heartache

seven

"Hey Two, can you start greasing the cake pan?" I asked, whipping the frosting.

"Uh... how?" I sighed and put down the whisk. He had a stick of butter in his hand but had no idea what to do with it. I snatched it out of his hand and started to rub the butter along the bottom of the pan.

"Batter's done!" Soda exclaimed, putting the bowl on the counter.

"Great. Can you put it in the pan and even it out?" I asked.

"Yes siree." I continued to whip the frosting and to add in the chocolate flavoring. After Soda put all of the batter in the pan, Steve snatched the wooden spoon and started licking it.

"Steve," I whined. He had chocolate smeared all over his face.

"What?" he asked.

"You can't lick off the spoon, we need it!" I sighed. Soda chuckled and I shot him a glare. He put his hands up in surrender and I stifled a giggle. Ponyboy put the cake in the oven and then we all went into the living room to wait for the cake to bake.

"So... what do we do now?" Steve asked. I just shrugged my shoulders in reply.

"Stel, come with me? I have to give you something," Soda said, pulling me up and dragging me down the hall into the bedroom. He closed the door and sat me down on the bed.

"Soda... what are you doing?" I asked warily.

"You're so dirty. No Stella, I would not make you do anything until you are ready. And I have a present for you." I laughed and leaned against the headboard. Soda placed a brown bag on the bed.

"Soda, you didn't---"

"I wanted to. Open it!" he replied. I smiled and opened the bag. Inside was a photo album of the pictures that we took together. There was a letter inside as well. It read:

Stella,

I was thinking about us, and how much you mean to me. I feel like I don't tell you enough, and you deserve to know how much I love you. I remember the first day we met, when you walked into me on your first day of school. As soon as I layed eyes on you, I thought, "This girl is absolutley beutiful." Here we are, a month-and-a-half later, and I still think that every time I see you. You always suprise me with your smart comebacks and histerical jokes. After my parents died, I thought that I would never be happy again, especialy after Sandy left me. But the second you walked into my life, I knew that things were going to get a lot brighter. And they have. Stella Mae, I can not wait until we grow old. We will have children and we will move to the country, away from all of the Greasers and Socs. We will have our own farm and we will grow old together. And if you ever get stuck in that black hole, just remember that, no matter what, I will always be in love with you at the end of the day.

Forever yours,

Sodapop Curtis

When I finished reading it, there were tears in my eyes. Of course, there were grammatical and spelling errors, but I honestly couldn't care less. It was the actual words that got to me. And to top it all off, Soda just said that he was in love with me. He didn't just love me, but he was IN LOVE with me. I was just speechless, staring at the letter.

"Stella? Stella, are you there?" Soda asked.

"Yeah, I'm here. Soda, this- this is... I don't even know what. You are just so amazing. I don't know how I was so lucky to run into you that day. And Soda, I'm in love with you too," I replied. The biggest, goofiest grin spread across his face and before I knew it, I had my arms tightly around him. He wrapped his arms around me and I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent. I pulled away, but kept my hands around his neck. He placed his hand on my cheek and leaned in, giving me the most passionate kiss I've ever had. It would've led to something more if someone hadn't knocked on the door.