cruel summer; dallas winston

TWO

CHAPTER TWO: PRETTY FRIENDS, PRETTY BOYS, PRETTY TOWN

Darcey knew how to make new friends, when you move almost twice a year every year for your entire life, you learn to adapt. How to please people. How to become likable.

So, it was no surprise that as she laid out in her front lawn on a beach towel, in her shortest of shorts and smallest of shirts, pretending to sunbathe but truly scoping out her neighborhood she saw the girl from the house next door to hers approaching her.

"Hey, are you new?" Darcey smiled, nodding, sitting up instead of being sprawled out on the lawn.

"Mhm, I'm Darcey." the girl smiled,

"Valerie Anne. When'd you move?" Darcey shrugged, standing up.

"Last Saturday from Beverly Hills." Valerie Anne's face lit up,

"Like the movie star neighborhood?" Darcey smiled and sort of smirked. One of the things she did in fact like about her fathers constantly moving job was that she got to brag about all the places she'd been.

"Mhm!" Valerie Anne grinned.

"Oh-my-God," she said, as if it was one word, "I've like always wanted to live there! Hey," she then turned back to her house.

"Wanna like, I dunno, go around town? I could be your welcoming group." she said. Darcey grinned, making friends here was either than she would've thought.

"Sure, lemme go inside and change real quick, I don't want to see my new neighborhood dressed like this." Valerie Anne giggled and nodded.

***

"So, this is the DX." Valerie Anne said as she pulled up to a gas station. Her black Cadillac was now filled with shopping bags, because the two teen girls decided to use the tour around town as an excuse to go spend their parents' hard-earned savings. They'd been to two clothing stores, one jewelry, and a whole mall. (Valerie Anne using her mothers shopping card, and Darcey using her own that her father funded.) Darcey nodded as Valerie Anne turned to look at her,

"So like inside here there's usually two guys, one," she then pointed to her own teeth, "Has these mangled teeth but his biceps are cute, and then the other." she sighed happily, dropping her hand from her teeth, "Is like superbly cute. Like cuter than James Dean." Darcey giggled at that.

"Sure he is." she said sarcastically as she unbuckled herself.

"I'm serious! He is." Valerie Anne laughed. The two then left her vehicle and made there way up to the store part of the car shop.

As they came inside the place was pretty barren, besides the cashier who had his back turned to the girls, talking to someone in the break room, leaned against the door frame. Besides him, there were no other customers or workers in the shop.

"C'mon," Valerie Anne smiled as she led Darcey to the back where the candies and cokes were.

"You want anything?" Valerie Anne asked, Darcey nodded, grabbing a cherry coke.

"You go ahead, I'm still pickin'." Valerie said, waving her ahead after a moment, scanning the drinks and sweets. Darcey shrugged, going up to the front of the store.

"'Scuse me." she said, the cashier still was talking to someone in the break room. He then turned around, and smiled at her.

Darcey didn't think he was cuter than James Dean, but they definitely were on the same level in her mind. Maybe it was his smile, or his eyes, but she sure did think he was a cutie.

"You from 'round here?" he asked as she sat her drink on the counter. She shook her head,

"No, well, sort of, I just moved." she told, he nodded, smiling while simultaneously ringing up her coke.

"Yeah, I thought so, you're with Valerie right?" he asked, nodding over to where her friend was, who was still deciding on a snack. Darcey nodded, grinning,

"Mhm,"

"Yeah, she always gets her hands on the new girls." he said, she giggled, handing her 50 cent for the coke.

"What? Is she the welcoming committe of this town?" she asked sarcastically, he laughed,

"Somethin' like that. What's your name?" he asked,

"Darcey, and yours?" she asked politely in return.

"Sodapop," he said, she was going to ask, 'really?' but she decided even if it was just a nickname, it'd be rude to ask. He then grabbed a pen from a bucket while getting her receipt. He wrote something on it that she couldn't tell what and handed her her coke and receipt while Valerie Anne came up to the counter.

"What're you two talkin' 'bout?" she asked smiling, Darcey shrugged as Sodapop chuckled, ringing up her lollipop and sprite that she finally decided on.

"How you're the town's welcoming committee," he said, Valerie Anne giggled.

"Hey, don't hate me 'cause I'm friendly." she said, paying him. He rolled his eyes playfully. He then handed her her receipt as it came out of the machine.

"Bye girls." he grinned as Valerie took her bag and receipt.

"Bye Sodapop!" Valerie Anne called, and soon the two girls were out of the store.

"Sodapop?" Darcey asked, Valerie Anne giggled nodding.

"Mhm, 'fore he dropped out I had homeroom with him and I swear to God it was his given like birth name." Darcey giggled as the two got into the car.

"He's lucky he's cute then, an ugly guy couldn't get away with that name." Valerie laughed. As Darcey put her coke into the cup holder, her receipt fluttered out of her hands and onto Valerie's seat. Valerie snatched it up quickly, giggling and read out what Darcey assumed Sodapop had written,

"In case Valerie Anne bores you to death," she read out and then her jaw dropped.

"He gave you his number," she squealed, Darcey furrowed her eyebrows.

"Did not." Darcey said in shock.

"Did so,"Valerie Anne giggled. Darcey leaned over to her side to get a peak at the receipt/note, and there it was. A phone number and '-sodapop' written in blue ink and messy handwriting.

"Oh my god." she muttered, Valerie Anne grinned.

"Jesus new girl I've been visiting that store for like, weeks trying to get him to notice me." Valerie Anne giggled, tossing her the receipt.

"You know, you better at least set me up with the next boy that falls at your feet." Valerie teased as she pulled out of the parking lot, and as Darcey stared at the receipt she decided maybe Tulsa wouldn't be that bad after all.

authors note:
this chapter is such a cliche omfg im sorry, i also haven't proofread so if i messed up somewhere pretend u didnt see it