Must Have Been The Wind | A MarciaBit songfic

Chapter 1

I studied the TV screen, trying to count all of the little pixels. I had it tuned to Micky Mouse, but I wasn't paying attention. I was starting to get a headache; it was rather late and I had been doing this for hours. I walked over to the giant fridge and opened it, looking through the food inside.

My aunt had gotten it across that I was a dead man if she caught me drinking, but she wasn't home. My cousins and sister had gone out to dinner with her, and I had stayed home to "look after the house". More accurately, I wouldn't be caught dead in public with a bunch of Socs. I figured I would just stay here and have a nice night to myself, but I was feeling kind of out of it. I remembered my commitment to stop drinking, but I really didn't give a shit anymore. Tomorrow, I'll wake up, feeling like I just died, and I'd get ready for school. I'll walk to school on my own. Then I could have some time with my friends instead of this wax museum. I don't care about the academics. If I didn't learn it in junior high, it doesn't need learning. My mom says otherwise, though.

I grabbed myself a beer and swiped the bottle opener from the adjacent cabinet. I sat back down on the couch, wishing I was spending my Thursday night playing football with the gang instead of watching TV, in a giant house, by myself.

I was about to open the beer when I heard the a glass shatter, a loud thump, and a frightened scream.

I looked around frantically. What was that?!

I set the beer down on the coffee table. I looked at the TV to make sure I didn't sit on the remote or anything like that. Mickey Mouse had ended, and some sort of cop show was playing. But nothing eventful had happened yet, just some old geezers in an office. I didn't drop my beer, it was still in my hand, unopened. I yawned. I thought I must have been hearing things. It was pretty late after all.

Then I heard a soft sobbing and loud shouting. I definitely wasn't hearing things. It must be coming from my next door neighbors. 

I got this heavy feeling in my chest. Should I check on things? Make sure they're alright? What if they think I'm nosy? I don't have all the facts, it could just be a movie. A whole chorus of doubtful thoughts echoed in my head. Finally, I settled on one.

What's the worst that could happen? Just go over there and make sure someone didn't die.

I shuffled my feet down the sidewalk. I looked at the little dried corpses of worms who were feeling brave and got overheated or squished. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh air. I looked up at the sky, all the little stars and the crescent moon. Dally was telling me about how Darry likes the stars, and all of that crap. He really likes Darry, and might as well kiss his feet for how much energy he puts into making Darry happy. So, he sits and stargazes with Darry all night.

Dally's got no taste. A toad could turn Dally on if it tried hard enough.

I rubbed my exposed shoulders and adjusted my tank top. I didn't want to give off the greaser vibe, that would only cause trouble. I was just a concerned neighbor who had heard some suspicious noises.

I made my way up the brick porch steps and knocked a few times on the front door. I took a step back and waited. I could hear the muffled sounds of footsteps and the voices of the residents.

"Get the door, Marcia. Throw a sweater on while you're at it." I had heard that name before, I just wasn't sure where. The voice slurred something awful, it was easy to tell they were drunk. I got goosebumps all over my arms. I sure hoped everything was alright. 

The doorknob clicked and the door opened, revealing a brown-haired girl about my age. I recognized her from that night at the drive-in, and I saw that she recognized me too.

"Keith?" She asked, "What are you doing here?"

 I cleared my throat. "I, uh-" I stuttered, "I heard some commotion from where I'm staying next door and I was just coming to make sure everything's cool over here."

Marcia looked back inside frantically, then back at me. He hesitated, then spoke. "Are you sure your ears aren't playing tricks on you?" She replied shyly, "You look quite tired."

I rubbed my neck awkwardly. I raised my head ever so slightly to get a little view of the house. It was a mess, and sure enough, there was a shattered vase lying on the ground. A Soc about my age took a swig from a bottle and flipped through the channels on the TV inside. Marcia moved a little, blocking my view. I looked at hear sweater. It was something you would see chicks wearing in the winter, not in mid-May. A heavy, turtleneck sweater that she clearly made an effort to pull all the way up to her chin. 

"Thanks for your concern, that's really nice of you," Marcia persisted, "But I have to go back inside."

"Are you sure everything-" I started

"I wish I could tell you about the noise, Keith, but I didn't hear anything," She said, a little more impatiently. She sighed and looked down at her feet. She started to close the door. "Must have been the wind,"

I didn't want to cause any more confusion, and I needed to get home. "Must have been the wind," I agreed. Marcia gave me a quick smile and shut the door, leaving me standing at her doorstep.

I wasn't buying it.

Not one bit.