Chapter 5

This chapter was more of a filler to get the plot moving along. It's not much, but I thought it was still touching. Anyway, enjoy reading! (:<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>Chapter 5After a few days of rainy weather, the sun is actually out today. I decide I could use some fresh air so I take Baby and Tucker outside and sit on the porch. I put the quilt on the concrete porch. She giggles as she plays with her toys. Tucker babbles a lot. I feel the sun heating up my body as I sway on the porch swing. A slight breeze blows, making the autumn leaves blow across the yard. We ought to let Baby and Tucker play in them. I pull my sweater closer to my body as a slight chill creeps up my arms. I look out across the road, seeing families together in their yards. I begin feeling little down knowing it'll be awhile before mine's complete again. A pickup truck pulls up and parks by the sidewalk. A girl steps out, and I recognize it's Dally and Liz. "Hey!" she calls with a wave. I wave back. She steps around the truck and grabs a... leash?A huge dog jumps out of the bed of her truck. It's a grayish color with white, black, and brown. It curiously sniffs around. "Why the heck do you got a dog?" I ask. "He's a stray. Came running up at the stables. He likes me the most. His name is Bear," she says. "Yeah. And he hates me," Dally mumbles. "Well you tried to run him off! Anyway, he's gentle, and I thought maybe... you'd want him?" she asks hopefully. "Oh, um... I don't know, Liz. He's awfully big.""C'mon! Y'all need a pet. Might as well. You got everything else." I step down off the porch and hold out my hand to Bear. He sniffs it then licks my fingers. I pet behind his ears. "Doggie!" Tucker says. "Yeah, son. Doggie!" Dally tells him, scooping him up. I grab Baby and bring her down too. Bear sniffs them both and nudges them with his nose. The kids laugh and pet him. He stands there. "See? He's pretty good," Liz says. "What's this?" Darry asks, yelling out his window as he pulls in the driveway. "Found a stray at the stables. Liz thought we would like to keep him," Dal explains. "What's his name?""Bear.""Well," he says, bending down to his level, "looks like the kids love him already."Darry smiles and pets him. He looks like he's taking well to Bear too. "Can we keep him, Darry?" I ask. "Pleeeeease?""Sure, JT." He gets up and goes inside. "Well, looks like we got ourselves a dog."•••Liz and I sit at the kitchen table that night with cups of coffee. The boys are in the living room, just messing around. A lot of things are on both of our minds, and it's quite obvious. Something about tonight just feels really off. Everyone's been acting a little weird. "So... Just between us..." she says quietly. "I think I really, really like Dally.""Really? I knew you did all along!""Yeah," she says, blushing slightly. She looks down. "He's so nice. Sometimes I feel bad because I smart off to him. You know what I mean?" I nod. "What did he used to be like?""Well... He used to get in trouble a lot. He got locked up every now and then. When he found out about Tucker, he settled down.""I'm guessing it's worse than you're letting on?" she asks. I nod. "So what about you? What's your story?""Well if you want me to really dig deep, I was supposed to go to a really fancy school for dance. I didn't want to because my heart wasn't in it. I lost my drive to dance in high school, but my parents didn't listen. I drove in my pickup until I got somewhere. I spent a while living in that truck. Then I found an abandoned tree house away from here. I made it something. So I started working at the stables because I knew I had to support myself. Then I met Dally." She laughs to herself. "Dally... Gosh. I first saw him practicing his riding. He was laughing and hollering and carrying on. I guess I started liking him when I saw his smile. He was so happy..." She looks down and smiles herself. I feel my lips tugging into a smile too. She puts her arm on the table. "But anyway... What about you?" she asks. "I got kicked out. So I ran away. As soon as I was in Tulsa, I got jumped, and Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy found me. They took me in because they decided I was alright. We've been through a lot. It's really insane how far we've come. And then after a while, they dared me to get drunk. So I told Ponyboy that I loved his stupid face. That's where it all kinda started between me and him. Then things settled down, and I got a letter that my dad died of cancer that came back. I was devastated for I don't know how long. I'm better about it now, but I wish he could've met Baby and all. Then mine and Pony's birthdays came a week apart, and we all got drunk. I contemplated my feelings for him for a long, long time. We started going together, and then I found out I was having Baby. We were scared being parents at sixteen. No one knew what to think. But when she came into the world, I had a different perspective. We both did. Everyone changed that day. Then we got married. A couple weeks after that, he was sent off to Vietnam. I won't see him until somewhere around the end of December...""You mean, he's gonna miss Christmas? And Baby's first birthday?" she asks sadly. I nod. "It's just awful because... You don't know. You don't know if he'll come home. He may be there longer than you think. Liz..." I look up at her. She has tears in her eyes, and she's trying to hold them back. Now I am too. I'm so sensitive to the subject. "What if he doesn't come home?" "Honey, he will. I don't care what you're thinking. Your mind is telling you horrible things, but I know your heart believes that he's coming home. JT, I know how you feel. It hurts. I know it does. You just have to stay strong. Okay? For me?" She gets up and pulls me into a hug. We pull away after a while. She wipes my tears, making me smile. "Thanks, Liz. It's nice to actually talk to a girl for once," I tell her. She laughs. "Anytime. It's good to just talk. Sometimes life can get you down and you just need to tell someone." I nod. We go back to talking about countless subjects. She brings up Tucker. "I mean, I love the kid and all. He's so precious, but it makes me nervous to be around him because I know how much Tucker means to Dal. If something happened to either one of them... I would never, ever forgive myself. And I really like Dallas. I might actually think I love him. I know it sounds cliche and all, but it's only been a few weeks where we've actually been dating. Sometimes I just wonder what would happen if he was the one."I hear a thump then a sudden bloodcurdling scream from upstairs. It sends chills down my spine. I jump up and run upstairs. The screams get louder and louder. They double as the other starts crying. I burst through the nursery. Baby's on the floor, bawling her eyes out and screaming at the top of her lungs. I scoop her up, and Liz takes Tucker into her arms. "Shh, Baby. Shhh..." I hold the back of her head and feel a knot. Oh great. She tried climbing out of her crib, and she fell. She's too adventurous. "What the hell happened?!" Darry asks as steps in the doorway. "Baby fell and hit her head," I answer calmly. "Was she climbing out?" Johnny asks. I nod. I bounce Baby, but she won't stop crying. Johnny takes her from me, and she calms down a little. She sniffles and takes sharp breaths. "Thank you," I tell him. He nods. Dally walks over to Liz and puts his arm around her waist. I take a quick glance, and they look perfect together. They look like a real family... We put Baby and Tucker back to bed. They fall asleep instantly, and everyone goes back to what they were doing previously. As soon as Liz and I start walking through the living room, Steve speaks up. "Has anyone seen Two-Bit lately?" "I haven't," Soda says. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him in a week," I tell him. "But you're here the most. What do you mean you haven't seen him?" "I just haven't seen him.""Do you think he could've been sent off too and didn't tell us?" Johnny asks. "No. He'd tell us," Darry says. "Maybe he'll show up soon," Liz says hopefully. "I don't know. Maybe we should look for him?" Dallas suggests. The phone rings. "I'll get it," Darry says. He picks it up and breathes a sigh of relief. "We were just talking about you. Are you alright?... You're where?!... Two-Bit! I'm coming down there..." Darry sighs heavily. "Fine. See ya." Darry hangs up the phone. "So? What did he say?" Soda asks. "He wants JT to go get him.""Where is he?" I ask. Darry stands up angrily. "Jail. He's in jail."