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ᥫ᭡。
"JANET" my dad said from the bottom of the stairs to our new home in Tulsa. It was a small house, but it did just fine for the two of us. We had moved in a few days ago, evidence of this was the boxes that flooded the halls and bedrooms. I put the last bit of hairspray in my hair for a long hold, and rushed down stairs to be greeted by my father. He looked me up and down and gave a nod of approval to my outfit.
I could tell being here helped the thought of my mother fade a little, although not completely. We made sure to keep all her pictures present and one huge framed family portrait that was painted for us. There was no forgetting momma. After all the furniture was moved in on the first day of our arrival, my father and I sat on the couch together. Often times he'd point out how much alike me and momma looked. I knew him parenting me alone wasn't going to be easy, so I knew to be extra generous to him till it was my time to leave next year.
My dad dropped me off at school today before he headed off to work. He was going to be working as a mechanic just like back in Texas. I stepped out of the pick up and walked through the doors of school. I didn't have many friends back in Texas, so that made leaving easy. I didn't even have a friend that I was closest with, they were just my friends.
A lot of people in this town looked the same. I had caught on to how there were two different sides of this town. One side dressed normally, and the rest dressed a little fancier. I guess I was in the middle. I was always grateful for the clothes I received, so I really didn't mind what I wore. The day had carried on and on; it was quite agonizing. Trying to navigate the halls was very difficult as well as trying to reach the correct classrooms. The bell rung and everyone began retreating to classrooms except for me. I was lost and there was no one around for me to ask. I considered giving up till I seen a handsome guy a few feet taller then I was. As he approached closer, I smiled and went up to him.
"Hello! I'm new to town and I can't find my class. Do you mind helping me?" I questioned politely, showing him my class timetable. His eyes met mine for a moment before he took it from me. "Hey, we got the same class!" He smiled, motioning me to follow him further down the hallway. I complied and walked beside him.
"So, where did you come from?" He asked starting small talk. "Dallas, Texas." I didn't really want to think about back in Dallas but I suppose being new here, the question would be asked frequently. "I could tell you were a southern girl." I cracked a smiled from the comment. My accent really wasn't too strong, so it was shocking to me that he could tell. "Have you made any friends so far?" He asked. "No, I only moved in about three days ago." He nodded, and the pace of our walking slowed.
This was the class me and... I didn't know his name. Before I could finish that thought, he spoke again. "If you're lookin' for someone to hang around, I got a group of friends. They're...a little touchy about newcomers but I'm sure it will be just fine." I smiled up to him. "Thank you...what is your name?" I asked. "Ponyboy Curtis" my eyes went wide staring back at him. He laughed at my confused expression. "I know, it's a silly name. My father named me and my brother...Sodapop is his name" I giggled. I think it was the first time I had laughed since I got to Tulsa. "My names Janet, nothing as unique as Ponyboy"
The school bell rang again, indicating the end of the school day. At least coming from Texas to here I got a few days off from the move. Me and Pony sat with each other during class time and talked a little more about what it was like here. The main interest in what he had all told me was that there were two "gangs" that divided up the town into two sections. The more privileged people were called the "Socs", and the less privileged were named "Greasers". It was a little difficult to wrap my head around, but Ponyboy told me him and his friends were greasers.
I still wasn't sure if this was the best way to make friends; by associating myself to a gang all so early to my arrival, but I had nothing left to loose. I agreed to meet his friends tomorrow while it was the weekend. Meeting new people really wasn't my strong suit, but I suppose if I was brave enough to talk to Pony, I could do the same with his friends too. I said my goodbyes to Ponyboy and went on my way home. Dad wasn't going to be home till 6 o'clock, so I had the house to myself self for a little while. The walk home was a little bit lengthy from the school, but I'm sure over time I will find a bypass.
As I walked the street, I heard lots of hooting and hollering from men on the opposite side of the road. It was nothing different from being in Texas, so my dad always told me to just ignore it and move along. While doing that I kept my eyes glued onto anything other than the other side of the road, causing me to walk directly into someone leaving a street-side shop.
"Watch it will-" I cut him off of his blasphemous language. "Im sorry! It was an accident" he looked me up and down and smiled. Wishing the moment I thought he was just another guy who belonged on the other side of the road hollering with the rest, so I pushed past him hastily and continued walking. Although I didn't get very far, for he had caught right back up to me.
"Whoah little lady...I'm not like those guys. I'll keep you safe." He smiled down at me. Something about him was smug. It could have been the way he dressed and the scent of cigarettes I picked up off of him. I could have sworn he was one of those greasers that Ponyboy was telling me about. "I don't want you following me around, I'm sorry" I said giving him an apologetic look. "I'm not tryin' to hit on you" oh but he was. He continued; "now unless you want them following you to where ever you're headed, it's best to stick with me doll."
The word doll rolled off his tongue so smoothly I would have assumed he'd used it on plenty of other girls before me. "I appreciate it really but-" he stopped me. "You're a stubborn girl. I'll walk you to the next block and I'll leave you be." I nodded in agreement. I didn't want to be too mean to him. "You're new around here aren't you?" He asked, basically answering his own question. "Yes, I came for Dallas, Texas about three days ago" He looked down at me, and honestly it was very intimidating. All the other girls were tall, with beautiful long legs but I was short, just merely five feet tall. "That's ironic. My name is Dallas, but everyone just calls me Dally"
I couldn't help but smile up to him. "My names Janet but everyone just calls me...Janet" he laughed, it was something I could get used to hearing. "Well, not anymore. I could call you Jan, or...Jannie" I giggled and looked back at my feet, the presence of his smile seeming to linger.
I placed my feet a step into the corner. This was the end of the strip and it was time for mine and Dallas' fair well. I didn't know if I would necessarily see him again. I knew what kind of guy he was and those types of guys charm all sorts of girls. "Cmon doll, you've gotta let me walk you the rest of the way home." I smiled. "As charming as you are Dallas, I will fair out just fine to walk alone." He put his hands into his pockets and kicked the near by pebbles on the sidewalk. "Then I supposed getting your telephone number would be too much to ask hm?" He tested, looking back up to me with a smirk plastered on his face. "Only if you have a pen."
He began patting his pockets till he reached in and found a pen. I reached for his hand and he complied, placing it into mine. I wrote my number down and below I write "Janet" with a heart to follow. I looked back at what I had written to make sure it was correct, and looked back up to him. He smiled and so did I. With that I handed the pen back to him and began walking away. "Bye babydoll" he said. "Bye Dally!"
