Begin [Ponyboy Curtis]

Yellow

Playlist: Yellow - Coldplay

Ponyboy and I started spending more time together after our run-in with Randy. We claimed we were working on our homework but that wasn't really the case. Often we'd sit up in my room listening to music or at the Curtis house drinking Cokes and doodling on our notes. Ponyboy even started hanging out at the DX when I had to work unless Steve bullied him out.

"Damn, Ponyboy," Steve glared at him while wiping his hands off on a rag, "you might as well start workin' here. We're about to close up."

I shut my notebook, Ponyboy and I had been working on math together and making fun of the principal. I couldn't fathom how that man got the job.

"I stayed so I could walk Dotty home," He glared right back at Steve, "mind your business."

"It is my business, I work here," Steve looked over at me, "you're gonna have to ask him out. The kid has no game."

"Shut up, Steve," I rolled my eyes.

They usually picked on Ponyboy for having a crush on me, but I think they have it backward. Ponyboy and I are friends, obviously, but that's all he sees me as.

"No, he's right," Sodapop came in and jumped on top of the counter, "I inherited all the smooth moves."

"I could ask a girl out if I wanted to," Ponyboy rolled his eyes.

I ignored the conversation to lock up the register. We found out after I started working that the other guy had been stealing from the cash register. Ever since I started the money has been "even" every night. Meaning the previous guy would lie about how much was in the register so that the other cashiers would take the fall. Bobby happened to be in the station the other day and told me about it. He said he couldn't believe it slipped past him.

"Then do it," Steve teased.

I put my backpack on and left the counter, "come on, Pony. I'll see you guys later."

Soda pat my back, "bye, Dot."

"See you at school," Steve and I shook hands lazily.

We left and started down the path to my house.

Ponyboy put his thumbs in his pockets, "I could ask a girl out if I wanted to."

I laughed and threw my arm around his neck, "I know, Pony. They're just messing with you cause I'm the only girl they know that's your age."

"Yeah," he sighed, putting his arm around my shoulder, "so... you know how I took yearbook class to get out of home ed?"

"Yeah. Smart move by the way."

"Yeah, but I'm the only freshman in that class."

"Mh huh?" I dropped my arm, looking over at him.

"Well. They don't want the seniors to have to write their own prom page. So..." he pulled two prom tickets out of his pocket, "they gave me a plus one so I wasn't alone all night."

"Oh, that was nice of them," I replied, more oblivious than I'd like to admit, "who are you taking?"

He stopped, giving me a well-deserved glare, "you, Dorthy. I'm asking you to prom."

"Oh!" I looked at the tickets. My face flushed red but I smiled, "yeah. Thanks."

He gave me my ticket and continued walking me home, "We don't have to dress up all the way, but they asked that we dressed appropriately. So like, Sunday clothes I guess."

"I've never gone to church... Do you want to match?"

"I have two nice shirts," he admitted, "light blue plaid and yellow."

"We can check out my mom's old clothes. I fit in most of them. I'm sure she had something that'll work."

"Yeah, okay," he nodded.

Stacey and dad were sitting on the couch in the living room. She spent the last week and a half slowly emerging from the bedroom. Whatever happened must have been bad, but they never wanted to talk about it.

"Dot, Ponyboy," Dad greeted, "what're you up to?"

Ponyboy waved to them awkwardly. I thought they probably shouldn't know that the boy I've been spending so much time with asked me to Prom so I made sure to sound disinterested, "Ponyboy is doing the Prom page for the yearbook and I'm assisting. He's coming up to help me find something that matches the dress code."

"I could take you dress shopping," Stacey offered.

I smiled, feeling like for the first time she was asking for me, not for herself, "thanks, but I don't have to wear anything fully formal. We'll save that for my actual prom."

She smiled and nodded, "alright."

My dad grinned. It never occurred to me how happy it would make him for us to get along. He rubbed Stacey's back and returned his attention to the TV. Pony and I ran upstairs and to my room.

"Wow," Ponyboy looked around, "your room is real pretty."

Ponyboy's room was built for function since he shared it with Soda. The closet was full of their clothes. The bed took up most of the space, being big enough for the two of them, The desk was covered in art and homework, above it, a corkboard held all of their favorite memories.

My room was bigger. I had a small bedside table shoved in the corner, my bed pressed against it. On the opposite side of my room, I had a desk and a filing cabinet. There were pictures neatly hung up on the walls. Next to my desk, a big mirror leaned against the wall with fake ivy garland strung across the top. It was my mom's when she was a kid.

"Thanks," I shut the door quietly and pulled out the box of mom's clothes. I wanted to hang them up, but something kept it all sitting in the box. Maybe I liked being surprised by each new piece. I guess it doesn't matter much anymore.

I started separating everything in the box. Skirts in one pile, blouses above them, and dresses next to them. We found a blue dress and a yellow dress but decided the yellow would match Ponyboy's shirt better.

"I'm pretty sure this is the exact color of my shirt," he said, holding it up against me.

"Perfect, okay turn around," I said while taking off my jacket.

"What?"

"I'm gonna try it on, turn around."

"Uh-oh," He spun around, awkwardly looking at the floor and shoving his hands in his pockets.

I tossed my shirt across the room and pulled the dress on over my head, finally, I shimmied my shorts off from under it, "okay you can look."

He turned around and smiled, "it looks really pretty."

"Thanks," I swayed back and forth, letting the skirt swish from side to side.

"You know you don't have to assist me with the prom page right?"

"Yeah," I swatted my hand at him from across the room, "I just said that so they wouldn't think it was a date."

"Okay," he nodded, "but it'll kind of be like a date. The school sets up a dinner, dance, and after prom."

"I know," I nodded back, "did you want it not to be?" I sat on my bed, patting the spot next to me.

The sun showed through the window, painting his silhouette on the wall behind my bed.

"Did you want it to be?"

"Ponyboy," I smiled at him, "as your friend I'm telling you, you can ask a girl out if you want to."

He finally took his gaze off his lap. The sun illuminated his perfectly green eyes and showed the dark specks creating little constellations around his pupils.

"I am," he sat up, "Dorthy, do you want to go to our not prom with me?"

I smiled, "yes, Ponyboy. I'd love to go to not prom with you."