The Baby Of The Gang (Outsiders Sister Fanfic)

#16

Dakota's POV:

I came home from school and found a letter on the kitchen table. It had Soda's name on it. I opened the letter after the boys either left the room, or wasn't paying attention. I was a little heart broken when I saw it was Sandy's handwriting. I rolled my eyes and took the letter to the bathroom. I ripped it up into tiny shreds and dropped them in the toilet, then flushed them. I used to like Sandy, until I heard Angela talking about how she slept with Tim and she might be pregnant. I did see some symptoms of pregnancy. Increase in appetit, cravings, nausea. Well, that's what Angela said. She then sent Soda a letter saying that she was leaving him and at the bottom she said, "Don't forget me". That kinda made me mad. (And I might've burned the letter and gotten in trouble for using matches and now I'm not allowed to touch them). It did make Soda feel better, though.

I went up to my room and put on my mask and cape. For the past few days, I've been annoying everyone by putting on the mask and cape and using a deep voice. Steve wore a Superman shirt just to make me mad. We had a tickle fight and I made him take off the shirt.

I flinched as I heard Ponyboy yell something I couldn't make out. I got up from my bed and walked to the steps. Darry yelled something back as I walked down the stairs. Darry has been hard on Pony about going out places since he didn't come back until an hour later after his curfew. I've been through this before. This happened 4 months ago. Darry lost it and hit Ponyboy and everything went wrong.

"Why can't I go out?!" Ponyboy screamed. "It's not a school night, we have nothing planned, and my Two-bit and Soda are going!"
I bit my lip as I saw Darry swing around. "Because you didn't come home at the time I told you last time I let you go!"
"Why don't you just fucking hit me again?!"
"Watch your mouth! Like it or not, I'm the boss of you!"
"Darry, I'm not Dakota! I'm fourteen! Stop treating me like I'm stupid!"
That made my tears fall.

Sodapop's POV:

"I'm not treating you like Dakota!" Darry yelled at Ponyboy. "I'm treating you like a kid brother! But you're acting like you have the common sense of a six year old!"

I looked at Dakota, who was standing on the bottom stair. She had her head down and she was crying hard. "Guys! Shut up!" I yelled. Darry and Ponyboy looked at me and then followed my gaze. Darry's face fell as he saw his little sister sobbing as hard as she could. Dakota turned around and ran up the stairs and shut her bedroom door.

Ponyboy turned to me. "I just called her stupid." He said mainly to himself.
"And I confirmed that she was." Darry added. They just stood there. I walked upstairs with the two of them following me. I opened Dakota's bedroom door and looked around. Darry and Ponyboy did the same. I looked in her bathroom until I heard sniffling in the closet. I opened the closet door. She was huddled up in the corner of her closet next to her comic books.

I held out my hand. "Dakota, it's okay, baby." I assured her. She didn't move an inch. "Dakota, come out."
"Are Darry and Ponyboy fighting still?" She hiccuped.
"Not at the moment." I said. Dakota was silent. I looked over at Darry and motioned for him to come over to the closet. He came over and got on his knees. "Dakota, come here." He said holding out his arms to her. Dakota looked up. "Maybe you should talk slower." She said. "I'm stupid."
"Dakota, you're not stupid."
"Yes I am. You and Pony said I was." Darry looked at Pony and motioned him over. He walked over to the closet and sat down next to Darry. "Dakota, it wasn't a personal attack." Ponyboy said. "We were fighting and I was trying to tell him that he treats me like a little kid."
"A kid like me, who's stupid." Dakota mumbled into her knees.
"Okay, maybe stupid was the wrong word to use."
"You used me as an insult." Dakota said about to cry again.

Darry sighed. "Dakota, we didn't mean to drag you into the argument. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, honey." Dakota got out of the closet and climbed into Darry's lap. She hugged him tight. Ponyboy watched in guilt. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have brought you into it." Dakota crawled over to Pony and hugged him. Then I joined on and Darry did too. "We love ya Dakota." Darry said kissing her head.