Family Is Found (Sequel to Running Towards Home)

CHAPTER 4

ARLENE'S POV:

The boys have been keeping a close eye on me. They're worried. I keep assuring them I'm fine, but I still catch them looking at my wrists and arms to see if I have more bruises. My mom hasn't laid a hand on me lately, which is really nice. She's just yelling at me now. It might have something to do with the fact that she noticed the boys walking me home every night. She knows they're looking out for me, and she doesn't like it. I won't let that stop me, though.

I really like the gang. Johnny is the sweetest guy, and I love him to death. He may be quiet, but when he gets talking, he has a great sense of humor and he's very easy to talk with. He gives good advice, and he always knows how to calm me down when I get stressed about school or work. He's a genuinely good guy. He's pretty romantic sometimes, and it makes me want to swoon. Who knew I would be lucky enough to find a guy like Johnny?

JOHNNY'S POV:

I've been making sure to keep an eye on Arlene, making sure her mom doesn't injure her more. I haven't noticed any new bruises, and I've been making sure to walk her home whenever we're together. I always wait a few moments before leaving to make sure nothing happens. Arlene is so sweet, I don't understand how anyone could hurt her. She wouldn't hurt a fly.

The gang likes her too. Dally even said so. He told me that I was lucky to get a girl like that. He said they were one in a million. I've never met a girl like Arlene. She's not like most greaser girls. She would never cheat on me, not like Soda's ex Sandy. I had a girlfriend in the past, but it was short lived. She cheated with another guy, blamed me, and then threw a tantrum. Not a great girl. Arlene's not like that, though. I really love her. I think she feels the same way.

SAM'S POV:

It's been about a month and a half since we got back to school. Cherry has made my day at school a living hell. She gives her friendly reminders to me every day, that I'm worthless, no one would miss me, and the all time favorite, Pony loves her instead. I try to ignore it, but it hurts.

It chips away at me each time. I haven't told Pony about it, since I can handle this on my own. Plus, he would beat up Cherry for me, which is not ideal, no matter how much I would love it to happen. Eventually Cherry will lose interest in me and move on to torturing the next poor soul. I just have to survive until then. But I can feel myself sinking.

I feel like I have a black pit in my stomach, slowly devouring me from the inside. It hurts. It whispers to me, repeating what Cherry says, trying to make me fall apart. I try not to listen to it, but sometimes it gets the better of me, and I find myself thinking, what if I just disappear? Would anyone even notice I was gone? And if they did, would they care?

I'm drawn out of my thoughts by a hand on my shoulder. "Hey Sam. How ya doing?" I turn around and see Pony. I give him a quick peck on the lips. "Good. I'm ready for the day to be over," I admit. "Me too. Just one more period to go. Oh, and Johnny told me that him and Arlene are walking over to the Dairy Queen for a date, so it's just us walking home." the bell rings, and I tell him goodbye. Pony is so cute. He always makes sure to say hello to me in the halls between classes. It's the only part of school I actually enjoy.

The last class period passes by slowly, the clock barely moving. By the time the bell rings I feel like I've been here for at least a decade. I get my stuff and meet Pony outside. He grabs my hand, and we start the walk home. "It's so nice out today. Too bad this is the last bit of summer we have for a while." I say sadly.

Pony thinks for a second, then looks at me, his eyes bright. "I have an idea. Come on!" he starts dragging me towards the house, running as fast as he can without leaving me behind. We get into the house, and he runs to the kitchen. "What are you doing?" I laugh. "Wait and see!" He yells, running out of the kitchen and coming back with a blanket. I hear clattering in the kitchen, and I can only hope he isn't breaking anything.

A few minutes later he finally comes out, and he has a bag in one hand and a blanket in the other. "Follow me!" He says, and leads me to a field a little away from the house. We can just see the house from here, but we can't hear any of the noises from the cars on the street. It's nice. Pony lays out the blanket, and I sit down next to him. I can hear the birds chirping in the tree above us. Pony reaches into the bag and pulls out some food.

He hands me a sandwich, a soda, and pulls out a bowl of strawberries to share. "I thought we could have a picnic out here!" He says, excited. I turn to him. "This is perfect." I say, and kiss him. We sit and eat, looking up at the sky. We talk for hours, and before I know it, the sun is already starting to set. We must have been out here for hours. We watch the sunset, and then we pack up and head back towards the house. This was the best day ever.