Times Change [UNDERGOING EDITS]

Chapter Two

I walked inside to the kitchen and put a pot on the stove. I was an okay cook, but spaghetti was my specialty, and that was what I was making. It took a lot of food to feed all eight of us, and Darry and I were usually the only ones willing to put in the effort. 

Once everything was done I stuck my head out the front door to tell the boys dinner was ready.

There was a collective shout of "Fooood!" and I had to dive out of the way to avoid being trampled.

Over dinner we filled each other in on all the neighborhood news. One thing to note about greasers, we were terrible gossips. We talked about who had it out for who, who was dating who, and all that stuff.

"I was thinking about going to the nightly double tomorrow to cause some trouble," Dally said smoothly, "Anyone wanna join me?"

Sodapop said something about him and Steve taking their girls dancing and TwoBit was planning on getting a drunk as possible, none of which was too surprising. 

"Fine, fine, what about y'all, Pony, Johnny, Winnie?" he asked. 

"Ya me 'n Johnny will go, right Johnny?" Ponyboy said. Johnny nodded and kept on eating. I always gave him larger helping since he probably didn't get much food at home.

"Right on!" Dally exclaimed, "What about you Sis?"

"I might come around a little later," I replied nonchalantly. Then, i noticed the ring on his hand. "What happened with Sylvia?" I asked, knowing that he usually gave it to whichever girl he happened to be hanging around with. 

"Damn broad was two timin' me while I was in the cooler," he replied disdainfully.

"Yikes, sorry Dal," I replied.

"Nah, don't worry about it, Sis," he replied, shrugging. Then he grinned mischievously, "It just gives me more time to tell you how much I loooove you."

I rolled my eyes and punched his arm, "Get lost, you damn liar."

This was a running joke between us. He way of messing with me without getting in trouble with my brothers was to tell me how much he loved me, and I always told him he was a liar because as far as I was concerned, he was. When I was a little younger and a little stupider, I did have a bit of a crush on him, and I always wondered if he knew that and that's why he liked to razz me about it, just to see if he could get me to blush. And it used to get my hopes up a little bit too, before I had to remind myself that this was Dallas Winston, and Dallas Winston had a certain type that certainly wasn't me. 

After we all finished eating and dumped our dishes in the sink for Darry and Soda to contend with later, half of the gang stayed inside to watch TV while Johnny, Ponyboy, and I were having a wrestling match in the front yard. By the time everyone else decided to go home and came outside, I had Ponyboy pinned to the ground and acting like was about to spit in his face.

"Gross, Sissy! Get off!"

"Hey three stooges, wanna give me a push?" TowBit yelled as Johnny hit me with a flying tackle and knocked me off my brother.

"Not really, but we will anyway," Ponyboy called across the yard.

We ran over and pushed Two's busted Chevy out of the driveway and it sputtered down the road. We waved goodbye to the rest of the boys before they headed home.

"Pony, Winnie, go do your homework," Darry ordered.

I rolled my eyes dramatically. We were the only two left in school. Soda dropped out to help Darry pay the bills, but they both convinced Pony and I that we needed to finish our educations. 

Before I followed him back inside, I turned to Johnny, "You headed home Johnnycake?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"You know the couch is always open if you want it," I reminded him. 

"Thanks," he mumbled, shrugging. We watched everyone else either go back inside or head off down the street before he asked in a low voice, "Hey Sissy, you ever wonder if Dally really means it when he says he loves you?"

I shook my head, we had been over this before. Johnny was the only one who knew about my feelings for Dally, and seemed to have more hope in it all working out than I did. 

"I have wondered, Johnnycake, and I've come to the obvious conclusion that if Dally really liked me that much, then he would just ask me out rather than running around with all those other girls who are older and skinnier and prettier and more willing to fall for his shit than me. He just likes messing with me, that's all."

"What if he wants to ask you but he's just afraid you'll say no?"

I scoffed, "Dally ain't afraid of nothing, especially not me." 

A/N

As i edit, i realize that this is the first time i've actually read this story in a few years, and boy am i CRINGING. I mean, no hate to younger me, the potential for storytelling was certainly there, but the writing skills weren't quite yet 😅 If you're reading this for the first time, count yourself lucky that you got here after I went to college for this shit lol