The Two I Trust | The Outsiders

An Issue Arises

Rylie's pov:

After we finished playing a few rounds of poker, it was dark outside. It was colder tonight so Darry insisted Johnny and I stay over.

I don't remember much from last night, but all I knew was that it was a Sunday morning.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Soda lying on the right side of me and Steve on my left with his hand thrown over my torso.

I slipped out from the middle of the bed and went to the living room. I didn't see anyone around, so I guess I'm the first one up.

Two-bit was sleeping in the chair by the door, and Johnny and Dally on the couch together. Emma, Pony, and Darry must have been in Darry's room together.

I went to the bathroom and showered. I kept make up and clothes here since Johnny and I stayed when our parents fought, and it was too cold to stay in the lot.

I did my hair and make up, wrapped up in my towel tightly then swiftly walked into Soda's room to grab my clothes before anyone saw me. Soda and Steve were both dead in sleep.

I went into the kitchen to make breakfast when two strong hands wrapped around my waist and a head nuzzled into my neck. It was Steve.

"You sure look pretty today, hottie" Steve said while looking me up and down.

I turned to him, hugged him, and said,

"You look gross."

Steve and I always picked on each other but it was our way of showing love I guess. 

Soda walked over and his eyes lit up.

"You look good BabyCakes."

That was another cheesy name the gang calls me occasionally. It's like JohnnyCakes.

Darry and Pony filed into the kitchen as well. I wasn't shocked that Emma isn't up yet since her and Dally are heavy, late sleepers.

And by that I mean a train could come through the house, and they would both sleep right through it.

Johnny came out of the bathroom and hugged me.

"You look pretty." He beamed in a tired voice.

I hugged him for a few seconds. We stopped when the biscuits needed to come out of the oven.

I kissed just above his scar like I always do before getting the biscuits out.

Once Dally and Emma were awake, they sat down at the table both very visibly tired.

We ate our breakfast which consisted of chocolate cake, biscuits, and eggs. Darry and Dally drank black coffee while the rest of us drank chocolate milk, except Two-bit, who drank a beer.

"Beer for breakfast there, Two-bit?" Steve asked while giving him a confused look.

"You're missin out." Two-Bit said back.

Everyone helped clean up and started moving on with the day. It was Sunday, so Darry and Soda didn't work and there wasn't any party's going on.

Soda pulled me aside and asked,

"Would you like to do something today? Just me and you?"

I nodded and smiled. It was clear Steve heard, and when he did, his smile dropped.

Steve's pov:

When I heard Soda ask Rylie if they could go out alone, my stomach dropped. It felt like my heart hit the floor. We have always been a trio so why now are we picking pairs?

We all made a rule that we could only hang out in pairs if the third to the trio was working or couldn't come.

I felt sick. Rylie kissed my cheek before leaving and Soda and I did our handshake.

Two-bit went back to his moms house. Emma, Dally, Pony, and Johnny were going downtown. Darry needed time to himself and to work on bills, and for once in my life I wanted to talk to my dad.

When I went home, I was scared. My dad was in the kitchen drinking coffee and he made eye contact with me. I felt tears forming in my eyes, and to my surprise, my dad grabbed me by my shoulder and hugged me.

"Steve, whats wrong?"

I explained to him what happened and surprisingly, he visibly seemed upset.

"How bout this son. We go fishing today, just me and you. We can talk about anything you want and I will try to understand the best I can."

My eyes widened in surprise and I nodded yes.

I got my shoes on, and before we went fishing, we stopped at the Dingo to eat. I saw Rylie and Soda were sitting across from each other at another table, sharing fries.

It didn't bother me.

What bothered me was the group of Socs messing with her and yelling things at her. It made me fill with rage. I didn't do anything because she had it under control.

My dad and I spent a large portion of the day fishing. It was the most fun I had with him in a long time, and it felt nice.

Rylie's pov:

Soda and I were getting super hot, so we decided to walk down by a lake. The water was pretty clean and we thought to get in. It was far back in the woods behind our neighborhood. No one knew about the spot other than the gang.

We took our shirts, pants, shoes, and socks off. I made Soda turn around so he didn't see me. I didn't care about seeing him because he rarely wears pants anyways.

We swam for about thirty minutes till we got out and sat on a small dock to dry a little before putting our clothes back on. After we got dressed, we sat over the water.

We talked about anything and everything.

This day was amazing. Soda and I made eye contact.

He kissed me on the lips. Without hesitation, I kissed him back. It lasted about thirty seconds before we pulled away and started walking home.

He dropped me off at my house and he went to his. Johnny wasn't home, so I assumed he was at the Curtis's or the lot.

I walked inside, and my Mom immediately got up once she saw me and started beating me with a broom. She was shouting things at me. I managed to escape after a while, and I started running as fast as I could.

Instead of going to the Curtis house, I went to the Randles. I knocked on the door and to my surprise Steves dad opened it.

"Hi Mr. Randle. Is Steve here?"

Steves dad was one of the few people who knew about mine and Johnnys parents, but despite the fact him and Steve don't have the best relationship, I would consider him one of my father figures.

"Rylie."

He gave me a dead stare for a second and his eyes wondered to my neck then to my arms. He noticed my wounds.

"Did your parents do this to you?" I was embarrassed so I stayed quite.

He invited me into his house and sat me on the kitchen counter while he grabbed a rag to wipe up my blood. I explained the black eye to him.

He took me into Steves room and Steve was very visibly hurt seeing me like this. He gave me one of his hoodies to wear with a pair of his boxers to wear as shorts.

We laid in bed together talking until I cut him off by kissing him. It was all I had on my mind.

Our lips interlocked and it felt amazing. I had a tingling feeling through my body.

Steve turned off the light and laid closer than he usually does that night.