𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐠 // The Outsiders

Chapter 5 - The Gang

The weekend went by so fast that I almost forgot to call Sodapop. But I did, at the last minute on Sunday afternoon.
"Hello?" A woman said. "Who is this?" She sounded young, like mother young. So I assumed she was Soda's mom.

I was about to open my name to ask for Sodapop but before I can, I heard his voice over the line.
"Mom, mom is it Winnie?" I hear something fall. "Mom, let me see the phone."
"Soda!" The woman scolds, as Soda's voice rings clear in my ear.

"Winnie?" He asks, his voice anxious but excited.
"Hey, Sodapop," I say, a smile creeping onto my face. "What's up."
"Uhh, not much, what about you?" He says.
"I was just about to head out to the Dingo to grab a coke," I say. "I was wondering if you wanted to go."

"Yeah, I'll go with you." He says without hesitation. "Can uh, can Ponyboy come too?" He asks.
"Of course," I say. "Bring whoever you want."

Me and Ruth sit in the Dingo. My kid sister, for whatever reason, wanted to join me. She nibbles on a burger and fries as I sit there with a coke in hand. Soda and whoever he decided to bring hasn't shown up yet and I'm beginning to get worried.
"Are you sure your friends are coming, Winnie?" Ruth asks through a mouth full of fries. As if on cue, the bell on the door rings, and in walks Soda, a group of boys behind him.

I recognize Steve and Two-bit but the other three are complete mysteries. One is tall and muscular with icy blue eyes and brown hair. He stands next to a small boy around Ruth's age who has grey-blue eyes and dark brown hair. The two and Soda look related, they must be his brothers. The last kid has big black eyes, his hair jet-black and falling in shaggy bangs across his forehead.

Sodapop catches my gaze, and his lips pull into a smile as he waves at me.
"Hey, Winnie." He says as he approaches our booth, his friends and brothers right behind him.
"Hi Soda." I smile, gesturing for them to sit down. "Oh, sorry. This is Ruth, my little sister."
At the mention of her name, Ruth looks up, her burger half hanging out of her mouth.

She swallows, whipping the grease from her mouth with the back of her sleeve as Soda's little brother and the other boy sit down beside her.
"So your friends are real." She says before going back to her meal.
"Ignore her," I say. Soda and Steve chuckled at my comment as they slid into the booth next to me.

"Sorry, this is Ponyboy, Darry, and Johnny." He points them out.
"Hi, I'm Winnie," I say as Darry and Two-bit sit in the empty booth behind Ruth, Ponyboy, and Johnny. They all smile.
"Heard you were new to Tulsa," Ponyboy says.
"Isn't that obvious?" Ruth asks before I can say anything. "Does it look like we belong here? And if we did, wouldn't you know?"

I kick Ruth under the table, sending her a warning look. Ponyboy scratches the back of his head uncomfortably, looking across the table at Soda with a pleading expression. He clears his throat, opening his mouth to say something but before he can, a voice rings out behind us.

"What do we have here?" He says, leaning on the back of Soda, Steve, and my booth. "I wasn't invited?"
"Dallas." Two-bit grumbles.
"What?" He says. "You're the ones who didn't invite me to your little hangout."
I groan, sinking into the booth as they start to argue. I wanna disappear. On the other side of things, Ruth seems amused by the situation.

"Dallas just lay off," Darry says. "You're the only one making a fool of yourself."
Dallas huffs, sitting down behind me but turned so he can still see us.
"Can I interest you in a Coca-Cola?" He whispers in my ear. I jump, but still, look over my shoulder, holding up the coke I'm already drinking. He chuckles, looking me dead in the eye he says, "Maybe another time then."

Author's note:
Sorry, I know the chapter's a little short. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. 🙃