Fresh Start -Sodapop x Reader

Clumsy, Clumsy

Sodapop
          I opened my eyes and groaned, though not being met with the scalding sunlight in my eyes. I heard some light rain hitting the roof above us. There was a crick in my shoulder, probably since I was lying on the floor. I sat straight up, seeing that I was right next to the couch in the living room. Steve was crashed on the couch, cuddling a beer bottle. Standing up, I stretched out as I made my way  upstairs to my room. The floorboards creaked, making the only sound in the house.
          I pushed open the door to mine and Pony's room. There were clothes on the floor, like usual, and a broad in my bed. I saw the (h/c) head of hair sticking out from under the sheets. Good ol' Strawberry. Ponyboy was also in his bed, and, like usual, Johnny was lying on the floor.
          I smiled softly and walked over to my bed, brushing a hand through (F/n)'s hair. She stirred a bit, making me jump back. Act natural, my brain screamed, so I hopped over to the closet and began to pull out a fresh shirt. I heard a small, adorable groan as I pulled off my dirty shirt.
          "Hm, Sodapop? Is that you?"
          "Yeah," I replied, "it's me. You slept well?
          "Well enough. Hey, is this your bed? Goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take up your space."
          I shook my head and turned to her, my chest bare. "Naw, you didn't. I put you in here. You fell asleep during poker. Besides, I almost never use it." I chose not to mention that I still cuddle with my little brother.
          "Still, I feel bad." She got up and stretched. "Where are the others? Still asleep?"
          "Steve's sleeping downstairs, Darry's likely off at work; Dally's smokin' outside, and Pony and Johnny are right next to you."
          She looked over and jumped slightly, frightened by the boys' presence. "Goodness, how did I not notice them?"
          "The question is 'how did two sleeping teens scare you?'"
          "Oh, hush up, you." She giggled.
          I watched longingly as she tied her hair into a ponytail. She looked real pretty, sitting up straight in her red dress, biting the hair tie in her mouth gently since she didn't have the hands to hold it. I sighed.
          "So, where you headed?" I heard her ask, snapping me outta my thoughts.
          I adjusted my shirt slightly. "I'm heading down to the station in a few hours. It's only 7, y'know, and I don't have to be in until 10 today. How about you? Don't you got school or somethin'?"
          She chuckled. "Don't you remember? I'm not in school yet. There were only three weeks left of classes when I moved; I was given the option to start during finals week or start next year. I chose the latter, so I don't have much to do." She paused a moment before jumping up, grinning brightly as she rested her hand on my shoulders. She kept her casted arm to her chest, gently twiddling with the gold chain around her neck. "Ooh, I've got a grand idea. How many people are here now?"
          Wide-eyed, I replied, "6, includin' you and myself."
          "Great. Oh, it's raining, isn't it? Oh well, I have a mini-umbrella in my purse." She left the room and started jogging downstairs. "Soda, I'll be back in a half-hour!"
          I glanced over at Ponyboy, still surprised by her zeal, who was now awake. He had a big smirk on his face, so I gave him those 'what do you want?' eyes.
          "Soda, if you get any redder I might mistake you for a stop sign," he said through slight giggles. "I don't think I've seen you as in-love since Sandy came around."
          My breath hitched, and I could tell Ponyboy had seen his mistake. We don't talk about Sandy anymore. I clenched my jaw and looked away, staring at the door. "Ponyboy."
          "I... I know, I'm sorry. I'm gonna wake up Johnny."
          I nodded and headed downstairs. Dally was back inside. He gave me a nod and took a sip of the bitter coffee, tossing the sports section of the newspaper over to me. I caught it and skimmed through it. About ten minutes later, I was just about to grab a piece of chocolate cake from the fridge. I was interrupted when I heard the door slam. (F/n) came into the kitchen, holding two or three grocery bags and wearing an excited grin on her face. She set the bags on the counter and leaned against the table, looking at me with eyes I couldn't read.
         "Well, whad'ya got there, Doll Face?" Dally asked, sipping his coffee.
         (F/n) swiped his cup away from him and dumped it down the sink. "No, no, don't drink that; Pony told me that Darry makes terrible coffee-- very bitter, very dark-- and that must be cold by now. Honestly, I never understood how people could drink straight coffee; no sugar, no milk, no cinnamon? It's insane." She spoke quickly, I almost couldn't understand her. "Just wait, like, ten minutes-- not even. Soda, where are your bowls... And plates... And spoons, I definitely need spoons. I also need a whisk."
          "Uh, sure. Comin' right up," I said confusingly. Pulling out the things she asked for, I set them on the counter as she unloaded the groceries: flour, eggs, a few vegetables, milk, some bacon, and a package of something I couldn't identify; the label was in another language. She tossed Dally a pack of Camels, making him grin.
          "Why, thank you, Doll," he said slowly, checking her out when she turned.
          "You're welcome, just don't smoke them in here. I hate to sound like a prude, but I like my air clean. Soda, can you go wake the others, tell them there's food?"
          I did as she said. Steve was the hardest to wake, and Johnnycake was being taken care of by Pony. It didn't take long before I could tell (F/n) was making pancakes. I helped her open the milk, since she couldn't get it with the cast on her arm. About fifteen minutes later the boys came down and into the kitchen. We sat everyone down, pulling up an extra chair for (F/n), and dug in like a pack of animals. It was fantastic, I made sure to tell (F/n) out loud. After we finished, she warmly said goodbye to everyone and headed out, telling us that she had to be home before Jackson woke up.
          "(F/n)," I started after following her out the porch, noticing that the rain had let up, "you know, we already had this stuff here-- the eggs, the flour, and whatnot."
           She looked back at me and smiled. "Well, now you have extr-AAHH!!"
           I watched as she slipped on a patch of grass, landing on the cement in front of her. "Jeez, are you okay?!"
          (F/n) got up by herself, pushing away my hands when I tried to help her. She giggled, looking down at her scraped palm. "Yep-- nope-- absolutely fine. Now, I'm just gonna... I'm gonna go." She grinned sheepishly and walked down the road, sending me a wave every time she looked back.
            I walked back inside and flopped down on the couch. Ponyboy looked at me questioningly. "What's with that look on your face?"
            Shoving my face into a pillow, I said, "Pony, I'm havin' a Broad Crisis."