"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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Sodapop and I turned back to rejoin our friends at the table. They'd all gone silent and were looking at us quizzically. I made my best fake smile as we sat down.
"Everything alright?" Darry asked cautiously.
"Great," I said. Sodapop sent them a somewhat convincing lopsided grin. The others, save for Ponyboy and Steve, seemed to accept that, whatever happened, was settled and done with. But Ponyboy had been the one to open the door and Steve knew us better than the back of his own hand.
I darted my gaze over to Hannah and she was looking at me, her head slightly tilted to one side and her eyebrows scrunched together like she was trying to read something far away.
I mouthed a quick, 'later', before turning back to the group. Two-Bit was anxious to pick the conversation back up again, immediately starting with an anecdote about some funny thing he and I had done at some point. I laughed along for the time being, but this whole thing with Sandy and that little girl possibly being Sodapop's was eating at my mind. It made my gut wrench and I couldn't help but yank my hand away when Soda tried to hold it. I felt his gaze on me and it lingered for a few seconds.
The overall atmosphere had shifted into something indescribably uncomfortable and I became distracted the whole rest of the time the gang was over.
I became antsy after a while of just sitting and pretending to listen and actively ignoring my boyfriend, so I excused myself and walked over to start on the mountain of dishes in the sink.
"Let me help with that," said Tasha. I sent her a friendly smile and we washed the dishes in silence.
One after one, the couples all took their turns in leaving. Darry ended up dragging Tasha away before we could finish all the dishes as they had a bunch of errands to run still. Finally, Steve and Evie were the only ones left.
"Go wait in the car babe, I'll be out in a few minutes."
"'Kay." She sent Steve a reassuring smile, then smiled at me and then at Sodapop. "'Bye, you guys. Thanks for breakfast!" She headed out the door, her black ponytail swishing behind her. Steve waited a few minutes before rounding on the both of us.
"Alright, Jack and Diane, what the hell is up with you two? Who came to the door earlier?"
I looked to Sodapop, who said nothing, then turned back to the skillet I was scrubbing.
"An answer would be nice." Still, neither of us said anything. Sodapop lit up a cigarette in the middle of the dining room, which he knew I absolutely hated, but I didn't even have the energy to yell at him for it.
"Goddammit!" Steve shouted, slamming his hand down on the table and scaring me. I dropped the skillet and it nearly fell on my left foot.
"Jesus H. Christ, Steve!" Sodapop shouted. "What do you want? A fuckin' diary? A news broadcast?"
