Kathlee's POV
Pony, Soda and I laid snugly and warmly together, wrapped up in the jungle of limbs and sheets that was our new dream haven. I rolled over ever so slightly, careful not to wake an already sleeping Curtis' brother so that I was facing Pony's back.
"Nphm...oufm..." Soda slurred, pulling back some of the blankets and nestling himself deeper into the mattress.
I felt the movement to my right ease up as the boys' usual deep sleep breathing continued and I focused on actually trying to sleep as well.
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"Y'know, I'm starting to think that you getting jumped was for the better." Soda whispered, tapping my shoulder so that I turned to face him, "although we shoulda' just let you bleed out in the alley... Who are you to us? Just another mouth to feed when all we got is me and Darry to bring in the cash. Why'd you accept living with us?Huh?"
I felt my face get hot and breathing begin to quicken.
"Because you're selfish and ignorant, just like your parents said you were."
I was crying now.
"H-how do you know my parents used to say t-that?" I choked out, barely being able to stutter through my tears. "I'm sorry...I'll leave, I'll leave."
Soda was shouting now, my ears were ringing from sobbing and I couldn't hear what he was saying.
"I'll leave!" I wailed, "I'm sorry, let me leave! Please, I'm sorry...I'll leave!"
"Wake up!" He yelled, breaking the earth-shattering sound of my cries.
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"Wake up! Kat, wake up, c'mon!"
My eyes shot open and I felt my body starting to shake as I looked up at Soda and Pony, who were desperately trying to stop the bitter cries of my nightmare.
"I...oh my god, I'm so sorry. I-I'm leaving, I'm sorry..." I blabbered again, frantically pushing myself out of bed between the two boys and out of the room.
"Kathlee, no! Please, Kathlee!" I heard Pony yelling from behind me.
"I'm sorry Pony..." I whispered, fidgeting with the screen door and finally breaking myself out of the house and into the dark, and beautiful, cold Tulsa night, "I'm sorry..."
The pitter-patter of my bare feet against the centre of the asphalt roads kept me sane as I ran. Pit-ter-pat-ter, pit-ter-pat-ter, pit-ter-pat-ter...
"Kathlee, stop!" It was Pony. I could hear his footsteps nearing closer on mine and soon enough my hair had stopped blowing in the wind and my feet had stopped their pitter-patter.
I was in his arms and my feet were off the ground; his breath was on my neck and my bangs were in my eyes; my legs were wrapped around his waist and his arms were supporting my lower back as he carried me back to the house; out of the dark, and beautiful, cold Tulsa night.
"Breathe," he whispered into the side of my ear, "breathe."
"I don't want to..." I sobbed, "put me down, don't take me back. Y'all don't want me and I know it. My own parents don't want me..." I breathed, straightening up and glancing back at the boy, "I don't even want me. Let me go."
"No." He said as if the topic wasn't even debatable, "hold on though."
I tightened my grip around his neck so that I was pretty much just hugging him like a koala, and we started moving again, only this time, not towards the porch light of the Curtis house.
Pony swung my legs around to the right of his hip, as if I weighed no more than a feather, and sat me down on his lap, bridal style, under a tree. Despite the oddness of it all, I buried my head in the crook of his neck and cried for what seemed like hours. That was, until I heard his faint voice break through my sobs as he started a weak attempt at rocking me back and forth.
"Dearly beloved are you listening?" He began.
"I can't remember a word that you were saying, are we demented or am I disturbed? The space that's in between insane and insecure."
I remembered the weight of those words from a lifetime before, but gave up trying to recall when fairly quickly and just went back to focusing on the sound of his voice.
"Oh, therapy, can you please fill the void? Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed? Nobody's perfect and I stand accused. For lack of a better word, and that's my best excuse. To live and not to breathe is to die in tragedy. To run, to run away. To find what you believe..."
"Pony..." I started, unsure of how I could possibly thank him.
"Don't." He cut in, tucking my hair behind my ear and lifting my face ever so gently till our eyes met, "don't. Just promise me you'll never leave."
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If anybody can tell me the song I used for Ponyboy's little speech thing, the next chapter shall be dedicated to you : 3
(All rights go to the artist, who I shall not name because that would be giving you a hint. Heheh.)
Comments are fab just like all of you, but remember, you never have to leave any unless you want to. Please don't feel like it's an obligation...
Anywho, hope you all liked that, chapter 9 should be up fairly soon (with possibly a new character :0)
So ta ta for now lovelies,
Smile, love and feel loved,
Stay Gold and remember that you're all perfect.
~Mads~
