June 5, 1974 | The Outsiders Story BOOK 2

7

'The 22nd,' I say to myself as I look at the Curtis' calendar. Five days until I leave, but one day until the mysterious meeting.

"Hey, let's go do something Sarah." Soda says. He's off work today, and I could tell he's a little antsy. It's only ten o'clock, and he's already cleaned the house, baked a new cake, and went grocery shopping.

"Why?" I ask, a hint of laughter in my voice.

"'Cause I'm bored."

"You just cleaned the whole house and baked a cake Soda." I say, I move away from their wall calendar and move to the living room couch.

"No don't sit down!" Soda complained. "Let's go!"

"Where do ya wanna go?"

"Let's go ice skatin'."

"Soda how?" I asked skeptically, "Where?"

"The lake in Windrixville, in that park. Darry said he used ta go there all the time with his football buddies."

"Are you sure it's safe enough?" I ask.

"Let's find out!" He says, dragging me off the couch to get my stuff on.

-

Soda and I drive through the snow towards Windrixville. Pony decided not to come with us, saying he wanted to see a new movie. We just shrugged. I am super excited to go skating, it's been a long time since I've been. I used to go with my elementary school friend Anne.

When we get there, the park is deserted, coldness driving children away. I didn't check the temperature before we left, but it had to be below thirty degrees. The freezing temperature had bit my cheeks, but I didn't mind. I like the cold.

Before I get out, I take a deep breathe. This is where the fire was. I remember how scary it was for me, knowing Mary was in there. I haven't babysat her in a while, I'll have to ask how she's doing.

I still sit in the car. "You okay?" Soda asks.

"Yeah." I lie. I muster up the courage to get out the car, my heart racing a bit.

Soda grabs the skates from the backseat we found in Buck's and put them on. I tied the laces for him, as he was struggling with their long length.

"Look, you gotta tuck 'em in here, and tighten here. You don't want 'em to be loose during your skate." I explained, putting the laces outward suddenly.

"Oh." He chuckles. "Where'd you learn all this?"

I talk to him without looking up from what I was doing. "I used to go as a kid." I pause, finishing his skates and moving to mine. "I just hope that it's like riding a bike."

And it was. I glided on the ice, the motions familiar and nostalgic. Soda wasn't having as much as an easy time as me though.

"I thought you said you've done this before!" I yell at him. I helped him up after the third fall he had.

"I have!" He counters and giggles. "It's not as easy as it looks, or how you make it look. How do you do it?"

"I don't know. Muscle memory I guess." I answer. When he's steady, I skate away from him and work on the figure eights I did all the time as a child. Being in the cold, feeling it on my skin, I felt at home. The ice is where I feel the most peaceful, and I am kind of angry at myself for forgetting about a place that makes me so happy.

-

After Soda was tired of falling on his butt, we stopped and got some hot chocolate on the way home.

"So how are you and Pony?" He asks me, eyes fixated on the road but sipping his hot beverage.

"Great actually." I answer. "The stuff with Vera really makes me angry, but Pony can always calm me down."

"Nice." He responds. He makes a noise when he thinks of a topic to talk about, liquid in his mouth. "When'd you start ice skating?"

"When I was really young, like four or five. An old friend would take me sometimes, the rink a few miles from Tulsa. I would love going, getting away from my parents was a big factor. I started to get really good at it I guess, from all the practice. When I moved out, I don't know I guess I forgot about it. But now, I'm glad I have something that I can do to take my mind off of my troubles."