Expecting A Life (The Outsiders fanfic)

Chapter 14

Unfortunately, this is the last chapter. ): boooooo. And it's shorter than I wanted it to be. Double boooooo.
Ok but anyway. I hope you enjoyed this fanfic! Be on the lookout for the sequel to this sequel! So basically the third in the trilogy. :D
And thanks for all the comments and positive feedback. You'll never know how much that makes my day! So yeah. (:
Happy reading (:
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Chapter 14
• A week later •
We said goodbye to my mom that morning. She was so sad to go, and so were we. She enjoyed meeting everyone, especially Baby.
But now everything's perfect. Everyone's living comfortably in the house. In the past week, I started working part time at the consignment shop, and I do mean part time. Just a few hours a week. Ponyboy works most of his time down at the local library. Dally babysits the kids while we're both gone. I babysit them when he's gone to work. It seems like a perfect family to me, even if we're not all blood related.
After Ponyboy gets home from work, he decides to take me out for the night. After I change into something else, I make sure someone's gonna watch Baby for us before we leave.
We get in the truck, and he starts driving. I'm not sure where we're going at this point, but I don't really care. The sun is beginning to dip down to the tops of the trees. He parks in an empty field.
We climb out, and he puts a blanket down in the bed of the truck. He places a picnic basket down and helps me climb up.
"You're a little crazy, Pony. Just a little," I tell him. He laughs.
"It runs in the family."
"I can tell." He pulls out two sandwiches, pop bottles, and slices of chocolate cake. He takes a bite.
"You know, it's real quiet out here," he says with a full mouth. It comes out a little weird.
"It's eel kite ow ear?" I ask with a laugh. He swallows.
"It's real quiet out here."
"I know what you said. I was just teasing."
"Of course," he says. We eat in silence for a little while. He breaks the silence. "I'm glad you're my wife."
"I'm glad you're my husband."
"What would you do if we had stayed friends forever?" he asks.
"I don't know, but we're not gonna try to figure it out."
He laughs. "We can't."
"Would you ever regret any of this?"
"Why would I?" he asks. "It's the most perfect life anyone could ask for. I wouldn't trade it for anything you could offer me."
"I wouldn't trade it either. I used to think that I had it all. When it was taken away from me, I realized I had nothing to begin with. That is until you found me. Something happened, and now we have it all, Pony. I can't imagine if something happened to you or Baby or to anyone else. You're all I have anymore..."
He scoots over and puts his arm around me. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he points out at the sky.
"You see that?" he asks. "That's how I see our family."
"What do you mean?" I ask, puzzled by his words.
"I see Baby as gold. She's so pure and beautiful and innocent. I see you as the pink, orange, and red. You're beautiful because of all the things you've seen and been through to become. You're not completely innocent because you've seen things that change you. I see myself as the blue because years in these streets show you things you don't want to see, and I was so to myself for as long as I could remember. I only opened up to a few people. But when all of these colors are together, they create something passionate and beautiful. Do you know what I mean?"
I nod slowly. "Yeah. I understand... How did you ever think that up?"
"I've always got my girls in mind, don't I?" I laugh a little.
"You're always thinking like that. I think that's kinda why I fell in love with you..."
"I started loving you for your spirit and bravery. Nothing brought you down," he says. "Either that, or you were really good at hiding what did hurt you."
"I was for a long time. I became... numb to feelings. I didn't care like I do now."
"Yeah..."
"Do you remember when I almost died?" I ask. "When that soc got me?"
"I don't like to talk about it. I almost lost you... I was just starting to get feelings for you."
"YOU don't like talking about it?! Ponyboy Curtis, you didn't almost die." He laughs.
"But if you did, I would've felt like I did." I kiss his cheek.
"You're such a romantic."
"Thanks. I try." I laugh. "We better go home. Baby's probably acting up."
He helps me out of the back, and I go to sit up front. He closes the tailgate, and we go back to the house. Everyone's sitting in the living playing cards or watching TV or something to entertain themselves. Pony and I sit down on the couch.
"I went ahead and put Baby down. She was yawning," Darry says.
"Did you feed her?" I ask.
"Soda did."
"Burp her?" He nods. "Good. Thanks, Darry."
"Anytime." He goes back to reading the paper.
"Do y'all feel like tonight's a little... boring?" Two-Bit asks.
"Yeah a little," Johnny says.
"How are we gonna fix that?" Steve says, laying his cards down for Soda to see. Soda lays his down, and Steve throws a dollar at him. "You've been cheating or something," he mumbles.
"We should play a game or something," Soda suggests.
"And what would that be?" Dally asks him.
"I think we should make up a game," I butt in. "Maybe we could take turns spilling our little secrets."
"Pony, she's turning evil on you," Darry says.
"No, just y'all. She don't bite around me," he replies.
"Well, let's get on with it!" Two-Bit says.
"You go first 'cause you were bored first," I tell him. He nods.
"Alright. I kissed a soc before," he blurts out.
"No you didn't! You're lying, Two-Bit," Steve accuses.
"Nah, man, I ain't! She was drunk or something. She was acting all funny." I laugh.
"One time at school," Johnny starts with a laugh. "I, uh, me and some other guys loosened a bunch of screws in the science teacher's chair. When he sat down, he fell and couldn't get back up 'cause he was rolling in the floor and stuff."
"That was you?" Ponyboy asks. He nods, and everyone laughs.
"Johnny! I didn't know you did that!" I say. I remember it. No one liked that teacher. He kinda deserved it.
We continue telling some of our funniest, weirdest, strangest stories as the sun goes down.
I begin thinking how fortunate I am to have all of this. I have a family of my own who I love. I have a family that loves me. I have friends that I love, and they care for me in return. We've got a house, food on the table, and shoes on our feet.
I used to not be satisfied with any of that. I had to have it big and over the top. It had to be the best at all times. I had to have everything that was in. I really was a spoiled kid.
I think now that my life here has truly changed. I honestly wouldn't trade this life for anything. It's worth the struggles if it means getting here.
During one of Dally's embarrassing stories, I go into the kitchen to get a glass of chocolate milk. I think Soda's gotten me addicted to the stuff. Ponyboy follows me and leans against the counter.
"Whatcha thinking about?" he asks.
"Life. What else?"
"What do you mean?"
"I was so conceited. Did I seem that way when we first met?"
"Do you want me to lie?" he asks.
"No, hun."
"Just a little," he says, holding his fingers apart to show how much. I laugh.
"I thought so."
The living room goes silent. I hear the front door open, and Darry's voice is talking. Then I hear him hollering for Ponyboy.
"Hey, Ponyboy! C'mon in here! Someone's here to see you," he yells.
"Who could that be?" he asks.
"I don't know. Maybe a friend from school?" I ask. He shrugs.
I put my empty glass in the sink to do for later. Ponyboy walks to the front door as Darry stands aside. I stand beside Pony and stare at the man at the door. He looks at me.
"Are you his wife?" he asks. I nod.
"Yes, I am."
"I'm here to deliver a message for your husband, here."
"Okay. He's not in trouble is he?" I ask. The noise behind us quiets down to almost dead silence.
"It depends on how you look at the situation and circumstances, I suppose."
"What do you mean, sir?" Ponyboy asks impatiently.
The words he says next drive a knife through my heart, and I turn ice cold.
"Mr. Ponyboy Curtis, you will be leaving first thing in the morning. Pack your bags, son. You're going to Vietnam to fight in the war."