June (discontinued until further notice)

5

I laid in my bed, staring at the ceiling with no emotions. I couldn't sleep, It must have been midnight.

All of a sudden my dad slammed my door open. "June you tell me why the hell a letter just came through the mail slot this late at night with your damn name on it, saying it's from some Curtis boy?" He yelled in a drunken slur.

I fearfully sat up in the bed. I had no idea what he was talking about and he was very very drunk. He threw the letter at me forcefully, and then his empty beer bottle. Thankfully it missed my head and shattered against the wall behind me, making me jump out of the bed.

"Daddy please calm down." I pleaded as my breath began to become heavy and fast. "So what you sneak out at night and hang out with hoods, is that it? You go and you fuck a bunch of criminals and come home all innocent right?" He screamed.

Tears formed in my eyes. It's been a long time since I've seen him this angry. "Daddy no, I haven't slept with anyone okay? I just returned something to Sodapop Curtis, that's it Daddy I promise." I pleaded.

"So now you're a filthy lying whore! You're just like your cheating mother, that's why she's in Chicago right now, she was a whore and you got it from her!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Tears were streaming down my face at this point. "Daddy.. mom isn't in Chicago and you know that. She's dead. She was in a car accident. You made up some fake reality because you don't wanna believe she's gone. Please just leave me alone Dad." I said as calmly as possible to try and calm him down.

"Shut the hell up. You should have been sent to the damn institution as soon as you were talking. I've regretted you every day you've lived, and now you make my life worse. Everyone gonna know me as the town slut's dad. I hate you. I fucking hate you. Get out of my house." He said.

I stared at him in confusion and hurt. He looked at me like I was stupid. "I said get the hell out!" He screamed while taking a glass vase off my shelf next to him and throwing it at me.

The vase hit my arm and shattered, glass shards piercing my skin and cutting it open. Adrenaline took over, I quickly grabbed the jacket hanging on my door, pushing him out of the way, and grabbing shoes.

I left the house, tears streaming down my face, and blood spilling from multiple spots on my arm. I put the tennis shoes on as I walked and wrapped the jacket around me.

Eventually the adrenaline wore off, and I genuinely didn't know what the hell I was doing. Luckily I found a park with a bench after walking for a while, and laid across it to sleep everything off.

Maybe I would wake up and this would all just be a dream. Whatever the case though, I just prayed that whoever came by me would leave me alone and let me sleep.

But of course, that can't ever happen can it.

Someone was shaking me, it couldn't have even been 20 minutes since I fell asleep.

"June? Is that you? The hell are you doing out here alone?" It was Sodapop. I opened my eyes and saw Steve standing next to him.

He moved his hand to my arm to pull me up but I immediately winced in pain. He looked confused and worried so I pulled my jacket off to show him.

The jacket had make the blood smear all over my arm, but you could see where the same cuts were.

"What the hell happened." He said more as a demand than a question. I think he could see the puffiness of my eyes and the dried up tears on my cheeks, because his face softened.

"Come with us, I'll give you a place to sleep." He said quietly. "No Sodapop, I appreciate it, but I've been a big bother already and this is embarrassing enough alright?" I said to him.

"Well at least let me clean up your arm so it doesn't get infected okay?" He said, basically pleading. I nodded my head and stood up to walk with him.

•Sodapop's POV•

I don't know what is was about her that drew me in. Maybe it was the fact she reminded me of Sandy a little bit, or the fact that her mom was also dead, or the fact there was so much I didn't know about her, but I wanted to know everything.

Me and Steve were just at Buck's place with Dal and Two-Bit. Just partying a little bit and having fun. Steve and I left just to walk around for kicks.

Seeing her laying on the park bench asleep killed me. Y'know what some of the people that live on this side of town would have done if they saw a soc girl sleeping on a bench alone? You don't want to know.

It hurt even more when she revealed her blood soaked arm. Deep down in that moment I knew it was her dad, but she would have no idea I knew about any of that.

I ain't no stalker, but her dad has yelled at her in public before while he's drunk. Working at the DX, you see a whole lot. I always liked when June came in. She's awfully pretty and quiet.

But there was one time she came in with her dad. He wanted cigarettes but he was drunk, and she didn't want him to go alone.

He couldn't tell me what kind of cigarettes he wanted, said he couldn't remember. That's when June tried helping and told me he wanted a pack of Camels.

He started yelling at her, calling her a dumb bitch, and other terrible names. He wanted Kools but couldn't remember that until June had asked for Camels.

June had to drag him out of the DX and I've never seen her come with him again. He always comes in alone now.

That moment was all I could think about as I walked her to my house. She probably thought it was weird that I cared so much about her in the past two days we've actually talked. But I've noticed her ever since I've worked at the DX.

She always came in with her mom before, they would have come every Friday and get snacks. I started working the register so I could ring them out every time.

She was always smiling and laughing with her mom. That made me happy. It sucked when her mom died and she quit coming around. But then she started coming in with Cherry Valance and Bob Sheldon, and who ever else their soc friends were.

Bob would always start shit with Steve or me, usually Randy was with him, but Cherry and June always pulled them away and told them to stop. I appreciated that.

I just wish she knew I've liked her for so long. That would make this so much easier and much less awkward.

Finally we got to my house, and whatever adrenaline she had from whatever happened was completely gone, and was holding her arm in pain. 

I took her hand and gently led her inside.