Can You Keep A Secret? (The Outsiders Fan Fiction)

Chapter 3

Rosemarie's P.O.V

 

 

I combed through my hair with my fingers trying to drown out the obnoxiously loud drunk people filling up Buck's place. I was completely hidden in a corner. Normally, I would've been out in the crowd partying it up, however getting jumped from the previous day left me feeling pretty crappy. My cheek was black and blue, and no matter how much make up I used, it didn't conceal it. My ribs bruised, the doctor had told me earlier that day, which explained the throbbing pain in my abdomen whenever I so much as breathe. I was a mess, and I hadn't slept well either, but I dragged myself out to Buck's. Mostly because I wanted time alone, well, not alone, alone with someone else.

Johnny spotted me through the crowded room. He maneuvered his way through the sweaty drunk people. The smell of smoke and sweat was assaulting my nose, but ignored it. My eyes fixed upon him, and the other intoxicated patrons faded into a blur as he was my focus, and I was his.

He slumped down into the chair beside me, handing me the drink I had asked him to get for me. A Gin and tonic that Dally had shown me to love. I took my first sip of that night of the simple mixture; it was cold and icy, slightly sweet and tangy against my lips. The taste was strong, I let the gin and icy pulp wallow intoxicate my taste buds. It felt refreshing. I wasn't supposed to drink, hell, I was 14, but I was also best friends with Dallas Winston, who influenced a lot of my decisions. I put the drink down gently. I looked for him in the crowd, and spotted him snogging a girl senseless, leaning against the bar. His hand fumbled with her shirt tail, and I wondered if she was enjoying it. At least he was enjoying himself.

Johnny's hand touching mine made me jump. It also made me wince from pain; he looked at me through big, dark, worried eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Johnny asked with concern. I shrugged. I wasn't one to complain, or show any sign of weakness. Again, that's something I developed from hanging out with the toughest of the tough, Dally, for so long.

"Fine," I said. It was clear he didn't believe me. I didn't believe me either. I'm not a believable person.

"You don't look fine, and you know what I mean by that, I mean, you look fine, better than fine, but you look sick and-" Johnny rambled, as he always did when worried.

"Johnny," I interrupted in a gentle tone. "I'm fine." I encouraged. There was still no sign of him believing me. I sighed and eased back into my seat. Johnny watched me.

"Do you still have a headache?" He asked. I took a sip from my drink. I decided not to lie to him or myself anymore. I nodded, and it was true, I felt a constant pounding in the back of my head. And the loud music wasn't helping, neither was the chatter around us, though I drowned most of it out, I couldn't drown out the notorious pain in my temple. He bit his lip in an innocent, shy way, eyeing me the only way he would.

"Why don't we leave then? Dally's occupied anyway, I'm sure he won't miss us. We'll come back and get 'em later." Johnny suggested eagerness in his every body movement. I looked over at Dal, he was in fact 'busy' still, and because I knew what Johnny had in mind, I didn't particularly want to do it in the busy crowd. But I did  want to do it. I nodded; we abandoned our half full drinks, and weaved our way out of the crammed place. Then it was really just us.

We ended up at the park. I had my knees pulled tightly against my chest and my head rested against his shoulder, with only him and the stars as company. It had been this way for months, just me and Johnny, sneaking around together. We liked coming to the park. It was vacant, and we could talk, or just be together, without anyone to bother us. Or certain people in our crowded lives to bother us.

"I wish we could tell the gang." Johnny said quietly. I sighed. He talked like this a lot.

"I know, but we can't, it's a secret for a reason, Johnny." I said. Johnny lifted my chin up so he could see my face fully.

"But why? I don't want it to be a secret." He said sourly.

"You know why. Soda would kill me, he won't even let me go on a date, what would he say if he found out I'd been dating one of his best buddies for the past 6 months?" I said. He knew it was true, and he saw reasoning in it, but he held his ground.

"Soda wouldn't be that mad," He said, though I could tell he didn't believe it.

"He'd skin you and use you as furniture." I said. Johnny scoffed.

"He would not!"

"Yeah, he would." I sighed.

Johnny could tell by my tone that it bothered me. And it did. I hated how overprotective Sodapop was, I hated it. I wasn't allowed to do anything, my parents weren't nearly as over protective as him, but he smothers me, he holds on so tightly because he's afraid to lose control over me. Sometimes I think he does it because everything he wanted me to be, a genius, a good girl, crumbled right beneath him once Mom and Dad died. That's when I started to change. I'd lie, sneak out, start trouble with the Soc's, get in fights, that sort of thing.

"Rosey, when Soda gets mad at you like he did yesterday, he don't mean nothing, you hear? He loves you a lot, that's all." Johnny said, playing with one of my curls. I knew it wasn't true, Soda found me a bother, that's all there was to it.

"Sure," I said for Johnny's sake, because even though it wasn't true, I didn't like upsetting Johnny.

It was silent for a bit, not an awkward silence, just comfortable. Me and Johnny had that kind of silence. We weren't chatty people. Finally, because I couldn't wait any longer. I kissed him.

It wasn't our first kiss, but every time we did kiss, it felt fresh, and new. Every time we kissed, that feeling washed over me like a new tide. 

But that time, I wasn't thinking about how the kiss felt good, I didn't have my eyes shut to enjoy the moment. No, I saw, and just out of the corner of my eyes, someone watching us.

I didn't freak out. Even though no one knew of Johnny and I's relationship, I thought, oh, some Soc, what harm could they do?

That was until I saw the long brown hair with eyes to match, that, I had come to know so very well over my life.

That, is when I started to fear for the worst. Because she had witnessed what I'd devoted my every minute in hiding.

 

Sadie.