness of skin, something smoother than that of my fingertips themselves that had become slightly rough over the past few years.
I didn't bother opening my eyes though as I laid there, feeling the raise and fall of Darry's chest. His breathing was calm and even, something that could easily put me back to sleep if I let it. I could his muscles twitch as I let my hand glide gently across his torso and abdomen, both taut and strong. It wasn't until my hand got to his side that I felt him twitch, his hand quickly coming up and grabbing hold of mine.
"Hm?" I looked up to find him staring at me, a strange look on his face.
"D-don't," he said quietly, placing our hands on top of his stomach.
I sat up a bit at this, giving him a curious look.
"You're not ticklish, are you?" I asked slowly, raising an eyebrow at him.
He shifted for a moment before looking at me, giving me the answer to my question without even saying a word.
"You are," I grinned, slowly getting up a bit more.
"Abigail," his voice was a bit nervous as he moved back a bit, slight warning in his voice.
Before he could do anything though, I was attacking his side, his voice coming out sounding strangled.
"Abigail!" he cried out, trying his best to move away.
It did him little good though as I continued with my assault on his side, rolling around on the bed with him a bit. After a few minutes of this though, he managed to take back control, easily pinning me to the bed.
As I looked up at him I found his breath coming out in heaves as he kept my hands above my head, his body hovering over mine, and a hand beside my face. He was so handsome, so charming, so wonderful. I could see the love in his eyes as he stared down at me, his hand coming to rest gently on my cheek.
"Darry," I breathed, closing my eyes as he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine.
I felt my mind clouding over as he did this, his lips meeting mine once more in a soft sweet kiss. It was moments like this that I lived for, just so that I could thrive in them and feel loved. Oh how he loved me, his tender touch a blissful calm, his voice like sweet velvet.
I felt his hand loosen on my wrists as he kissed me again, pressing his lips lightly to mine. I then wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him just a bit closer as I laid there.
"I love you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against my, a small smile on his face.
"I love you too," I said softly, bringing my lips to his.
Our time was cut short though when we heard the front door open, the sound of Soda's voice calling up the stairs.
"Hey, Darry, I'm home," he called.
I couldn't help, but to laugh when Darry sighed, the look of disappointment and annoyance on his face.
"Maybe later?" I smiled, leaning up and kissing him one last time. "Why don't you go and put a shirt on before he comes up here and gets the wrong idea."
"That's the last thing that I need," he groaned, before pushing off the bed and grabbing his shirt.
I sat up as I watched his put it back on, undoing his pants as he tucked it in like usual. I couldn't help, but to let out a yawn as I sat there, running a hand through my hair as he pulled his button up over that as well, leaving it open like he usually did.
"You hungry?" he asked, walking back over.
"Well, since I haven't had anything since this morning, I'd have to say yes."
He shook his head at this, before walking out the door and down the stairs, undoubtedly heading for the kitchen.
T
"So, how'd the game go?" I asked, taking another bite of my mashed potatoes.
"Pretty good. Home team won," Soda grinned, before taking a bite of his own food.
"That's good."
Other than that, not much was said while we all ate, leaving any further discussions to be held afterward.
Once everyone was done eating though, we piled into the living room, Darry in his chair and me and Soda on the couch. All we really had to do was wait for Ponyboy to get home.
The whole time, Darry merely sat there watching me and Soda playing cards, just something to pass the time. It was a fairly simple game since I didn't like the idea of gambling or playing for money like Steve and Soda normally did. Just a simple game of Slap Jack. Although, I'd have to say it was slightly painful though, that boy had pretty quick reflexes. Half the time I'd try to go in to claim the cards, I'd get my hand smacked before I could pull them away. It was all in good fun though so I didn't really mind. After all, it was better than playing something like bloody knuckles, now that was painful. I'd never personally played that game before, but I'd seen others do it and walk away with their hands looking like a red hot fire poker.
After a couple hours of playing, we finally called it a quits and went back to laying on the couch. The TV was then turned on, leaving us to whatever decided to play. I wasn't really that interested in what was on though, so I just closed my eyes and stretched out, laying my feet on Soda's lap. He didn't seem to mind though as he sat there, leaning back into the couch while propping a foot up on the coffee table.
From there, everything went in and out of focus, all noise meshing together and becoming muffled to my ears as I yawned. I couldn't even make out the words being exchanged between the two as I fell back asleep.
T
"So…" Soda started, glancing over in Darry's direction.
"What?"
"What were you guys doing earlier when I got home anyway?" Soda asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Darry had thought that Soda hadn't noticed anything when he had gotten home, but he was wrong. Soda had caught the slightly begrudging look that Darry had held on his face when coming downstair, that, and the fact that his shirt was a bit messed up as though he'd just thrown it back on. Soda may not have been the brightest of the bunch, but he could always tell when something was up, and this time something was up with Darry.
"I don't know what you mean," Darry said, looking back down at his paper.
"Sure you do," he said firmly, a grin slowly creeping onto his handsome face. "After all, you came out of your room looking like I'd interrupted something rather pleasant," he chuckled, catching the look in Darry's eyes.
He could tell that his brother was becoming slightly embarrassed.
"And that could only mean one thing," he said, leaning forward a bit, his arm coming to rest lightly on Abigail's lower legs. "You guys were getting on."
"We were not," Darry snapped quietly in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Abigail up.
At this point, it was obvious that Soda had struck a nerve, but that was always easy among brothers. Then again, it wasn't exactly like he was innocent of such an act, he'd done it once with Sandy. Then again, he was also in love with Sandy. Darry was old though, so he supposed that if he wanted to get intimate with Abigail, then could by all right. After all, it's not like their parents could do anything, they weren't around anymore.
"Hey, I'm not gonna tell anyone," Soda said, trying to bite back a smile. "After all, she is your girlfriend, so it's to be expected," he chuckled.
Darry merely gave him a hard look before getting up.
"We were not getting it on," he stated.
"Sure," Soda mumbled, before leaning back into the couch.
"Look, we were just laying down for a bit," Darry told him. "Besides, if we were getting it on, it'd be after we're married and when I know you guys aren't going to be around," he pointed out begrudgingly.
"So you're going to ask her to marry you then?" Soda asked, his interest obviously being peaked.
"No, I…I mean," he didn't know what he say as his brother caught him tongue tied and a loss for words.
After a few moments of silence, Darry sat back down in his chair, his arms folded over his chest.
"You know," Soda started slowly. "I wonder what Mom and Dad would think if they were still here," he said quietly.
"About what?" Darry inquired, lifting his eyes to his brother.
"About all of this," Soda gestured around him, his eyes landing on Abigail after a moment.
Darry's eyes soon followed, his eyes softening at the sight of her sleeping form.
"I bet Mom would have loved her, welcomed her with open arms," he said softly, before turning his eyes back to Soda.
"And Dad would have given her a hard time just to irritate you," Soda chuckled.
It was true though. Although, their father would have given Darry a hard time more than anything, saying that his boy was finally finding love and becoming a man. He would have said that Abigail was a real keeper, just like everyone else had. He probably would have tried to embarrass Darry in front of her too. Then again, what parent wouldn't when their son had found such a wonderful person that might possibly one day become part of the family. Then again, if their parents were still around, Darry probably wouldn't be. He'd probably be off at college and possibly never have met Abigail. The thought of something such as that made his heart ache.
"If they were still here, I never would have met her," he whispered.
"Huh?" Soda hadn't quite heard what he had said.
"Nothing," he assured him, shaking his head.
Thoughts like that were better off forgotten.
T
Everything after that was pretty much a blur, the fighting with Ponyboy, the raised voices, everything. Everything turned into a mess when Darry had hit Ponyboy, knocking the dishes to the floor in the process.
"Darry," Abigail whispered, her eyes scared and sad.
Yay! Chapter 24! I hope that everyone liked it because I know that I liked reading this one. Parts of it get you thinking just a little bit more. Plus, it was a bit more Darry/Abigail time. I also realize that by coming this far in the story that I'm now at the BOOK and I've been having people asking me questions about it. Personally, I don't wish to see Johnny OR Dally die. If they did, I could see clearly what Abigail would do in my head, but that's beside the point. She'd be EXTREMELY pissed at Dally if that happened. XD Anyway, I do NOT plan on killing off two members of our little Greaser family. Besides, Dally still has a role to play in things. And Johnny, he's just too sweet a kid to kill off. If anyone has ANY IDEAS, I'd be MORE than happy to hear them. Anyway, don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, and ideas on this chapter/story. Thanks for reading everyone!