Sunburn (Stevepop)

Ch 2- Things you don't need the sun for

Steve went into work the next day talking to Soda about how he looked stupid with his red arms. His fragile pride took a hit with that one.
"I'm gonna have to start wearin' a coat or somethin'," he groaned, "Hide these dumb burns..."
Soda looked up suddenly with a smile and said, "Maybe don't think about it like that! Think, like, the sun gave you a giant hickey," he said with a laugh, lightly touching Steve's arm.
He blushed wildly, "Jee, I wouldn't need the stupid sun for that if it weren't for Evie always bein' on my case..."
"Again with that?" Soda said.
"Well, I mean..." Steve paused, "I dunno, she's not into any a this, 'n' I'm apart of it... She always says she wants ta get outta Tulsa, get a boyfriend she don't gotta worry about dyin' in a gang fight all the time," he chuckled, just to make it seem like he didn't care that she thought so low of him.
Soda laughed despite himself. Evie was afraid he would die? That's crazy! But he figured it's just like Evie to worry a bit too much, especially about Steve.
"I'm thinkin' she's gonna run away from home..." Steve muttered, breaking into his thoughts.
Soda patted his back, and Steve looked up from his hands that he was fiddling with and met his eyes.
"You'll be fine, buddy. Listen, you've gotten through worse- remember those peppers?" he laughed.
Steve laughed, but only because Soda's laugh is always so infectious. Really he didn't think anything about that was funny.

Steve pov
I just don't get how Sodapop's always so positive about stuff. I know if Sandy was talking about skipping town he'd be mortified. Of course he would be, anything for Sandy! God...
He is right-I guess it could be worse. I haven't been feeling so great about her lately anyway. I don't like talking about it much, only Two-bit knows, oddly. Not even Soda. But Two just really likes to talk, and he's pretty smart about people, so he kinda gets you talking sometimes. I do wish I hadn't talked to him about it. It's not like it's a big deal though. So what if it's been months since I felt the same love for Evie that I ever did? But it still hurts to know she's think of leaving me. She cares-or I guess cared-about me a lot but this greaser life got to her. The stresses of having to live in worry about me and the peer pressure and the bad neighborhood...
But I guess she always was either happy or scared all the time. I miss when she was happy more often though.
We got home from work after a long day of rude ladies commenting on my sunburns. I can still hear the giggling now-no wait, that's just Soda. I had a scowl the whole way home.

[Back to 3rd person]
Two-bit never told anybody else about Steve's not-so-sudden disinterest in Evie. Greasers aren't quiet and that's especially Two, so really they were pretty lucky he happens to have funnier things to talk about. Of course if it were anybody but Steve it wouldn't matter, but he is picky and thinks too much about all the wrong things. He claims if people knew he didn't love Evie the same way she did him for so long they'd get ideas about him. About why he lied about it. And about her too.
Evie is a really caring, smiley, pretty girl that the gang liked, so if Steve doesn't like her, either he's gay or she's got some really weird deal-breaker secret, like she's a crazy druggie or something. That's what Steve thought they'd think anyway. Not even Sodapop knows his true feelings, but Steve he didn't like talking about girls with him anyway since Soda just goes on about Sandy. That's more of an excuse than anything, but you couldn't ask him about it if you wanted to stay alive.
Of course Steve wouldn't want the gang or anyone else to know about his feelings for his best friend. You can't blame him, he barely understands himself. He tries to ignore them, but he's smarter than that-even if he doesn't always seem like it. He knows better than to just set something like that aside to be dealt with another time.
Maybe he tries to ignore it, but he can't deny the ache in his stomach and the boil in his blood when Sodapop talks about Sandy. He can't deny the way his heart jumps when he sees Soda and how it starts doing flips when he talks to him. Maybe he ignores it sometimes, but he can't deny his own feelings.