The Delinquent's Daughter {An Outsiders Fanfiction - Sequel to Hope}

17

"They're here!" Faith yelled, sitting on the couch, looking out the window. I ran over, squeezed her hand, then opened the door. Eli sat next to her on the couch with his arm around her, making it seem like they were together, and lost in conversation and didn't hear the doorbell ring.

"Helen!" Sandy yelled, throwing her arms around me. "It's so nice to see you again!" I tried to sink down, out of her grasp, but she wouldn't let go.

"It's Hope," I informed her, slightly uncomfortable this time.

"Sorry... Where's my daughter?" She asked me. I pointed to her, sitting on the couch. She was crying, but I could tell it was fake.

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered to my boyfriend. It was a bit weird to watch.

"I know, baby," he responded. "But we'll still see each other. Every day. I'll drive up there whenever you need me." I shifted from foot to foot, waiting them to notice.

"I love you," she whispered to him. They almost kissed. But I cleared my throat, loudly.

"Faith," Eli said, looking up at me.

"Oh," she muttered. And then a little louder, "Hey mom." Sandy smiled, and Faith realized she had to get up now. She squeezed Eli's hand, like I'd been doing to them both, before getting up.

"Hi, my love. How are you?" She asked, rushing over to engulf her own kid in one of her uncomfortable hugs.

"I... I'm okay," she said quietly.

"Are you going to introduce me to your cutie over here?" Sandy asked. Faith blushed.

"Uh, yeah. Mom, this is Eli. My... boyfriend." She pointed to him, and I almost winced. At the fact that she was calling my boyfriend hers, and at the way she said it. Faith wanted to be an actress one day, and she was doing well before that, but that wasn't part of one of her better performances.

"Eli!" Sandy said, loudly. She ran over, and hugged him. Then she kissed his cheek. He blushed.

"Mom," Faith said. She looked over.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to... yours?" Sandy nodded, pointing to an older man. He was tubby, with blondish curly hair. There was something familiar about him. His eyes, maybe. They looked like someone I knew.

"This is my fiancé," she said, smiling. He put his arm around her, but didn't say a word. "Randy Adderson." I knew that name. I know that name. Where did I know what name from?

"You look familiar," Faith commented.

"I knew your father when we were kids," he responded. His eyes flashed dark. It wasn't how I expected the first encounter with a person's step-father to go. Maybe not from Faith, who wasn't the best around new people, but I expected smiles and hugs and nice to meet you's. It wasn't anything like this.

"I knew yours too," he pointed to me. "Can't believe Dallas Winston repopulated... Thought he wouldda been more careful about it. Or Ponyboy Curtis for that matter. Raising a kid?" He laughed. I stared at him. Who was this guy? And then I realized what he said. Shit.

"What are you talking about?" Me, Faith and Eli said, all at the same time.

"Who's Dallas Winston?" Eli asked. I was surprised he had even heard of Ponyboy Curtis.

"Kid's dad," Randy said, motioning to me. "F*cked her mom then died. Sad story, really. Frienda mine died around then too." Sad story, that's why he was laughing. I wanted to bury myself in a hole. I wanted to die. I hadn't told Eli or Faith about any of this yet.

"Isn't that... what Alexandra told you? About your father?" Faith asked. I didn't answer, I only realized where I'd seen this guy.

"Alexandra, the name sounds familiar. Do I know her mom?" Randy asked. Hoping to change the subject, I burst out laughing.

"Oh yeah, you do," I said. Faith picked up on it too.

"Are you telling me that Alex Valance is going to be like... my step-sister?" She asked. She looked disgusted, like she was going to be sick. Although, so did Randy, I realized when I took a good look at him.

"Excuse me?" He asked. I rolled my eyes, and Faith just looked pissed. Randy was sweating nervously, and judging from his facial expression, he didn't know much about this. Eli was standing between Faith and I, looking confused, with an almost identical facial expression to Sandy's. But hers looked like Faith's too.

"You have a kid?" I was surprised she picked up on what was happening.

"What?" He asked. "No!" He didn't even know until now, we could all tell. But he knew now, exactly who Alexandra was, and he seemed to feel pretty guilty about it.

"Well... you do too, honey," he tried to calm himself down.

"Maybe you should get in touch with... your daughter. And... this woman that you uh, had her with," Sandy commented. Randy nodded.

"Uh, Faith, it was nice to meet ya. Why don't we give ya until the end of the week to finish packing and we'll come get you on Friday night or Saturday," he suggested. It was obvious that he wanted to get out of here and sort this out now. Faith gave me a look. One that I recognized well. She was going to turn it on, show us what she was made of. She burst into tears. The most real looking fake ones I've ever seen.

"Eli!" She sobbed. He looked nervous as held his arms out for her. This wasn't part of the plan. He rubbed her back.

"It's okay, babe. I promise this won't change anything," he said. I wished I was the one in his arms. But it was nice to know he could go with any situation like this. I noticed how Sandy didn't move a muscle, and Randy was trying to pull her out. She didn't know how to comfort her own child, but she wasn't pulling away from wanting her to move in.

"I just don't want to leave you and Hope," she said. That made me feel pretty good. I went over to their little huddle.

"We're not gonna lose you this time, Faith," I whispered to her.

A/N: I wasn't planning for it to even be Randy but I started writing it and was like "Huh... this is interesting." Also I want a friendship like Hope and Faith's.

Anyways, comment your favorite (slow/romantic, exc., if possible) songs from 1980 or before. Please. It's important.