My Life As A Greaser(An Outsiders Fanfiction)

Chapter Three: Drunk is the New Normal

For the next few months, everything was going good. My mom hadn't gotten drunk for a while, I was doing good in school, and I had friends. The gang were real friends to me, not like my friends back in Chicago who only wanted to be my friend to raise their social status. We always had a great time, and I could be myself around them. I didn't have to worry about wearing the latest trends, or using the coolest new saying. One night, after a particularly fun and crazy night at the movies, my worst fears came true. As soon as I walked through the front door to my house, I could smell alcohol in the air. I turned to the couch, and saw my mom sitting there with a half-empty beer bottle in her hand. It looked like she was asleep. There was a big pile of empty bottles sitting innocently by her feet. I hated it when my mom got drunk, especially now because it hadn't happened in such a long time, so I just ignored her. As I shuffled to the stairs, I heard a bottle drop and break upon hitting the splintery wooden floor.

"Where do you think you're going?" she slurred, clumsily standing up, and wobbling over to me.

"I'm going upstairs," I muttered, pushing past her. She yanked my ponytail, and turned me to face her.

"Rude little bitch!" she cried, and slapped me across the cheek with all her strength. The room was silent and still, time freezing. No one in my family had slapped me. Ever. I let out a small squeak, and ran. I ran until my lungs hurt, collapsing in an old, abandoned lot. Small sobs escaped my throat every time I opened my mouth to gasp for air. The air burned my throat and I wished I had water or something to moisten my mouth. Orange leaves crunched under my weight. Trees canopied the space. A pile of firewood stood lonely on the curb. The bruise on my cheek was already forming, I could feel it. It was a chilly, fall - almost winter night-, but the tears running down my cheeks were warm. I felt hopeless, as I had no idea where I would live. But it sure wasn't with my mom. I considered asking my dad, but I doubted he would want me. After my mom caught him in bed with another woman, my dad moved in with his 'girlfriend' and her two daughters, seventeen year old Taylor and two year old Emma, faster than it took my mom to call a divorce lawyer. 2 months later he proposed and they got married within the year. Neither me nor my mom attended the wedding. I really liked my stepsisters, but my dad didn't like mixing his two families, so I had only met them once. Looking up, I realized there was a figure walking towards me. It was Ponyboy. Shit, I thought to myself, I'm in no mood to talk, and I probably look horrible.

"Hey Hannah, what's- whoa, are you okay?" he asked, taking in my bruise and the makeup smudged all over my face. I could also feel leaves stuck in my hair and grass clinging to my tear filled face.

"I-I-I'm fine," I stuttered, trying to hide my face.

"You're anything but fine," he murmured skeptically, "Why don't you come back to my house, and we can talk there, it's freezing out here, and you're not even wearing a coat," I rubbed my bare arms, noticing I hadn't grabbed a coat in my rush to get out of that alcohol filled prison of a house. He gave me his signature leather jacket, put a comforting arm around my shoulder, and led me back to his house.

Thankfully, when we walked in the house, there was no one there. Ponyboy sat me down on the threadbare couch, and calmly asked me what had happened. I told him the story, and when I finished, he pulled me in for a hug. I hugged him back tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.

"What's all this racket? I'm trying to sleep," Darry walked in complaining. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just blue striped boxers, and his dark hair was tousled.

"Can Hannah sleep on the couch tonight?" was all Pony asked.

"Yeah sure, just keep it down," Darry ordered. Ponyboy set up the couch for me, then went to his own bedroom. I couldn't sleep that night. Only as the first ray of sunlight came up, did I finally drift off into a light sleep.