Hiraeth | The Outsiders

|4|

She was at their door at seven exactly without a minute to spare. Opening the door at the sharp rap of knuckles on wood, Ponyboy gave her a nervous smile, but noticed her fidgeting and relaxed a little. "No need to knock; the door is always open."

"I'd say I will remember for next time, but there won't be." She certainly was guarded, but this was heightened from her discomfort. Ponyboy remained chivalrous, gesturing her inside and taking her coat for her, which earned a sharp side-eye from the female. It was hot outside, though, and her leather jacket was giving her a beating.

The house didn't change one bit, except the smell of something amazing wafting in the breeze pushed through the rooms from open windows. Wiping her boots on the mat, she left them on as Ponyboy had and slowly slid into the kitchen, blinking in surprise at the sight of seven greasers eyeing her. "Oh, so you did come 'round. I thought Darry was talkin' shit." Funny enough, the stormy-eyed drunk still wore the same Mickey Mouse shirt and leather jacket the last time she saw him weeks ago, almost a month now.

"Don't blame you - I almost didn't."

"I learned free food always catches attention." The greaser from the DX besides Sodapop wore a sleeveless denim vest, crooked teeth casting a rat-like grin and the bird tattoo prominent on his upper bicep.

The blonde inhaled a little, letting out a sigh as she let her nerves out, grasping the plate hastily handed to her from the chef himself. Darry almost spooked her from behind if she didn't hear the patio door open, the grill still smoking and the fresh steak sizzling with hot mashed potatoes and gravy and grilled vegetables.

"Help yourself to drinks." She nodded in thanks to him and opted to sit on the open space of the kitchen counter, already seeing how crowded the space was and refusing to get too close to them. While they were about to make the offer of making room, they knew she was already clearly uncomfortable the way it was, and left her be.

A cold Cola caught her line of sight and she leaned down, snatching it up and doing the same trick she did at the DX; the metal cap against the edge and slamming her palm down, popping it off, before causally taking a sip and noting the pick up the bent top later.

Steve sent Sodapop a sarcastic look, his friend rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I got it." Steve gave a grin of triumph before locking eyes with the female. "We never did get your name."

Her mouth remained shut, her chin raising in an act of defiance. It was quiet for a minute from her, letting her eyes wander to each of them. "I don't see why it matters. I'm only here for the food and then I'm gone."

"We have to call you something," insisted the eldest Curtis. She hid the gulp of saliva from her tense frame and let her mind trail off. Something, anything...Her mind almost drew a blank. She almost seemed to forget her name, making the boys glance among one another and raise eyebrows. "Uh...I'm assuming you have a name."

Biting her tongue, she knew it didn't have to be her real name. She could come up with any name she wanted; something sweet or tomboy-ish. She could name herself after one of those movie stars. They watched her wrestle with some inner turmoil, not quite sure what the big deal was for her, until her lips finally parted. "Opal."

"Opal? That's real tuff. Is it a nickname or somethin'?" She shrugged a little bit, clearly out of her comfort zone the way it was, leaving them to discuss. Sodapop, however, didn't catch the drift. "Opal? I've never heard of that before."

"The gemstone?" Ponyboy frowned a little bit at the middle sibling, who shrugged a little. "What kinda stone?"

"This." They turned to her, where a necklace around her neck became apparent. It was stunning, yet simple, with the necklace the color of wheat in a sunrise. A thin border around the oval gemstone - the gold trimming had individual, minuscule diamonds barely noticeable at the first glance. The centerpiece, of course, deserved its place in the limelight. The opal itself almost had a ghostly blue aura radiating from it, illuminating among all the other colors that swirled among it. Reds, yellows, greens, they were all there. It almost didn't seem real.