TULSA - darry curtis

T W E N T Y - S I X

Weeks had passed and tonight is the craziest night I've ever worked at the Dingo. Quite possibly the the worst shift of my life.

Toward the end of my shift, the gang shows up, making an immediate smile form on my face and any stress melt away like an ice cube in July.

I bound around the counter, throwing myself into Darry's arms in a hug. The guys whoop and whistle when Darry presses a small kiss to my lips even though they found out about us going steady a few weeks ago. Just as I predicted, Soda leaked it to Steve and Steve couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Once Two-Bit caught wind of the news, any chance at privacy was history. For days, he would just walk around telling random people, even complete strangers. He just likes to see people get uncomfortable, I think.

Darry places me back onto my feet, and I smooth my waitressing uniform a bit as I step back. I wrap Ponyboy and Sodapop into a big hug as well before ruffling Johnny's hair, pinching Two-Bit and Steve on their cheeks, and lightly punching Dally's shoulder.

"Boy am I glad to see you guys," I sigh as I lead them towards the huge vinyl booth in the corner. "Tonight has been terrible."

"That bad, huh?" Two-Bit says as he sits down, the rest of the gang piling into the booth beside him.

"You have no idea how hard it is to be professional with Socs catcalling you all night long," I roll my eyes, clicking my pen a few times and grabbing my notepad. "What to drink, fellas?"

"Coke." Steve, Sodapop, Ponyboy, Dallas, and Two-Bit all speak up at the exact time, making me laugh.

"How about you two?" I ask Johnny and Darrel. "Do you want Coke too, Johnnycake?" Johnny nods quietly, and I write down 6 Cokes before turning to see Darry staring intently at me. "And for you, Mr. Curtis?"

"Water's just fine, Babygirl." He says, and I nod with a smile, adding a water to the list.

"Yes, Sir," I salute, tucking my notepad and pen back into the pocket of my skirt. "I'll have those out for y'all in a jiffy."

I wink at Darrel, making his own eye drop into a wink, an attractive smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. I blush as I walk away, composing myself before any of the girls noticed and asked about what had me so flustered. I fix up 6 Cokes and a water, putting them all on a tray before picking it up and heading back out from the kitchen.

Balancing the tray carefully, I set it down on the gang's table. Before I can hand them to their respected owners, they all reach for their own, having an all-out war over who gets the first Coke. I laugh, tucking the now-empty tray under my arm and pulling out my notepad and pen again, poising the tip over the paper.

"What're you hoods hungry for?" I ask with a smirk, making the boys laugh and holler and draw everyone's attention in the entire diner.

I swat at them playfully (other than Johnny) to quiet them down and finally get their attention enough to take their orders down. I go back to the kitchen with the biggest smile on my face as I pin their order up in front of the grills. I look out at them fondly, wondering what I did to get so lucky.