Sing me a love song || Sodapop Curtis |

II

TRIGGER WARNING-MENTIONS OF SH SCARS, AND DRINKING.
Valerie woke up the next morning in the very same spot. Her guitar case was still under her head and her bag was still right next to her. She sat up slowly, fighting off grogginess, and dug through her bag. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She lit one up, the last one, and put it to her lips, taking a big drag of it.
Smoking and drinking were habits Valerie had learned from her dad, Eric. Eric did it to numb the pain of his wife leaving. Valerie does it to numb the pain of living.
Valerie stood up and walked across the street to the DX. She walked in with her stuff slung across her bag and headed to the bathroom as a voice said, "welcome!". She fixed her hair and made herself look decent before walking back out. She went into the isles and dug through various snacks and drinks. When she settled on what she wanted, the grabbed a few packs of cigarettes and tossed her stuff on the counter.
"Did you fine everything okay?" The voice asked. She hummed an 'mhm' in response and looked up. Sodapop recognized her from the day before.
"Hey aren't you the girl from yesterday?" He asked. She cocked an eyebrow. "The one who helped Ponyboy?" She nodded.
"That's me." She was still groggy and fighting off sleep, so she came off as grumpy. He laughed.
"Ya know, Pony wouldn't stop talking about you after that. He was acting as if you were the coolest person he's ever met." She snorted.
"Well at least he knows what his eyes see." Valerie gave a small smirk. Sodapop gave a chuckle.
"You're funny." He complimented. Valerie leaned against the counter.
"I know." She winked at him.
"I'm Sodapop, Ponyboy's older brother. Sodapop Curtis." She nodded.
"Valerie Booker, but you can call me Val." She responded. He nodded.
"It's nice to meet you Val."
"Likewise." She sighed uncomfortably and rolled her head around. Soda raised an eyebrow curiously, causing her to laugh.
"Sometimes the parking lot isn't the most comfortable sleeping place." Sodapop nodded as he bagged her thing.
"Well, here ya go." He handed her the brown, paper bag.
"Thanks." She took it and, without a second thought, walked out.
After Valerie walked out of the store, Sodapop followed right after.
"Actually, wait." He called. She turned around, eyebrow raised in confusion.
"A friend of my gang and his little brother are having a party tonight. They said they wanted it to get as wild and big as possible, so if ya want to go..." Sodapop trailed off. Valerie looked at him with tired, distant eyes before shrugging.
"Why not?" She sighed. "Where is it?"
He gave her the address on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
"You can bring your friends if you want, too." He added. She scoffed bitterly.
"Sorry, don't have any." Sodapop looked at her in confusion.
"Why not?" She shrugged.
"Never really gotten around to getting any. Besides, I don't really know who I fit with anyways." Sodapop nodded.
"Well, you meet my gang if you want to. My older brother Darry, Ponyboy, and a kid in our gang named Johnny ain't going, but you can meet the others." She looked at him tiredly and hummed.
"Maybe." Valerie shrugged and lit up a cigarette.
"Later." And she walked away.

Valerie walked home right after. Dogs barked loudly in yards around her and birds chirped simultaneously. She opened the squeaky door to her house and walked inside. Eric was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. He looked up at her.
"Where the hell were you?"
"Up your ass and around the corner." She scoffed. He growled.
"Watch your mouth, brat." He hissed. Valerie huffed.
"Go deep-throat a cactus, asshole." And she walked to her room.
Valerie undressed and wrapped her body in a towel, going to shower in the bathroom. She turned the water on and got in. The hot water steamed up the bathroom. Instead of washing her hair or body or anything like that, though, she sat down. Valerie allowed the water to run down her torso. She closed her eyes and imagined any life other than the one she had-one where she had a mom, one where she was still with her siblings, one where she didn't go everyday not being able to tell if she was drunk or not.
Time passed, though she wasn't sure how much time. She opened her eyes. Her fingers and toes had wrinkled up from the water. Sighing, she shut off the water and stepped out. She dried her body and hair off, huffing. She traced her fingers gently across the scars that ran in horizontal lines down her legs. Valerie's heart sank a little. They were fading...
But she went on. She walked back into her room and changed into a pair of baggy, cuffed jeans and a white t-shirt. Then she flopped onto her bed and grabbed her notebook. She scribbled and jotted down words until her hand couldn't move anymore.
Valerie sighed and pushed herself out of bed. She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing two beers. Then she walked into her room and sat back down. She chugged the first beer down quickly. The ice-cold liquid ran down her throat with a bitter taste—a taste she didn't actually like, but was just used to. Maybe if she didn't spend so much time drinking would she realize how much she acted hated it. The taste and smell of alcohol and weed are ones she secretly hates, but they've numbed her pain for so many years that she can't doesn't care anymore.
Valerie turned on the radio that was sitting on her nightstand and laid back. She fidgeted with the bottle in her hand, listening to the music that blared next to her, and stared at the ceiling. Unfortunately, she didn't do much else. She listened to whatever songs played and drank until she fell asleep. Valerie knew it was unhealthy, but she really didn't care. Because sometimes, all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart.