Quiet As A Mouse (Outsiders Fanfic)

Chapter 10- Maybe I Did Have Friends

        I had to suffer through four more torturous days of school before the weekend.  Normally I liked school, even if I didn't have any friends,  because I always got good grades without having to try very hard. 

        It was the same with this school, except for whenever the teacher called on me in class, I had to look like an idiot writing a note to answer his or her question, and then whichever kid who sat nearest to me had to read it out loud.  Soon enough they learned to not call on me, and so long as it looked like I was paying attention I was left alone in class.

        My fears of getting put in the dumb classes were unfounded, because they just put me in regular classes to start out, and soon enough I proved my worth so they didn't move the mute girl to 'special' classes, much to my relief.

        We arrived at the DX station after school on Friday, and the first thing my cousin asked Soda and Steve was, "Did you hobos get my car fixed yet?"

        He had kind of run a stop sign that morning on the way to school and smashed into a pick-up truck in the intersection, so we had to call Darry to come help tow Two-Bit's car to the DX station, where Soda and Steve had been supposedly fixing it all day.

        "Well if you hadn't ignored the giant red sign that prevents stuff like this from happening..." Steve trailed off, sarcastic as always.

        "All right, all right, I get the point," Two-Bit gave in, "But could you have it fixed by tomorrow night?  I have a date," he added.

        "We're not machines, Two-Bit.  And we don't work tomorrow anyways, so you'll have to wait until Monday," Sodapop said.

        My cousin let out an overly dramatic, aggravated sigh and muttered, "Why am I even friends with you guys if I can't get my end of the benefits?"

        I rolled my eyes, and I noticed Ponyboy giving Two-Bit the same 'whatever' look.  Maybe I did have friends now, we at least had the same reactions to my crazy relative.

        After a bit more arguing between Two-Bit and Soda and Steve, we all headed over to the Curtis's, because the parts they needed to fix my cousin's car weren't there anyways, they weren't coming in until Monday morning.

        The Curtis's was quiet, at least before we all came in, because only Dally and Darry were there.  Immediately though the noise level went from whisper to scream as the T.V. was turned on, the radio was cranked up, and everyone started raiding the icebox.  I don't know how they could stand it being this loud all the time, just the noise level was giving me a headache, and it reminded me slightly of my nightmares from the night before...

        I shook the thought away and sat down on the couch, taking to listening to everyone's conversations like I always did.  They either didn't mind, or didn't even notice.

        "Seeing as how you never get an education like the rest of us, what did you today Dal, besides something illegal?" Steve inquired with a smirk, even though I don't know what he was talking about.  Steve skipped school almost every day, though I suppose I had never seen Dally there.

        "Something a lot more fun than you losers," Dally replied with his usual cocky tone.

        "Speaking of fun, anyone want to go to the movies tonight?  I think there's a new Paul Newman one at the drive-in," Pony asked.

        "Well, I've got nothing better to do.  I'm in," Two-Bit said, and then told me, "You're coming too, Mickey.  We can show you what a Friday night on the town is like," my cousin joked with a grin.

        'I don't feel like going,' I wrote down on one of my notebooks from school that I had carried over here.

        Johnny read it over my shoulder as I was writing it and invited timidly, "Come on, it'll be fun.  The movies playing on the weekends are usually pretty good."

        I was a little surprised, because usually none of them but Two-Bit read my notes and bothered to talk to me.

        "You're coming if you like it or not.  We could use someone normal around us once in a while," Soda demanded cheerfully, though I definitely don't think I was what you'd call normal.

        In case they'd missed it, I couldn't talk, I had seen more than one psychologist in my lifetime, and I was basically an insomniac what with my nightmares and never being able to sleep at night.  Not that any of them, even Two-Bit, knew about that last bit, but still.

        It seemed like I wasn't getting out of it though, because around five-thirty we were all walking to the drive-in theater.  They probably would have dragged me out of the house if I hadn't voluntarily gone, which is the only reason I did go because I have this thing with being in close proximity to people, especially a bunch of teenage boys that I barely know. 

        After He left, I had always distanced myself from people. I didn't want to be abandoned again, so I just didn't let myself get close to anyone, even family.

        Johnny was right, the movies were good, and there was a new Paul Newman one playing like Pony had said, and as we were watching them I couldn't help but wonder just how often those two let themselves get lost in movies that they knew when all of them were playing and what they were about.  I liked letting myself get lost in movies too, but after my grandmother had died, I stopped going out much to do anything but attend school.

        On our way home--Soda and Steve had gone off to talk to some buddies of theirs, and Dally had left halfway through the movie, so it was just Two-Bit, Pony, Johnny, and me cause Darry hadn't been able to come--it started raining.  At first it was a light drizzle, but soon enough it turned into big fat drops, and then it was pouring, sheets coming down like the rushing wall of water effect of a waterfall. 

        We had quickened our pace a while ago, but even huddled in our jackets we were all getting soaked, so we split ways and started running through the raindrops.  I followed behind Two-Bit, Johnny and Pony were long gone, and tried to avoid getting splashed by the puddles Two-Bit was running through in front of me.

        Everything was wet and dark all around me, and for the second time that day memories of that nightmare were haunting me.  I wished for the millionth time that they would stop, but I doubted that would happen, ever.

        When we got to Aunt Kat's house, she was waiting up for us though Kayla was already in bed, and we went to bed right away too after changing out of our soaking clothes.  I climbed in bed in the dark, bracing myself for another round of terrifying images lurking in my subconscious, just waiting for me to fall asleep so they could keep me awake all night.