The Day I Left // The Outsiders

Chapter 9

My mom walked into the room.
"Hey girls Aunt Deb is starting to cut the cake you might want to come down"
Me ask Ellsa would normally jump up and be down stairs in two seconds for Aunt Debs famous cake but we were hurting to much we lost some important things coming back to our loved ones. My mom studied the room. She saw my bag and the letters and the paintings she smiled at the one of me and Johnny. Then she looked at me holding his shirts rubbing the fabric under my thumbs letting my tears fall onto it causing a deeper colored spot in some of the places on the shirt. I lifted the shirt to my face soaking in his scent and remembering the warmth if his body against my skin.
"You fell in love didn't you"
She said sitting done next to me and Ellsa. Me and Ellsa nodded in unison. I felt more tears pour from my eyes. I missed them more than anything right now. I fiddled with the necklace that hung around my neck. I forgot I had it on. The boys mad it for me before I left. I looked like a necklace you could get at the store with the colors but wasn't close. It had red fabric on it for Johnny, blue for Two Bit, orange for Soda, dark blue for Steve, black for Dallas, and gold for Ponyboy. I rubbed the fabric between my fingers just like I did with Johnny's shirt. Ellsa grabbed my hand. I knew that meant it's time to find our way back down stairs. I walked downstairs and like always my Uncle To, fought me off guard with a hug. Usually I would push him off but this time I didn't. He picked me up cracking my back like he always did when he did that.
"Hi rose thorn"
He chanted. That was my nickname also monster, monkey, ashmonster, and ash5monster01. I laughed at his statement. Maybe this is what I needed to get my mind off of the gang for a bit. We walked over and got cake and I sat next to Alyssa.
"How was Tulsa?"
She asked. I put another bite of cake in my mouth.
"More like how was Michigan?"
I said back once I finished. She laughed then looked at me playing with her food.
"Something different"
She stated. The last time I saw her she was 10 now she was 12 and she was a very beautiful girl I was amazed at her beauty at such a young age. I saw my cousin Lilly walk up to me.
"Ashley!"
She said hopping down into my lap.
"Lilly how old are you?"
I asked.
"9"
She answered. My little Lilly is 9 years old the girl who was 7 going on 8 when I left. I just couldn't believe it.
"Oh Lilly don't grow up on me anymore"
I said hugging her. She smiled.
"Okay"
She said. She was so much older now I don't know if I was going to handle much more if this. I looked around the room everyone had gotten older and it was easy to tell we missed chapters of each others life's. Johnny would never get to meet all of them. They were the most important people in my life and Johnny would never get to meet anyone other than Ellsa and Wake. The cousins would never ever even get to see me and Johnny together. Lilly looked at my necklace.
"Did you buy this?"
She asked playing with it. I giggled.
"No my friends gave it to me"
I said to her. She nodded.
"Why is there a heart with Johnny in the middle on the red piece. I looked at the necklace again. Each piece if fabric had a symbol for each of the boys. Then Lilly looked at me with a frown.
"I thought you were dating bob"
I laughed at her childlessness. Bob was an art project my dad made out of a mop when he was in grade school. Lilly was a tattletale when she was a kid so anytime me and her sister talked about my boyfriends around her we had to tell her it was bob and soon the word for boy friend became Bob. I loved that she still remembered.
"Lilly Bob's nickname is Johnny"
I stated. She smiled at me then went back to play with her other little cousins. I got up and walked over to where the adults were sitting. My Aunt Jen saw me.
"Well hello Miss Ashley"
She said.
"Hi"
I answered back as I normally would.
"I'm glad were all back together Florida was boring how was Tulsa?"
She asked. I sighed.
"It was something different"
I answered mimicking Alyssa's answer to me. She smiled and I walked off. Once everyone had left to return back to there old homes I went upstairs to my too. I shuttered at the thought of seeing those paintings as I climbed the stairs. I walked into my room and I grabbed the letters. I put them up on my wall where I had old birthday cards and pictures but nothing as important as this. I then went to the paintings. I smiled at each one of the boys faces. I put them up on my wall above the TV all in a row. I was going to miss those boys.