Simply a Greaser

Chapter 48

I was early. Twenty minutes early, to be exact. 

I thought that I would be able to talk to mom and this James guy alone. I thought that it could help me get some sense of relief over the whole situation. Maybe if I met them without the additional stress of Dally being there, it wouldn't be so bad or awkward. 

I walked down the hall towards their room. 

With each step, a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach weighed me down. My throat was tightening. 

I couldn't do it. 

I couldn't face mom alone, not after I knew she was pregnant. I knew I would need someone else there to help me, someone who knew what I was going through. 

I needed Dally there.

So, I waited, leaning against the wall. I wasn't afraid that Dally wouldn't show- I was sure he would. 

He got there a little bit late, passing me wordlessly. I followed him, my head down. 

He knocked on the door. 

Mom immediately answered, grabbing me and Dallas into a group hug. 

When she finally let us go, I saw a man I guessed to be James standing awkwardly behind her. 

He gave a small smile, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He wasn't bad looking, his hair dirty blonde and his eyes blue. He was in good shape, obviously one to exercise a few days a week. 

"It's great to finally meet you two," he said quietly. "I'm James Kingsley. I've heard much about you both." 

"Nice to meet you too," Dallas muttered and I agreed. 

"Why don't you come inside and sit down?" 

We followed him where he showed us the couch. Mom sat in the armchair.

"Would you like a drink? We have water, some soda..." 

"No thanks," I muttered.

I looked at Dallas who had the same look I was sure I had. He looked confused as hell. 

To be honest, I knew I was expecting someone who was the opposite of James. Mean or rude, probably both, not too smart. Ugly. 

James didn't seem like that. He was being very polite and nice this far, and definitely wasn't ugly. 

 James sat on the bed, the only place left. When he pulled his hands out of his pockets, something on his wrist caught the light. It was a watch with a thick gold chain, the glass on the face of it crystal clear.

I knew if that gold wasn't fake, that watch cost a lot of money. 

"Dallas, what happened to your ear?" Mom asked. His ear was swollen and bruised already. 

"Just, uh, this girl dragged me out of a house by it." He glared at me. 

"It looks painful," I said in the most overly sympathetic voice I could manage. Dallas glared. 

"Well, who was this girl? What did she think she was doing?"  

"Don't worry about it, mom." 

When we all fell silent for a few moments, James cleared his throat. "Your mother and I would love to hear all about you two. What've you been up to lately?" 

"Some old stuff," Dally grumbled. 

"Not much," I added, picking at my nails. I wanted to go home. 

"There has to be something interesting." Mom smiled. 

Dally lied, smirking at me out of sight from mom. "Well, Ava and her boyfriend just broke up." He was trying to get under my skin. 

"I'm so sorry, Ava. I'm sure he wasn't good enough for you," mom said awkwardly, trying to comfort me. 

"We're talkin' again," I replied happily. "I think we're gonna get back together." 

Dallas huffed and crossed his arms next to me. 

"What about you, Dallas?" James asked. 

"Yeah, I'm datin' a girl." 

"Could I meet her?" mom asked excitedly. I almost laughed at the thought of mom meeting Sylvia. 

Dally froze. "Um, yeah, probably not. She's outta town right now." 

After hours of uncomfortable questioning, Dally and I left. We didn't talk until he broke our silence in the lobby. 

"You are such a bitch," he mumbled. 

I replied, "And you aren't?" 

The entire time we had been talking to mom, we had been picking at each other constantly. 

"You know what? You need to get over yourself and see that I'm right." Dallas rolled his eyes. 

"Fuck you, prick," I said. "And even if you are right, you're still an asshole." 

"How? How is being worried about you being an asshole?" 

"Oh, you're just gonna at like you didn't tell me dad was right for hitting me? And anyway, you've never monitored my life choices before now and I've always been fine." 

"I found you bleeding on the street," Dallas snapped, turning to face me in. "That ain't fine." 

"Dad did worse," I hissed. "So much worse than that. And you think he was right to." 

"I was mad, Ava. I didn't mean that-I just wasn't thinking." 

"Do you think I care? I don't want an excuse for what you said! I would never say something like that to you and you know it!" 

Everyone in the lobby was staring at us, but I didn't care. Apparently Dallas didn't either. He yelled back, louder than I had yelled, "I'm sorry, okay?! For that I'm sorry! But everything else I said still stands!" 

"Just stay away from me," I said. "You aren't my dad. You aren't my mom. You don't make the rules for me. I'm gonna do what I want and there's nothing you can do about it." I turned away and began to walk out of the lobby. 

Dallas cursed under his breath. I left the hotel. 

He came running after me. "What about next time mom wants to see us?" he asked, calling after me. 

I stopped in my tracks. I couldn't see her alone, and I was sure Dallas couldn't either. "That's the only time I wanna see you," I yelled back. "Call me at the Curtis' when she calls you." 

"What if she doesn't call me? What if she tries to reach you?" 

"She won't call me. She'll talk to the Winston sibling she likes more first."