A knock on the front door interrupted our cartoon session. Without waiting for an answer, Two-bit and Layla walked in. Layla squealed at the sight; she loved Saturday cartoons.
"Hey Two-bit, Mickey's on." Steve said, standing in the corner of the room, pointing at the tv. Two-bit smiled and took a seat in between me and Dally, making the crowded couch even more crowded.
I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and when I looked fully, I saw Soda standing in the bathroom doorway with no pants on. I chuckled as I felt my cheeks turn red while Darry ran to the back of the house and returned with a towel to give to Soda to cover up his 'manly parts'.
Darry scoffed in annoyance at him, "Soda put on some pants for crying out loud, we got young ladies in here!"
I laughed, grabbing their attention.
With a smirked, Soda winked at me, and pulled the towel further up on his waist. "Darry, have you seen my DX shirt somewhere?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's laying on your bed. I washed it for you." Darry said, walking back to his chair in the corner, where my sister Addie was previously sitting in his lap.
Steve walked up to Soda and pointed to the towel, shoving a piece of chocolate cake into his mouth, "Hey, you gotta wear pants, too, buddy. I hear there's a law or somethin' about that."
Soda ignored his comment, and with a nod, he signaled for me to follow him to his room. I stood up and followed him, everyone whistling at us along the way. All they ever knew how to do was tease. When we got to his room, he grabbed his shirt and some underwear and began changing.
I chewed on my lip as I leaned against the door frame. "Every time I see you I think you're more beautiful than the day before." I said to him. He rolled his eyes and continued buttoning up his shirt.
"Well somebody has to have the looks in this relationship." he joked, adding a wink at the end.
I plumped out my bottom lip, "Aw Sodapop, you are just the sweetest thing." I said in a baby voice.
He looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "You are one funny girl Jessie Marie."
I shrugged my shoulders, and walked over to him, placing a light kiss on his lips. He smiled into it, before I started laughing again.
"What is it now Jessie?"
"Nothing, it's just that you should put some pants on, there really is a law about that." I said, reaching for a pair of jeans from his closet.
"One more kiss?" He begged, a look in his eyes that was reserved for me. I shook my head, "Not until you put those on, then I can take you seriously." I said, and with that, I left the room.
Entering the kitchen instead of the living room, I saw Pony standing over the stove, making eggs.
"Makin' eggs at 3 o'clock in the evening?" I asked, opening the fridge and pulling out the carton of milk and standing beside him. He's taller than me, but he wasn't always. My growing just slowed down, he's still a fast growing 15 year old.
"Yeah, Layla didn't eat anythin' for breakfast, so I'm making her some eggs." he replied with a deep sigh afterwards. I wondered what was wrong, but decided not to ask. It's probably some Soc at school again, they're always bothering him. I'll talk to him later.
Dally walked into the kitchen and took another drink from his beer. He extended his arm, asking for the milk carton. Sad that I haven't drank any, and he might finish it, I reluctantly handed over the carton. As he took some gulps, Pony and I watched in disgust, Dally is always mixing some kind of drink with his alcohol; yesterday it was orange juice.
I snatched the carton from out of his hands once he was finished, and took a drink of it. I saw Soda walk in; perfect timing.
"Aw come on Jess!" Soda whined. He hates it when people drink straight from the milk carton. I downed another gulp and returned the milk back into the fridge. He glared at me playfully.
"I don't see why you whine when Jess drinks out of the carton, she is your girlfriend. You guys kiss every day, I don't see what the big deal is." Pony defended me, his voice slow as he talked. I nodded my head in agreement, widening my eyes at Soda. He also hates it when I give him the puppy dog face, because he can't resist it.
He threw his hands in the air in frustration, "I don't even know why I try to keep the rule about drinking stuff from the container. If y'all wanna be nasty then so be it." he said, walking to the living room.
"Everybody drink straight from the carton from now on!" he shouted, and everyone cheered, knowing it bothered him.
"What're you folks gonna do today Pony?" I asked, hopping up onto the counter and swinging my feet back and forth.
"Oh, nothin' much Jess, just preparing for the party tomorrow; that means you and Johnny gotta leave the house." He answered, placing the cooked eggs onto a plate.
"Wow, way to keep the surprise party a surprise. " I said sarcastically, hopping back onto my feet.
I followed him into the living room where everyone was still seated. "Anyway, I gotta get me some more smokes, so I'll probably hang out at the DX with Soda and Steve, is that alright with you guys?" I asked, getting silent nods in return.
"Y-yeah, me and Carter are gonna hang out at the lot, you guys can come if you want." Johnny said, standing up and grabbing Carter's hand, pulling her up with him.
Two-bit chuckled, not removing his gaze from the quiet cartoon, "Ain't nobody wanna see you and Carter makin' out, go have fun by y'all's selves." Steve laughed, high-fiving a flustered Johnny.
Darry lifted Addie up from his lap and stood up. "Pony, you take Layla Ray to the movies. Me, Addie, Dally, and Two-bit will set up the house. That means Jess and Johnny, you kiddos can't come 'til tomorrow morning, ya hear?" he said. Soda pouted, unless he were to stay at my house, we wouldn't see each other after he gets off work. I wouldn't let him come over though, my folks are always bickering; that's why the Curtis home is more like my home, I stay here more often than I do my own.
"We gotta go now, bye guys!" Soda shouted and walked out the door with me, Steve, Johnny, Carter, Pony and Layla following behind him. Johhny and Carter walked to the lot, and Pony and Layla continued their walk to the theater while the rest of us piled into Darry's truck.
.
.
"Bye Soda, bye Jess, see y'all tomorrow. And happy early birthday Jess! I'm the first one to say it!" Steve shouted and disappeared down the road. He lived close to the DX, but further away from the Curtis house. We laughed at his childish ways and waved him goodnight.
I turned to Soda, my breath coming out in white puffs as I stared at him. Today is the last day of winter, but Tulsa stays chilly for a while.
We just looked at each other. It's dark and quiet, but a nice quiet. The kind where you can hear the city in the distance, the grasshoppers making noises, and you can hear each other breathing, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. You get used to this, living in the east side of town. People say it's terrible here, but I wouldn't want it to be any other way.
"I swear I'm gonna marry you one day, Jessie Cade." Soda said, entwining his long fingers with mine. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. He's the love of my life. I know I'm young, but Soda is who I wanna be with.
He pulled me into a hug, and began swaying back and forth. I giggled, "There's no music, Soda."
"I know," he laughed, his warm breath tickling my neck. "Just go along with it."
And I did.
YOU ARE READING
The Cades | The Outsiders
Fanfiction"We're a real tight-knit group of friends. And even though it seems lately we aren't the way we used to be, we'll always be family." Jessie Marie Cade was born into a gang of greasers. This life is all she's known. She is surrounded by her siblings...
