Smarty | A Curtis Sister Story

8

A/N before this part starts, I just want to warn you guys. The italicized sections shows that Smarty is in a dream. Some of them might be uncomfortable to read. I try not to make them too graphic, but some people just don't like dark stuff. Reader discretion is advised. 

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I am standing in the middle of a busy street. Cars are zooming all around me. They're honking and drivers are yelling at me, but I couldn't move. I was planted into the cement. I struggle to get my feet free, but it's like I was wearing boulder shoes. I didn't know what to do.

I scream at the top of my lungs for help, but no one heard me. I holler again and again and again, no answer. I was just going to give up when the gang showed up on the side of the road.

I belted at them 'Guys! Guys! Save me! Someone come get me! Please guys, c'mon! I'm going to die!' It was like they didn't hear me, they stood like statues on the sidewalk. The cars kept whirling past, some missing me by mere inches.

Suddenly, one car was heading right on towards my body. My stomach drops as I called for the boys to help me again. They didn't hear me, just like last time. I was going to get hit.

When the car was about twenty feet away, it started to move extremely slow, like time was lagging. It looks as if there's no one driving the car, which is impossible. The boys' voices came clear in my mind —

"Go Smarty go!" Pony belts.

"Keep going Smart, you got this!" Darry shouts. My breathing got tougher suddenly, I have to pant to get air into my lungs.

"She won't make it." Steve remarks. It was much quieter than the yelling from the rest of the boys.

"Look where you're going, there's a cliff!" Soda warns me, barely audible. What cliff? There's nothing here but a car, hurdling right towards me. It inches closer and closer to me.

"Watch out Smarty!" Johnny bellows.

It was right there, I wouldn't be saved. I braced myself for impact, then ...

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I shoot up from my bed, breathing heavily. I felt around my body, everything was okay. No cuts, bruises, nothing. My throat is dry, probably from all the screaming I was doing. I look over at my clock, it was three in the morning. I'm very shaken up, still really scared. I start to cry a little, but there's no way I would let them fall. This wouldn't make me break down, no way.

I decide to lay back down when Darry barges in my room. "Smarty? Are you okay?" He rushes to my side, turning on my desk lamp. He only had on a pair of shorts, it was hot in our house for some weird reason. He looks at my tear-filled eyes. "Oh baby."

He sits down next to me, pulling my into his warm body. I finally let go, a tear sliding down my cheek. I loathe crying, as I have said before. I don't want to seem delicate, especially not in front of Darry.

"Shhh, its okay Smarty." He calmly tells me, brushing my hair with his fingers. I start to cry harder, shaking my shoulders a little bit. "It was just a dream. It's okay, shhh."

What is wrong with me? I never cry this much. Uh, I hate feeling helpless. He keeps shushing me and now he's rubbing my upper arm.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asks me after a while of silence. He picks my head up from his arm.

I explain the dream, I told him about the driver-less car and the gang not moving, and then yelling things that don't make sense. I'm still crying through the whole explanation. I wipe my eyes, "I hate crying." I laugh and sniffle. "It makes me feel vulnerable."

"Ya know," he says quietly, "it's okay to cry sometimes." He then wipes a fresh tear off my cheek with his thumb. He smiles and winks at me. I definitely don't deserve him. He might not seem like it sometimes, but he's the best big brother anyone could ask for. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

"Yeah." I say and get up with him. Anytime I have a nightmare, it's easier to fall asleep in a different room. I'm not sure why, it's always been like that. We cross the hallway into his room, and I get under the covers on the opposite side of where he was resting.

He pulls me closer to him, and I lay on his arm. Right before I drifted off to sleep, he says, "I love you Smarty." I didn't answer him back. 

———

It was Saturday and everybody had the day off, so we were all going to play football. Two-Bit said he found a better, grassy area we could play instead of playing at the lot or the park. It was totally deserted when we got there.

We all bunch up in a circle when everyone was present. I lean over to Two-Bit. "Two," I ask, "how'd you find this place?"

"Last night I was wandering through town drunk and I stumbled upon this beauty." He says, looking around.

I glare at him. "Two, you gotta stop drinkin'."

"I will when you turn into my mother." He answers, laughing up a storm. A smile creeps onto my face, his laugh was definitely contagious.

We split up into our normal teams: Steve, Dally, Sodapop and Two-Bit were on one team while Johnny, Pony and I got Darry because he was the best player.

A/N I know very little about football (I kind of hate it) so I'm sorry if I get things incorrect.

We played for about an hour, and we were down by three. We huddle up. Darry starts talking, "Okay, Pony you distract Dally while Smarty runs. I'm going to throw it to you, then run as fast as you can to make the touch-down. Steve will be hard to cross, but I believe you can do. Win on three: one, two, three!" We all yell "win!" and put our hands in the air.

We sat in our positions while Darry picks up the ball. He moves side to side, waiting for me to be open while I'm running towards the end. Steve was watching me like a hawk and following me swiftly, but I finally got away from him.

"Go Smarty go!" Pony yells to me. Everyone's eyes were on me in this very big moment. I can't mess this up, it wins us the game.

"Keep going Smarty! You got this!" I started to reach my limit of regular breathing while running. I start to huff while I pump my legs faster.

"She won't make it." Steve says to Dally as we run past him. I'm having major Deja Vu right now. I dodge Dally's tackle and keep going.

I turn around, and Darry throws me the ball. I catch his pass swiftly and keep running towards the end zone.

"Look where you're going, there's a cliff!" Soda yells, barely audible over the wind in my ears.

I make it to the end-zone and throw the football down. I start to joyfully scream, and decide to take a victory lap.

"Watch out Smarty!" Johnny bellows as I run with my eyes shut, feeling the air in my lungs and on my grinning cheeks. I would be fine, it's all flat land. I stop right at the edge of the cliff.

I open my eyes, and before I could stop, I started to tumble down the cliff. The dirt wasn't strong enough to hold me, I realize while falling.

When I hit a hit a tree branch, I blacked out.