𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋. ( 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘱 )

CHAPTER FOUR

Soda huffs, stopping to catch his breath in front of the DX. The blonde leans over, hands on his knees. He had been called in at the last minute for work, his boss saying there were some last minute schedule changes they needed to discuss. 

He takes a deep breath. Running was never his strong suit. Running the length of the street made him feel like he was going to vomit. The teen stands up straight after a minute, arms raising above his head. 

Ponyboy said that it helped. And he'd take his word for it considering the younger teen was on the track team. He did all sorts of running. Although his nasty smoking habit probably kept him from reaching that true potential of his. 

Soda takes one final breath before walking inside, going to find his boss in the back. His boss had always been a cool guy. He was laid back and fairly forgiving when it came to days off and shifts. 

Although the blonde was sure he was only kept around because of how many girls came in because of him. The blonde was 16-years-old and no other job would hire a high school dropout. So he'd suck it up and keep the job because it was money. And he actually enjoyed some of the customers that came in (mostly the gang since they stopped for drinks every once in a while). 

He steps into the backroom, giving his boss a small smile. His boss grins widely at him, shaking his hand once he got close enough. 

"Whatcha need, sir?" Soda breaths out. 

"We finally hired a new mechanic!" His boss exclaims. They've been looking for one for forever. Theirs had quit a couple of weeks ago and Soda had to run the register and try and fix cars while the shop was dead. It was a lot to keep up with. "He's a boy around your age, just a little older."

Soda grins. The thought of a new mechanic sounded heavenly. Not that he didn't mind helping out like he had before, but going going and forth was exhausting. So someone to finally stand ground in the garage was going to be really helpful. 

"That's fantastic," the blonde says. "But you couldn't have told me that over the phone?" 

His boss laughs.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he says, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck sheepishly. "But I wanted to talk to you about coming in a little more for the next few days. The mechanic is going to need a trainer. Not that he doesn't know what to do already… but it's the law. And I'm a bit busy tomorrow."

"Sure, I can do that," Soda responds contently. "I don't think I've got anything going on."

The blonde wasn't their only staff, they had other cashiers for different shifts. But they only had one mechanic that would work from about 7AM-5PM. They always made great money. And as much as Soda would love to be the mechanic, his knowledge and skills only ran so far. He was surprised he was passing mechanics as it was. Not that it mattered now. 

"Great," his boss responds. "He's scheduled to come in around 7AM. Can you be here around 6:30AM? Just to open and clean up shop a bit before he arrives?"

The teen nods his head. Should be easy. He usually went in around 8AM. It would be a little earlier than what he was used to, but it'd be good. Darry would probably give him a ride. And if not, there was Two-Bit's car…. Which he wasn't fond of riding in because of how often it broke down. Or walking.

Walking was going to be the decision if Darry couldn't drive him. 

"Yeah, I can do that," Soda replies. "I'll make sure to be here then. Anything else?" 

His boss shakes his head. 

"You're free to go, Soda," he responds. "Get back home before it's too dark out."

Soda nods and flashes a classic smile before leaving. The blonde had to go to the store though, having promised Darry to pick some things up before he left the house. 

He digs the now crumpled up list from his pocket, opening it up. Eggs, bread, milk, paper towels, and cheese.

Although the milk was written in big letters. It was the one thing he was notorious for forgetting if it wasn't written on something. Darry tore him a new one over forgetting it so much. 

The grocery store wasn't too far from the DX, so he made it there in record time. He didn't bother grabbing a basket, believing that he could carry all of it just fine. He could already see Ponyboy shaking his head at that. 

Although as he was about to walk further in, someone ran into him and knocked them both to the floor. The blonde was in a bit of shock, eyes finding who it was in front of him. His eyes widen a bit and he moves to hold himself up with his hands. 

The guy seemed angry. And it hadn't clicked with him that it was Two-Bit's friend that he had missed out on meeting with. Or that it was the same guy he held the door for at the DX. There wasn't a name to match the face. And there wasn't really a face since he was running away the first time he'd seen him. 

There was something almost familiar though. 

He parts his lips to say something, maybe ask if he was alright or if they've met before. Soda was cut off though, by none other than the angry teen in front of him. 

"And to top off this lovely day, I run into the hottest person in Tulsa. Great. Sorry."

Soda's jaw drops and he was completely frozen, only catching a glimpse of the teen as he stood up and left in a hurry. The blonde's heart was pounding in his chest. 

His… his soulmate.

The teen takes a shaky breath, rolling up his sleeve quickly. And there, clear as day, were the words he's had for a year now… He just let his soulmate get away. 

It took him a minute to get up off of the ground, dusting himself off. He rolls his sleeve back down, slowly making hus way further inside to grab what he needed. 

He was running on autopilot now, his mind only stuck on the boy he just let get away. And by the time he got home, he was out of it. 

The blonde was upset that he had let himself do such a thing. He didn't know if he'd ever see this boy again. His soulmate was right there. And he let him get away. 

He buries his face into the sheets, taking a small breath. The teen had dropped off the groceries and went straight to his and Ponyboy's shared room. 

After a few minutes, he grabs the landline from the bedside table, dialing up the DX number. Something had come up. That was the only thing his boss received as reasoning. 

And just like that, he didn't need to come in the next day. He just needed time to think about what had happened and what was going to happen from here on out. 

The blonde was distraught. 

His soulmate…

Written by: -TheFandomLife-