For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 32
Shopping
"So, Darry, what are ya gonna get her for Christmas?" Soda asked.
Abigail had gone to work early that day, Dally walking her to work while the rest of them stayed home.
"I don't know, I hadn't really thought about it," he said with a shrug.
Truthfully, that had been a lie. Darry had been trying all week to think of something, but for some reason, it seemed rather hard. He knew that she never asked for anything, not once. She was always trying to help them out, making living in their house just a bit easier. It was almost like it had become her second job in a way, taking care of them. It was a job that was supposed to rest on Darry's shoulders, not hers. She'd been doing it long enough. In fact, perhaps that's what she needed, to know that he'd take care of her. He'd make it official, he'd give her his ring.
"Hey, Pony, me and Soda are gonna go out for a bit alright?" Darry said, standing up.
"Where are we goin Dar?" Soda asked, a curious look on his face.
"Just come on," he said quietly, moving toward the door.
Soda was quiet, but followed, waving over his shoulder at Ponyboy.
"See ya kid," he called, walking out the door. "So, where are we going exactly?" Soda asked, pulling the door handle on the truck.
"Shopping," Darry said simply, climbing into the drivers side.
"Shopping?" Soda asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, shopping," Darry sighed, turning the key over in the ignition.
"Any idea what we're going to get?" he asked, leaning back in his seat.
"We're looking for a dog," Darry said after a moment, moving to pull out of the subdivision.
"Seriously?" Soda exclaimed, his mouth practically hanging open as he stared at Darry.
"Very," he nodded.
Soda could barely believe it, they were actually going to get a dog. He could recall the number of times that Ponyboy had mentioned wanting a dog. Man, he could just see the look on Pony's face if he knew.
"Wait, why are we getting one now? I figured you'd wait til Christmas or something," he said, brows furrowed.
He then heard Darry clear his throat, meaning that there was another reason behind it, something important that he hadn't told him.
"Darry, what's the real reason we're getting a dog?" he asked, looking over at his brother.
Darry just kept his eyes on the road as he drove toward town.
"Darry?" Soda's voice was hesitant.
"You know how Abigail asked to talk to me a bit before the rumble?" he asked slowly, letting out a breath of air.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, she told me something and it's kinda been botherin me," he admitting, pressing on the brake when they got to the stop light.
"Well, are you going to sit there or are you gonna tell me?" Soda joked.
"Someone followed her home."
"What?"
The smile on Soda's face was now gone, being replaced with a serious one.
"Who was it?" he asked, gripping his pant leg.
"That's the problem, we don't know."
"Seriously?"
"Look, she didn't see who it was, alright?" Darry said, turning the corner.
"Then how does she know she was being followed if she didn't see anyone?" Soda asked.
Darry sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stopped, turning off the engine.
"Look, Soda, someone was following her and it freaked her out," he told him, pulling the keys from the ignition and pushing open his door.
As he got out, Soda joined him, walking around the truck to stand in front of him.
"You know what this means, right?" Soda asked, crossing his arms. "We've got more trouble."
"Yeah, I know, don't remind me," Darry groaned, walking around Soda toward the building in front of them.
He just wanted to get done and get home, possibly pick Eden up from her friends house to surprise Abigail. If Darry had to take a guess, she was tired of being around the guys all of the time. Although, she didn't seem to mind Two-Bit that much. In fact, she seemed to fancy him a bit.
"Let's just get inside?" Darry suggested.
"Yeah, sure, but I get dibs on the name," he grinned, running to catch up with his brother.
Darry merely shook his head, walking in through the front doors with his brother. Once inside, they could hear the sound of dogs barking in the back, while a bird squawked in the front. They were surprised when it mimicked the sound of the bell, before saying hello.
"Hello, hello," it spoke, dancing back and forth on its perch.
"Cool," Soda awed, walking toward it. "Hello," he greeted, a grin on his face.
"Hello, hello," it repeated. "Good birdie, be a good birdie. Tuckie, good bird," it said, ruffling up its feathers.
"Darry, do you see this," Soda exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's a talking bird," Darry mumbled as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I think we should get one," Soda commented.
"We're here for a dog, remember?" Darry reminded him. "Um, excuse me," Darry called, calling to the person in back.
They watched as they came around front, a clipboard in their hands. It was a woman with long blond hair and gray blue eyes. She had a smile on her face. Two-Bit would be head over heels for this girl.
"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked with a smile, leaning against the counter.
"Um, yes, we're here to look for a dog," Darry started.
"Alright, follow me then please," she said, leading them into another room full of kennels.
As they walked in, they found dogs everywhere, all of them barking up a storm.
"So, what kind of dog are you looking for?" she asked, looking toward Darry and Soda.
"We're looking for a large dog, one that can keep the house safe," Darry explained, looking inside at some of the dogs.
There was a little dog in one that kept jumping up like a jumping jack. It was rather entertaining to be honest and Soda found it down right amusing.
"Man, that little guy can jump," Soda chuckled.
"Yeah, but we're lookin for somethin bigger Soda," Darry told him, following the woman.
"The bigger ones are down here," she told him, leading them down toward the end.
As they got closer, the dogs got bigger. There were a few Rottweilers, Retrievers, Dobermans, even a couple German Shepards. The German Shepards are what caught Darry's interest though.
"Are any of these dogs trained?" Darry asked, not wanting to have the hassle of having to train one when they needed something now.
"A few are, but it depends on your home," she explained. "Do you have any kids in your home?" she asked.
"Unless you count a 14 year old," Soda chuckled.
"How many people are in the home?" she asked.
"Three other people besides us and then a few friends from time to time," Darry told her.
"Then I would recommend either a Retriever or a German Shepard," she told him.
"I was thinking a German Shepard," Darry voiced, looking to his right at one of the kennels.
There was a traditional colored German Shepard sitting there waging his tail. He was a rather friendly looking fellow for the most part as well.
"What about this one?" he asked, pointing to the one that he'd been eyeing.
The woman smiled at him, going over and unlocking the gated door, placing her hands up.
"Stay," she ordered, watching as the dog was itching to jump up on them.
"Come here boy," Soda suddenly called, patting his legs.
A moment later, the dog came charging forward, easily knocking Soda onto the ground.
"You okay?" Darry asked, walking over to his brother, hands on his hip in question.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he laughed, moving his head around as the dog kept licking at him, tail waging furiously. "I like him," he grinned, patting his head.
"Apparently, he likes you too," Darry chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "We'll take him," Darry announced.
"Yes!" Soda exclaimed, ruffling the dogs fur.
T
On the way back, the dog sat in Soda's seat, sticking it's head out the window. Soda just kept petting his fur, getting hit every now and then by his waging tail. The paperwork had been taken care of quickly and easily, so now the German Shepard was all theirs. They just hoped that he wouldn't try destroying the tree, but given the fact that he wasn't a puppy, they felt that they could trust him enough to leave it alone.
"Hey, Ponyboy!" Soda called, walking up the stairs and onto the porch.
"Yeah?" his voice was accompanied by a bored yawn.
"Got somethin for ya," Soda grinned, pushing the door open, before letting go of the leash.
The dog ran right in, charging straight for Ponyboy. Darry ended up giving Soda a questionable look as he walking toward the house, hearing Ponyboy cry out, a large bag of dog food on his shoulder.
"What was that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, just Ponyboy," Soda said off handedly, walking into the house.
Darry walked in behind him, finding Ponyboy on the floor with the dog on top of him.
"The heck?" Pony cried out, trying to push the dog off of himself as he was assaulted by a wet tongue.
"Hey," Soda called with a whistle, watching as the large canine removed itself from Ponyboy and ran toward him. "Good boy," he grinned, patting his head.
"Hey, Pony, why don't you go out to the truck and grab the rest of the stuff?" Darry suggested, sitting the bag of food down in the kitchen.
"Stuff?" Ponyboy asked, a curious look on his face.
"Yeah, stuff. You know, like the dog bed, etc.?" he offered, opening the fridge and going for a Coke.
"You mean..."
Darry felt like saying duh, but he refrained, twisting the cap off of the bottle.
"You got it little buddy, all ours," he said, a small grin pulling onto his face as he looked at his youngest brother. "All ours."
Chapter 32! Finally! Took a bit longer than most of them lately, but it's finally out. I hope that everyone liked it? More fun it coming up soon, so keep an eye out. Anyway, don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings on this chapter/story. I LOVE hearing feedback. It helps me WRITE! Anyway, thanks everyone and keep reading! :)