The story follows Baylee Curtis, The youngest of the crew. How the death of her parents and being raised by her brothers and the gang on the east side affect her everyday life. Can this young greaser stay out of trouble so the state doesn't split th...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I sat in the living room on the couch with my knees up to my chest, chewing what was left of my thumbnail. I have always been a nail bitter especially when I am nervous. Darry does it too. I wonder if we got that from our Mom or Dad.
Here lately I have been wondering a lot about Mom and Dad, how my brothers and I are so similar yet so different in many ways. I think a lot on what characteristics we got from which parent. It's been awhile now since I have heard there voices, I am afraid one day I will forget what they sound like. I won't mean too, but overtime they will just drift away.
"You a'right, Bay?" Pony asks me as he plops on the couch and hands me another glass of water. I know everyone is worried about me; I took a pretty bad fall and hit might head real hard but I don't need to drink the whole ocean, like save some water for the fish.
I am just not a big water drinker in general, wonder if that's from Mom or Dad?
"Mhm" I murmur. He knows I'm lying. Just putting on my best show. Darry told me not to worry, that he was going to "take care of it" whatever that means but I am tired of all the fighting.
We are all just kids trying to make it in this world, as if the world isn't hard enough to survive in without throwing in the rivalry of the Soc's and the Greasers. Why do we have to feel scared and turn the other way when we see a bunch of preppy kids in a nice car.
"Just wish everyone would get a'long thats all." I finally say to Pony as he sat and starred at me in silence, knowing I was in fact not alright.
Pony let out a sigh "Yeah, me too." He agreed with me, yet knows this is just the way the world is now. We had to sit hiding inside our own house, hiding from the Soc's that aren't even suppose to be on this side of town.
I couldn't help myself to peek out the window and keep an eye out for anybody that wasn't suppose to be here, or maybe Darry pulling back in the driveway letting everybody know how exactly he was going to take care of this.
It was clear that everyone was on edge. Soda, Steve, Pony and Johnny were in the kitchen standing in a circle whispering to each other. Steve was holding a baseball bat over his shoulder. I don't think its going to be used for a home run.
I pressed my forehead against the window, the glass was cold but it felt nice. It was late. Pitch black outside besides a few street lights. The wind was howling and blowing empty beer cans across our yard.
"Get away from the window Bay" Soda says.
I don't move my head or even acknowledge that I heard him. I know they are worried about keeping me safe, but how the hell are they going to do that standing in the kitchen. We need a look out.
"Baylee, did you hear what I said?" I heard his footsteps move closer to me. I turned to look at him.
"Darry said we ought to stay inside, I'm inside. They aren't back yet from the hospital and we need to keep look out for anybody not suppose to be here" I spat with more attitude then I intended.
Jonny and Pony glanced at each other. Steve walked up and put a hand on Soda's shoulder. Soda relaxed his tensed shoulders and let out a sigh.
Soda doesn't like being the bad guy. He is always sweet like our mother was. He probably gets that from her. He doesn't like raising his voice or being stern, never with Pony or I but he does it when he needs to, When Darry is gone and he is in charge.
Soda pinches his eyebrows together and just as I am sure he is about to unleash the side of Soda most people forget exists there is a small knock at the front door. My head quickly turns to the direction of the door and I can't help but think if I was keeping look out whoever it was wouldn't have been able to get to the door, not without me noticing.
"Get away from the damn window. Now." Soda whisper yells at me. I do as I am told and as soon as I am in his reach he tugs my shirt putting me behind him and Steve.
Pony flicks off the light in the kitchen now the only source of light in the house is the lamp that remains on in the living room, near where I was sitting by the window. The gang is all still and looking at each other. It was so quite I swear I could hear my own breathing.
"Maybe it's Darry?" I suggest in a whisper.
There is another low knock on the door that causes everyone to slightly jump. Soda shoves me back to stand behind Johnny and Pony as him and Steve make there way to the front door. When they reach the door Soda looks back at Steve and Steve gives him a nod holding up the baseball bat and ready to swing. Soda cracks the door open slowly peeking to see who is on the other side.
"Put the bat down" He says to Steve who is so ready to pound the ever living crap out of whoever walks in the door.
Soda opens the door wider and Jess steps inside.
"I could a' killed you boy" Steve says annoyed that Jess got everyone worked up for nothing.
"Wouldn't be the first time I got beat with a bat" Jess said chuckling but nobody else laughed. It was sad. Dark humor maybe, but sad. We all dismissed it.
I walked in-between Pony and Johnny tucking my hair behind my ear. "What are ya doin here?" I ask knowing he didn't leave out of my window that long ago, why was he back?
"I- I heard that Bob was awake and wanted to make sure you were okay, So I came back" Jess says stepping into the door.
A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. I get weird feeling in my stomach. A feeling I assume is what most people refer to as butterflies. I open my mouth to let Jess know I am fine but Soda interrupts me.
"Came back, When were you here today" Soda looks between us raising an eyebrow.
"Oh I-Uhm" Jess started to ramble, this isn't even the brother he said he was scared of.
Just as I go to defend him, I hear a loud crashing sound. I didn't notice but I closed my eyes and turned away from the direction the shattering sound game from. My brain was trying to process what was happening, I heard that sound before, my brain starts to process a memory.
Mom and Dad are in the kitchen laughing, singing and dancing. Smiles so big on both of their faces. I was in the living room twirling along to the Elvis that was playing when I heard it. The wine glass mom was holding dropped and shattered onto the ground. I see the twinkling glass on the floor and the music, laughing and dancing all stopped. Mom had to get stitches that night.
The sound echos for a moment before I blink back to reality. I see a brick laying on the floor of our living room with a note tied to it. The window I was sitting by only minutes prior was shattered into little pieces on the ground.
Johnny reaches for the brick and grabs the note. Soda latches the lock back on the front door and everybody is crouching, not sure if another brick is going to be thrown into the now opened window.
"What's it say" I frightfully ask.
Jonny looks up from the paper and turns it around so everybody could see in big black letters it reads "Here".
Chapter Notes:
I am kinda liking a stern Sodapop.
I am not sure how happy I am with this chapter, I might go back and make some changes. I keep rereading it and I feel like it's just not where it needs to be, though I am hard on myself sometimes lol. Regardless I hope you guys are enjoying the story and I am loving all the feedback and comments.
