Infatuation

Chapter 17

"What are you doing?" Someone yells. My eyes jerk open. In the doorway stands Dally. Why is he mad?

   "Whats wrong?" I ask. Dally gives me an incredulous look.

   "Did he sleep in here?" He spits out. I roll my eyes at him.

   "Yeah. He did. I didn't want to have a nightmare so he stayed with me. You need to calm down," I explain.

   "Calm down? You want me to calm down-" I cut off his ramble.

   "Do you share rooms with girls?" I ask. This is not what I expected to wake up to.

   "Thats not the same!" Dally yells. He is getting frustrated.

   "You're right. It is different. You do a lot more than share a bed with these girls. I know you do. We didn't do anything. Didn't you say that Sodapop was a good kid?" I ask.

   I put my feet on the floor and stretch.

   "He is a good kid. You are too young for him, though," Dally says.

   "When did you start dating?" I ask.

   "Thats none of your business," Dally looks away.

   "Then that same principal stands for this situation, too." I state.

   "Dal, she is 16. She can make her own decisions," Sodapop chimes in.

   "But you are 18," Dally says.

   "17. And it is perfectly fine to date someone a year older. Lord knows you do it all the time," Dally sighs.

   "Fine. You two do what you want," he says.

   "Thank you," I say. Dally rolls his eyes and walks away.

   I turn to Sodapop once Dallas is gone.

  "I'm sorry about that," I tell him. He smiles at me.

   "It's okay. He's just being difficult," he looks me up and down. He raises an eyebrow, "I didn't know your hair could get this bad," I playfully push his shoulder. He barely even sways.

   "If you want to talk about hair we could always talk about yours. I had no idea it could get so fluffy," I tell him. He runs his fingers through his hair trying to flatten it.

   "It's cute," I say with a shrug.

   "I guess your bed head is kinda cute, too," he tells me. I let out a giggle.

   I get some of my clothes and go to the bathroom. I study my face in the mirror.

   The discoloration is almost completely gone. Just a light yellow and green in some places. My nose is a little crooked, but you can only notice it if you are specifically looking for a broken nose. I have my natural color back in my face.

   My cheeks are a light pink. I have some lighter color skin at the top of my eyebrows from a bad sunburn I got this last summer.

    I have a scar on the corner of my lip from when I got in a fight with a girl at school. She had a ring on and it sliced my lip up pretty badly. It would be more noticeable if I weren't so pale.

   Even with rosy cheeks my skin looks like it could be translucent. I've tried to tan but I just burn badly and then it peels off.

   I turn the water on and undress while I wait for the water to get warm. I pull back the shower curtain and test the water with my hand.

   The bathroom door swings open. I hurriedly grab the towel from the counter and hold it up to me.

   Sodapops head pops into the bathroom. His eyes travel up and down and I am momentarily in shock.

   "Get out!" I yell at him. He seems to snap out of some kind of gaze. His eyes snap up to mine. His face gets unbelievably red.

   "I'm sorry!" He yells back. The door slams shut and I run to lock it. I place my head into my hand.

   How could I have forgotten to lock the door? God, I am so stupid.

   Yelling pierces my ears. It sounds like Dally. He must be yelling at Sodapop. I bring my hand over to check the water again. Its shaking badly. I clench my fist shut so it won't shake anymore.

   I drop the towel and step into the shower. The water is the same temperature as my burning face.

   The yelling slowly dies down as I scrub my head with soap.

   "Hey, Monroe?" Someone knocks at the door.

   "Yeah?" I call out.

   "We are going to the store. Do you want anything?" Dally asks.

   "Yeah. Can you get me some rootbeer?" I ask.

   "RootBeer?" Dally asks.

   "Yeah.." I tell him.

   "Yeah. I can get you RootBeer." He says. I can imagine him shaking his head.

   Once I am done in the shower I get dressed and brush my hair. I apply a little bit of makeup to make the blue in my eyes pop.

   I cross the threshold into the livingroom. No one else is home. Its the first time it has truly been quiet in this house since I've been here. Its nice.

   I sit on the couch. A loud car drives by and then stops. It sounds like it is coming into the driveway. I peak through the curtains.

   The car looks just like my Dad's. It even has the same dent in the front. My mouth drops open. It can't be. A man steps out of the car. It doesn't look like my Dad from the back. He turns around. It is my Dad.

   "Shit!" I whisper yell. I run to the door and lock it and then run to the kitchen to grab a knife. God knows what he is going to do.

   As I enter the kitchen I almost run into Sodapop. He grabs me by my hands and holds me still.

   "What's wrong?" He asks.

    "My Dad. He's here. What do I do?" I ask. Im starting to panic.

   "Stay in here. Don't let him see you. I'll take care of it," he lets go of my hands and gently pushes me farther into the kitchen, "do not make any noise." He says. I nod my head. There is a knock at the door.