Can You Keep A Secret? (The Outsiders Fan Fiction)

Chapter 25

It all made sense to Rosemarie now—terrible sense. At such moments of extreme anguish and hurt, Rosemarie would run, and run she did.

She tore out of the house, cupping her tear stained cheek that was now stinging, but she could not feel the pain.

Rosey knew as she left that house even if she were going to return it would never be the same; she could never look at anyone the same way as before.

She didn’t want to walk away, her heart was throbbing and her mind was fuzzy, if she had been thinking straight she would have listened to her gang members’ protests and stopped.

But the memory of Soda’s eyes changing that blackness had left an impact in her brain, and she could not shake the image.

This was something she would keep hidden within herself, maybe in place of the knot of pain and anger she had been carrying under flesh, a security blanket, an ace up her sleeve. She might never use it, but she would always feel its presence like a swelling secret stone, and that way when she let go of the rage, she would not feel nearly as empty as when she thought Soda did not care for her.

And when he hit her it shattered something inside of her that had not yet been broken. Now she felt empty.

“Rosey, wait!” Sodapop cried, he was trying to match her speed as she neared the end of the street, but Rosey was quick and determined.

“Rosey, I-I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry,” He beckoned for his sister to turn around, even to slow down a little.

Sadie was scared out of her mind; she had never seen that side of Soda before and she really didn’t know what to think of it.

What scared her most was Rosey’s reaction, Sadie feared if they did not get her back in time she might never return.

Everyone was in panic. No matter how many times you say, “Don’t panic,” you panic anyway because false hope is the worst thing to live through.

Rosey’s strides grew longer as her brothers protests grew louder and closer.

She just kept thinking, stay away, stay away, stay away, because she didn’t want to be hurt again.

“ROSEY! LOOK OUT-“

And she was doing as he was instructing; she was looking up and had stopped in the middle of the road.

She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, like when you're swimming and you want to put your feet down on something solid, but the water's deeper than you think and there's nothing there.

She could not move as the headlights of the Mustang (that was going incredibly fast) consumed her.

And it was in that moment of distress and confusion that the whip of terror laid its most nicely calculated lash about Soda’s heart. It dropped with deadly effect upon the sorest spot of all, completely unnerving him. He had been secretly dreading all the time that it would come - and come it did.

Far overhead, muted by great height and distance, strangely thinned and wailing, he heard the crying voice of Rosey.

The sound dropped upon him out of that still, night sky with an effect of dismay and terror unsurpassed.

The car screeched bloody murder, crunching as it rolled over her body.

 He stood motionless an instant, listening as it were with his whole body, then staggered back against the nearest tree for support, disorganized hopelessly in mind and spirit. To him, in that moment, it seemed the most shattering and dislocating experience he had ever known, so that his heart emptied itself of all feeling whatsoever as by a sudden draught.