The Outsiders Imagines

Sodapop x Reader

"I really like your hair." Sodapop said, laying down, while he stroked his long, slender fingers through your hair. "It looks so shiny in the sunlight that it just makes me never want to stop touching it."

"Thanks." You responded, feeling awkward. It had been a week since Sodapop started dating Sandy and through all that time, you swallowed your heartbreak.

Sodapop was one of your best friends in the gang. Although he didn't know how you felt about him. He didn't know about the countless nights you spent imagining scenarios in your head with him. He didn't know about how you sucked in your tears and put on a smile for him, when he introduced his girlfriend. He didn't know that everyone in the gang knew, except him.

The sun began to set and you abruptly stood up, well you tried to. You yelled in pain when you realized that Sodapop's finger were still in there and crouched back down. You took his hand out your hair and stood back up.

"Hey, where're you going?" Sodapop said, sitting up with a look of concern plastered on his face. His blue eyes looked up at your face.

"Home." You replied and started to walk quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow." You reached the sidewalk that surrounded the park, looked both ways and crossed.

You turned to see Sodapop gathering his shoes and jacket, and beginning to put them on. You walked faster to your house which was close to the park. The white house began to loom in your vision, with it's orange exteriors.

"Hey." Said Sodapop, landing a hand on your shoulder. Crap, you thought. "You didn't even let me walk you to your house.

You shrugged his hand off your shoulder and turned to him. A frown replaced his usual smile. "It's fine, you didn't have to walk me home." You fake smiled at him.

A look of concern appeared on his gorgeous face. "What's wrong?" He asked you.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what's wrong? First, you get up and leave without even saying goodbye." He starts off.

"I said I'll see yo-" you began to say, but he cut you off.

"Then you don't want me to walk you home, like I usually do. And now you take my hand of your shoulder and put on a fake smile. I repeat, what's wrong?" He asked. He saw right through your disguise.

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair. "Nothing's wrong." You lied. You turned from him and walked away. You reached the door of your house and pulled out the keys from your jean jacket.

"I know you're lying to me," Said Sodapop, right behind you, "this isn't like you. You're acting really strange." He turned you and grabbed your hands, you dropped your keys on the floor. "Please tell me what's wrong." He asked you.

You breathed in deeply, your heart was racing. "I don't think we should be friends anymore." You responded, wincing. Sodapop stumbled backwards, with wide eyes. "Before you ask, it's a personal choice. Please respect it." You continued.

"What? No you-you-you can't do this to me." Sodapop stuttered. You grabbed your keys from the floor, unlocked the door and ran inside, slamming the door into Sodapop's face.

Banging was heard from the outside and a little sob. "Please open the door! PLEASE! Let's talk about this!" Sodapop yelled at you. You looked back on the door and headed up the stairs into your room, tears streaming down your face.

***
A knocking sound woke you up.

The door opened and your mom came in telling you it was time for dinner. You weren't hungry, so you told her you didn't want to eat. Your eyes closed but not before someone else barged in.

"Hey." Said someone, with a rough voice. You turned to see Darry standing the doorway. "What's up?" He asked you.

"Why are you here?" You asked, cutting to the chase.

"Look, Sodapop came home with tears. He said that you didn't want to be his friend anymore. I'm concerned." Darry said staring into your eyes.

"Yeah, I said that to him," you said, "but I didn't think it would really bother him so much."

"Soda cares about you a lot." Darry said. He moved closer and sat down on the bed next to you. "I just want to know why. He does also."

"Tell him just one word, Sandy." You said as you blinked back tears. You moved farther from him and stared at the wall.

"We all know you like him, but you can't stop being friends with him just because he's dating someone." Darry said to you.

"It's not that simple Darry. Every time that the gang is all together and she's here, I'm invisible not just to Sodapop, but to all of you. I get it, she's sweet and pretty but come on I'm right there. Also, it stings for me to see him happy with someone else. Whenever he gets the chance he talks about her. It seems like I'm no longer important to him, but that's okay right? Because he's happy, but who cares about how I feel? You don't have to answer, I already know the answer and it's no one. So please go home and tell Soda not to come over anymore and tell the gang I'll only be there when Soda isn't around. Okay? Okay." You ranted with tears streaming down your eyes.

"I'm so sorry, we didn't realize that-" You cut Darry off.

"It's fine, it doesn't matter anymore. Now please go." You said as you gestured to the door.

Darry looked back at you with a frown and left, closing the door behind him. You laid in your bed crying silent tears until you fell asleep.

***
Tap. Tap. Tap.

A tapping noise came from the window. You sat up, groggy from sleep. The tapping continued until you opened the window, only for a rock to hit you on the nose.

"Ow, what the hell?" You asked, rubbing your nose. You looked down to find Soda at the bottom. "No, no, no, I'm not doing this right now." You told him, about to close the window.

"Wait. Please let me talk to you." Sodapop urged.

You sighed and told him to come up. He climbed the tree, that was placed coincidently right next to your window.

He made his way into your room and sat down on your bed and you followed suit.

"What do you want, Soda?" You asked, impatiently. It was close to 2am and you were tired.

"Look, Darry told me that you don't want to be my friend because of Sandy. Is that true?" He asked. Even in the moonlight you could see that his face was red and blotchy, signifying he had cried earlier.

"Honestly?" You asked. He nodded silently. "Yes I don't want to be your friend because of Sandy. It's not that I dislike her, it's that I like you. I've liked you for a long while now but you only see me as a friend and I get it. But I can't bear to see you hugging and kissing her with a wide grin and your beautiful, blue eyes looking at her with so much admiration. My heart breaks on the daily and it often seems that I'm unwanted in the gang. Everybody loves her, even Dally and that's hard to accomplish. Look, I know you want to be friends with me but I can't do it unless you're single and I have a feeling that that won't be happening any time soon. So until then, we will be acquaintances. I'll hang out with the gang but not alone with you. I just can't handle it. I'm sorry." You were crying once again and so was Sodapop.

"I need you in my life," Sodapop said, you felt a slimmer of hope appear inside you, "but I'm in love with Sandy and I don't want to break up with her." With that sentence, all your hope was crushed. 

Your tears multiplied and you quietly sobbed into your hand. Sodapop tried to hug you but you moved away and stood up.

The window was still open. "Go." You told him and pointed to the window. Sodapop stood up and tried to go to you, but you held out a hand, stopping him. "Leave now." You choked out, your heart breaking and hand over your mouth.

Sodapop began to say, "I love-" but you shook your head.

"You don't get to say that to me." You said to him. He headed out the window, tears streaming down both your faces. You closed the window and headed to your bed. You cried yourself to sleep that night.