"baby, please don't cry"
Candice "Candy Cane" Marshall hasn't seen or talked to any of her friends in a long time. Dallas and Johnny are gone and she's terrified to face the fact that Steve and Sodapop may have met their fates in Vietnam. But when t...
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The next morning I woke up, my body still wrapped up with Soda's. I rolled over to the clock on the bedside table to see what time it was. It was only a quarter to seven. I didn't have to be at work for another hour. I yawned and stretched, which roused Soda.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hey," I replied. Soda pulled me into him and I just laid there, letting him hold me. It had been so long since I'd let anyone hold me that this was almost weird. With Soda, though, it almost felt right. And that's not me trying to be cliche or anything. I guessed it was because I trusted him.
"You gotta go to work?"
"Yeah, soon," I said.
Soda let out a lazy groan. "I don't want you to leave. You just got here."
"Soda, I spent the night," I said, laughing lightly.
"I know... But I don't want you to leave."
"You wanna stop by my place later? I'll make us dinner."
"Are you asking me on a date?" Soda giggled. I hadn't heard him giggle since we were kids.
I almost giggled, too, and replied, "I don't know."
"Sure. I'll come over."
"I gotta get ready for work," I said.
Soda groaned but released me from his grip. I grabbed my clothes from the night before and decided to just wear that to work. We didn't really have a dress code, which was nice, but I liked to dress nice. I was glad I'd decided on a cute outfit the night before.
After I changed, I went back into Soda's room. He was face down on the mattress, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish. I climbed up on the bed and straddled his back making him go, "oof!"
"What, am I fat?" I teased.
"No," he laughed. "You just surprised me."
"I just surprised you."
"Yeah. I thought you were leaving."
"What, without saying goodbye?"
He turned his head so he could kind of see me now, but just out of the corner of his eye. "It wouldn't be the first time you left without saying goodbye."
"Oh, really? When have I ever left here without saying goodbye?"
"You didn't leave here without saying goodbye, but that night you went with Dally to get Ponyboy and Johnny... and that fire... and you came back..."
"Soda..." I sighed. "I'm fine. Haven't you seen me? I've been put in the hospital for worse."
"Yeah, but you coulda been like Johnny..."
I frowned and crawled off of Sodapop. "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Soda." I huffed at him. "I know you seen some shit..."
