Summer Nights // Sodapop Curtis

Eleven

"Callie! Let me explain!" Sodapop yelled after me, but I wasn't willing to listen. I walked for a while until I finally found Amy's house.

I pushed open the front door and my whole family came rushing up to meet me.

"Callie, it's late, why didn't Joshua give you a ride home?" Dad asked, looking angry.

"Honey, you're getting the carpet wet," Mom said. I rolled my eyes and ran up the stairs to Amy's room.

"What's wrong with you?" Amy asked.

"Bad date," I replied, grabbing some clothes from my suitcase. I threw the flannel shirt that Soda had given me under the bed, then I went into the bathroom and changed out of my wet clothes. I put on an old pair of jeans and a rain jacket, and I was ready to go. I didn't know where I was going, but I needed to get out. I ran back downstairs, but I was stopped before I could get to the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dad asked. I could see Charlie watching me, and I decided to use him to help me.

"I had a bad date, I wanted to take Charlie out for pancakes or something to make me feel better," I explained.

"Get your coat," Dad said to Charlie, "and you take care of your brother," he said to me.

Charlie and I walked down the street to the diner, it wasn't the one I had gone to earlier, but it was a nicer one. We sat at a little booth and split a plate of pancakes.

"What happened?" Charlie asked me.

"Teenage problems, you don't want to hear about them," I said.

"I'm practically a teenager," Charlie said, wiping the syrup off his face.

"You're eleven," I laughed.

"Exactly. Now tell me everything," he said. It was crazy how my eleven year old brother acted more mature than most teenagers.

"I think I love this guy, and he doesn't love me back," I said.

"Was he the one who took you out tonight?" Charlie asked.

"No, but he was there. It was a double date, and we went back to his house after we ate. My date and I were chasing each other around the kitchen and well, the guy kissed me," I said.

"The guy you love, or your date?"

"The guy I love, but my date tried to kiss me too. I'm just confused," I explained.

"I don't see what the problem is, you have never had a boyfriend, and now you have two guys who want to kiss you,"  Charlie said.

"Yes but the guy I love doesn't really love me," I said, but then I stopped talking. I saw Sandy, the girl Soda had asked to marry him. She was sitting at a booth with a bunch of guys, then she leaned over, kissed one, and got up. As she was walking past us I stood up in front of her.

"Oh, hi Malory," she smiled at me.

"It's Callie," I said.

"Whatever," she said, trying to get around me.

"Why did you just kiss that guy? You're dating Sodapop, he asked you to marry him!" I said, I knew I was being nosy, but I cared about Sodapop.

"It's certainly none of your business, and we broke up tonight, I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. Besides, he couldn't take his eyes off of you," she said, and she walked away. I sat back down at our table, shocked.

"Sodapop, is that the guy you love?" Charlie asked, I nodded. "Well him and his girlfriend broke up, that's why he kissed you!"

"What should I do? I got really mad at him, he probably hates me," I said.

"What did you say to him?" Charlie asked.

"I told him to stop messing with my emotions, I told him that I loved him..."

"And then what happened?" He asked.

"And then he kissed me," I said.

"Again?"

"Yes. It was the perfect kiss in the pouring rain, straight out of a romance novel, but I had to go and ruin it," I said, resting my head in my hands.

"You need to go talk to this boy," Charlie said, getting out of his seat.

"Yes, but how?" I asked.

"Let's go to his house!" Charlie said with excitement.

"Alright," I agreed. I left some money to pay for our food, and then we were off to Soda's house.

We walked around the rainy streets of Tulsa, trying to find Sodapop's house. I spotted the little house and Charlie and I ran up to the porch and knocked on the door. An old man answered, and when he saw Charlie and I he started yelling at us. Charlie and I ran away laughing. We went to the house next door, and this time I was sure that it was the Curtis' house. Darry answered the door with an confused look on his face.

"Callie?" He asked, and I nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Sodapop," I said.

"He never came home," Darry said. "He said he had to talk to you and he didn't come back."

"Where do you think he went?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe your house?" Darry said.

"Thanks, bye," I said, and Charlie and I ran off into the dark rainy night. We didn't get lost on our way home this time, but all the lights in the house were on, which was usual. It was late, everyone should have been in bed already. We walked in the front door, and I heard voices coming from the kitchen. When Charlie and I entered the kitchen, I immediately knew that there was trouble.

Sodapop was sitting at the kitchen table with his head down, looking nervously at his feet. My father was sitting across from him, and Mom, Aunt Karen, and Uncle Tim were standing behind him.

"Callie," Dad said, and Sodapop looked up at me with hope in his eyes, "would you like to explain to us who this is?"

"This is my friend, Sodapop Curtis," I said, and I put my arm around Charlie and pulled him close to me, my heart was beating so fast I thought I might pass out.

"It seems like he's more than a friend, he was trying to climb into your room!" Dad said, starting to yell. Peter walked into the kitchen in his pajamas, his hair was a mess.

"What's going on?" He asked, scratching his head.

"I think you boys should go to bed," Aunt Karen said, leading Peter and Charlie upstairs, leaving me all on my own to face my parents.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to tell Callie something really important," Sodapop said to my Dad.

"Well, if it was so important that you needed to come into her bedroom at this time of night, then why don't you tell us all," Dad said, and I could feel the tension in the room.

"I realized that I love her," Sodapop said with confidence, and my heart stopped.

A/N

Since it's the 33rd anniversary of The Outsiders, I had to publish another part today. A lot just happened omg. Comment what you think might happen next!
xx
Maddie