Titanium

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**WARNING: Profanity** 

The next morning, I felt less sore, but I was taking it easy. I walked downstairs as I seen my brother watching Mickey with cake and beer, his breakfast every morning. I sat at the kitchen table, eating slowly as I stared out the window. Just then, Keith's footsteps broke the silence. "Morning, sis," he said with a small smile. I smiled a little as well. 

"Morning. So, did you find the socs who jumped me?" 

As soon as I asked Keith, he started to smirk after he took the time to rummage through the refrigerator. He faced me once the door to the fridge was closed. "I sure did," said Keith, "got those bastards good. Their asses deserved to be kicked after laying their hands on my sister." I smiled at my brother. Everyone who knows my brother, including the gang, knows how protective he is of me. After all, I am his kid sister. As I got ready for the day, I still noticed the cut on my face, even though it was somewhat healing rather than bleeding. I walked to the nearby park as I started to wander again. I let out a quiet sigh, even though I was alone and nobody was walking beside me. I heard the sound of the blacktop scuffing beneath my low-top converse, the pebbles and rocks being stomped on as I walked. I place my hands in my jean pockets as I was almost at the park. As I got there, I sat on the swings. My mind wandered off even more, wishing my life wouldn't be as bad as it is now. As I seen a mustang drive by slowly, my heart started to beat rapidly. Luckily, it wasn't the same socs who jumped me; they were different socs. "Hey greaser!" one shouted. I started to speed walk away from them, but eventually, they caught up. They were about to jump me until Samara came. Out of our friends and I, she's the toughest, just like Dallas, her older brother that's in the gang with my brother. She grabbed one of the socs by the shirt, her blue eyes filled with fury. "Lay a hand on my best friend again, and your ass will be grass," she said angrily. The socs looked at her and then at me. They went in the mustang, and drove off. Samara looked at me, a calm expression on her face now. "Are you okay?" she asked me as her hand was on my shoulder lightly. I nodded slowly as I lowered my head. "They could have jumped me like the other socs, which explains this cut on my face," I softly told her. She examined it as she turned my head slightly. "Well, at least it wasn't deep when they first did it," she said, "the cut would've been very deep, which won't be good." I nodded. "Thanks for saving me, Samara," I said. "No problem," she said, "if I wasn't here, nor if I did not see you, they would've jumped your ass like the other socs." I nodded once more. We walked to the DX, which is a gas station in which Farina and Ferula's brothers Steve and Sodapop worked. There, we seen them sipping on Coca-Cola until they saw us. I had my hands in the pockets of my sweater as we walked over to them. Once we got to them, Farina looked over to me as I had my eyes locked on the blacktop. 

"Hazel, you okay? You seem rather distant."

As I snapped out of it, I looked at her. "Yeah, sorry," I said apologetically. She noticed the cut on my cheek. "Who gave you that cut?" Farina asked me. By the way she asked, I knew she was filled with worry and concern. "These idiotic socs," I told her, "I uh... got jumped last night." As soon as I told her that I got jumped, tears filled my eyes. As much as I hate crying in front of others, I couldn't help it. Farina hugged me with comfort. "I'm so sorry, Hazel," she said softly. "It's fine.. It's just that I'm sick and tired of getting jumped by these scumbags who do nothing but brag," I said as I sighed. I wiped excess tears away from my face. I looked at Farina. "Ever since then, all I can imagine is me running away, escaping all reality," I explained, "all there is here is loneliness and drama." I crossed my arms as I looked at the sunset. I never understood the beauty of it until Ponyboy told me about them. Farina sighed as she placed her hand on my shoulder. "Why don't all of us go somewhere far, somewhere that society isn't as shitty?" she asked in an almost whispered tone. "Where are we going to go, Farina?" I asked, "Society is shitty everywhere." "Relax, Hazel, I'll think of something," she said in an reassuring voice, "no need to be tense." As it was about to get dark, Farina and Ferula went with Steve and Sodapop as Samara and I walked home. She looked around to make sure nobody touches me. Moments later, we parted; I walked in my house as she walked home in the breeze. I thought about what Farina had said; maybe it was time for a change, time to explore the world like we never seen it before.