Chapter 31
Sage P.O.V.
A few days had passed since my brother decided to be a dumbass. Steve and Two-bit had been keeping a close eye on me to make sure I wouldn't do anything rash, like share the cell next to him. But in all honestly, I didn't care anymore. The thought of my brother being reformed was a delusional thought. I should be happy that he made it this long, especially with everything that has happened with me. Maybe I should throw him a party when he gets out for going in on auto damage and not murder. Because there have been a few times where murder could have definitely happened.
Angela and I decided we were going to meet up with some of her friends down by the river for some drinking and possible bon fire. It was our chance to get away from Tim and his lingering glare for a few hours since he had his own thing tonight.
I walked over to their house to meet up with Ange and nearly ran into Tim as he was walking out. One last glare seemed fitting before we left. I was about to walk in their house when his voice stopped me. "How are you doing, kid?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess it was about time for him to be thrown back in the cooler. Is what it is." He nodded his head, but I could tell he wanted to say more. I walked into the house, leaving Tim to do whatever it was he was on his way to do, and grabbed Angela.
The walk to the river wasn't long, which made me wonder why I never walked down here myself. It was peaceful and far enough away from the other side of town to not have to worry about getting jumped.
We were quickly met by yelling and hollering of her friends and the flickering of a small fire. With winter just around the corner, the sun setting made the air brisk and the fire needed. I pulled my jacket tighter around me and made my way towards the warmth of the group. The only thing on my mind was drinking a few beers and hanging out with these strangers who had zero ideas about my problems.
The sun had fully gone down at this point and the only light we had was from the flames in front of us. I think because of this, we didn't see the group of Soc's sneak up.
"Well look what we have here. If it isn't a bunch of grease balls." His friends laughed as he slurred his words at us. Soc's on a normal day can be a real pain in the ass, but a group of drunk ones is a whole different story. As they inched closer to the group, I could smell the alcohol rolling off them.
I looked around and saw our group was tensed up and getting ready for a fight. If none of us pulls blades, it should be a clean fight. Part of me welcomed the fight. I needed to let off some steam after the whole Dallas situation and this was going to let me.
I sipped on my beer as I watched them walk closer. Angela looked as relaxed as I did. I knew she would be down to throw a few punches without her brother being here.
It didn't take long for our boys to start an all-out brawl with them, which eventually dragged Angela and I into it. A guy who stood about six-foot tall and looked like he worked out for a living came walking up to me with a smirk plastered on his face. "Well, if it isn't baby Winston. Heard your brother got locked up. Which means you are fair game now. Need to teach the bastard a lesson while we can."
Something about the way he said that didn't sit well with me. I knew Dally had made some enemies over the years, but I didn't think all that heat would ever fall back on me.
He walked closer and I didn't give him a chance to make his move. I threw a right hook to his jaw and he stubbled back, shocked. "You're in for it now bitch."
He lunged at me, tackling me to the ground. I hit the cold dirt with a thud, and had the wind knocked out of me. He used my momentary lack of breathing to pin my arms down above me. He got a few punches in which only made me more pissed off. I used all my strength to roll him off me, which caused us to roll down the hill into the river.
Ice water engulfed me, and I struggled to make my limbs move. I had just gotten my footing when a hand grabbed my throat and shoved me under the water. I clawed at the arm and felt it release, only to get a second of air before I was thrown back down in the river.
The fear of dying was quickly filling my mind. I knew if I wanted to make it out of this, I had to think if something and fast. Instead of struggling against his arm, I sent a swift kick to his crotch and kicked his shin quickly after.
Adrenaline was running through me as I swam back to the shore and started climbing up the side. A hand grabbed my ankle and pulled me down, making my cheek hit a rock. The coldness from the water must have numbed my skin because I didn't feel any of it.
He pulled me under again and I started throwing my limbs around, hoping to connect with any part of him. My vision was beginning to tunnel and hope was running out that I would make it out of this river alive.
Out of nowhere, the Soc released me, and I jumped up for air. People were calling my name towards the side of the river and I scrambled towards them. My body felt like rock, not wanting to move the way it should. I was quickly met with a few pair of arms that dragged me out of the river and onto dry land. I collapsed on the ground as I tried to catch my breath. Everything was starting to hurt at this point, and I couldn't stop shaking.
Angela's voice was near me, "Holy shit. Are you okay?" I shook my head and coughed up some water.
One of her friends said we needed to go. "Cops will be here soon. Someone had to have reported the gunshots."
My head shot up at that statement. "Was anyone hurt?"
Angela shook her head, "No. it was to scare them off. Seemed to have worked but we need to move before the feds blame us for shit we didn't do."
Relief washed over me as she said that. We couldn't be wrapped up in another murder rap. They both helped me up and halfway carried me out of the woods. Our other friends had run off as well as the soc. We were told to lay low which I didn't think was going to be an issue. I had a feeling I was going to be sick these next couple of days from nearly drowning this close to winter.
I turned to my friend, "Ange. Are you okay?"
She nodded her head, "Compared to you I am fine. Few broken ribs, but nothing too crazy. You look like a fucking zombie though. We need to get you out of these wet clothes. I honestly thought he was going to kill you."
I was shaking like crazy now with the adrenaline wearing off and the cold setting in. We stopped at a payphone and she said we needed to call for a ride.
"We won't make it back without being seen and I don't know how much longer you are going to actually be fine." I knew what she meant. I was slowly starting to feel more and more like shit.
She called her house, but no one answered. We remembered Curly talking about a bon fire tonight. Tim must be there too. I called the Curtis house just to be hung up on by Sandy. That bitch hated me, but I am going to kill her for not letting me talk to one of the boys. I tried Steve's house, and no one answered.
Our last hope was Two-bit, and by some miracle he answered. "Hello?"
"Two? It's Sage. I need you to come pick Angela and I up by the railroad tracks."
"Yeah. Okay. Everything alright?" I heard him shush someone in the background.
I was trying to stop my teeth from chattering. "No."
There was a pause on his end. "I am on my way." And hung up.
I sat down on the ground and hugged my knees. "Two-bit is on his way." Angela seemed to relax a bit at that statement.
My bones were aching from the cold and I don't know how much more I could handle. I leaned up against a tree and started to close my eyes. I was beyond tired at this point and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. A hand slapped my face, and I opened my eyes to see Angela hovering over me. "You can't go to sleep yet. I don't know if you will wake up and Dal will murder me if you die."
She spent the next few minutes keeping me awake until an old truck pulled up. I saw Two-bit get out with Steve not too far behind him. They must have been together. Steve ran up to us and asked what happened.
Angela shook her head, "Too much shit. We will explain later, but I need you to take us to my house."
They nodded their heads and Steve bent down to help me up. "Jesus Christ, are you wet?"
I nodded my head, "Yeah. I thought a dip in the river would be refreshing." He put an arm around my waist and helped me stand. Two-bit got Angela in the truck. I guess her side was starting to hurt her more.
It was a single cab truck, which meant one of us had to sit on the others lap. Steve put me on top of him while Two-bit turned the heater all the way up. Steve wrapped his arms around me to try and get me to stop shivering, but it was no use. Luckily it was a short and quiet drive to the Shepard house with the two boys trying to figure out what to do. Steve had to keep shaking me awake and I didn't know how much longer I could go until sleep finally gave in.
Once we got to the house, Steve had to carry me inside and took me straight to the bathroom. "We need to get you dry. I hope Tim has some clean towels around here." I was running on autopilot as he rushed around the bathroom.
One of the only thoughts running through my mind was how pissed my brother was going to be when he finds out. The Soc's are out for blood and it just so happens to be mine. They still didn't know who killed their two friends earlier in the year, but everything seemed to fall full circle. Man, karma was a bitch.
A/N: Hi everyone! So excited you are all reading this story!! Any comments you might have about what you are liking or disliking would be much appreciated! I want to make this story the best it can be for you all and LOVE feedback. Thank you so much. Stay gold :)