Darling

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⚠️TW⚠️ This chapter includes sensitive topics such as nightmares, slight gore, and mental health struggles.

Darlene sighed and sat down. Dishes were finally done and she was about to get ready for bed. Pony hasn't come home yet, so she assumed he was still hanging out with Johnny. It was 10:15 and his curfew was midnight, so he had some time. It wasn't a school night either, so the siblings weren't too worried, as long as he was safe.

"Soda, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted." She got back up.

"Okay, goodnight," He said and sat in front of the TV, "Hey, you can sleep with Pony and I if you need us...okay?"

She nodded.

She smiled, but only a bit, and nodded. "I know. Thanks Soda."

"Get some sleep, Darling."

"Will do." She went down the hallway to her small room. Her room was right across from Soda and Pony, who shared a room. Darrys room was on the other side of the house closer to the kitchen. She plopped on her bed and layed there for a moment. The sheets were nice and cool from not being touched all day. She stretched out and let the soft sheets soothe her. She yawned and lifted her head. Her walls and ceiling were covered in posters and other random sketches, papers, and photos. Her eyes bounced from poster to poster, enjoying the silent chaos of her room.

"Alright." She reached over to open her dresser drawer and grabbed an old t-shirt and pajama shorts and slipped them on. She threw her clothes to the corner of her room. Laying down, she pulled the covers over her and squeezed her pillow. Then she remembered she still had to brush her teeth.

"God damnit."

She got back up and went to the bathroom and started brushing her teeth. She watched herself in the mirror. She had her father's nose and mouth, and her mother's eyes and face shape. She looked down, a little frown appearing on her face. She finished up and went back to her soft bed and sighed. She wrapped herself back in the covers and stared out her window, following the leaves movement on the trees in the cool summer night breeze and took a deep breath. She focused on what she could see outside her window until she slowly drifted off.

---

Darlene and Pony laughed. They were walking home from a movie, hoping to get there before their parents got home. They could hear the train whistling in the distance. Pony and Darlene looked behind them, down at the train tracks. There was a car about to cross the tracks, but it didn't look like the train was slowing down.

"Darling, isn't that mom and dad's car?" He asked.

Darlene's eyes widened. "Holy-"

She ran as close as possible to the car from where they were, but her feet felt heavy and her balance felt off. The train got closer and closer. She screamed for her parents to move, but no sound came out. The car didn't move as the train crashed into it, creating horrible screeching and crunching of the metal being crushed. She screamed again, this time loud. So loud she thought her ears began to ring, but it was too late. She looked to her side, but Pony was gone. Looking down at the tracks, all she could see were the crushed remains of what was her parents and their car.

---

Darlene's eyes shot open. She sat up, out of breath. Her hair stuck to her damp forehead. She wiped her cheeks of tears and moved the dark hair from her face. She'd had this dream before. In fact, many times. But recently she'd noticed it had been getting worse, and everytime she thought about it or anything reminded her of it, it left a nauseating feeling behing and a dull, sick ache in her chest. With shakey hands she pulled the covers off of her. She got up from her bed, that now seemed too warm to stay in, and walked out to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from a cupboard and filled it with cold water, though she didn't drink it. She stared down at the cup of water, not moving except for the shake of her knees and hands. Ever since her parents accident, Darlene and Ponyboy have been having nightmares. Most nights, Darlene will either sleep with Pony and Soda in their room, or stay up unable to sleep.

She stood there thinking for a moment longer before she decided to go to her siblings room. The door was cracked open. She pushed it open more, just enough to poke her head in.
"Hey Soda, Pony...can I sleep with you guys? I had a nightmare." She asked, her voice soft and quivering.

"Sure, c'mere." Soda said. Pony was completely unconscious. The poor kid was exhausted. Darlene quietly crawled between the two, and gently pushed Pony over, and Soda moved out of her way. She layed down.

"Hey Soda."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'll ever be able to live a normal life again? I mean, without the horrible nightmares? Without hating the sound of trains and the sight of tracks? All I want is to forget..." She said, her voice breaking.

"Oh, Darling," he turned on his side to face her. "It'll be okay. It'll take time, but it'll work out. I promise."

She sniffled and nodded.

"Get some sleep, alright? Both me and Pony are right her, so don't worry."

"Okay. Thank you, Soda." She pulled the blanked over herself tighter.

"No problem, sis."

---

Pony was the first to wake up. Soda was somehow sprawled out across the both of them, Darlenes left hand was on Soda's face, her right on Ponys. He wriggled out from underneath them and looked down at them, a confused look on his face.

"Huh..." He stood there a bit longer trying to figure out how that happened, then decided to go out to the living room.

Not long after, Darlene woke up. She stretched and tried to sit up, only to find Soda laying across her. She pushed his head and slid out of bed. Soda groaned.

"Ow, what's the matter with you?"

"How do you move so much in your sleep?" Darlene chuckled.

"What do you mean?" He replied sassily. She rolled her eyes and left the room, yawning, and still a bit shaken from the night before.

"Hey, kiddo." Darry kissed his little sister on the head as he made his way past her. He started making his coffee.

"Sleep okay?"

"Not really..." she said, exasperated.

"I'm sorry. What about you Pony?"

Pony lifted his head from off the dining table.

"I guess." He shrugged. Darry sighed and patted his shoulder.

"Well, we'll take it easy this weekend," He poured some coffee into his mug. "Maybe you guys can catch up on sleep." Darry suggested.

Darlene poured herself some coffee too and went outside to sit on the porch. She crossed her legs and admired the birds singing as the mug warmed her hands. She hoped someday her and her siblings could go on without the heaviness of her parents absence. Though, she really doubted she could.

Okay, still not super eventful, but we'll get there! If you couldn't tell already, I plan on mentioning a lot of mental health issues, so if you are sensitive to that feel free to skip. Also, a little note, almost every chapter will be named after a song that I think fits with it. I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to write more for you. 🖤🖤🖤