TACENDA // Sodapop Curtis

The Bedroom

"Rise and shine dumbass.'' I got flicked in the head, triggering a massive migraine. I was in Dally's room? "What the hell?'' I sat up. "Take this, dumbass." he said, handing me pain killers. "Now when I said you needed to have fun, I didnt mean take on fights with people and be all over them." he started to lecture me. What the fuck did I do last night?

"What's I do?" I asked. He lit up a cigarette. "You kissed me." He laughed. I put my face in my hands. "You blacked out, nothin to be embarrassed about." He patted me on the shoulder and put a shirt on. "We didn't fuck, did we?" I asked him, downing the painkillers and water. "Fuck no, you ain't my type." he told me. "Good. Wouldn't want to get your cooties on me." I mumbled. He laughed as he walked out the door.

–

"Look what the cat dragged in," My dad said as I walked into the house. "I can smell the booze from a mile away." he poured a glass of water. "Dont even try to tell me you didnt drink, your Curtis friend gave you up." that made me sober up all the way.

"The one with freckles?" I asked, he nodded. "Came in askin' where you were, I said with Andy. you lied." he told me, I rolled my eyes. "Cmon dad, you lied when you was my age too." I told him. "When I was your age, it was World War II. So I had to lie to not die, dumbass." He told me, I rolled my eyes and went to my room.

I put on some new clothes and straightened up my hair. No way Soda gave me up. My hair wasn't really a mess, just hard to look at. It was honestly almost white which contrasted with my bright green eyes at the moment. I guess thats what a hangover gives you, brighter eyes.

I walked out the door and to the Curtis household, where I could hear laughter and whatnot. I honestly felt bad messing up their perfect Sunday Afternoon, but who cares. Mr. Pretty Boy gave me up to my fucking dad... Do you know how bad it is?

I walked through the front door, they all smiled when they saw me, except Soda. "what brings you," Two Bit asked me, I just held my hand out to stop him from talking to me. "You." I pointed at Soda, he was basically already making his way to me. He had an apologetic look on his face as he walked past his friends. We walked out into his front yard, then it started.

"Look, Madeline, im sorry-" I cut him off. "You went to my fucking dad?!" I raised my voice a bit. He put his hands on my shoulders. "Please dont raise your voice," he asked me. "You went to my damn house and asked my dad if I was okay, why?" I asked, my voice was raspy and I couldn't really get to a yelling level.

"Madeline, you had about 10 different guys on you," he said, looking to his left then looking back at me. "I took my eye off you for one second and you were gone." he said. "Dallas said I slept in his bed, so what?" I asked. "Really?" he asked, getting into the same mood as me. "Ya know, i'd like a thank you for caring about you." he said, now what the hell was that supposed to mean.

"A thank you?!" I asked him. "Soda, Im 17 years old, I dont like one of my friends giving me up to my daddy!" I told him sarcastically. "I was worried about you," he said. "Goddamnit Madeline, you gotta let people care about you once in a while. You dont have to do everything by yourself." he told me, I didnt really understand him at all.

"I just- I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you." shit. Now I feel bad. "I wasn't worried about you when you had girls all over you, why am I different?" I asked. His eyes changed from determined and worried to heartbreak and the look that gives you the 'are you serious' speech. His eyes were so emotional and pretty, I couldn't keep mine off his.

"I wasn't a blackout drunk like you were." He told me. "You just let yourself go, and I didn't want anything to happen to you." he said calmer. "It may not seem like it, but I really like you, even if you did disappear for two years." he told me. I just smiled a bit, letting the tears well up in my eyes a bit until they got so full they dropped. Soda wiped them away with his thumb, such a typical thing for Soda to do.

"Youre such a dick man," he pulled me into a hug, I hugged him back. "Yeah, how about no more parties?" he asked, making me laugh a bit and lightly hit his back. "Parties are lousy anyway." I mumbled into his shoulder. "Thats my girl from the rodeo." he said. That thought just made me smile. He remembered how happy I used to be, not the harsh one I was now.