Sing me a love song || Sodapop Curtis |

III

Valerie walked to the address written on the paper. The party had already started and the sun had already set. When she opened the door, she was met with loud music and a lot of people. She walked inside cautiously and walked through the crowd. Valerie didn't know what she was looking for, but she was sure it involved alcohol.
She came across a group of coolers filled with different boozes and wines. She grabbed the normal few beers and found a place to sit down. Valerie watched people pass by in boredom until someone sat next to her. It was Sodapop.
"I was hoping you'd come." He said loudly. Valerie pursed her lips.
"Yeah, I'm here. Only for the booze though." She looked over at him.
"I'll introduce you to my friends." He nodded across the room while standing up, and Valerie followed. They walked up to two guys.
"This is two-bit and Steve." He addressed two guys standing near a table. "Guys, this is Valerie." Valerie cocked an eyebrow.
"Two-bit?" She asked. He nodded and winked.
"The one and only."
Valerie raised an eyebrow when she took note of the two beers he was holding. She took a big drink of her own and set the empty glass on the table. Valerie bent down and grabbed two more from the cooler next to her. Two-bit laughed.
"Someone's must be a big drinker." She scoffed, grinning.
"It's the only thing I ever do." Two-bit walked over and leaned against the table.
"I'm starting to like you."

And so the night went on. Drink after drink, song after song...Valerie spent the night drinking beer after beer after beer with Two-bit. Somewhere through it Two-bit lost his shirt and Valerie took off her shoes. But still, she drank. She kept drinking. She drank until reality was warping and she could barely stand. She drank until she was one of the many people hurling in the bathroom.
She dropped to her knees and emptied her stomach. Valerie was unsure of how many she'd had, but she was not feeling very well.
Valerie stumbled out of the bathroom and out to the back porch. She leaned against the wooden railing and took in the fresh air. Her head pounded and her stomach ached and turned.
Sodapop walked up next to her. He noticed how pale she was and how tired she looked. He chuckled.
"Someone looks just about ready to go home." She laughed.
"I'm probably not going to." Valerie was beginning to sober up, but she was still uneasy.
"Why not." Valerie sighed.
"If I went home drunk or smelling like alcohol my old man would beat my ass." He nodded and hummed in recognition.
"If you need a place to go I'm sure Darry wouldn't mind letting you crash on the couch." Valerie laughed.
"Thanks but no thanks."
They sat in silence for a little bit. The cool September breeze blew, sending chills up Valerie's body. She sighed, but it turned into a laugh.
"Do you ever wonder what it'd be like to be anyone but yourself?" She asked. Sodapop thought for a minute.
"Sometimes. But sometimes you gotta do with what you have." She chuckled.
"Guess you're right." Sodapop sighed. The music had died down and people had begun to leave. Sodapop looked over to her.
"I gotta get goin, you need help getting home?" Valerie shook her head.
"I'll be fine, thanks." Sodapop nodded.
"If you need a place to stay you know where we live."

Valerie sat down and waited for the alcohol to pass. Sodapop had already been gone for 5 minutes and she was one of the last people there. A rough, greasy man walked out.
"You good?" He asked. He was clearly drunk and Valerie assume that he was Tim Shepard.
"Yeah," she held back a groan. "Give me a minute and I'll be outta here." He nodded and went back inside.
A few minuted later a teenager not much older than her walked out. He had an elf-like face and icy blue eyes. His white-blonde hair was messy and his face was flushed.
He looked directly at her. She remembered something Two-bit had told her earlier and recognized him as Dallas Winston. Everyone knows about Dallas Winston. He was always the one to get into trouble with the police and he'd been in jail more times than she could count on both hands. Valerie cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Stare much?" She hissed. The look in his eyes reminded her of her dad. In his time, he had been exactly like Dallas Winston was. He scoffed.
"Watch your mouth." He scoffed. He grabbed one of the coolers that was sitting outside and walked back into the house. Valerie stood up. She got up so quickly that white dots danced across her vision. After balancing herself, she walked through the house and out the door.
Valerie headed to the lot where she had previously slept with her head in the clouds. She wondered until she found where she wanted to sleep. And, as she laid down, she couldn't help but wonder:
"Ain't I too young for this?"