𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 ― sodapop curtis

𝕤𝕚𝕩 <3

As we finish up dinner, Ponyboy clears his throat. Curious as always, he looks at my father and asks, "Um, Mr. Valance, if you don't mind me asking, how come you're so nice to us? No disrespect, but most Socs don't rub well with us greasers...". My dad chuckles warmly, setting his napkin down. "Please call me Thomas.", he says. Pony starts to apologize, but my dad cuts him off. "No worries, son. So, you want to know why I am so welcoming?". My dad looks at my mom, who smiles her usual heart warming smile, then he looks at my sister and I. The second he looks at us, I know, he's about to tell his story, the story we've all heard so many times. "You see Ponyboy, I, like you, was a greaser once. I was the youngest of five. The oldest was my sister, and my three brothers were triplets. My mamma was a housewife, and my father was an engineer. I knew, I always knew I wanted to be bigger than that, which I can't tell that you are in the same boat,", he says, earning an embarrassed look from Pony. My dad chuckles, before continuing. "At first, it seemed hard. We didn't have a lot of money, and none of my family even went to college. I almost lost hope. Then, I met Georgi,". At that, my dad takes my mom's hand. "When I met her, I found hope again. She was so encouraging, and helpful. I worked harder than ever, and soon I got a scholarship into Harvard, where I would go for law. I wanted so badly to tell Georgi how much I appreciated her help, and... how I felt about her, but it was so hard to come up with the courage.

"Then, it was the day she was leaving for college. She only lived a few blocks down the road from me, in the richer part of town. I ran to her house, and caught her just as her and her parents were pulling out of the driveway. I ran in front of the car like an idiot. Georgi got out of the car, and ran into my arms, which I wasn't expecting. I took my chance though, and I kissed her. I told her how I felt, and asked her to wait for me. She did. Once we both graduated, we got married, and had Sherri soon after. I went back to law school, and a year after Sherri, we had Zara-Mae. I became the man I wanted to be, but I never forgot where I came from.", my dad finishes, and I hear someone sobbing. I look around, my eyes landing on Soda, who is across from me. I smile, as he wipes the tears away. "That... was so beautiful, sir.", Soda says, smiling a wet smile. I look at my mom, who is beaming. There is one thing I love the most about my parents love story: they both tell it exactly the same way.

♥  ♥  ♥

Soon, it's time to open presents. Once dinner is all cleaned up, we all make our way to the gazebo. Everyone finds a seat on the built-in bench, and I end up next to Soda. Cherry and I open the presents from our parents first. I got a new pair of Chucks, a pendant necklace with my birthstone, and a car, since I passed my drivers test. Cherry got a record player, some clothes, and a camera. From Cherry, I got a few skirts and dresses, and I got her some records for her record player. Then, from Soda, I got a charm bracelet, and Cherry got a necklace. Last but not least, was Pony's present. For Cherry, he got her tickets to the movies, a book about sunsets, and a really awesome painting. My present however, was something far greater. He gave me a copy of something he wrote. It was a book, titled:

THE OUTSIDERS