A Glimpse of Us • Sodapop Curtis

Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｔｗｅｎｔｙ-ｓｅｖｅｎ

Tori

The voices that erupted around me started to become clearer and clearer, and by the tone of voices I could clearly make out that they were arguing with each other.

I peeled my eyes open, the lights coming from the diner and lamp post from above straining my them. It took awhile for me to get used to the sudden adjustment, my head still felt a little foggy, and I could feel the effect of a migraine coming on.

I figured I couldn't have been out for too long because I was still in front of the diner. My weight was being supported by someone behind me, them sitting on the curb and me right in front.

I pushed myself forward as best as I could, still feeling weak. But as soon as I was up, I was pulled back down.

"Here, drink this."

I recognized the voice to be Soda's, he was handing me a plastic cup full of what appeared to be orange juice.

Shakily taking the cup and relaxing my full body weight on his chest I asked, "What are they all arguing about?"

I turned my head as best as I could to see what the commotion was about, and all I could see was a pissed off Dally, of course, an annoyed looking Eric, Two-bit shaking his fingers at Eric, and of course Toni just sitting watching, he almost looked bored.

The whole scene gave me a headache.

"I don't really know, as soon as Dallas saw Eric he started going off on him, and Two decided to just jump in." Soda replied, but I had a feeling that he knew exactly what they were arguing about, just that he didn't want to say.

I took another sip of the drink in my hands, hoping that it would try and erase this headache, "And Toni?" I asked.

"He tried getting in the middle of it, but as you can see that didn't really work out." Soda sighed.

"Where's everybody else?" I asked.

"Steve decided to just go home, Pony and Johnny went to go get Darry."

"Why?" I asked, now turning my head to face Soda.

"You just fainted Tori, you're not going to walk all the way back to the house." Soda frowned.

"I can walk just fine." I argued standing up, "I am not going to wake Darry up just to come all the way here for me."

As soon as I shot up, I was instantly met with the realization that I did so too fast, just increasing my headache even more.

"Tori, just sit down," Soda urged, trying to pull me back down with him.

My ears shot up to hear someone letting out a laugh, I followed the source of the voice to Eric, whatever Dally just told him, he seemed to take it as a joke.

Eric glanced over at me, still chuckling to himself, he took a cigarette out of the pack that he was holding in his hand lighting it, "That's now how it is at all, Winston."

Dallas scowled at Eric and was about to say something, but Eric didn't seem too interested as he turned his back on him and started saying something to Toni.

I could hear the faint mumble of something being uttered out of Dally's lips and although I couldn't make out what was said, I knew it couldn't have been anything good considering Eric's response.

I watched as he swiftly turned around, facing Dallas once again, but the snicker he once held on his face was gone, now it was replaced with Eric's known face of annoyance. The face that he almost always had when interacting with Dallas.