Running from The Past

Pity

"Good Morning" I opened my eyes to see my mother leaning down kissing my forehead.

"Morning," She smiled sweetly at me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine, I'd rather get up now than later." I said sitting up.

"I'd love to stay and have breakfast with you, but I have to get going. Love you, be good."

"Love you too"

"Oh and Clare bear?" She said standing in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't spend your Saturday cooped up in the house. Go make some friends." She smiled warmly as I nodded in agreement.

  I walked into my closet and got changed into a black and white polka dot dress, and pulled my hair into a half pony tail with a black bow. I slid on my black flats and touched up my makeup with red lipstick.

~

"Hey Pony" I said walking through the front gate of his house.

"Hey Clara." Pony smiled as he sat on the front porch steps.

"What's up?" I sat down next to him.

"Dallas got out of the hospital." He sighed.

"That's good, I guess."

"Yeah, he's inside with the rest of the gang."

"Oh," I sat up straight looking back at the door. "Why aren't you in there with them?"

"I don't feel like being in there. I feel like I'm by myself without-" He stopped.

"Without Johnny?" I lowered my voice and asked softly.

"Yeah.."

"Well, if makes you feel any better, I'll go in there with ya. That way you're not alone." I sympathetically smiled.

"Okay." We got up and headed inside.

"Hey Clara-belle." Two-Bit smiled as we walked in.

"Hi" I waved and kept to myself.

"Hiya!" Sodapop came in as we exchanged a smile.

"What's up?" Steve spat as he stuffed his face with chocolate cake.

"Nothing new, just kinda bored."

"All your Soc friends busy?" I turned around to see Dallas standing in the corner with his arms crossed.

"Nice to see you too." I rolled my eyes.

"So all of a sudden you think you can just show up here?"He snapped at me.

"You do, don't you?" Steve and Soda chuckled a little at my remark.

"Dal, can you try to be a little nicer to the girl?" Darry asked sharply as he started to head out the door for work.

"No promises" Dallas rolled his eyes looking at me.

""Clara?"

"I'll try my best." I said as he nodded and walked out.

"Well we better get going too." Soda sat up from the chair with Steve tagging along behind him.

"You stopping by later, Clara?" Steve asked.

"Most likely." I grinned as they walked out the door.

"And than there were three." Two-Bit sighed as he walked out from the kitchen holding a beer.

"You guys wanna go to the nightly double tonight?" Pony asked trying to take the tension out of the room.

"I'm in! I haven't been there yet." I sat down beside him as Two-Bit put on Mickey Mouse.

"Oh golly, won't that be just grand." Dallas smirked making fun of me.

"I do not talk like that." I looked over at him as hard and cold as possible.

"You got me shaking in my knees!" He threw back his head and laughed.

"Why don't you go hang out with people your own age for once."

"And how old would you be missy?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Ah, c'mon."

"17 this month." I said carelessly, but for some reason he stared at me emotionless.

"What did I do?" I asked.

"It's nothing Clara." Pony whispered over to me.

"Stop looking at me like that." I snapped at Dallas. He just got up and walked out the front door without saying a word.

"What was that all about?"

"You just remind him of an old friend." Two-Bit took a sip of his beer.

"Oh..." I got up and headed out the front door.

"What do you want?" Dallas asked firmly as he took a smoke of his cancer stick.

"I'm sorry" I looked down at my feet.

"I don't need your pity." He snapped.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I questioned him, trying to understand.

"I don't like people." He said dazing off into the sky.