The Curtis Sister

After The Diner Shift

      "Hey."
      "Hi."
      We stayed silent for a moment looking at the ground. I stared at my shoes, I didn't want to look up to see him looking at me, but I wanted to see his face. I closed my eyes and thought about what to do. What to say. I'd been thinking about it all day, and yet, I was speechless.
"Are you tired?", he asked.
"Yes."
"I'll drive you back."
I tossed him the keys and he unlocked the drivers door, then leaned across and unlocked the passenger door. I got into the passenger seat and crossed my legs. He put the key into the ignition and pulled out of the parking spot.
"Are you okay?"
I wasn't paying attention.
"Huh?"
"Are you okay?", he repeated.
"I'm fine."
He sighed.
"I'm sorry that Ponyboy and Johnny were there.", he said.
I let the apology hang in the air for a second.
"It's not your fault. Wrong place, wrong time.", I accepted.
"Do you want to go somewhere?", he questioned me.
"Where?"
"You choose."
I wanted to go home, but I also wanted to get food. Not a lot, I might be sick if I ate a lot.
"Late night snack?"
"Hell yeah.", he responded.
He turned off to a short cut threw the road and drove us to the Dairy Queen down the street. The Drive-In was packed.
"I'm ordering. And paying.", I said.
He smiled.
"Okay then."
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. I already ate."
"Then why are we here?"
"You haven't eaten, yet. I'm not gonna let you starve.", he insisted.
I walked inside and the line wasn't too long, so my turn came in less than 5 minutes. I gave them the cash I'd gotten from my tips and had a lot left over. I stood off to the side while people behind me ordered. I felt a little stupid in my waitress outfit.
I looked outside at the car. Dallas had his head up to the ceiling of the car and his eyes were closed. He was either concentrating or sleeping. I looked away from him anyways. I didn't know why I was so reluctant to acknowledge him. Maybe it was because I'd been thinking about what to do all day, and still didn't know. But, the time had come, I knew almost exactly what I should do.
I grabbed the brown paper back with my order in it and thanked the cashier. No one ever usually thanked them, but I always did. It was cold in my uniform, since the sleeves were short and the bottom was a skirt. I opened the passenger door and took out fries and handed them to Dallas.
"I said I didn't want anything."
"Then put them in your fridge and have them for breakfast."
I was shocked, that was the first time I said something to him that was the way we normally talked. It was such a typical, unrecognizable sentence. But it was something other than uncomfortable silence, which was something we never did. He only ate one fry, then put them in his lap. I ate the food that I ordered while he drove.
We started our way back to the house. The slushed snow trudging under the tires and the light breathing from each other was the only noise in the car. I should speak up, if I didn't I would chicken out.
"Dallas?"
"Yeah."
"I think we should break up."
He leaned back in the seat.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
"It's not all because of what happened today. I have to do all this stuff for school and balance my job, too. And you already have so much to do.", I explained.
He didn't respond with anything. I felt my eyes turn glossy.
"If that's what you want.", he said.
I lifted my head up at him. He was staring at the road, still with one hand on it.
"I would do anything to make you happy.", he continued.
"You're not a bad person," I responded, making him look up this time, "If anyone tells you differently then they know Dallas Winston, not Dal."
"You really are the best person I know. I hope you realize I'll still throw dish soap at you whenever I see you.", he said.
I laughed. "Same here."
We got back to the house and we both got out of the car and checked that all the doors were locked. I walked to the front porch and he branched down the street.
"Bye, Dal.", I said.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Y/N."
I opened the door and walked inside the house.
"Hey.", Johnny said standing in the hallway.
He was the only one downstairs, all the lights in the house were off except for the TV. I sped up to him and hugged him.
"What happened?", he asked.
"I broke up with him."
"With Dally?"
I nodded.
"It's okay.", he tried his best to comfort me, he wasn't the best at it, but it was the best I could get right now.
"What happened though?", he repeated.
I broke the hug and wiped my eyes with my hand.
"I knew it wouldn't work out, and we couldn't keep it a secret forever. Nothing would make it work, so I just broke up with him."
"I'm supposing that was a great month."
"The best month I've had in a very long time.", I responded.
"I don't know how to comfort you-"
"I can see that, Johnny."
He laughed, I managed to make a smile.
"I can say that you aren't the only one who was keeping secrets.", he said.
I was confused. "What?"
"Nothing.", he ignored, "Just go and get some sleep, your gonna need lots of it."
"Do I look tired?", I asked.
"Very."
I hugged him one last time and then made my way upstairs. It upset me to not be with Dal. There were so many things I didn't know about him. I didn't know his favorite color, I didn't know his parents names. I didn't know how many switchblades he owned, well, stole. But I knew his favorite ice cream flavor was gross. I knew that he liked playing pool with drunk guys, and that he cared about people that he trusted. He wasn't a criminal, he was a kid that everyone dismissed as a terrible guy. He deserved better than what he got, and most people don't.