My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter XXIX

Dallas wore a look of shock on his face that I had never seen before. "She doesn't remember me?"

I shook my head and bit my lip in anxiety. I knew he loved me, and I didn't want to hurt him. I also knew I couldn't lie to him, though.

We had been crowded around the phone, but Darry signaled for me, Pony, and Two-Bit to step away and let him talk. We took a step back, knowing Darry had a lot of things to say, a lot of bad news to break.

I kept eyeing Dally—I knew he was doing the same. After the initial shock, he had hardened his face, and he showed no emotion. I turned to the others. "Does he usually do that?"

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow. "Does he usually do what?"

"Is he always that serious and tough?"

"Golly, no! He used to be like that—he hid all emotion. But then you came around, and we learned he was actually fairly emotional."

I smiled weakly and nodded. "I just hope my losing my memory didn't ruin everything."

After we left, we were all pretty gloomy. "You know," Darry started. "He was gonna find out eventually. It was better to tell him now, when he was contained. Knowing Dallas, he would've gotten himself jailed again if we'd told him afterward."

I nodded, hot tears rushing to my eyes. I felt awfully bad, and I was more upset at not remembering than ever.

Darry playfully punched my shoulder. "Lighten up. We're stopping at the Dingo for lunch."

So, we went to a fast-food place, and waited for the waitress. I didn't understand why I needed one—there was nothing else fancy or professional about the place. I figured it was just to employ teenagers. The waitress finally came around and asked the others what they wanted. When she got to me, she asked if I wanted my usual.

I gave the waitress a funny look. "My usual?"

She returned the look. "Yes... your usual."

"Yes—sure—that's what I want," I said quickly, nervously pretending I knew what I was talking about.

Eventually, we got our food. Darry and Two-Bit told me all about anything I would ever need to know—as much as they knew, at least. There was still a gaping hole in my life, and there was no way to fill it. In fact, it felt like I was being sucked into the hole—I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.

Darry looked at me. "Ya ready to go?"

I shook my head. "You two go on. I'll catch up with you in a minute... I need some time to think."

Two-Bit and Darry looked at each other. "Penny... I'm not sure you should do that. Last time you took a walk by yourself..." He was silent for a moment. "Alright. You do need some time to yourself. Maybe it'll help with your memory."

The two of them left, and I sat in silence. Another waitress came by. "What would you like to order?"

I looked up. "Oh, sorry. I'm not ordering anything—I already ate."

"Alrighty. We'll just need you to move if we reach capacity."

I nodded and went back to thinking. I only had so much to hold on to. My name was Penelope—Penny—and I liked rodeos. I was engaged and had lots of friends. I lived in Oklahoma...

A swarm of teenagers entered the Dingo, so I thought it'd be best to leave. I started on my way back, but soon found I didn't know where I was. I vaguely recognized some of my surroundings, but all my previous memories of the area were gone, and I hadn't realized it. It was hard, not remembering things. There were things that had probably seemed so natural to me before—I had probably walked down this way too many times to count—but I couldn't remember any of it.

I knew I had to head for the poor side of town, but, beyond that, I had no idea which way to go. The breeze ruffled my hair, blowing it in front of my face, so I had to keep one hand on it to keep it down. I passed by a chain of stores, and went inside one to ask for directions, or a map. No one had one, though. The best I got was that I needed to head up toward the Crutchfield neighborhood area.

The wind picked up a little, and debris blew across the streets. Hanging in the gutter, I found an atlas, and rushed over to it, but the wind blew it away before I got there. The wind kept on getting heavier and heavier, making me ever more anxious. Great, I thought, it's probably tornado season.

Tears began to fill my eyes as I realized I had no way of knowing where to go, and no way to contact my friends, and I was just a sitting duck in the middle of a storm. I started running in the direction I was told, hoping I'd be able to at least get to the right neighborhood. When I stopped to catch my breath, I realized a barely audible drone could be heard in the distance. It started growing louder, and dread rose within me. I started panicking— "I'm gonna die!" I cried to myself.

I desperately started pulling on business doors, hoping that one would open, but they were all locked. "Let me in!" I screamed at every door.

There was no one to help me, so I ran into an alley, hoping to find some protection. I cowered on one side of a dumpster, protecting my head with my hands. The roaring, jet-engine-like sound grew louder, until it sounded like a freight train. The ground rumbled slightly, and a couple of loose bricks tumbled from the top of the building, falling around me—except for the one that hit my wrist, of course. Just my luck.

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Author's note
Is this a new chapter I see? Yes. Yes it is. Breaking news... I'm not dead! I'm still interested in writing the story, and more will be coming. After a long bout of writer's block, I decided to procrastinate on the ton of homework due in only a few short hours. *bows* And honestly, I don't know what I'm doing. I started that chapter ages ago and had to work with what I had. We'll see where this takes us...

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