Not What It Seems ||An Outsiders Fanfiction||

Chapter 7

"You gonna tell them when we get back to your place?" Leesha whispers in my ear as we get in the car. I shake my head.

"No! Are you nuts? I have a few days left of vacation still," I exclaim, quietly. She sighs.

"Ana, you have to tell them sooner or later," she says. I nod.

"I know, Leesha. Okay? I know. I'd rather pick later, though. I can do it on the last day and then go before I ever find out if they care or not," I explain my plan. She rolls her eyes.

"You can't just do that, though. It's like lying to them but worse because this is so important," she pries, getting a little bit louder.

"Okay. Fine, I'll do it soon, okay? Just shut up. I don't want anyone hearing you," I say. She scoffs, but in a playful way. We both laugh.

"Leesha," Darry says when we stop laughing, just as we park in the driveway.

"Yeah?" She responds.

"You're welcome to stay on the couch, or Ana's room if you feel comfortable. Are you staying with us for the rest of vacation or going back to your family?" He asks.

"Well," she responds, "When I told my parents that my best friend was in a car accident, they sent me out here, but we didn't get a return ticket. I guess if it's okay with you guys, I'll be staying for Christmas." I smile widely at her.

"That's more than okay, Leesha. That's great!" I exclaim. I can see Darry smiling through the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. We follow behind him and walk into the house see Two-Bit, Soda and Johnny Cade sitting on the couch.

"Hey guys," I smile at them. Two-Bit waves, not looking up, Johnny smiles at me and offers a quiet "Hi," while Soda runs up to me, engulfing me in a hug.

"Are you okay?" He asks. I nod, squeezing him back.

"I'm okay, Soda," I laugh, kissing my younger brother's forehead. He smiles.

"What about you, Dal?" Johnny asks from his spot on the couch. I watch as Dally, standing in between Leesha and I, smiles. His cheeks heat up, but it's barely noticeable to someone not watching.

"I'm okay, Johnnycake," he says, then goes to sit by him. Leesha and I make eye contact, silently excited about our friend.

"They're going to be so cute together!" She whispers. I nod.

"I'd be surprised if he ever asked him out, though. And Johnny would never make the first move. You know that," I tell her. She shrugs.

"Dallas Winston is fearless. He'll do it when the time is right," she assures me. But for some reason I don't think so. I mean, we're the only people that even know about his crush.

"I don't believe you," I whisper. She smiles.

"Fine. I'll just get the ball rolling then." That's when I get a bit nervous. Any time she says something like that, it doesn't end well. She'll end up telling everyone before Dally can even say a word.

I watch in silence, hoping it won't end as bad as I expect when she goes and sits on the arm of the chair next to him, commanding everyone to move over.

"You're a guest in our house, Leesha. You can't just tell us to move and expect us to listen," Dally sasses, but everyone else moves down, so he does too. Leesha laughs at him. I must have been the only one to notice him saying our house, like it's everyone's but hers.

"So, Dal. Are you going to tell him?" She asks. I almost gasp, but instead watch the scene unfold quietly. He doesn't make eye contact with her.

"Tell who what?" He plays dumb. She kicks him in the shin in response. I roll my eyes at her sorry attempt, but feel a bit relieved that she didn't say anything else. Maybe she won't say it before he's ready.

My best friend stares at Dallas.

"Soon!" He yells. I burst out laughing.

"Jeez, fine," she says, fake offended. But you can tell that he's actually kind of mad.

"Oh, hey, you know guys, Leesha and I are kind of tired. I think we're gonna go to bed. Right Leesh?" I interrupt, trying to get out of the awkward situation.

"Uh... sure," she says, getting up. I smile, then look to my younger brothers.

"You guys get some rest, okay? We can catch up tomorrow," I say. Darry nods in agreement.

"I'm going to head to bed. You two should go too," he says, referring to Soda and Ponyboy, who both get up and walk to their rooms, looking tired, and out of energy.

"I'm gonna get goin' too. Get boozed up at Bucks. See y'all tomorrow," Two-Bit says. Johnny and Dally are the only ones left other than Leesha and I. We both look at each other, smiling, and run into my room, shutting it behind us. Acting like little kids, we turn on the light and sit in front of the door, an ear each pressed up against it, listening to them.

"What's going on, Dal? Why did everyone just leave?" Johnny asks him. Leesha and I both eagerly await his response.

"I dunno, Johnny, but I do want to talk to you," he says.

"Ya do? About what?" Johnny responds, sounding confused and a bit worried.

"This is it," Leesha mouths to me, smiling. I stare into her big chocolate brown eyes, mesmerized. I could look at them for hours.

"I... I dunno how to say this... I just..." I take my ear off the door.

"Leesh, we really shouldn't be listening. We're invading their privacy," I say. She shrugs.

"Who cares about privacy? They're in your house," she argues. I sigh, feeling a bit guilty as I put my ear back to the door.

"Really? I-," Johnny's voice, but I take my ear off once again.

"What did I just miss?" I ask her. I notice she's been staring at me too, as she doesn't have to adjust to look me in the eye.

"It doesn't matter," she says. I raise an eyebrow.

"What?" Is my response.

"Ana," she whispers, scooting close to me. I scoot too, until we're basically in each other's laps. She takes my face in her hands, guiding me towards her.

Our lips collide.

A/N: You're welcome. Who else has been waiting for that?