DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER | SODAPOP CURTIS

EIGHT

"Dally's gonna be here soon, Alice!" Vicki yelled from the kitchen.

I walked down the steps with freshly done makeup and freshly washed hair, ready to leave for the party.

"Vicki hun, why is Dally coming over?" Rose asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh um, we're just gonna go to the movies with Alice. Is that okay Mom?"

"I guess. Be careful okay? Don't stay out too late either."

"Alright. C'mon Alice, let's stand up the street for Dally."

We walked a bit up the street from her house, just to be sure Aunt Rose didn't see the beer anywhere.

After a few minutes, Dally pulled up in a different car than he did last night.

"Hey, Dally!" Vicki said, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Hey, love." He whispered, lifting her off the ground and hugging her back. Vicki giggled as he placed her back on the ground.

"Uh, thanks Dally, for all of this." I said awkwardly.

"You're welcome. Now c'mon guys let's get going."

Dally's car struggled to make it up the hill at the end of Vicki's road. Eventually, we made it to the grocery store, and Vicki hopped out the car and ran into the store, with Dally by her side.

I sat in the roofless car, checking my reflection every once in a while. Finally, Dally and Vic came out the store hand in hand with their shopping bags.

🌻

"It's just this way, guys!" Vicki yelled as she left us behind and ran up the dirt path surrounded by trees in the woods in excitement. I struggled to carry to cases of beer because of my injured hand, and Dally trudged along beside me, carrying a few other cases of beer.

"Dally?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked, looking at the ground.

"Nah. Why, you interested?"

"No, never. But Vicki seems to be. Please don't hurt her or somethin'. Please?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" he scoffed.

The rest of our walk was silent. We saw Vicki sitting against an Oak Tree in the grass next to the hospital, picking flowers and carefully placing them in her waves. She was humming "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles, and looking off into space.

"How can you hurt that. She's so happy and childlike. She hasn't been that happy in a while. Dallas Winston, you'd better not be two - timing her or something because we'd have a whole lotta trouble here." I whispered, getting close to his face.

"Relax, hon. I really do care about her." He chuckled and walked past me, amusingly kicking a patch of dirt.

I waited for Dally to begin setting up inside before I took Vicki from underneath the Oak Tree.