He Was Mine, I Was His

Santa Monica

    "Hey man," one of Soda's cousins said as he walked towards us. 

    "Hey. Thanks for having us." Soda grabbed my hand and pulled me over. "This is my girl Marilyn. Marilyn, this is my cousin Tyler."

    "Nice to meet you," I smiled. "We really appreciate you letting us all come out here. Your place is beautiful."

    "Oh thank you. We're going to have a blast. We've got four bedrooms in the guest house and six in the main house. You all can take your pick of where you want to settle in," Tyler explained. 

    I was still in awe of how big this place was. Six rooms? What kind of house had six bedrooms?

    Tyler helped us carry all of our stuff in. Soda and I found a bedroom in the main house. It was really nice. It had a king size bed and a big closet. I definitely wasn't going to want to leave when the time came. 

    "This is really something isn't it?" Soda said, admiring the room as well. 

    "Oh yeah it is," I said plopping on the bed. "Wow this is so comfortable!"

    "Well we can enjoy the bed later. I want you to meet everyone else."

    Sodapop took my hand and led me downstairs. In the kitchen, Tyler was there with two other guys and a girl. Darry and Ponyboy were there talking to them.

    "Marilyn, these are the cousins you haven't met. This is Sam, Eddie, and Joan. Guys this is Marilyn. She's my girlfriend," Soda introduced. 

    "I love that top," Joan smiled. 

    "Thanks," I smiled back. "It's really nice to meet all of you."

    "You too," Sam replied. "Now Soda, I know Tulsa girls aren't this good looking. Where are you from Marilyn?"

    I laughed, "Florida."

    "I should have known."

    "Hey, I think us Tulsa girls are pretty badass Sam," Evie said as she walked in with Steve. The rest of the gang following closely behind them. 

    "Oh right of course. How could I forget about Evie," Sam said, walking over to her and kissing her cheek. I wondered how they knew each other. Whatever it was, I don't think Steve liked it. 

    "I don't think you've met Donna yet," Darry spoke up. "That's Johnny's new girl."

    "Well maybe you were wrong about Tulsa girls," Eddie smiled. Sam and Eddie seemed a little too flirtatious. I knew if they took it too far, this trip wouldn't end well. 

    "Will you two get off your testosterone high?" Joan asked. "They are our guests and if you didn't notice, they're taken. Save it for the beach party tonight."

    I smiled. Joan looked like she had a good head on her shoulders. I knew I would like her.

    "Y'all are having a beach party?" Two-Bit asked, excitedly.

    "Yep," Tyler confirmed. "It's supposed to be a real hoot."

    "Yeah yeah," Joan interrupted. "Until then, I say us ladies hit the pool. Get to know each other."

    "That sounds great,"Two-Bit said. "I'll get my swim trunks."

    Joan walked over to Two-Bit and patted his shoulder, "Maybe next time."

    I kissed Sodapop before going upstairs to find my swimsuit. I changed and made my way back down stairs. The boys had all made their way outside and Joan was making drinks in the kitchen. Donna and Evie were with her. 

    "Are we ready?" Joan asked. 

    "Born ready."

    "Groovy. Let's go."

    We walked out and got in the small pool. It felt so nice and the view was incredible. You could see the beach full of people. The beautiful waves. It was absolutely incredible. I couldn't wait to enjoy it later.

    "Sorry about my brothers," Joan started. "They're um, how do I put this nicely? They're lonely. They'll put the moves on just about anyone."

    "Just when I thought I was special," Evie laughed.

    "Yeah, what's going on between you and Sam?" I asked. 

    "They came up to Tulsa for a month a while back. Sam thought we had a thing going."

    "You're such a player," I joked. 

    We got to know Joan. She was older than us but she was cool. I mean really cool. She said she was a hippie and there would be a lot of hippies at the party tonight. Cindy would have fit right in. 

    We sat in the pool for an hour before we had dinner. After dinner, everyone got ready to go down to the beach. I stayed in my swimsuit but put on a pair of shorts. We all met back in the living room. I took Sodapop's hand and we made our way to the beach. 

    It was about a half-mile walk to the pier. There were quite a few people underneath. They had a fire going. Some people were throwing a Frisbee around, others kicking a soccer ball, the rest just sitting by the fire. When we walked up, Tyler tried to introduce all of us. I knew I would forget half of their names by the end of the night. We found a spot by the fire and sat down in the sand.

    We sat for a while just enjoying each other's company. I was leaning against Sodapop and he sang along with someone who was playing a guitar. It was like everywhere we went he was either dancing or singing. I loved it. 

    All of the sudden, as I was just sitting there, someone slammed their hands on my shoulder and yelled. I jumped and turned around. I couldn't believe it. Cindy was standing right behind me.