California Runaway

chapter seven

Harley's pov:

At the boutique, I had gotten a pretty good amount of clothes for myself. Betty said it was okay even though I did feel bad about her spending money on me and we hardly know each other. However she seemed to have a great time as well. 

Betty only has one son and so she never got to have the mother-daughter shopping experience. It made me feel good too, since my mom already passed. 

After Betty paid for the everything, we decided to put the bags in the car, and go looking at other stores around the area. 

I felt like some people were looking at me, but I have no idea if they were bad stares or not. It was probably just me being paranoid. 

After a long day of shopping and looking around town, we finally headed home. 

It was around 5pm when a moving truck pulled into the driveway. 

It was two younger men moving the couch and other things into the house. One of them kind of reminded me of Darry. He had a buff build with nice smile. They didn't even look alike but I guess it's the thought that counts. 

Before all of this happened, my room in Betty's house was going to be a guest room. So I didn't have to sleep on the floor for another night. As everything in that room screamed floral, I didn't mind at all.

The house was starting to feel like an actual home when Betty and I put everything away after the movers had left. 

It took about 4 hours to get everything in it's place and I was practically exhausted. I was about to head to my room when there was a knock on the door. Betty was smoking in the backyard so I decided to open the door. 

As I opened the door a girl my age motioned her hand to knock again. 

She quickly composed herself and she smiled at me with a toothy grin. 

"Hi! My name is Connie!" The tan girl exclaimed. I smiled at her as she seemed sweet. 

"Hi, I'm Ha- I mean June. I'm June." I corrected myself. "I see you're new here?" She asked. I didn't know what to say about Betty so I just lied and said, "Yeah! I just moved here with my Grandmother." I revealed. I closed the door so both of us would be outside sitting on the front porch. 

Constance Allen was her name. Apparently she lived right across the street with her younger brother and her dad. "So are you going to the high school in a few days?" She questioned. I sighed softly and turned to her. "Yeah... I guess I am." I smiled. 

"Well, you'll have a friend there. Maybe we'll have some classes together. Oh-! and you can meet some of the people I hang with? Only if you want." Connie pondered. I chuckled and nodded. "I would actually love that. I don't know anyone here, so..." I looked down. 

"Oh but you will soon." Connie nudged my shoulder. She was sweet. Sweeter than most people I have met. She had real pretty curly hair that was frizzy and had on a yellow plaid dress with a matching cardigan. 

After we talked for a bit I was getting more tired and we both decided we would pick up our conversation tomorrow. 

I strolled on into the house and saw Betty sitting down on the couch with coffee in her hand. "I see you made a friend already." She beamed. "Yeah... She and I will go to the same school. She's pretty nice." 

I then made my way into my room and changed into some shorts and a t-shirt that was probably one of Ponyboy's. Well he's not going to get it back anytime soon. I trudged to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. 

I think things will change here. I already feel like I'm a different person. Maybe now I can finally move on from what happened in Tulsa. 

The soc.

But I think I'll hate him for the rest of my life. 

Ponyboy's pov:

Everyone was quiet the whole day. Soda and Darry took off work to see if they could find Harley, but deep down I think they knew she wasn't going to come back. 

But while they were gone, I looked in her room. It was clean. 

It has been awhile since I actually looked around in here. Harley still had clothes in her closet. And a box? It was empty so she definitely had money in it. I didn't even know she was saving up. This is just not what we needed right now.

High school is starting and we won't start it together. When we were younger we would always plan out stuff like that, because we were so close. 

But in the last few months it was like she was a ghost or something. When we did see her she always had something to say, and when she wasn't in her room or at the dingo; her and Darry were fighting. 

Darry always said it was just because she's a teenage girl and that it's just a phase, however I think it was something worse than that. 

As I sit in front of her closet I hear the door creek even more. I look over and see my brothers just looking at me. Grief and disappointment wiped their faces. I sigh and say, "Man, I don't think shes comin' back. She packed all her savings and everything." Tears were threatening to leave my eyes but I refused and jumped up shoving Darry and Soda to go to my room. 

I slammed my door and nobody dared to bother me.

Where the hell did she go?