HE CAME BACK FOR HER
PONYBOY HAD RETURNED FROM A LONG DRIVE FROM WINDRIXVILLE, his legs were cramped up in the backseat. he had knots in his stomach but not from the car ride, from thinking of ways to get out of being grounded forever.
dallas kicked him out of the car so he could drive johnny to buck's and ask if he could get a room. ponyboy was left empty handed like the night he abandoned the crime scene. darry's truck was parked in the driveway, untouched for a day or a few hours max. ponyboy was confused to see what was happening, almost worried because darry never allowed himself to miss a day of work.
ponyboy walks into the house like it was nothing, there was darry lazily killing his liver with a fresh opened bottle of beer. he wore a dirty tank top with boxer briefs like he had just given up on his life. darry's head turned away from the tv for a minute to see who had just walked in, bottle drops to the floor with beer spilling out from it.
darry runs up to ponyboy and gives him the biggest hug ever.
"boy you got me drinking away my life." darry sniffled.
"i'm sorry, darry." ponyboy says plainly.
"you reek, hop in the shower, soda should be home any minute." darry instructed.
ponyboy nodded before turning into his bedroom, he felt something hit him when he looked at his bedroom for the first time. he started feeling the cotton sheets of his bed, pressing down on the mattress to remember it's comfort.
being away from home and coming back was a big transition for him. he had to deal with living in a dirty abandoned church that didn't even have a kitchen in it or bathroom.
"it's called a bed by the way." a voice chuckles behind him.
ponyboy quickly turns around to see sodapop standing behind him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. sodapop hugs him back with held in tears, out of the two of his brothers, only sodapop can get the waterworks out of ponyboy.
"gotta tell you, pony, we missed you like hell." sodapop tells him, "i searched high and low that i stopped by lilly's to ask about you."
ponyboy released from the hug and looked at his brother in confusion.
"what do you mean you went to lilly's?"
"reporters said she was last seen with you and apparently y'all were kissing." sodapop wiggled his eyebrows.
"soda, it was just a kiss." ponyboy reassured, "but i'm asking how it was like trying to get answers from her."
"awkward kind of but she said she hasn't heard from you." sodapop shrugged.
"shit!" ponyboy shrieks.
ponyboy then dashes out of the house in a hurry, sprinting down the street, people passing by all just stare him down until he fully ran past them. he wasn't even stopping to take a breather.
I WAS IN FRONT OF LILLY'S HOUSE, it was already sunset, no car was parked in her driveway. i pressed my palms against my knees to catch my breath, nearly hyperventilating. i limped my way up to her doorstep, holding my rib cage that was on fire after running for so long, usually i'd be okay after a mile but this time i was dying.
i knocked twice with my fist, hearing her neighbors whisper something to the person next to them. most of their eyes were on me like they had remembered me from the paper, maybe because they did know me from the paper.
lilly opened the door with her rollers still in her hair, olives hanging from the fingertips of her hand. her plain expression changed to a more angry look, almost slamming the door in my face but i pushed my palm against the door.
"lil, please!" i begged her, "let me explain myself."
"what's there to explain? it's pretty obvious you kill a soc, runaway, and not even bother to send me a letter or try to find the nearest phone booth to call me?" she scoffed, "you could've ask your stupid friend dally to send a message to me but no."
"it was hard to, dally only came for one day which was today and-"
"can you just save it, i want to give you more time to think of excuses." lilly rolled her eyes.
"i just had to ditch this place for a while, it wasn't safe for johnny and i to be here." i tried to explain.
lilly waved her arms up before dropping them back down, "i'm done listening, okay? so you can just walk yourself out because i've had enough."
"lil." i called, holding onto her arm.
"don't, touch me." she yanked her arm back, "i've had the worst week ever and i only have debra to talk to. i really was looking forward to ranting about my days to you, watching the damn sunset to escape from my house."
"lilly, we can still do that and-"
"do what, me sitting on the other side of the glass talking to you through a phone and divided by dirty stained glass?"
"please, i'm looking forward to it as much as you are." she scoffed.
there was an awkward silence, it came to a point where she only pictured me in the jailhouse.
"i really got to get going and i don't wanna hold you any longer, goodnight ponyboy." she backs away before shutting the door in my face.
i was left dumbfounded by the fact that she only pictured me in a jailhouse, away from home, and in for the murder of her brother's best friend. i knew something like this would happen, lilly was a determined and straightforward type of person, the type of person who can get mad if you don't talk to her for a while.
A BROKEN LOVE
