BLACK SHEEP | DW

007.

"she was a storm. not the kind you run from. the kind you chase."
- r.h.sin

she wasn't used to being comforted. at least, that's what she figured sodapop was trying to do. ever since her transparency, he had made sure to never leave her side, like something in him wouldn't sit right if he did.

him and ponyboy engaged in conversation about something she found little interest in, and the other two boys were not in eye sight of the girl, so she lit another cig- to kill some time perhaps.

the summer breeze relaxed venus, it was finally a day without scorching heat. there was a certain energy knitted in the wind, one of excitement and anticipation. the girl wished so badly to be part of that, but alas found it painfully difficult.

she watched as everyone around her conversed so easily, they all fit in. miles and miles of unfathomable laughter, and the rare moments of silence were filled with half-hearted smiles.

it hurt, venus couldn't lie, that she had been way too shy for her own good. all she wanted was the ability to be as carefree as she once was, a small child who climbed trees until the world felt right.

but like anything, happiness is inconsistent, and right now venus knew, if she chose family over society, she might never rid of this bird who is trapped within her rib cage.

as the first sun rays melted into the earth, ponyboy looked to venus with expectancy. he looked at her more often than he intended, but he wanted to see if she saw the same bright, fiery hues as him. because then maybe, just maybe, she might be the same.

to his satisfaction he saw her stare at the sky with such an intensity, a way you could never look at shades of grey. he blushed as he watched the chocolate brown curls tumble in her face with the wind that blew past, and turned an even darker hue when she brushed them back flustered.

he partially wondered why she smoked, why someone so beautiful could do that to their body. sure, other girls he knew smoked too, not soc girls of course, but nonetheless he had seen other girls smoke. but to watch her take a drag out of the end of a cigarette felt wrong to him, and for just a moment he wondered if perhaps that was the way his brother felt about him.

with his eyes still inscribed in her flesh, he watched as her attention turned toward something else, or more accurately, someone else. tim shepard.

he approached them so stealthily, like an alley cat, that maybe pony wouldn't have even noticed him at all, and he wasn't alone. his sister, angela, followed awkwardly behind him and they stood themselves infront of sodapop and the girl.

"hey man," he said, patting soda on the back, but it wasn't a sincere greeting. sodapop had a feeling it was venus who attracted tim over to their gang. pony now approached the group, curious as to what shepard wanted. he rarely talked to them, if at all, only about rumbles or things of that nature.

angela looked to ponyboy shyly, and giggled out a hello. her school-girl crush was quite evident.

giving her nothing but a quick wave, venus internally cringed at the girl who so obviously had a liking towards pony. it was already clear he had little interest in her, and venus felt bad.

"well, are you going to introduce us to your new friend?" tim asks slyly to the younger boy, raising his eyebrows.

venus shrunk into herself a little, and feeling her clear discomfort, soda stood closer to her for maybe something similar to reassurance. "this is venus," soda says, placing his arm around her shoulder. she inwardly sighed a breath of relief, and she felt a sense of protection wave over her as the brothers posted themselves close to her sides. the exact opposite of what she felt last night with the socs at the nightly double.