reckless 【 the outsiders 】

seventeen.

Meeting Leigh's father wasn't even the hardest part of the summer for Dallas and that was not one of his finer moments. The next day, Leigh spent her day packing and working, he only got a few minutes with her by volunteering to drop her off at work but she was so tired that she spent most of the ride asleep or pretty close to it. He picked her up from work and she was full of energy but insisted on going home despite his practically begging her to stay with him for the night.

The next day went almost the same except she spent her off time at home with Dorothy, her brothers, and her father who wanted to get some quality time in before she left them all for Hollywood. She had to keep telling them that she wouldn't be in Hollywood but Dorothy was the only one who knew anything at all about California besides the movie capital.

Dally got to see her for a minute again, just a simple goodbye, a long hug, and a kiss which was cut short by her brothers honking the horn at them.

Dallas really got to understand how she felt when he was locked up because somehow being out of the cooler made a big difference in the way he missed the girl. He was always waiting for a call from her or imagining a random visit. He'd go by places and be only able to think about how it reminded him of the time they beat the check at the restaurant that had just opened up or when she actually stole something for Dallas just for kicks and he didn't even ask.

The guys were convinced that since she was gone they were done but Winston would barely look at another girl, let alone try anything. He didn't have to spell it out for them, Sodapop was the first one to really say it: Dallas was in love. It wasn't just that situation that gave it away. He would talk about her, he would worry about her, he would go on about her when he thought no one was listening and he couldn't even help it anymore. One day he started and since then, he couldn't stop. He got a rush from just talking about her, it was like the thought of her made something in him feel good like even just her name was a drug.

He may not have been so pleased to find that after the first week or so alone, she stopped missing home so bad. She thought about him but she thought about work more. She wrote to Dorothy, she'd call her dad, but she only really reached out to Dallas a couple times. She told herself that it was because she never knew where he was on a given day but a bigger part of her knew that she could call Buck's and leave him a message. The truth was he was the only part of home that she did long for and talking to him, hearing from him would've been hard for her. She loved her family, she loved Dorothy and Gigi, but she loved Dallas and it was easier to not hear his voice at all than to hear it and only be able to talk for a few minutes before it was gone.

California was gorgeous: it was always sunny and she was always twenty minutes from the beach. It was nothing like she'd ever seen before and she realized why so many people fantasized about the state and if she could afford it, she'd never go back home.

The fact that she loved doing her job only made things better for her. No matter how bad the entertainment staff was treated by the rest of the staff, including management, she always had something she could look forward to to keep her from being so angry. She spent her days teaching classes to children and her nights with the adults. Her off days were spent with the friends of her partner who were always up for something fun and spontaneous. One of her new found friends was a photography major in college and was constantly taking pictures, it was the first time pictures had been taken of Leigh in color and she'd always have the photo to remind her. She hadn't thought about him too much lately but Dallas was definitely the first person she wanted to show.

Ocean water, endless bathing suits, confidence, empowerment, new friends, new clothes, it even felt like a new Leigh. By the time summer ended, she felt like nothing could stop her. She thought of all the times she and Dorothy dreamed of California and wondered if her best friend would've felt the way that she did. Actually, she knew she would.

Back home, it seemed as though very little had changed. She would come to realize exactly what kept her there and now that school was over for her, the days would be even blander than before. After her summer, Leigh promised herself that she wouldn't go back to her old mediocre self. That's what she tried to do.

edited 12-29-21