"shut your mouth, baby stand and deliver."
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The drive to wherever we were going consisted of no speaking, just Elvis Presley's soothing voice floating throughout the car. I leaned my head against the window, looking to see if I recognized anything so far.
He parked the car in a spot of grass and when I looked ahead, a huge grin was plastered onto my face.
The river.
I practically jumped out of Andrew's beat-up truck and started running towards the water. It was fall, so the water was cool, but I still put my feet in it, the dark, blue water swirling around my toes. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the water that I used to smell everyday as a child.
A breeze flew by, causing some water to splash on me. I screamed at how cold it was, making Andrew laugh. Finally, we both sat on the bridge, our feet dangling off of it like they used to do. "How is this supposed to make me accept Greasers again?"
He chuckled. "Look at it this way, the water is all different colors, right?"
I nodded my head, waiting for him to continue. "And sometimes on a bad day when the weather is rough, the waters clash together as if they're having an argument about where to go."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you talking about, Andy?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Kota, what I'm saying is, no matter how much these waters clash together and fight, they still come together and create a wonderful body of water called an ocean, or a lake-"
"And a river." I finished his sentence, understanding what he said.
He shot me a small smile. "Believe it or not, Dakota, there is good in this world."
I scoffed, gazing at the water. I could see my reflection in the river and scrunched my face up in disgust. I didn't recognize the person staring back at me and I doubt I ever will. "Yeah, well believe it or not, Andrew, there's plenty of bad in this world. And that will never change."
I stood up and started walking back towards the car, my wet feet making footprints on the bridge. I could hear Andrew following me as I got into the car and his door opened, him sitting in the driver's seat.
"I know there are bad people in this world, Dakota, but what you need to understand is that there are good people. You just haven't met the right ones."
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"What's wrong? You seem a little glum today." Marcia frowned at me.
Cherry scoffed. "Well, I don't know, Marcia, maybe her boyfriend just died."
Marcia rolled her eyes and walked away, just leaving me and Cherry. "I'm sorry about that, Kota. How you holdin' up?" Cherry asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.
I shot her a small smile. "I'll be alright. I always am."
She nodded her head. "That's because you're the strongest person I've ever met. You will make it through this. I promise."
The only thing I could do was nod, and I wanted the attention off of me. "Are you and Marcia fighting? You two never really yell at each other like that."
Cherry shook her head, anger evident on her face. "You won't believe what she did."
I raised my eyebrows. "What?"
"Randy and I broke up, and as soon as we broke up, she got with him! My best friend got with him after what he did to me!"
[and I know, Cherry is supposed to be dating Bob, but in order to have made Dakota date him, Cherry had to date Randy.]
I shook my head, chuckling. "I'm sure you two are going to talk again soon."
She cocked her head to the side. "And what makes you say that?"
"You two have always been closer. I'm basically the third wheel when I hang out with the two of you." I laughed, but it did make me a little upset.
She shook her head. "That's where you're wrong, Dakota. Without you, Marcia and I could never get along."
I shrugged. "It's fine, Cherry. You can only have one best friend."
She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "That's not true."
I looked at her and chuckled. "Yes, it is. In life, you only have one real best friend. And Marcia is yours."
Cherry crossed her arms. "Well, then who's yours?"
I thought for a moment. "I don't know yet. Maybe Andrew."
She laughed. "I think Sodapop is going to be your best friend. You two's banters never fail to make me laugh."
I rolled my eyes. "I'd rather die than see the day where I become friends with that nosy little hood."
She started giggling and we entered class, me already groaning before I sat in the seat. Steve was already there, shooting me a big grin. I plopped down into the seat, resting my chin in the palm of my hand. I had a terrible headache and I knew Steve was going to make it worse.
"You okay?" He whispered in my ear.
I snapped my head around towards him. "Don't you dare be like Soda and give me pity. Yes, I'm fine, you no-shirt-wearing-Greaser!"
A huge smile curled at the end of his lips and he started laughing. "Alright, then, Miss Prissy Sassy Little Blondie Soc."
I quickly turned around before he could see me smile. Cherry watched the whole thing and started giggling. After the teacher went on and on about the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas, I dashed out of the classroom and into science class, already preparing for Two-Bit.
When he saw me, he cracked his usual goofy grin and winked at me. "How's my favorite Soc doing on this hellish day?"
I rolled my eyes. "I want to move to the other side of the world."
He nodded his head in agreement. "I just want to move to wherever beer is cheapest at. Man, I could get so ripped!"
I shook my head, chuckling. "Good luck with that."
"Good luck with moving to the other side of the world." He sassed back, making me flip him off playfully.
"I'm glad you haven't given me pity." I spoke, turning to face him.
He shrugged. "People in my gang have been through similar situations. I'm used to it. You're a Soc, why should I feel bad for you? You get all the breaks."
I scoffed, shaking my head. "You know, Keith, things are rough all over. How about you try losing a sibling that you were close with, even in the womb. You try losing a girlfriend, like I lost Bob. You try living up to your parent's expectations that are so high, not even the president of the United States could reach it!"
By the time I was finished, I was halfway shouting and he stared at me with wide-eyes. He was silent for the rest of the class and I looked ahead at the teacher the whole time, thankful that I shut him up.
Once the bell rang, I started walking out of the classroom, but someone grabbed my wrist. I looked up to see Two-Bit and shot him a glare.
"I'm sorry, Dakota."
He walked away and left me standing there. I sighed and thought back to what Andrew said. There are good people. You just haven't met the right ones.
I shook it off and continued to the rest of my classes, trying to ignore all the stares I've been getting from people.
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I was at my locker grabbing my things and heard the same voice I've been waiting to hear all day.
Ha, just kidding.
"Hey, Miss Pancakes, how was your day?"
I smiled at the nickname and turned my head around, replacing the smile with a smirk. "Oh look, dropout's back."
He chuckled and bit his lip, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I promise I'll treat you with the same snarky remarks."
I giggled. "I'd appreciate that."
I started walking out of the school building and right before I closed it all the way, I heard him shout. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"
[ha, that rhymed!]
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hope you liked this, even though it was a little bit of a filler chapter!