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It was a hot day in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So, lo and behold, the entire Curtis gang was hanging out at the DX, enjoying each other's company and multiple bottles of cold pop. The day was a nice sort of quiet, kinda like when you're in a book store all by yourself, just gazin' at all those paper-bound adventures, waiting to be picked up and read. The silence didn't last long, though. A loud, awful clanking noise could be heard not too far from where the boys were at.
The gang looked up to see where that awful noise was coming from. Around the corner, an old baby blue truck came rattling into the DX parking lot. Well, it almost made it. Right before it could pull in, the whole thing rattled to a stop. A young girl wearing a cowboy hat stormed out of the truck.
"C'mon," she muttered. "Don't give up on me now." As if in response, the truck's engine started smoking. The girl kicked a tire in frustration, looked up, saw the gang, and started walking straight towards the boys. "Hey y'all," she said in a thick southern drawl. "I don't suppose any of you work here, do ya?" Her question went unanswered until, what looked like, the oldest boy spoke up.
"Um," he cleared his throat, "well, these two do right here." He gestured to two boys standing next to him. The girl beamed.
"Well, ain't it my lucky day! It looks like I broke down at just the right spot." She pointed back to her truck, "Let's get to it then. The faster I get this pile of junk running again, the faster I can find my cousin."
A boy holding a bottle, that definitely did not have pop in it, spoke up. "Cousin? Who's your cousin? Maybe we would know 'im."
"Well, her name is, um, shoot hang on." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it, "Here it is! Her name is Sherri Valance. Ring a bell for any of y'all?"
"I know her," said a young boy, who was trying to smooth down his hair right on the spot. "She goes to school with me."
"Man, I'm gettin' luckier and luckier! By the way I'm Ginger. Ginger Valance," she introduced.
"Ginger and Cherry. Wow, that's gold!" The non-pop-holding boy cackled.
Ginger didn't like that joke one bit. "Oh yeah, well what's your name mister?" The boy continued cackling.
"Two-bit," he said. Ginger scoffed.
"Like that's any better!" She laughed despite herself. "Your name sounds like a cartoon character's." A chuckle rippled through the gang at Ginger's poke at Two-bit.
"Hey, you dig okay, baby." Another boy spoke up. He was leaning against a gas pump, casually smoking a cigarette.
"Thank you very much sir." She smiled. "What would your name be?"
"Winston. Dallas Winston."
"Cool name. I'm actually from Dallas, Texas." Ginger grinned, rocking back and forth on her heels. Then she turned and started walking back to her truck. "C'mon boys," she called over her shoulder, "let's get her running!" The two boys who worked at the DX hastily jogged after her.
"Alrighty, now let's see what's under the hood." The boy with a bird tattoo rubbed his hands together eagerly. He popped the hood and let out a long, low whistle. "Man, this engine is busted. What'd you do to it?"
"Oh, you know, mainly farm work, with the occasional road race," Ginger replied casually.
"Farm work? You live on a farm, like with horses and stuff?" The other boy asked eagerly. Ginger smiled.
"Used to, pretty boy. My folks sent me up here to finish my schooling with my cousin. Hey, by the way, I didn't catch any of y'alls names yet."
"Oh, well I'm Sodapop, and my friend over there is Steve." The pretty boy said.
"Sodapop? Man your daddy must be an imaginative dude. My daddy took one look at my hair when I was born and said that 'with hair that red, she can only be Ginger!' My daddy ain't the brightest," Ginger chuckled and Sodapop smiled. Then, Steve slammed the hood down, signaling that he was finished with the repair.
"Well, you're good to go, but I wouldn't make anymore long-distance drives. Got it?"
"Yessir, thanks so much. How much do I owe you?" Ginger started pulling out her wallet.
"It's on the house!" Soda interrupted. Steve nudged Soda warningly.
"Oh no, I couldn't!" Ginger gasped.
"No, it's totally fine!" Soda pressed. Ginger sighed.
"Okay, I'll just give y'all a big tip then." She pulled a $20 out of her wallet and gave it to Steve. Steve nodded his thanks. "Well, I better get going. Tell your friends I said bye." Ginger got into her truck and drove away. Steve turned on Soda.
"That's coming out of your pay you know."
"I know," Soda sighed, watching the truck drive into the distance.
