𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 :: 𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯

One.

SEPTEMBER 22, 1966

FELICITY GRABBED HER FOLDERS AND BOOKS OFF OF HER DESK AS SOON AS THE BELL RANG and shoves them into her tote bag. Many of her classmates trailed behind her out the classroom door of her Biology class. She digs through her bag to look for her keys to her Ford truck. Her walk resumes after getting ahold of it, pushing the heavy double doors of Will Rogers High School.

Felicity gets into her truck after unlocking it, making sure to lock the doors after shutting the door. She drives out of the parking lot and makes her way to work, Mac's Bookstore. She had been working at Dean Mac's bookstore since she was 14, for over two years.

Dean Mac was a old age man, around his late-seventies. He first opened the bookstore in his thirties with his wife, Aubrey Mac. It was just the two of them working everyday in the store until they stumbled upon Felicity who was a frequent customer since her elementary school days. Felicity always went over to the bookstore to escape from her father's drunken rage and her mother's cowardice self esteem that couldn't save her daughter from the verbal horrors.

Both Aubrey and Dean took Felicity in those afternoons, offering her food and staying past closing time to watch over her as she finished the books she read. Over the years the books would expand in pages, Felicity would fall into reading chapters that exceeded over 10.

They waited for when she started high school to offer her a job at the store, take her away from home for a little. Felicity had never felt any better, she never had to hear her father's voice again as he'd be passed out in his room or would not be home.

Felicity pulls into the bookstore, parking the truck right by the front. She gets out with her tote bag hanging from her shoulder. Her hands grasp the doorknob and she uses her arm to push the door open.

"Whitlock, glad to see you." Dean greets from the counter.

"Hi Dean." She softly smiles as she joins him.

"How's life treating you, everything going well?" His daily question comes in.

Felicity nodded, "Yeah, nothing's new really. Mom's in and out of the diner and dad's still fixing those toilets."

"But you, are you doing okay?"

"I am, Dean, thank you." Her lies slipped.

"Not a problem, you call me if a problem happens." Dean tells as he packs himself up to go home.

"Please tell Aubrey I said hello and asked how she's doing." Felicity requested.

"Anything to make her smile." Dean chuckled.

Dean leaves as Felicity comes in, in order to get the time to attend to his ill wife. Felicity waves Dean off at the door which left her to take care of the bookstore.

An hour passes by and the door opens, Felicity turns her attention to the door only to see Ponyboy and Johnny walk in. Her smile drops when Dallas and Two-bit Matthews follow behind them. She keeps her attention focused on the two welcomed boys, the ones standing in front of her.

"Hey you guys, Dallas." She gleefully greets her two favorites until her eyes wandered over at Dallas.

"Hey Felicity, was just wondering if you got any Sylvia Plath books." Ponyboy questioned.

"I could help you find them, Dean always rearranges them so he can make it harder for me to look for them since he knows Sylvia Plath's my favorite." Felicity told, walking over to the boys.

"Sylvia Plath's my favorite, I'm a nerd." Dallas imitated her voice.

Felicity's glaring eyes turned to Dallas who moved his eyes up at her, her face turned into disgust when she realized what he was looking at prior to their eye contact.

Ponyboy and Felicity approached the poetry section where she sees the books organized on the shelf. She lets Ponyboy have at it and walks away to pick up the box of the books that were recently dropped off. Felicity turns around but drops the box after bumping into Two-bit who came over to ask her if there was any Mickey Mouse books.

"Ugh, Two-bit." Felicity groaned.

"I'm sorry Felicity, but I was just about to ask if you guys got any Mickey Mouse books." Two-bit wondered.

"No we do not."

Two-bit nodded and walked away, Felicity bends over to pick the box back up. Behind her was the unwanted whistle sounds coming from Dallas who was closeby, watching her every move.

"Fucking creep, move out of the way." She hissed.

Ponyboy comes over to the counter where everyone was. Two-bit seated himself on top, the back of his heels just pressed against the wall of the counter. Felicity was busy organizing the books that were written by Margaret Mitchell, another favorite author of hers.

"Hey Felicity, you coming to the drag race tomorrow night?" Two-bit turned his head to her, watching the girl not bat an eye at him.

"Soda and Steve in it?" She asked.

"No but we're all just going to get ourselves some beers." Two-bit shrugged.

"Then sure, what time is it?"

"Seven sharp, be there doll." Dallas chimed in with a smirk.

"I'll be there, you goon." Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

"Sweet, alright then, catch you later." Two-bit ruffled the top of her head before hopping off the counter to leave.

Felicity finished the rest of the books, going back and forth between putting them on the shelves and taking them off the counter.

She wasn't tired yet but she had more walking and organizing to do.

𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆