˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙ Butterfly in the Moonlight

- CHAPTER 4 -

Her heart was racing.

She looked in the mirror. Rylee was overthinking over what outfits she was going to wear. Would she wear one of her more Greaser looking ones, or her fancy ones? She couldn't even tell.

Rylee was tempted to go down and ask her parents, but she knew they had work in a few hours, so she didn't want to bother them.

Dallas was supposed to come stop by and take her with him to the Curtis household. Around 9 am. And it was 8:26 in the morning.

She groaned loudly in the silent bathroom. Rylee looked in the mirror, and sighed. She decided she would go with a Greaser more style. Since she was about to hang out with a ton of Greasers.

Rylee walked out of the bathroom, heading straight for her closet. She grabbed one of her hangers from the rack. Rylee looked at the outfit, and moved it over her body in front of her mirror.

She could see herself wearing that outfit with her glasses, since last night her parents scolded her for not wearing them. Rylee didn't even know who told them she wasn't wearing them.

Rylee turned on her heel to go change. As she was she heard three knocks on her door. "Rylee! Your friend is here." Her mother spoke through the door. "Hurry up and come meet him down here."

Rylee scowled at Dallas showing up early, "Alright ma!" She yelled back as she quickly threw her hair into a loose half up half down ponytail and put on her glasses on her face.

Rylee blinked to get used to the glasses. They felt weird but she also didn't wear them as often as she should have. She looked herself in the mirror; a long black long sleeve underneath a Godzilla themed shirt over it. It showed King Ghidorah, though, instead of Godzilla. Then she walked out of her bathroom and came out of her room, face to face with her mom.

Rylee's mom kissed Rylee on the forehead. "Have a fun day today!" She spoke with a sweet voice. "Love you darling." Her mom roughed up some of Rylee's hair, which left Rylee trying to fix it as she stumbled down the stairs.

Dallas was leaning in the door frame, chatting with Rylee's dad with some respect, which left Rylee in shock. He waved at Rylee as she came down the stairs, giving a slight snicker at her shirt.

Dallas knew of her obsession with the Godzilla movies, but he didn't judge her for it. He found it more hilarious that she would like something that's more targeted towards dudes, though that wasn't a issue.

Rylee tugged her jacket over her body, slightly zipping up the jacket and waving to her dad, who looked up from his magazine and waved back.

Dallas lead Rylee out the door. "Wassup loser." He laughed out. "Love the shirt." Dallas said in a teasing tone.

"Whatever, jackass." Rylee scowled as she spoke. She crossed her arms. "Before you say it-"

"You look like a nerd." Dallas spoke before she finished her sentence. That gave him a pissed off look from Rylee as she flipped him off. "Oh come on, don't be so angry. Loosen up for once in your life." He chuckled as she punched him in the arm.

"I do!-..sometimes!" She claimed before fixing her glasses again with a slight pout. "Sometimes."

"Yeah, sure you do." He chuckled as he lead her down the street with a cancer stick in his hand. "Want one?"

Rylee thought to herself. She was tempted but would she really..? She decided to fuck it and take one. "Yeah, light me up one too. Please." Rylee asked with a slight smile.

"Woahhhh, you changed your attitude nerd." Dallas exclaimed with her rolling her eyes and laughing. "See? You're already learning how to loosen up."

"Yeah whatever, it's just cause.." Rylee stuttered off, never finishing her sentence. "I don't know, actually."

"Cause you have friends, idiot." Dallas explained as he stuck a cigarette into his mouth and handed Rylee a lit one. "You know, I never took you for one to smoke."

"I only do rarely." Rylee said as she took a hit of the cigarette. "Besides you said loosen up." She shrugged as she spoke.

Soon the duo walked in silence. The morning sun was blazing bright in the sky as they walked. Dallas nudged Rylee. "We're here." He mentioned as he nodded his head. "Snuff your cigarette out, Darry doesn't like much smoking in his house."

Rylee nodded and dropped the cigarette onto the concrete and snuffing it out with her shoe. She quickly took out her pocket mirror from her pant pocket, which also held her switchblade.

Dallas rolled his eyes in a teasing manner. "Really? Gotta look all perfect for 'em?" He joked with her.

"Well I don't want to go in looking stupid.." She grumbled as she fixed her hair. "Do I look fine?" Rylee asked as she fixed her jacket.

"Yeah, you look fine Ringer. Come on, they're all anxious to see ya." Dallas claimed as he opened the door to the house, waiting for Rylee to come up the porch stairs.

She took a shaky breath as she stepped up the stairs after shutting her pocket mirror and putting it into her front left pocket. Rylee walked up the stairs and walked into the house after Dallas, clearly unnerved by being surrounded by a bunch of dudes.

Obviously when she was younger she was more used to it, but since..the "incident", as she called it, she had been a loner since. Rylee gave a awkward wave towards the crowd of boys.

"Hey Rylee!" Ponyboy waved. He was on the ground by the couch.

Dallas started to point out all the folks in the living room for her. "Okay so, you know Ponyboy, obviously. The nervous kid beside him is Johnny-"

Rylee zoned out after. She recognized Johnny. Immediately she recognized him.

The vivid images of the incident flashed in her mind. The kid on the ground with a bloody face. A black eye.

Her breath got caught in her throat. Dallas nudged her. "Hey, you good doll?" He whispered into her ear.

She would normally hate it if dudes called her doll, or darling, or whatever. But she was more relaxed with Dallas saying it. "Oh!-" Rylee was caught off guard. "Oh uh, yeah!-" Rylee brushed it off.

Then Dallas went off again on introducing everyone to Rylee. Sodapop, Ponyboy's second older brother, Darry, the first brother. Johnny..she knew him anyways. Two-Bit, she talked to him while she worked at the bar. Steve, only rarely would she talk to him, only for fixing her parents car- she paid him good though.

She knew half of them. She coughed nervously into her elbow. "I'm Rylee..I assume Ponyboy has talked about me?" Rylee spoke more sophisticated than normal. A horrible and bad habit of hers.

"Only when you two have projects in class together, or have a interesting conversation." Sodapop mentions with a loud laugh. "It's nice to meet you, Rylee. Don't be so nervous, we don't bite. Well, maybe Johnnycakes here." Sodapop joked as Johnny looked up from his fidgeting fingers.

"Oh?" Rylee quizzed as she cocked a eyebrow, then setting her hands onto her hips; causing her jacket to fall off her shoulders a bit.

Dallas nudged her again. "Doll, you seem more nervous than normal. What's the matter?" He hummed into her ear. She sighed and turned to face him, pulling his shirt so she could talk into his ear.

"Remember..the incident?" She mumbled into his ear. She felt him nod. "Johnny..Johnny was that kid."