My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter XXIV

Wendy and I strolled into the DX to find Soda at the counter, fidgeting with an empty Coke bottle. He looked tired and bored. He lit up when he saw us. "Hey Steve!" he called into the back. "The girls are here!"

Steve came running into the room. "Soda, switch me places. Penelope, I've got to talk to you." He had used my given name. My own cousin did, and it raised a big ol' red flag.

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked calmly. Over Soda's shoulder, I saw Wanda walk into the back with Soda to watch him work on cars. Wendy hoisted herself onto the counter and sipped a Coke.

"I think you ought to know... Dallas was the one behind all the robberies lately, and he's been arrested. He told me to give you this letter—"

Someone started screaming in the other room, yelling things like "Call 9-1-1!" and "Someone do something!" and "Does anyone know CPR!?" It sounded just like Wanda...

Paramedics were on scene within minutes—Soda had collapsed suddenly and had lost his pulse. The rest of us at the DX awaited a call from the hospital, telling us he was stable.

I drank three Cokes waiting, everything starting to build up and weigh me down.

I was six years old, in the first grade. We had sixth grade buddies every Wednesday morning, and Kenny, my brother, was mine. I couldn't be happier.

We did a little activity one day—we'd wear our backpacks, and our buddies would put big text books borrowed from the high school into them, one by one.

"This represents stressful situations or worries," the teacher had said.

As instructed, Kenny put a thick history book into my backpack. We had to wait thirty seconds until the next one, so, to pass the time, Kenny said, "Someday, someone will make a history song about the wars that are going on and stuff. Maybe they'll even put Joe DiMaggio in it." Kenneth was crazy about baseball.

Put another book in my backpack. Soon enough, I had seven giant textbooks in my backpack, and it weighed more than I did. I was struggling to keep standing.

My teacher got our attention. "Notice how heavy the backpack is. Sometimes you need to ask for help."

Immediately, Kenny stood behind me and lifted the backpack so it felt lighter. I grinned up at him.

That's what my situation reminded me of. Having so much weight reminded me of that experiment from all the way back in the first grade.

But thinking about Kenneth weighed me down even more. He wasn't coming back. He was gone. Kenny was gone, and Johnny was gone, and who knew how many of my other brothers would be picked off by the war.

I drew a quivering sigh, and excused myself from the others. I swiftly walked into the station's small bathroom, and started to cry.

I wiped the dripping mascara off my cheeks with toilet paper, and reapplied it once I stopped sobbing.

Sometimes I wanted to be back in Kansas. Sometimes I wished I had never come in the first place. Maybe my brothers wouldn't have gone to war. I wouldn't be worried about Sodapop—I wouldn't have ever met him. I wouldn't have met Dally, and he wouldn't have been my boyfriend. I'd be back in the carefree days on the plains, not weighed down in the city. Sitting on our old wooden swing in our big oak tree, a book of poetry open on my lap, while the scent of the nearby orchard drifted by in the gentle breeze that met up with the creek...

I suddenly remembered the letter I'd never let go of, the one I hadn't opened. I undid the rough twine that tied in closed, and unfolded the paper.

Penny, if you're reading this, I've been caught. Just hear me out, okay? I knew Darry would be out of work for a few weeks, with the concussion and all, and Soda couldn't work. That's why I stepped in for Darry. Listen, both boys' money paid the bills. The one job was barely bringing in enough to put food on the table, let alone pay the hospital bills. I figured a few side robberies wouldn't hurt nothin', man. I was just trying to help. Please forgive me, Penny. Please.

-your knight in shining armor

Shock washed over me, and my emotions created a flood that could've filled the Arkansas river. How was I supposed to feel? He did something wrong, and ended up in jail for it. But he was trying to help our friend. I sighed, and hung my head.

I drug my feet and joined the others. All three of them were still sitting there, just as anxious as before. Wanda was a mess—I mean, she watched, helplessly, as her boyfriend collapsed.

Wendy looked up at me. "Penelope, we decided you're not going home tonight."

I would've raised an eyebrow, but I was too emotionally, and therefore physically, drained. "Why not?" I sighed.

"You've been through too much today, and we don't want to know what you'll do if you decide it's too much to handle. We wouldn't be as concerned with you being alone if you're parents were home, but since they went to confirm what that police officer was saying..."

I knew she was right, and I was grateful for such caring friends. It's just... I felt like I had those seven history textbooks in my backpack again, only, it was my history, my broken history, that was written on the pages.

I know what my mama would've said if she'd heard those thoughts. She would've said, "Penny, how did you grow up to be such a drama queen?"

The phone rang, and Steve jumped up to answer it. "Yes...okay...what are you talking about...you've got to be joking..." he was saying, but he suddenly went silent, and the blood drained from his face. "Thanks, doc."

"What wrong, Steve?" Wanda asked desperately, nearly in hysterics.

"He's gone... Soda's dead."

Wanda started sobbing loudly, and Wendy tried to comfort her, despite her own tears, tears that cut ribbons down her face. Steve just stood in shock, white as a curtain and about as human.

I started to sway on my feet, and I could feel the blood drain from my face. My vision became blurry, and my hearing was fuzzy. Everything was numb—physically and emotionally—so I barely even noticed when my knees buckled and I fell, my friends screaming after me.

"Penny, stay awake. Please, don't close your eyes!" Wendy cried, cradling my head.

I could see an open meadow, overgrown by dandelions and wildflowers. The orchards were in full bloom. The old wooden swing was swaying gently in the breeze, the book open on it, it's pages slowly flipping in the wind.

"Penny, don't you dare leave us too!"

Oh, but the creek was calling. The fish were swimming upstream, the sunlight glinting on their scaly backs. The water was clear, and cool.

"Penny, please!"

The scene faded quickly, and everything came crashing down on my heart.

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Author's note
Alright so the death was not my idea. It was my cousin's and she told me to blame it on her. Anyway, that was quite a ride... it got eerily poetic part of the way through. I guess I'm just in that kinda mood today.

Your friendly neighborhood greaser, signing off...
Stay gold y'all ⭐️