Ain't No Fool

Chapter Fourteen

Tex tossed and turned in his new bed or should I say bunk bed? He hated his new room. It was designed with a huge theme of blue and baseball. Trophies lined the walls and old jerseys hung, framed, on the walls. Old team pictures draped the room. Tex was suffocating.

Turning onto his side he could hear the heavy breathing of Joshua from the bed above. Though Tex had no reason to start a fight, he could feel one coming. Joshua was polite but had a look his eye that told Tex it was a bunch of bull.

Since sleep was reluctant to come Tex decided to go and check on Dakota. She was probably scared of this new house. Her new room was the size of their old house.

Silently tip toeing out of the baseball room he moseyed into Dakota's room. The room was bright pink with ballerinas all over. Tex chuckled a bit; Dakota despised ballerinas and despised the color pink even more. Tex had to be watchful that D didn't morph into a Soc.

Seeing her sleeping peacefully in her big huge queen sized bed he quickly closed the door. The sight of her sleeping in a soc's bed with comfort was very, very scary. He had to get the image out of his mind.

Walking down the grand staircase and into the kitchen he felt the rumbling of a starving stomach. He hadn't eaten much at dinner for fear of defying his greaser roots... he knew this was breaking some big greaser rule. If it wasn't then why was there such a big tension between the two sides?

Opening up the fridge Tex noticed that he wasn't the only one up late. He could hear the presence of a person at the table... a girl... Missy.

"Hey," Tex said quietly as he noticed her sitting at the table sipping tea.

She nodded at him in return with a small smirk.

Tex could feel that something was not right. She was too much like Johnny... was she abused? At this rate Tex knew that she was not the Greenberg's daughter. The way Mrs. Greenberg addressed her, the way they didn't even note her as their daughter. But Tex wondered had she come from an abusive family? Did the Greenberg's beat her?

Turning back to the fridge Tex looked and saw nothing. All of their food was organic and fresh...stuff Tex didn't like. Tex wanted regular food from the mini mart... not some Organic Fields crap.

Tex heard a sigh and turned. That was the first sign Tex had heard of life from the young girl, "Nothing good in there?" She asked.

Tex turned away from the fridge, surprised that she had spoken, "Yea," he replied.

"You'll get used to it," she said silently.

"So you're not a Greenberg," Tex said happily. He knew it.

Missy nodded, "Nope. I'm a greaser."

"Knew it..." Tex replied, "The Converse were a pretty big give though."

"Surprised ya haven't heard a' me," she replied.

Tex thought for a second. He had never heard of a young girl named Missy. In fact Tex had never even met a girl named Missy before, "Nope."

"Yea ya must a' been on the better side," Tex silently disagreed to himself. He was on a pretty bad side of town but he knew there were worse places. Missy noticed that Tex didn't know who she was so she continued her story, "I'm Missy, Mark's daughter. I don't know if ya know Ponyboy Curtis bu-"

"I know Ponyboy!" Tex cried, "He's my girlfriend's father."

Missy continued, "Well he used to know my father, Mark, 'fore he went off to jail for sellin' drugs. His best friend Bryon put him there though. My Dad was tryin' to help out his family and his own brother put him in jail. Ain't right," Missy said sadly.

"So who's your mother?" Tex asked.

"Girl named Angela Shepard. She used to date Bryon but she cheated on him one night with my dad when they were seventeen. After my dad was put in prison my mother had me and then..." Missy swallowed hard, "Then left me in this stupid system with a bunch a' socs. Sure, I was only seven when I came here but I 'member my roots."

Tex smiled, "So ya gonna go back to your Dad?"

Missy shrugged, "He's been tryin' to get me back since he got outa' prison three years ago. Doubt he will though."

Tex nodded.

"So what's your story?" Missy asked.

Tex sighed, "My mom committed suicide and left us with no one. My Pop had left a while back...but know he's back and he's gonna get us home."

"But there's a catch," Missy said.

"We gotta stay here till the trial," Tex said sadly.

"Least ya got yourself a trial. I ain't got squat," she replied standing up, "Well it's late and I gotta get off to bed. Night, Tex."

"G'night, Missy," Tex replied as the young girl walked off to bed.