After the other boys ran off, I sat down in the shade with the two younger boys.
"Hi, I'm Ponyboy and this is Johnny." Said one of the boys, rather awkwardly.
"Hi, I'm Lithium." I replied cooly, not at all bothered by the situation. I actually felt safer now than I did at home.
"I don't think I've ever seen you around. Are you new?" Ponyboy asked.
"I've been living in Tulsa for two years." I responded.
"How old are you?" Johnny asked.
"You're not supposed to ask a girl her age." I joked.
"Sorry." He apologized quickly, like he'd been rehearsing apologies all his life.
"It's ok, but you can try guessing how old I am." I offered. I smiled a little. This reminded me of better times with my sister.
The two boys both made guesses that I was in my twenties, which had me laughing so hard.
"26?"
"Nope."
"24?"
"Still No."
By the time the other boys came back I was rolling on the ground laughing.
"What's so funny?" The guy with the Mickey Mouse T-shirt asked.
"They're trying to guess my age!" I responded, still laughing.
"Well how old are you?" Ponyboy asked, completely giving up.
"I'm under the age of 18." I hinted.
"No offense," Johnny said, "but you look older than 20."
"I know," I sighed, "but I'm only 17 and 1/2 with a whole lot of life to live yet."
I tried to get off the ground but my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. I tried rocking myself forward to now avail.
"Can someone help me get up please?"
The older boy walked over to me and held out his hand.
"Here." He said.
I grabbed his had and he pulled me up. He was remarkably strong.
"Thank you." I said dusting my self off. "My name's Lithium." I offered out my hand.
"Darrel, but you can just call me Darry." He said shaking my hand.
"Is that a Dingo uniform?" The guy that looked like a lynx asked.
I looked down at the dirty jacket over my long dress.
"Yes it is. I just got off work an hour ago." I replied, hesitantly. I did just meet these people.
"Where do you work?" Darry asked.
"The Dingo on weekends and the grocery store on weekdays." I said proudly. Screw it. I honestly didn't care at this point.
"Why would a pretty little thing like you be working two jobs." The lynx guy asked. I was getting a little annoyed by him and his horrible attempts at flirting.
"Who's asking?" I snapped.
"I'm am, clearly" he shot right back.
"Girls, girls you're both pretty. I'd say Dally isn't as pretty, but still..." The Mickey Mouse guy interrupted.
"Stay out of this Two-bit!" Dally yelled. This definitely escalated quickly.
"Ok everyone, cool it. No fighting please." I said, trying to make a little peace.
"Guys please stop!" Johnny yelled.
The boys stopped and sat down, slightly ashamed.
"So why do you work two jobs?" Ponyboy asked.
"Pony! She doesn't have to say if she doesn't want too!" Darry scolded.
"Come on we all want to know now." The handsome kid said.
"Soda stay out of this." Darry scowled.
"It's ok." I say. "I guess I got my self into this. I work two jobs to support me, my sister, and to feed my dad's alcohol addiction."
Everyone was quiet.
"You're sort of like Darry." Soda said. "Too much responsibility for your age."
"If you don't mind me asking, but where's your mom?" A boy with complicated swirls in his hair. I didn't notice him before yet he seemed so familiar.
I didn't answer at first. Then I said, "She died in a car accident eight months ago." I sighed sadly. "Two other people were killed in that accident too."
"Lithium?" Soda said.
"Yeah?"
"Our parents died in that accident."
Word count: 650
I wrote this during math class today😂 Mr. Thomson didn't really care because it's
the last day of school.
2019 edit: Currently editing! I don't add anything new, just fixing the grammar! Thanks for reading!
~Lily