The Outsiders: Summer as a Greaser

Day One Of Too Many

ALEX'S P.O.V.

I stood on the train platform hoping the train I was waiting for never came.

I've never left Texas and I never really planned on leaving. About a week ago, while I was still in school, my mom told me that I was going to go and spend a summer with my aunt and cousin in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I had plans this summer--and going to a town that I'd never heard of was not a part of it. She said I had to go because I needed to "travel" and "meet new people" crap like that. I was perfectly fine at home with my friends.

I've never even met my cousin Keith. I met my aunt Laney when I was seven at my dad's family reunion, but that was nine years ago. My mom told me that Keith was eighteen--only two years older than me. I didn't really care, though. I just wanted to be home, or practically anywhere but Tulsa.

I bit the insides of my cheeks angrily as I clutched the handles of my backpack. "You're too reserved." My mother had said to me on the drive here. "You need to see things outside of Texas. You need to go on adventures and make memories."

"And you think I can do that in some town in the middle of nowhere?" I snapped back sassily.

"You know that's how it is." Her voice lowered as she kept her eyes focused on the road. "Just be a little more open to the idea of having fun this summer."

"Whatever."

My mind flicked back to the present when a train whistle caused me to jump a little. My train rolled into the station and I saw it as a black cloud. I wiped my face of the light sweat it had gathered while I was standing there and approached the train, following a few others. I squinted at my reflection in the side of the silvery metal train while I waited to board. My hair was light brown and wavy. It went down to a little past my shoulders when it was down, even though my mom wanted it shorter. Today, though, I wore it tied back with a ribbon that matched my dress.

My eyes were a weird green. I thought green eyes looked so pretty, but mine just weren't. They were darker than the green I like. My eyes looked like a swamp, and I hated them. I had a lot of freckles too. They dotted my stubby nose and naturally rosy cheeks. I was about 5'7 and not very skinny. I wasn't as pretty as most girls, and I accepted that. I had only had one boyfriend in my life. His name was Jackson and we dated for about four months. He broke up with me for another girl--a prettier girl.

I looked away from my reflection hurriedly, not liking what I was seeing. "What were you expecting?" I whispered to myself. "You always look horrible, what did you think was different?"

I wasn't usually a short, cranky person, I was just in a bad mood. It was so unlike my mom to be so abrupt. She just up and told me I was going. My mom is a good mom, and she loves me, same for my dad. I'm an only child--thats another reason my mom thought it was a good idea for me to go to Tulsa, so I can know what it's like to have a sibling. Even though I highly doubt Keith will want anything to do with me. He's probably just gonna avoid me like all my friends do to their younger siblings.

I found an empty seat on the train and sat down. The train was surprisingly full. Who wants to go to Tulsa Oklahoma? I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down. Maybe my mom was right. Maybe this would be good for me. I had just gotten into a fight with one of my friends because she knew I liked a guy and she went out with him anyway. I swallowed hard, trying to forget my basic girl problems.

The train ride was only going to be three or four hours because I lived in northern Texas. About an hour in, I pulled a book out of my backpack and started to read. It was a boring book and it put me right to sleep. The train made a few stops and I woke up momentarily, but I slept most of the way. I fully woke up about ten minutes out from Tulsa. I propped my head up and stared boringly out the window until we rolled into the station.