inspired by The Outsiders
I whistled on my bike, wind hitting my face as hard as I was throwing the papers in the mailboxes.
Sometimes I'd quit and just throw then at the doors or straight into people's arms.
When my uncle Jimmy offered to let me deliver the mail in the morning for Tulsa Times, I jumped at the chance. After all, nobody was laughing when there was a wad of cash in your back pocket.
My parents never laughed either living on the rough side of Oklahoma City. It didn't matter how clean our clothes were, we were always dirty and poor. They were unhappy but I wasn't. I didn't need money since I didn't have to friends to spend it with but two kids under one roof was no cheap bill every day.
Having kids was like rent that never ended, not even when you die.
14 Lewis Avenue was a little strange with tiny cat ornaments all over the porch and couple in the front window. The blinds closed aggressively as soon as I glanced at them making me jump in my saddle. I knew my butt would be sore from this tomorrow but at least it was the weekend and I didn't have school until the end of summer and we were only a day in.
12 Lewis Avenue had a pretty red door that stood out from the rest but the decaying walls surrounding it made it blend in with the rest. It reminded me of myself and how I could be different but really I was just a poor girl in an even poorer city.
At least I weren't no greaser, using my time to go out of my way to make others afraid and miserable. I saw them when I reached 10 Lewis Avenue when a converse stuck out in front of my front wheel and I broke harshly before even getting to toss the paper.
I gasped, eyes glaring.
"What's your deal dropout?"
My eyes trailed up the jeaned leg that went on for about 3 whole minutes, not even getting to say the 't' at the end of the sentence. A really tuff face was waiting for me, eyebrows furrowed without even needing to move his face. It was Dallas Winston and his gang of flakes.
Afterall everybody who was anybody knew all about Dallas Winston, he was a real criminal.
The greasers.
There were about 5 of them behind him, clothes all taken from movies and hair glistening with grease that made my eyes water with its strength. They were the people that the news spoke about when someone was found limp at the corner of a street or that my parents spoke about with stranger danger.
And, here i was face to face with 6 of them.
My chances of getting out of this alive were slim to none.
"What a smart-talking girl for a grungy place like this," Winston spoke, cigarette hanging lazily from his lips.
I wanted to cough but i was afraid I'd get yelled at for moving or making a sound. Frankly, my fear of getting yelled at by these greasers was stronger than my fear of lung cancer and death itself.
"What are you doing girly, catching some rays?" another piped up from behind, he was handsome and slicker than the rest, grease from cars littered in fingerprints over his white undershirt without any shame.
"Just doing the round," I stutter holding up a paper for them, there was nothing I could offer them other than those papers and that would be kinda lame.
"That's real sweet," a guy chuckled from Winston's left, who's Mickey shirt almost made me chuckle with him if only I wasn't so scared.
My palms start to ache as I grip my handlebars so tightly, having to shift a million times in my seat as I seemed to be cruising with some greasers in the street.
"Why haven't we seen you before?" a strong tuff guy asks from the back, squinting with the sun and flexing his exposed biceps, not on purpose.
My eyes grew wide and I drew my focus back to the criminal in front of me.
"I started today. My uncle runs the printing department. He gave me a shot," I never knew what small talk was until that day where my sentences weren't even sentences and just murmurs of words scrambled together for the guys.
They all nodded in unison, glancing at each other and I take a step back with the silence. When silence comes anything could happen so I get ready to bolt.
"We were just talking and I think you'd be perfect to tell us. Who'd you date out of us?"
Dallas Winston let that question slip out of his mouth with ease and as soon as it did, the countdown to my explosion began.
"How am I-"
"Don't mean to bug you doll but who's the most handsome?"
They all wait for my answer and I honestly didn't know how this was gonna play out.
If I told one of them would they beat me up for not choosing them?
If I chose none of them would they slam me for not listening?
If I said all of them would they make me choose again?
If I ran away would they know where to find me?
"We all think you're real fox honey and we just wanted to know who you'd date out of us all, just for peace of mind, just so we know who to kill off later. Unless you chose me of course," the middle Curtis brother grinned from the background, kissing me up so that I'd choose him.
Thinking.
Thinking.
Thinking.
I pull my dry eyes up from the concrete below me, from the battered sneakers to glance at Winston. My eyes told the entire story so I didn't have to embarrass myself with my mouth. His smirk began to come alive but it was only until I nodded at him that he had to bite his lip to hide it.
"The lady has spoken, let her pass," and what was said was done, a path was made for me in the middle and before I sped off I rode up close to Winston.
"Here's your paper Winston," I shove a paper into his chest so he stumbles back and I ride off into the calming wind.
I could hear the commotion behind me, the screams of jealousy and insecurity with a couple of wolf whistles. I rode off to the rest of the morning with a smile on my face and a name on my lips. That was the first time I spoke to a guy like Dallas and I knew it wouldn't be the last.
