Short Stories | The Outsiders

The Only Love That Scared Me ~ 1:1, 1-3 • Steve

When we met
May 1962
I sat among my few friends at the table for the middle class students in the school, we weren't socs but we sure weren't greasers.
Yet most of the girls crushed on the greasers, mostly Sodapop Curtis and Keith Mathews, they didn't have pimples or voice cracks, they had already gone through puberty unlike Dallas Winston a total misfit or Steve Randle l, Johnny Cade, the list goes on. Nobody crushed on them, they were nerds and growing up, you were called names if you crushed on them. So I never told a soul that I liked Steve Randle, he's only a year older than me, he's 14 and I'm just a sweet 13 year old, almost 14, but not yet.

Sodapop calmly walked towards me, handing me a note and running off to his group of friends. All the nosy girls gasped and tried to grab the note, I scurried over to the bathroom so no one could steal it.

Dear Cassidy, I think you're very pretty, the prettiest of the bunch and I know you'd probably never say yes, you probably don't want to let your reputation drop, but I wanted to ask you to the school dance next Friday.
~ Steve Randle (Greaser)

His messy writing was cute and he seemed so sincere, even more sincere than I thought. I had never been as pretty as someone like Marcia the soc, the one best friends with that red head with glasses and all those books and acne, Sherri Valance or Cherry as they called her. It was surprising to be asked to this dance, I had never gone before but I was excited. I wrote a 'Yes' on a sticky note and stuck it back on Steve's note.

I quickly snuck over to Steve's locker while he was there and handed him the note and the sticky note, then ran off. I had English next and I never wanted to miss English, it has always been my dream to become a writer. Be on 'New York Times best seller', be the one bringing home the money from writing fictional stories. That's the life I want right there, the dream I will achieve one day.

I waited at the front of the school where all the girls and guys dressed in pretty suits and dresses entered the school. Steve promised he'd meet me here in a second note he gave me a few days after. My beautiful short skirt yellow glittery dress shimmered in the setting sun, it looked real pretty with my black flats and black stockings. My hair was up in a ponytail with a fake sunflower attached to the hair tie. My god, my mother sobbed at the sight of me, she thought I was the most beautiful girl on the planet. She praised me and bragged to my dad about my beauty, it was real funny.

A little breaking down car turned into the school lot and out popped a well cleaned up greaser, he looked so handsome. I couldn't stop the blushing as Steve came up to me, man was he ever gorgeous. "You look amazing!" I said in aw, he really did, I could stare him for hours and never get bored. "You haven't seen yourself have you?" Steve's voice seemed slightly high and cracked but it was cute. "Come on, let's go!" I cheered as we ran up and into the gym. I hope he can handle my energy, I've always been quite energetic and pushy, sometimes bossy.

We held hands and danced along to the songs that played cheerfully in the background. It was fun for a bit, but soon got boring, just  dancing back and fourth, the same songs on repeat. "Let's get out of here, it sucks" Steve said "Where would we go?" "Maybe to like a beach or something" "But our parents are picking us up here" "We'll be back before they arrive" "Fine, I'll go" I pouted, Steve giggled and made me laugh with his little snorty high pitch giggle.

We made our way to a beach, one not very far from the school, the sun was resting on the water, starting to go under. "Where do you think the sun goes?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation "Well it orbits the earth, does it not?" "Well I think, it goes for a snooze while we are all sleeping, because being a sun is a tough job, being bright all day for the happiness of the people, people suck!" Steve laughed as he sat down beside me. "Well that's no fair! I'd hate being the sun" Steve joked, we both rose up in laughter, but not any kind of laughter, the kind that only happens when you care so deeply about someone, when you genuinely are having a good time and that even makes things more funny.