dor 【 sodapop curtis 】

eight.

untitled ii

Agnes had now been in Tulsa for months. She'd gotten so used to the place and the people, she felt like she may as well had been from there. She didn't know if that was good or bad. Sometimes she didn't even sleep in her car. When the kid from New York wasn't there, she'd sleep in his room at Buck's.

She would always tell herself she'd be leaving soon but never brought herself to. Sodapop and Agnes were getting closer than before, spending plenty of time together. A part of her was still nervous around him but for a different reason. She sometimes thought she was really falling for the guy.

She finally got letters from her mom. Agnes disappeared without a trace leaving her mom scared to death. She didn't realize Agnes had told her she was leaving, it was just that no one ever took Agnes seriously in their family. Agnes's mom got her letter and had no idea what to think. She thought: maybe this was a joke or maybe this was fake or maybe this was real and she misses me.

Agnes had no specific explanation to why she'd never called her mom. She called her dad, she even called her old boss in New York, never mom. She always thought her mom didn't care and she always thought her step-dad would make her not care and she thought maybe she shouldn't care.

But receiving a letter in her post-office box from her mom made her heart soar and ache at once. Agnes, for a split second before even opening the envelope, dropped every bad memory and momentarily forgot every scar left to mark her mind and body and she couldn't do anything but smile. She thought about going 'home'. The home that was not her home anymore, that was never her home. After that moment, she opened her letter.

The first thing she wanted to do was tell someone. She drove over to the DX, hoping it wasn't a day off for Sodapop or even Steve. She knew Sodapop would give her the reaction she wanted, he'd share her excitement as if it were his own but she'd even settle for telling Steve. "Hiya, Steve,"

He lifted his head from where it was under the hood of an old, dirty Jeep and smiled at her, giving her a little wave. "Sodapop's inside."

She chuckled and crossed her arms, walking over to him. "What if I just came to talk to you, Steve?"

"Then that'd be funny, I'm the one with the good personality that nobody goes for." He laughed at himself and she huffed, disagreeing with him immediately. It wasn't like he needed it anyway, he was secure with himself and could still get plenty of girls. "Whatever you say, Agnes. Soda's doin' inventory right now so go bother him, instead." He grabbed some tool that Agnes couldn't name and went back under the hood.

Agnes made her way to the back of the shop where Soda was listening to The Ronettes on the radio and sorting through things while dancing and singing to himself. He had the moves, certainly not the voice. She watched quietly from the doorway, waiting for him to notice her but hoping he never did. She wished she had one of those video recorders so she could tape him.

The song changed to Ain't Too Proud To Beg and something about Sodapop made her a little surprised that he listened to the black radio station. She laughed at him as he did a little spin and finally noticed her. "You're a good dancer but let The Temptations sing the song, sweetie."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek and grabbing her hand, "Wanna dance?"

"I can't dance."

"Come on, this is a great song to dance to." Instead of arguing, she went along with him and he sang with the artists just to annoy her which he accomplished.

"You're so lucky you're charming," Agnes taunted during the instrumental. He took that moment to show off and while he danced around her, she laughed at his exaggerated gestures and moves. She loved how, even though Soda couldn't sing, he sang to her. She made fun of it but she didn't want him to stop. "I didn't know you like The Temptations."

"Who doesn't? They've got great stuff. For dancin' and romancin'."

"You sound so ridiculous when you say that, you know that right?" she laughed.

"You love it."

"I do, I can't tell a lie."

He stepped back from her and returned to the work he was doing before, "So, did you want anything or did you just miss me?"

She took a seat on the chair that was settled behind Sodapop and crossed her legs, smiling both out of excitement from being with him and from remembering why she was there, "Both. I wanted to tell you that I got a letter from my mom, finally."

"Really? When?" He remembered her telling him about every letter she sent and the ones she got back. He hoped Agnes would get one from her mom because she sounded excited about sending one to her, hearing from her again after so many years. Four years.

"Today. She said she was worried sick and she used to try and find me."

"Used to?"

"Yeah, my step-dad made her stop. Convinced her I was dead or somethin'." She grumbled under her breath profanities about him before continuing on. "She said she wished she knew where exactly I was. I just said I was in Tulsa and she doesn't know where that is. She wants me to go home."

"Are you gonna?"

"No," she sighed, "I told myself I was never gonna go back there."

"Well, why not?"

"I'm just not."

He didn't know whether to be happy out of the selfish reasoning that that meant she may stay in Tulsa longer or to be upset that she wouldn't tell him why she was so adamant about not going back. She told him when she first came that she was from New York and he knew that that was a lie. After talking to her for a while, he knew her accent was southern. He never thought much of it but he wanted to know about her. Really know. He suddenly found himself upset that she wouldn't open up to him, that she'd lied. He fell silent.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. I gotta finish this, though, so you should probably go." She was surprised, his demeanor completely changed. Everything in the room was darker than before. She bit her cheek in frustration and left without saying anything else.

woah this is the first chapter ive been able to finish is so long, i have terrible writer's block right now