Golden

Three; Parks and Socs

Three; Parks and Socs

•••

{Linden's POV}

I wiped my eyes, looking up at the starry sky. In the summer, I would climb onto the roof of my house, and just lie there, trying to count as many stars as I could. I never got past two hundred before I would fall asleep.

I sat up, and leaned up against the fountain, looking down at my hands. My finger nails were bitten to the quick, and I had a callous on my middle finger from writing so much. I've never been a big fan of school, but English class was a good excuse to just write. Poetry, being my favorite. Yes, it can be a little tedious, but whenever I finish writing a new poem, I just feel like I've let everything down off my shoulders. My poems contain everything about me - of course, I don't just bluntly write it down on paper. That's what my diary is for - but rather, I just hide it behind words. I never let anyone read my work, except the teacher when I hand it in, but she never catches on. No one even knew that my parents abused me until I just blurted it out not even five minutes ago.

"Linden?" I jumped, and looked up, my eyes widening as I spotted Ponyboy and Johnny standing over me. "Please don't run away again," Pony added, holding his hands out in front of him as if he was showing he wasn't going to hurt me.

They sat down beside me, and I looked down at my lap, fiddling with my fingers to avoid looking either of them in the eye.

"Why didn't you ever tell anybody?" Johnny asked, gently placing his hand on my shoulder, but retracting it quickly when I flinched.

I shrugged, looking back up at the night sky. "I don't know, Johnnycakes. I just...I guess I just wanted to be normal. I didn't want anyone to think of me as the 'poor girl whose parents beat her and kicked her out of her own house.'"

Pony shakes his head side to side. "No Linden, no one would have thought of you different."

I turned my head to look at him, into the eyes that are more green than grey. "Yes, Ponyboy. You would. Everyone looks at me as if I'm some sort of angel, little miss perfect. I'm not perfect, and I'm certainly no angel. You guys are already starting to treat me like glass!"

"You're Dally's angel."

I look at Johnny, startled. "What?"

He smiles gently at me. "You're Dally's angel. He loves you, Linden. The whole gang knows that except you and him."

I draw my knees up to my chest, and hug them, burying my face into my arms. "No one loves me."

"Linden Beverly James, the whole entire gang loves you. Especially Dally. So don't you ever think no one loves you!" Johnny exclaimed, hugging me.

I buried my face into his neck, and pulled Pony into the hug.

We spent the rest of the night talking, until we fell asleep, looking up at the stars and dreaming of a place with no Socs or Greasers, that was filled with golden light.

•••

I woke up to someone shaking shaking me roughly by my shoulders. I yelped, and jumped away, before realizing it was only Pony. "What's wrong?" I asked him, dusting myself off.

"I gotta go! Darry's gonna kill me!" My eyes widened. How long have we slept for?

I stood from the ground, and noticed that Johnny had woken up to. "I'll come with you, Pony. You gonna stay here, Johnnycakes?"

Johnny nodded, lying back down.

Pony and I ran back to his place, and I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. Darry's gonna be pissed. So, so pissed.