𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐠 // The Outsiders

Chapter 1 - Bitter

We sit in the dimly lit hospital waiting room for what feels like years. My skin crawls every excruciating second, my heart hammering against the inside of my chest. Not only do hospitals scare me to death, but these places are also associated with lots of terrible memories. I feel like I may have a panic attack if I don't escape. But I know I have to stay here for my friends. They need the little support I can give more than I need my freedom.

I look over the gaunt faces of the boys in the room. Darry paces back and forth in front of Soda and Ponyboy, who sit on the couch awaiting the news. By the door, Two-bit stands with his hands in his pockets and his head hung low. Dallas and Johnny lean against the wall near him, looks of gloom on both their faces. Finally, I and Steve sit on the couch opposite the Curtis brothers, our hands locked together in anxiety. Maybe even fear.

I'm so stressed that I feel like the glass bottle of coke Steve got me will explode in my clutch. I can't imagine what the rest of the gang must be feeling. They've known the Curtis parents longer than I have, surely they're going through more pain than me. Though, the gang's silence speaks volumes. How could such a terrible thing happen to the sweetest people in the world? I think. But at the same time, I can't help but wonder if there was something I could have done to stop this...

Suddenly the door clicks, and we all look up...

–Three months earlier–

I push the last cardboard box into the back of dad's pickup before closing the tailgate. It's the middle of November and the snow is already to my ankles. I scan around the ground, double-checking that I didn't miss anything. Just then, my kid sister, Ruth, comes in my direction, a jewelry box in her hands. Stray snowflakes are tangled in her mass of dark red hair. Her eyes are pale blue and just visible behind her thick wool scarf.

Me and Ruth look almost identical. My hair is vibrant red but cut just past my shoulder. Whereas Ruth's goes down to her middle back and is darker. And while my sister's eyes are a pale blue, mine are green-- my mom's eyes. She left us a few years back in a car crash when I was fourteen, I'm almost seventeen now.

"What's that?" I ask, nodding to the box in my sister's hands.
"It was mom's," She says, the words muffled by her scarf. She walks past me, and I can barely say "Oh," before she slams the cab door on me. Ruth's just mad because we're moving to Oklahoma. I am too. But dad's getting reassigned to an air base down in Tulsa and we can't exactly stay in Grafton, North Dakota.

I would in a heartbeat. North Dakota is my home, it's where I was born and raised. Mom is buried here, my family is here, and my friends are here. Everything is here in North Dakota. It's my home...

"We all set?" Dad asks as he steps out of the house and locks the door. His hair is brownish red, and his eyes are the same pale blue as Ruth's. She got his looks while I got mom's. Maybe that's why my sister hates me, I'm the spitting image of mom.
"Yeah, I guess," I say, putting my hands in my pockets and kicking the snow off my red converse. Which stand out against the blanket of white under my feet. Dad nods, patting my shoulder and leading me to the truck.

I get squished between Ruth and the window. Her eyes are slightly red and puffy. I want to comfort her, but I know she will probably push me away like always. So instead, I decided to ask about the jewelry box.
"May I see?" I question as the truck starts to move. Ruth doesn't say anything but pushes the box onto my lap.

It's a small, brown wooden box with the fancy letter "E" carved into it. I've seen it before but after mom died dad put it away. Inside is an assortment of simple but lavish rings, earrings, bracelets, and brooches. The one that first catches my eye, is a glittering white and green magnolia brooch, mom's favorite flower. Carefully, I pick it up from its velvet bed. Turning to my sister, I poke her in the arm.

"What?" She growls but as her pale eyes land on the pin, her expression softens.
"You should keep it," I say, handing it to her. Ruth's lips part a little as she examines the flower. It must be such a treasure to have. Especially for her. Ruth and mom were always so close that losing her was comparable to being stabbed in the heart.

I know Ruth really misses her, after all, she was only eleven when it happened. Before then, the two were inseparable. I remember mom used to take us to this little diner once every month and they would sit next to each other. Every time, Ruth would get a strawberry milkshake and share it with me. Partly because mom made her and partly because she liked me back then. Ruth hasn't touched a milkshake since.

"You should keep that one." She suddenly says, pulling me from my thoughts. Ruth presses a small watch into my hand. The strap is powder blue and the face is so small that I have to squint to see the time. I smile at my sister, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"I will," I say, snapping close the jewelry box and putting the watch on my right wrist.

A slight smile flickers across Ruth's face before it's gone and replaced by a scowl. Happiness never stays with her for longer than an hour, I think it's sad she's so bitter...