Changes

Chapter Eighteen

I was starting to feel tired so I tried to get comfy, but it was near impossible in the dress I was wearing. "Do you want some different clothes?" Sodapop laughed. "Yes please!" I nodded. "Here, follow me." He got up and I followed him into his and Ponyboy's bedroom. He pulled out a green t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants from his dresser. "They'll be alittle loose, but they'll do." He smiled and set them on the bed. "Come out once you're done." He said, shutting the door behind him. I quickly changed and threw my hair into a messy bun and then walked into the bathroom. I scrubbed off my makeup, which was stained on my cheeks from crying. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch beside Soda.

He had a blanket covering him and he pulled it so it was half covering each of us. I smiled at him. "Do you gotta work tomorrow?" I asked, hoping I'd be able to spend time with him tomorrow to keep my mind off of Dally. "Nope, DX is closed on Sunday's." He smiled. "Ok, good!" I smiled. I looked over at Ponyboy. He looked so into the movie, and Johnny, he looked like he would fall asleep at any second.

I could feel my eyes getting heavier and heavier. Johnny had fallen asleep and Soda put him in his bed. I thought it was funny how me, Soda and Johnny were all sixteen but Johnny seemed younger than that and the gang treated him that way. Ponyboy looked like he was on his way out too. The movie was just about over which was good. I used to love The Wizard Of Oz as a child.

The credits started and Ponyboy stood up. "I'm callin' it a night, see y'all in the mornin'." He smiled and walked to his bedroom. Sodapop looked at me. "What do you wanna do now?" He smiled. "We could just talk." I suggested and he nodded. "It would cost a lot to bail Dally out, huh?" I looked at Soda and his face said it all. "Yea." He nodded. "Why does he have to be like that? A hoodlum that steals and gets in trouble? No, why'd I have to fall in love with em'?" I looked at Soda and ran a hand through my hair. He shrugged. "That's what happens I guess, you fall in love when you don't think you want it, but you need it. And you needed Dally!" He smiled. "I just wish he wouldn't steal and stuff, then everything'd be ok." I sighed. "Yea, I don't understand, we've all been through so much. Darry is twenty and he's had to grow up so quickly and me, I just wanna be in school and be a normal teenager, but I can't." He looked at me. Sodapop was really sad and he put on this fake happiness to fool everyone around him, I could see right through that because I do that too. "You're not ok, are ya Sodapop?" I said, not looking at him. He sighed and then I looked at his face. He was on the verge of tears. "No, I'm not really." He started crying.

I sat so I was facing him and I looked at him. He really was so damaged and it reminded me of myself. "Just let everything out, I'm here to listen." I said softly. He looked up at the blank TV screen. "It's just everything. Mom and dad dying, me and Dar havin' to take up all these responsibilities that kids aren't meant to have! And with Darry yelling at Ponyboy all the time it's real stressful... I know it don't sound bad, but it bothers me, I think I'm depressed." He was crying harder by now. I didn't know what to do. I moved right beside him and rested my head on his shoulder. "What do I do Jana?" He looked up at me and the tears kept coming. I wiped them away and then got on the floor so I was in front of him. "You gotta stay strong in front of your family... I know how hard that is, believe me! But whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm your girl." I smiled and patted his arm. He pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, I really needed that." He looked at me and I nodded. "I understand, life's a rough game we all gotta play." I shrugged. "I'm glad we met, Jana." He smiled and leaned back on the couch. "Me too, I dunno what I'd do if it weren't for Denise taking me in, Tulsa is my home now and forever." I smiled and that made him smile.

We sat at opposite ends of the couch, under the blanket, talking into the wee hours of the morning. "I meant to ask you... Um, the scars on your arms, are they from when you got jumped?" Soda looked at me. "Uh, no." I shook my head. He sat up. "What're they from then?" He looked curiously. "I used to cut myself to distract myself from all the pain that was going on in my life." I shrugged and he looked into my eyes, shocked. "There's no way! You seem like such a free spirit I never would've guessed." He sighed. "Yea, well everyone's got something that takes the pain away." I said to him. "Yea, I fix cars." He laughed. "You're a good guy Sodapop Curtis." I laughed and he smiled. I pulled the blanket up so it came off him. "Hey!" He laughed and pulled the blanket so it was on both of us again. "Goodnight Jana!" He looked at me and smiled. "Goodnight Sodapop!" I laughed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

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A/N: short and sweet... Soda and Jana's friendship... I'm trying to make it cute