Reunited | Dally's Little Sister

four

Sage P.O.V

I couldn't tell if Soda was upset or not. I don't think I have ever seen that kid upset except when his parents died. I waited for some sort of emotion to run over his face, but when it didn't, I said, "I needed to cash and the only option I saw was to race." 

He stood there, staring at me for a minute longer until that crooked grin broke out. "You sly dog. Not only did I get beat by a girl, I got beat by someone in our own gang! How could you do this to me?" He laughed and so did the others. 

I simply shrugged my shoulders and crossed my arms over my chest, "Maybe next time you will learn a thing or two about patience instead of throwin' yourself all over the place." He came and wrapped me in a headlock. "My poor rep is goin' down the drain because of you!" Before we could do any damage, Darry broke us up and told us to settle down.

 "This might be an exciting night, but that does not mean three of us don't have work in the morning." I looked at the clock and saw it was past midnight. Steve and Two-bit said they needed to get home and told me they would see me later. I waved bye as I laid down on the couch.

 Pony had already walked into his room when Soda said, "You can have my old room. I have been sleeping with Pony." I gave him a questioning look and he ran a hand through his already messy hair, "He's been havin' these awful nightmares that scare Darry and I more than him I reckon. He doesn't have them as much when I'm in there with him." 

All I could do was nod my head and followed him back to the hallway. I walked right as he turned left and before I closed the door of Soda's old room, his voice carried out, "Night, Sage. I'll see you bright and early." I couldn't help but smile at his words as I closed the door. 

I laid down in bed, taking off my shoes and socks thinking about how much has changed. Poor Pony is getting nightmares that I can only assume are from their parents dying. Johnny is jumpy as all get out and I have a feeling it has something to do with that scar on his face. 

Two-bit and Steve haven't changed much. If anything, they are more childish than before. Darry seems to have aged ten years since I last saw him. He's more tense and stricter than I remember. But I figured that has to do with raising two polar opposite boys. 

And lastly Sodapop. That boy still seems to get drunk off of plain livin' and I hope it stays that way. I knew I missed my life back here, but I never knew it was something I couldn't leave behind again. 

My only hope is my demons stay in New York and let me live the life I know I'm supposed to have.

-

I woke up to the smell of bacon and I knew if I wanted to snag a piece, I needed to get in the kitchen before the herd of boys do. I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and knew I had a few outfits in the car to change into, but my stomach was tellin' me food needed to come first.

 I walked into the kitchen to find Darry cooking eggs and bacon and told him good morning. "Mornin'. How'd you sleep?" I sat on the counter and stole a piece of bacon as I answered him, "Better than I have in a long while." He smiled and flipped one of the eggs over. 

I knew Darry wanted more details on why I was here and what all it entailed, so I told him to ask. He tried to act confused, but I waved my hand at him. "I know you better than that. What questions do you have for me that the hooligans didn't ask last night?" 

He gave me a knowing smile and asked, "How did Dally take you coming back?" I looked down at my half eaten piece of bacon and said, "He didn't want to raise a kid." Darry chuckled to himself and mumbled something like, "I don't blame him." But quickly asked, "How long do you really plan on staying?" 

I answered that last night and he knew that. I tilted my head to the side, "That's not what you want to ask." He sighed and I knew there was more to the question. He moved the eggs to a plate and then looked at me.

 "I haven't seen Soda this happy since you left. You were his best friend, and while I don't blame you for leaving, if you up and leave again I don't think he is going to be able to handle it. You and Dally were a big part of this family and when you both left, it was like a hole that couldn't be filled. Dally came back after a few years, but it still wasn't the same. Soda missed his best friend and so did the rest of the guys. I only ask if you plan on staying because I don't want to see the little guy hurt again." 

I nodded my head and looked down at my feet, thinking of the right words to tell him. I can't explain the real reason why I left. Word would get back to Dally and I don't need him in the cooler for murder. 

So, I said, "My dad and I didn't get along too well when Dal left. I didn't make it any better, but it wasn't a place where I could live happily and get somewhere in life. It took a lot of thought on how to leave and where to go. I tried to map out all these different places that I thought would be pretty cool to live in, but my mind kept wondering to here. I just wanted to see you all again, be with my brother, and forget about New York. So, I guess the answer you're lookin' for is yes. I plan on staying for the rest of my life if things work out. But right now, I have no home, my brother I'm sure wants nothing to do with me, and I'm lost on what I'm supposed to even be doing." 

I was so lost in what I was saying that I didn't hear Soda walk in. "Darlin' you know we all love you and this is your home. We will figure out the rest later, but right now the only thing you should be worried about is how bad you smell." 

I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. "I know, I know. I will take a shower when you all leave, but it takes you so long in the bathroom to get all dolled up for work that I haven't had a chance to wash off." He playfully pushed me when he went to grab some eggs and bacon. 

Pony walked in right after and asked what I was doing today. Since the others had work, I hadn't really thought about what I was going to waste my time on until they got off. I shrugged my shoulder and asked him what he wanted to do. "I figured we could go grab Johnny and think of something." 

Two-bit walked in the door and threw an arm over Ponyboy. "What are the youngsters doing today? Getting' wild?" I laughed and Darry shook his head, "Not while he is living under this roof." 

Everyone ate breakfast and the two working boys left for the day. The rest of us cleaned up a bit and walked out to go find Johnny. It wasn't too long before the 4 of us were strolling down the street, looking for something to do. I don't know if I was hoping for a boring day, but a relaxing one would've been nice.

 All hope for that was thrown out the window when I saw Dally walking towards us. "Shit." Pony saw me tense up and put a hand on my shoulder. Two-bit seemed to welcome the fight, but Johnny slowly stepped behind us, away from any confrontation. 

When Dally got to us, I could see the anger on his face. "You come into town unexpected, woke me up like you were wanting this warm family reunion, get all pissy for no reason, and then walk out without any word on where you were going." 

I rolled my eyes which only pissed him off more. "First off, you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me. And second, stop being all dramatic because you knew damn well where I was going. And it wasn't like you cared enough to get out of bed to stop me from walking out. You probably thought if you ignored me, I would disappear from your life again." 

I might have still been a bit upset about how he left New York with no warning. He left me with our drunken father and didn't bother to take me with him. Yeah, we were both still young, but I thought family looked out for each other. Dally showed me I was dead wrong. 

He walked closer and pointed a finger at my chest, "Don't you dare talk to me like that." I let out a small laugh, "Or what? You aren't my daddy." 

And then all hell broke loose.