If the Heart is Always Searching... An Outsiders Fanfiction

"Princess"

Author's Note:  Hello lovely readers!  This story is slowly coming to an end, and will hopefully be finished within the next month or so.  Thank you guys for sticking with me and giving me great feedback.  As I wrote this chapter, I realized it probably wouldn't still be summer like at the beginning of the story considering the months Dallas spent in jail + and how long the story is.  But, once I finish writing this story, I'm going to major edit this and hopefully have the time line make more sense.  Until then, let's just use our imagination and pretend it makes sense.  Don't forget to vote/comment/fan.  :) 

Never in my whole life would I have imagined myself taking an eight and a half hour trip from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Galveston, Texas with a bunch of greasers. Then again, I wouldn’t have imagined myself doing half the things I’ve done while moving here. Dallas decided on our adventure, telling us, "It’s hot as hell in the middle of July and that’s the closest beach to dumb ol’ Tulsa." For some reason he wouldn’t settle on the neighborhood pool or the lake we were at not too long ago. So Thursday after Darry and I finished work, we all pack into our cars and drove down to Texas for the weekend. I’m driving with Dally, Soda, Steve, and Two Bit and Darry gets peaceful Johnny and Ponyboy.

The ride down to Galveston wasn’t too fun. An eight hour drive isn’t exciting to begin with, but add the most noisy and impatient teenage boys I know, you’ll want to pull your hair out. Two Bit made his corny jokes about "Dallas should visit Dallas", and Soda couldn’t stop kicking my chair because he sat behind me. When he wasn’t kicking my seat, he was gushing about Sandy to Steve. That part made me want to barf, he really likes her. I learned to tuck away any possible feelings for Soda, and made mine for Dallas more apparent.  Still though, hearing about her and seeing her with him ticks me off.

Finally, at about two in the morning, we arrive at the small hotel just two miles from the beach. I wasn’t expecting anything too extravagant, but the place just looks a little too 1940’s for my taste. This was the only hotel we could all afford, the beach front ones had outrageous prices. "Oh it’s not that bad Jessica." Two Bit rolls his eyes when he notices the look on my face.

"Oh no, it’s not that." I say quickly. Sometimes, the guys make me feel like a spoiled brat.  And I could tell that this, would be one of those times. 

"Sorry princess, the castles were all booked up." Dallas walks up from behind and puts his arms around me.

"But don’t worry, you’ll still be treated like royalty." Soda says affectionately as he walks up and pats me on the head, right where a crown would go.

I try to break free of Dallas’ arms in protest of this ‘royal treatment’, which is really the guys trying to antagonize me. Instead, he lifts me up into his arms, bridal style and announces to the guys "Let’s show the princess to her sleeping chambers."

They all shout and run towards the door of the four story hotel. "Guys, shut up!" I hiss at them. "It’s 2 AM, people are sleeping!"

"Oh, we don’t care about no one!" Steve shouts.

Now it’s Two Bit’s turn to yell, this time as we are inside the hotel lobby. "Yeah, we don’t give a f-"

"Excuse me, but you better not even think about completing that sentence young man." We are startled by the sudden appearance of a mean looking, middle aged woman. She’s short, plump, and has a very angry look to her. "Who are you trouble makers, and what are you doing with that young lady?" This time her gaze is directed to Dallas and I. He quickly puts me down and I notice her name tag. "Betty" is written on it and underneath in smaller letters it says she’s the hotel concierge.

We look around at each other, not sure of what to say. Finally, Sodapop gives her a smile and says, "Hello ma’am, I’m Sodapop Curtis and I-"

"Oh, don’t try to sweet talk me." She interrupts harshly. "You look like a bunch of hooligans to me."

Just then, Darry comes to the rescue with Ponyboy and Johnny. He sees the look on the lady's face and quickly walks up to us. "What’s going on here?" He asks Soda.

"What’s going on is these kids are rough housing and screaming profanity in my hotel." She says in a deep Texan accent.

"Hey, I didn’t even finish what I was gonna say!" Two Bit argues. "Now your just lying." Betty gives him a look that makes him cower back next to the rest of us.

"I’m sorry ma’am, we just drove all the way from Tulsa and these knuckle heads have more bottled up energy than a jack rabbit." The rest of us give an apology as sincere as possible, which for Dallas was a low murmur.

"Alright, I’ll let it slide. But just this once!" She warns and walks over behind the concierge desk. What’s the room name under?"

"Curtis." Darry informs her. "There should be two rooms."

She looks up our room information and grabs two keys from the wall next to her. "Here y’all go. You are room 313 and 314." She hands them both to Darry and he passes the key for 313 to me. "Enjoy your stay. And keep the noise down."

"Will do ma’am." Darry promises. "Thank you."

Darry grabs a luggage cart and we all head outside.  He has us put all of our bags in the bed of his pick up so there was room in my car for the five of us. We load them up onto the cart, and begins to push it back inside.

"Wait!" I say to Darry.

He stops pushing the cart. "What? Did we forget something?" He asks, looking back to the pick up.

"Nope," I say as I climb onto the cart. "Now, take me up to my sleeping chamber!" I order them in the most royal voice possible.

Darry, Ponyboy, and Johnny give me the strangest look ever while the rest of them take over and push the cart back into the hotel lobby. As we pass the concierge desk, Betty gives us a snarl when she notices me standing on the luggage cart.

We go up to the third floor in the elevator, then wander down the series of hallways until we find room 313 and 314. "Okay, here we are. Who wants what room?" Darry asks everyone.

Ponyboy shrugs, "Princess chooses."

"Alright, me, Dally, Ponyboy, and Johnny get room 313. The rest of you can take the other room." I order them.

"As you wish." Dallas picks me up again and heads inside our room. There’s two king size beds, a TV, radio, and bathroom. "Does this suit you?" He asks, putting me down on the bed farthest to the balcony side of the room.

"Yeah, this will be fine." I say with a yawn, and pull the blanket over me. "Well, I’m going to bed."

I turn to face the wall as the guys change. Then, Dallas gets into bed next to me, while Pony and Johnny share the other. We say our good nights, and then quickly fall asleep.