Drunken Love { Darry Curtis }

002

Summer of 1967

The yellow sun shined brightly throughout the oldest Curtis brother's bedroom waking Elizabeth up. She fluttered her brown eyes open slowly as she needed time to adjust to the bright light. She looked around the room as she realized that she was in Darry's room, she took in the sight looking at the football posters on the walls, then looking over to the family pictures he had hanging up. Elizabeth always wondered what Darry's room looked like and this is not what she imagined at all.

The one thing about Darry was that he was a private person who didn't even tell his kid brothers anything not even the gang. So for Elizabeth to be waking up in his bed came as a shocker to her. She figured he must have carried her to his bedroom after she had fallen asleep on their couch last night. She sighed quietly as she laid back down. Last night was the best sleep she had in a while but that was not something she wanted the gang to know about. 

She loved her Uncle Buck and was grateful that he took her and Dally in but lately she has been feeling alone, and feeling like she has no one to turn to. She knew her mind was trying to play tricks on her because she had her two best friends Lena, and James. She even had the gang who was family but that wasn't stopping her from feeling alone. 

With her older brother Dally in jail she's been trying to act strong on the outside but on the inside she was breaking slowly. He's been promising to her that he will change his life around but he hasn't, he just keeps on breaking the promise over and over again giving his younger sister no hope at all.

Elizabeth jumped out of bed once she saw the time and realized that she was going to be late for work. She quickly walked out of the bedroom bumping into Darry making him spill his coffee all over the both of them. "Elizabeth! Look at this mess!" He said sternly in a harsh voice. The young girl stood in front of him as she bit her lip. She yelped as the coffee burned her arm.

"Darryl, I am so sorry." She was about to walk to the kitchen to get paper towels so she could clean the mess off the floor before it stained the wood, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her. The gang turned their attention to the both of them. "Are you going to clean up this mess young lady?" He had said with an annoyance tone. She looked at his hand that was on her arm and then looked back up at him. "Get your arm off of me Darryl." Her chest felt like it was getting heavy, as her breathing picked up.

Once the young girl said that he moved his hand off of her arm and realized what he just did and the memories he could have brought back to her of her father. "Elizabeth, I am so sorry. I didn't mean it." The words went straight through her ears as she just stood frozen unable to move. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but in the back of her mind she was trying to tell herself that it's okay and she is safe where she is at.

FLASH BACK

Empty beer bottles were being thrown against the wall from their drunk father. Elizabeth had just walked into the house after a long day of school and all she wanted to do was lay down and rest but times like this she was unable to. "Do you realize all I do for you guys? Well do you?!" Her father had shouted as he threw a bottle managing to hit Elizabeth right above her left eye.

Shock hit her, she stood there frozen unable to move. Their father was a drunk who emotionally and mentally abused them but he never physically abused Elizabeth until this moment. Blood rushed down her left eye as she quickly closed it from getting blood inside. She put her hands up in defense before her father could say anything but she knew she just made the situation worse. 

She wondered where life could have went wrong because she used to be daddy's little girl but then their mother wanted a divorce and that's when their lives changed and her father became a drunk. "Lizzy, please forgive me." Her father begged as he changed his tone of voice. She heard those words too many times but everytime she would forgive him cause she felt bad for him. 

It was just her and her father because her mother was able to escape New York with Dallas taking him to Tulsa Oklahoma . That's when Elizabeth truly started to feel alone and lost. There was nothing that could be done or fixed to change how she felt. The only thing that could change her life was escaping and being free from her father.

-

Elizabeth sat on the blue hospital bed waiting to be seen by a doctor. The nurse started to take her blood pressure and make sure she was fully aware of where she was at by asking questions. "It's okay honey, it's okay to tell us what happened." The nurse told the 15 year old scared girl in front of her. 

Tears just rolled down Elizabeth's face, she didn't want to get her father in trouble. "Sometimes parents aren't the best. Sometimes you don't need to do anything wrong and they still take it out on you. Just know you didn't do anything wrong honey."

"He never was violent before you know?" The nurse looked at the young girl as she spoke. "He's my father still at the end of the day. He's just having a rough time right now. My mother left taking his son and my older brother." The nurse shook her head as she handed the girl a tissue so she could wipe her eyes. "You don't need to be making excuses for your father. Let us help you." The nurse had said before the doctor came in. 

The young girl had to think for a moment, she had to think and make a choice, a choice that could give her a better life, or a choice where her life does not get better at all. She did want a better life, she did want to be with Dallas and her mom but part of her didn't want to abandon her dad despite how he treated her. She didn't want her dad to be alone but she knew that deep down he would never change and become a better person.

She nodded her head finally accepting help. "I just want this to be over. I need help." Once those words came out of her mouth she just started to break down crying because she never imagined that in her whole life she would ever have to say those words.

Present Time

The young girl had snapped out of her daze as warm strong arms wrapped around her. "I am so sorry Rose." His voice had softly whispered in her ear. She slowly wrapped her arms around Darry. Tears started to roll down her face, she couldn't help it because she was upset and going through a lot. She wiped the tears away quickly before anyone could see. That was the one thing about Elizabeth, she hated to show emotions and she hated crying in front of the gang because she didn't want them to see her as weak.

She squeezed out of his hug as she quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I will see you guys later." She had grabbed her pocketbook before anyone could prevent her from leaving. "You don't want beer and chocolate cake with me?" Twobit had asked her as he laughed. "Would you let Lena drink beer?" She looked at him with a smirk. 

"No." He had responded quickly. "Then no." She had said as she started walking out the door leaving the Curtis house. "Elizabeth wait!" Darry had called out to her but it was too late because she was already walking down the block heading to Bucks bar where she lives.