king and queen

thirty

Alexa's POV

Dallas and I went back to Bucks and we both stayed in my room for the night... to play bored games!

Really loud, rough, and pleasure filled bored games...

Anyway!

The next day was the parade. I was only told that I had to meet at the school at 1:00 to get all setup.

I wore a blue, plaid skirt and a blue top to match it. I had my knee high socks and white shoes, too. My finishing touch was the crown and sash.

"Dallas, you gonna be there today?" I asked.

"Wouldn't miss it. Have fun. See ya." He said from the counter.

I grinned and started my way to the school.

I saw Sodapop there. "Hi, Soda!" I said excitedly.

"Hey, Lex. You ready? Should be real easy. Just smile and wave."

I giggled. "Yup."

Time seemed to go by really fast. It felt like the second I got there it was time to start the parade.

Sodapop and I sat on the back of the car and we both pretty much smiled and waved.

I waved to a bunch of little girls and they even let me get off to hug one of them who was excited to meet a "Queen." Sodapop and I were announced at different parts and there were cameras everywhere. Finally, the parade was coming to and end.

Sodapop and I got off and someone called me over. It was a reporter, I think?

I walked over. "Hi." I said happily.

"Hello. It's so nice to meet you. Everyone, this is Alexa DeVos." She said into the camera. "We actually have someone who wants to talk to you."

I grinned awkwardly as a man came over and shook my hand. "Hello, Miss DeVos. It's a pleasure to meet you. Someone by the name of Mia Harping told me about you."

Mia Harping? My coach?

"Oh! Did she now?" I asked with a laugh.

"She did. She recommended you for this years National Dance Day."

I've never heard of that before. "Really?" I asked in shock.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Director Stephen Winfield. It is my honor to ask you to participate. It's a national idea where girls from all over the country get to come to Oklahoma City to perform a dance for the nation. All participants get $500 and will be featured in newspapers across the country. What do you say?"

I gasped. "Are you serious?"

"As I can be."

I laughed. "Oh my, goodness! Yes! Yes, a hundred times, yes!"

"You heard it here! We have our Oklahoma contestant!" He handed me a paper. "I'll see you next Friday. All details will be on this sheet for you."

I jumped up and down with a smile on my face. "Stay tuned for next Friday, everyone! Alexa DeVos will be there representing Oklahoma!"

The camera shut off and I immediately ran to go tell the guys.

"Guys! Guess what?" I yelled to them as I was springing at high speed.

"What?" Dallas asked.

"Look! I'm gonna be on national television for dance!" I said holding the flyer up.

"Holy shit, that's amazing Alexa!" Dallas said hugging me.

"It's next Friday in Dallas Texas. I can't believe it!"

"Let's go celebrate! Chocolate cake at the Curtis'!" Steve yelled.

We all went down there to celebrate and I had just under two weeks to get this dance to perfection.

It was one girl from every state who got to compete. I would be the 36th to go, as it was alphabetical.

This had to have been the greatest day of my life.

As soon as I left the Curtis', all my free time was spent practicing. I decided to go with a jazz routine to the song "Help!" By the Beatles.

Practice, practice, practice.

After all those days of practicing, I finally had the choreography down I just needed to perfect it.

I had eight days to do so.

I decided to give myself a break and I went to the Curtis'.

I walked in. "Hi, Ponyboy." I looked around. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Soda and Darry are at work. But Steve, Johnny, Two, and Dal should be here soon. They went to the corner store."

"Oh. Well, I came to see everyone, but I didn't mean to interrupt your work." I said after I noticed he was doing homework on the kitchen table.

"Don't worry about it. I've got all night." I sat next to him. "I've actually got a question for ya." He said.

"Ask away."

"Are you and Dallas, like a thing?"

"Uhh... did he tell you?" I asked.

"No. I could just see something was up by his body language."

"Oh. Well," I giggled a bit, "yeah we are together. He asked me a little over a week ago, I guess."

"Really? I'm surprised you gave him a second chance."

"Second chance? We haven't been together before."

"No, I know. Maybe bad choice of words. I guess  was just kinda shocked, because of all the things he said about you."

"What did he say about me?" I asked nervously. I felt my face slowly drop.

"Oh, well, before you came down here, once he got the news he was on homecoming court, he was just ticked off with you."

"What?" I asked, still confused.

"Well, he gave this whole spiel about how he knew you'd be on it. And how entitled you were, just kinda a stuck up rich girl. And you were a bitch. And he hated you. And the only reason he went up there was to make your life miserable."

I was at such a loss for words. "Make my life miserable?" Dallas made me so happy. I wasn't following. "Wait, so Dallas didn't tell you anything that happened up there? How we were on homecoming court?"

"No, Johnny did, though. Shocked us all."

"Was that why you guys were being weird when I asked for directions that one time?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was with Dal when he bought the ticket for New York. He wanted to 'ruin your life.'"

I couldn't believe it.

He only brought me down here to see me fail?

It all started to make sense. He was so awful to me when he first got there. "I don't understand. Why did he hate me so much?"

"Uh... something about a fruit drawing? And him getting arrested?"

The two things he asked about on the way to the diner...

I felt tears in my eyes.

The door opened and the boys walked in.