CHAPTER 9

I began to slip off his shirt when I heard a heavy tapping on the window. I turned to the window and to my complete shock… Sodapop was staring into the car with the eyes of a stunned child.

I felt slightly ashamed as I turned away.

"Hey, who is that guy?" Dally asked in confusion. Soda had grown some facial hair since Dally had last seen him.

I chuckled to myself about the awkward situation as I replied, "Pepsi Cola."

Dally sat up as I backed off, "Wait, that's Sodapop?!" He chuckled as he inspected him.

Soda was now turned around, leaning against the car. This was really awkward.

"Hey, man." I stepped out of the car on the opposite side. I sighed as I looked up at him, "What're you doing here?"

He shrugged, "I came here to look for you and Carla, and for a minute I thought 'Dani hasn't come here since Dally left.' But then I walk over to see you exchanging saliva with some guy."

I took a deep breath, "It's not just some guy. Did you not see who was in there?"

Soda shook his head, "No." He looked puzzled.

I looked down at Dally, "C'mon. He doesn't know it's just you."

"Who, Pony?" Soda asked with his head tilted.

Dal grabbed his jacket as he stood up, slamming the door shut. He nodded at Soda, "Hey, man."

Soda's jaw dropped so low it could've touched his toes. It then faded into a glare of disgust. "Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how badly you hurt little Dani?!" He howled at him, his face flaming red.

"Calm down, Soda. It's okay." I went back around the car to Soda's side. I grabbed his hand, "It's okay."

Soda glanced back and fourth from Dally and I, "It most certainly is not! You left her broken for 2 entire years, ya know that?!"

Dally rolled his eyes, "Actually, you're wrong. For your information, it was only a year and 8 months."

"I ain't care!" Soda said. I would've laughed at his grammar mistake, but I was too busy trying to make sure Soda didn't kill Dally.

"Guys, stop it. You're acting like children!" I told them in irritation.

Dally scolded me, "He's the one acting like a child!"

Soda pouted and crossed his arms, "Nuh-uh!" That caused both Dally and I to give him a strange look.

"What?" He looked at me.

I nodded at him, "Yeah, you are."

He rolled his eyes, "So what? I want him away from you. And I mean now."

"Wh-Soda! That's not fair. Besides, it's not your decision to make." I glared angrily at him.

Dally chuckled, "Yeah, who cares? She's old enough to make her own decisions," he winked at me.

"She's only 16!" Soda shouted.

"Exactly, Soda—'Mr. Drop out at 16!'" I gestured toward him with flame in my eyes.

Soda's jaw dropped again. His gaze was glued to the ground for a few seconds. His lips began to quiver as he uttered, "I can't believe you'd hold that against me. I did it for Ponyboy and you know it…" His sulking made me feel awful and made me miss his movie star-handsome smile he wore so well.

I grabbed onto his shoulder, "You know I didn't mean it like that, Soda."

"Actually, I don't know." He put his hands over his eyes. 18 year-old Sodapop Curtis was crying.

Dally gave me a look that told me he thought I was weak and pathetic for acting so sympathetic with him. My eyes returned the look before glancing back at Soda. "It's okay, Soda."

I glanced up to see Dally getting in his car. I looked at him with pure drag. He better not be doing this again, I remember thinking. He pulled off onto the dirt road leading back to the center of town.

When Dally was down the road, Soda removed his hands from his eyes, "Is he gone?"

I giggled a bit as he glanced around for Dally jokingly. I patted his back, "Yeah, he's gone."

He smiled, "Okay, good. Wanna head back to the house? Ponyboy's been looking for ya for a while." I nodded and we headed over to Soda's newly painted car.

As we hopped in, I was met by a bottle of pills in the front seat.

"Soda," I asked, "what are these?"

He chuckled, "Oh, those? Steve must've left them in here when I gave him a lift."

I shrugged before picking up the bottle and reading the label, being the nosy little shit I was (And still am).

The label read RANDLE, STEVE / PROZAC / TAKE ONCE DAILY AT 4:00 PM.

I suddenly thought back to the few years previous when I saw Dally's Prozac tablets. What does Steve need Prozac for? Now that I look back on it, I never knew what Dally needed it for either.

I set them in the glove compartment and relaxed myself in the seat. I was deep in thought about everything going on with Dally as Soda began the drive back to what's now his and Pony's house. Darry moved in with Margot a couple months ago, leaving the house to them. Anyways, I was thinking about how Dally had that medication. Prozac, if you didn't know, is a strong medication used for dire depression. I knew he was depressed and all, but not to the point of using Prozac.

"Hey," Soda said startling me, "are you okay? You look kinda sick." He used his free hand and felt on my forehead.

I pushed it away, "I'm fine, you goof. I'm just thinking about stuff." I slightly smiled.

"Ah ah ah, Dani. Your head feels kinda hot. Maybe you should rest when we get to the house…"

I sighed in annoyance, "No, Soda. I'm fine."

He looked really concerned, "Are you sure?" He grabbed my hand the way Johnny does when I'm upset.

I stared him dead in the eyes as I replied, "Positive."

He grinned at me, then focused back on the road.

The whole rest of the drive was fuzzy. I began to watch the sunset as best I could through the window, though it was not as good a feeling I got when I sat on the front porch with Pony to watch it. Eventually I felt my eyelids grow heavy and I drifted off.

The next thing I knew Soda was shaking me, "Dani…" He said in a muffled voice.

I couldn't open my eyes I was so tired. I grumbled sleepily as I felt someone pick me up and carry me. I slightly opened my eyes to see a figure staring at me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't comfortable in his arms. "P-Pony?" I yawned tiredly.

"Shh, just rest, kid." He responded as he watched me. When we got inside, he set me on the couch. I opened my eyes again just so I could barely see. He flailed a blanket over me to my comfort.

"Ponyboy…" I slurred as I tried to speak.

He sat next to me on the couch, "Shh, just rest." He caressed his fingers along my forehead and down my cheek as he continued to observe me. I grinned as I turned onto my side, falling back asleep within seconds.

-THE NEXT MORNING (#KEEPDEMUNPLEASANTTIMESKIPSCOMING)-

"Wise men say," Soda cheered, "only fools rush in… But I can't help falling in love with you!"

Do you know how sometimes the sound of things going on in the background somehow just finds its way into your dreams? Yep. That's what was happening.

"Soda," I asked groggily, "are you singing what I think you're singing?"

He just kept singing, ignoring my question. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up.

I looked around for a minute before seeing Ponyboy walk into the kitchen. I was about to stand up, when I heard Pony join in with Soda on his little performance. I stopped, not because it was funny or anything, but because it was actually a very nice, soothing sound to hear. Their voices were not bad. Not bad at all.

I walked into the kitchen as they continued to sing, "Like a river flows surely to the sea," I joined in because why the hell not?! "Darling it goes, some things are meant to be! Take my hand, take my whole life too. 'Cause I can't help falling in love with you…" Ponyboy smiled at me in such a way that I couldn't help but kiss his cheek.

His cheeks slowly turned red, as did mine.

"Hey," Soda chuckled with charm, "am I noticing some chemistry here?" He moved his eyebrows around all silly at us.

Pony and I laughed. Ponyboy responded, "Nope. Just friends." He turned to face me with a grin on his face. I nodded in agreement.

Soda frowned in disappointment, "Alrighty then." He cut a piece of chocolate cake for himself, "You want one, Princess?"

I smiled, "Duh, Soda. I mean, duh." He beamed at me as he began to cut another 2 pieces for Pony and I.

After we sat down at the kitchen table with our cake, Pony immediately started wolfing his down. I just stared at him as he continued bite after bite. The Curtis boys, I'm not gonna lie, eat like horses. Funny thing: Ponyboy, Horse-like eater.

When I had only gotten about three bites out of mine, he had already finished his. He glanced over at the TV, Mickey was on. I started to laugh inside my head because he had chocolate remnants all over his face!

"Hey, Pony," I asked for his attention.

He turned to me for a second, "Yeah?" Then he turned back to watch Mickey before I could say anything.

"You got a little…" I examined his lips carefully, covered in chocolate frosting. I grabbed a small napkin from the other side of the table. I lightly dabbed it with water and applied it to his face where he had chocolate.

He immediately turned to me, looking a little bit surprised. I kept wiping it away for a second before pausing. I know I shouldn't have, but I looked into his eyes again. They were still greenish grey as always and resembled a starry sky.

I broke out of my thoughts all of a sudden, "Dally. I gotta go find him."

"What?" Pony looked at me in a confused way.

I sighed, "Oh, I guess you didn't hear. Dally's back and I gotta go see him." I explained. I walked over to the door and slipped on my tennis shoes, "I guess I'll see you later then." I then walked out the door.

I felt like I was forgetting something about today. Was it Two Bit's birthday or something? I shrugged it off as I walked down the street in search of Dally's car.

My eyes widened when I saw his car parked at the Dingo. I rushed over in hopes of not being seen by anyone. It sounds quite silly now, seeming as how everyone else was in school. Without actually making the decision, I made the decision to skip school.

I walked in and took a quick peek around for him, and had no luck. He must've been in the back having a smoke or something. I walked back there to find him talking to Tim Shepard, the leader of the Shepard gang. I just stayed around the corner and listened to their conversation.

"I know I still love her, Tim. I just don't know if she really loves me back. She told me she did, but I can't tell if she means it or not." I could hear Dally talking. Ouch.

Tim then asked, "Is it that one broad from years ago? The quiet one's sister, right?"

Dally sighed, "Yeah, and I just don't know how to tell her I love her and mean it. Or at least sound like I mean it, 'cause I feel like she thinks I don't mean it when I say it." What? That's not true…

"Maybe you should just forget about her. I know, I know, you're in love with her. I got that much, but you said you've had this girl on your mind ever since you met her, right?"

"Right, so what does that have to do with forgetting about her?"

Tim sighed in annoyance, "You didn't let me finish. Look, if you keep thinking about her so much, don't ya think she's holding you back? Or that maybe she's a tad distracting?" I'm offended at this point. But I knew Dally wouldn't agree with him on that, though.

"Well, I never thought about it that way…"

What? What?! What?!

I rushed out in front of them, "Really, Dal?! Is that what you think of me?!"

His jaw dropped open in shock, "No, Dani. I can explain…" He stood up with his hands up defensively.

I scrunched my nose up in anger, "You're a horrible liar!" I ran off back toward my house. Fuck Dally!

"Wait, Dani." He started to catch up to me, "Wait a minute, dammit!"

"No!" I screamed as I ran, "Leave me alone!"

Eventually he caught up to me. He stopped me and swooped me up in his arms. I didn't stop him, I just gave him dirty looks as he carried me. He set me down on the trunk of his car.

"How much of that did you hear?"

I squinted my eyes at him crossly, "Does it really matter? I heard enough to wanna back-hand you." I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Dani, look at me. That was Tim talking. Not me." He said. When he realized I wasn't listening to him, he grabbed my chin and turned it so I was facing him. "Dani, do you know how I feel about you?"

I nodded quickly, "Oh yeah, I do. You know you love me, but you're not sure if I mean 'I love you' when I say it."

Dally sighed in self-disappointment, "I didn't mean that. You know that's not actually how I feel."

"Well, congrats. I skipped school for you, so thanks." I rolled my eyes.

Dally looked into my eyes and I fell in love with him all over again. He smiled at me, "I ran away for you," he paused to breathe, "how does that make you feel?"

I grinned, then looked away for a second. I really couldn't stay mad at him. He was the only person I really ever loved this much.

"That makes me feel loved." I leaned back, propping my body up with my hands.

He smiled that impressing smile that always tempted me to kiss him. He stepped closer and placed his hands on my back, slightly moving his hands up and down my skin. I could tell he wanted me in a way that only I could understand.

It was silent for a minute as he stopped massaging my back. I was a bit disappointed because I'm not gonna lie, his hands felt good against my skin. It was dead silent for a minute and I hated it.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" I broke the silence, "Kiss me already, will ya?"

A smug grin stretched out upon his face before he slowly leaned in. Forget that, I thought. I grabbed his collar and dragged his lips to mine. That taste I loved will simply never leave him, will it?

We made out for another long few seconds before he pulled away and stared at me. He gave me a look that I could use as solid evidence that he loved me. He caressed my forehead, tracing circles in it with his fingers. I loved that he watched me so intimately. He pushed a strand of hair out of my eyes, giving me a better view of him. I would've said 'thanks' hadn't it of been for me being paralyzed from looking into his eyes. It was like time was frozen and we were the only ones in the world.

He broke the silence as he asked me, "Tell me Dani," he swallowed, never taking his eyes off me for a single second, "are you still the innocent girl I met 5 years ago?"

I took a deep breath before replying, "I'd like to think I am. But—"

"But?" He asked, interrupting me.

I rolled my eyes, "But, I can't control myself around you. I feel the need to misbehave and," I grinned at him, "I like the feeling I get when I'm with you, Dal."

Dally smiled at my comment, "Good. I'm glad to hear you say that because," he looked down at his ring, "I wanna know if you'll wear my ring?"

I covered my mouth with my hand in shock. I looked up at him, "You want me to wear your ring?"

He nodded with a smile, "Yeah… So?" He asked me again.

I was trembling as I wrapped my arms around him, "Of course! Yes!"

He grabbed my arms and pulled me close. "Do you want it on a chain?"

I nodded. I'm glad he asked me, because most people just blow off my thoughts like it's no big deal… But Dally—he made me feel special.

"How can I be so lucky to have you?" I asked with a seductive smile.

He raised an eyebrow at me contrastingly, "I think the real question is, 'How can I be so lucky to have you?' I don't understand why you like me. It just makes no sense…"

I grabbed ahold of his collar again, "Well, bud, I'd like to correct you for your foolishness. For one, 'like' is a word you cannot use when it comes to describing how I feel about you." I pulled him close and kissed him for a short second, "And two, don't say that. I know damn well that it makes sense." He began to open his mouth, so I put my finger over it to hush him up. He slightly chuckled as I snapped at him, "So don't even try to change my mind!"

He sighed coolly, "What did I do to deserve you?" He put his arm around me in a loving way.

I rested my head on his shoulder then sighed, "You don't deserve me." I said briskly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He snapped, slightly tilting his head toward me.

I giggled, "You deserve someone like Cherry Valance, the cheerleader. She's so much more pretty than I am."

He spun around, startling me. "No way," he looked at me seriously, "there's only one girl out there for me."

I licked my lips carelessly, "Who's that?" I asked teasingly.

He jumped at me and started tickling me, me dying of laughter. He leaned in as he continued to tickle me, "What's this? Do I have a sass master here?" He stopped and I sat up to catch my breath. "Who else would I love the way I love you?"

I shrugged then winced as he lurched at me, making me think he was going to give me a tickle attack again.

He set his hand on the trunk next to my leg as he spoke, "You, Danielle Cade, are the only girl I love." He gave me the smile of an honest man.

I sulked playfully, "Yeah, okay." I pushed his hand away and hopped off the trunk. "I'm hungry, man. Can we get something to eat?"

Dally nodded, "Yeah. McDonald's okay with you?"

"I meant food, Dally." I chuckled, as did he, "Sure."