#evaporative porch drink cooler | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theramseyloft · 3 years

Text

7/28/21 Loft Notes

Went straight outside today because it's supposed to be 106 all week.

Stormed all night, but that didn't bring down the temperature. Just drastically elevated the humidity. Dripping sweat with in minutes of going outside to work, but it doesn't evaporate.

So I'm just overheating and sticky.

An hour and a half of work in that, and it feels like I'm gonna drop where I stand, regardless of how much I've been drinking or how cold it is.

Georgia is the front porch of hell.

Thought Nica's new clutch was a single when I came out and only saw one egg in the nest.

She laid the second last night in Luxie's favorite nest and got driven off of it

I noticed it buried in the straw.

Tucked it under her.

Ok. Think I've finally cooled down enough to function.

Huh.

Mote isn't Wukong's either.

Look how dark they are.

You can't get a darker checker than the parents were.

You can only match the darker, more saturated checker parent, or lighter.

Suki is a clean, light check.

Wu is a clean, medium check.

A dirty dark check can't come out of that pairing.

Can't be a Satin baby.

No way in hell Satin x Suki peeps wouldn't have any white flights

Same thing disqualifies Ginger

No way in hell a Cherub x Suki baby wouldn't be mostly white.

Patron: "Thistle?"

He seems the most likely.

Back boxes mucked.

There's cloud cover and it's cooler, but I'm struggling.

Patron: "May be worth taking a break until evening"

Can't. Have to get up at balls in the morning to get Ankhou to UGA's vet (3hours away) by 9:30 am.

I need to get to sleep as early as I can this evening.

Patron: "Just be careful and make sure you drink lots of water"

Yep.

Going is very, very slow, but it's going.

The person I've hired for loft help half asses a bunch of minor things that add up on the following cleaning day.

I prop some of the feed mesh up on the wall instead of laying it all flat to avoid or at fucking least minimize this mess ^

He lays it flat every time, and I have this to clean up next cleaning day.

I don't know why he fucking refuses to use the weight stones, but I use them instead of bricks so the peeps don't have to play musical bricks to figure out which one is made of salt.

Literally nothing I do or do or instruct is without purpose!

Patron: "does he still do that despite you specifically telling/showing him how to lay it??"

Problem is I only call for help when I physically cannot safely be outside.

So he's just seen how I lay it when he unlays it and I guess assumes it's arbitrary.

I get wanting to get in out of this ASAP. Believe me. But I need the job completed when I can't.

Laying the mesh flat and weighing it down with bricks is annoying, but just flipping the swing and bricks shit side down and not bothering with what ever has been pushed against the walls while sifting is fucking dangerous.

That ammonia source is just left there to leech into the air, and the mess along the walls is practically a red carpet to invite the Fire Nation scouts

Maybe saying he could do what ever he needed to get things done as comfortably as possible was a mistake, but I had thought I made clear that the job needed to be finished.

Patron: "I would gladly offer to help instead if I lived a little closer, I think it's about a 5 hour drive as it stands. : /"

Bless you.

Had to come in and shower to cool back off.

Birds have been fed.

Porch was a goopy mess of muck, so I had to pressure hose it down.

Last things I'll need to do outside are muck the rest of the boxes and sift the rest of the sand.

Well, that may have been the most disgusting thing that ever happened to me.

Cleaning a nest box and talking to a client on the phone.

A blade of straw catapulted a chunk of squeaker poo straight into my mouth.

Gross nest cleaning hazards...

New winner for grossest thing I have experienced.

We received $20 for 2 boxes of craft feathers

Bringing our PayPal Balance to $246.72

39 notes · View notes

mellohyi · 3 years

Text

wooowowowoo i miss summer camp so much

like this is my second year without going and as much as it sucked i loved it

there is a large rant about the place and like every single living detail i remember about it under the cut (is that the right phrase to use for this idk)

like the big field with the train tracks next to it and the beehives on one edge. i miss throwing a frisbee for my few friends there and laughing when i would get it stuck in a tree or they would throw it and it would go so far away. and i miss jumping on the trampoline and getting so pissed off (jokingly) at the dudes spending like 10 decades on it and because i was the only british person there they would be somewhat scared of me? so i would literally stare at them somewhat angrily and with my shitty latvian accent complain about how long they are taking and they would get off LMAO it only worked on the dudes younger than me but it worked... and the basketball on the small court !!! :D im not good at like,, throwing ball type games tbh? but like this court was magical because like 9/10 i would actually get it in and score a point and i loved how,, rapid (?) the games were like if you failed to get it in at a certain point you would be out and you had to get it in to stay in the game !!

and i remember the lake!!! it had a lot of those thingies.. oysters? idk i googled it and thats what they looked like. i can still remember the feeling of them and they were sharp LMAO and there was a zipline thing you could go on and it would take you to the middle of the lake and you could jump into it from there. and there was a game we played where we would be in two teams and then we would send a person down the zipline and if they fell in we would all have to do i think 10? pushups and it was fun cheering on people from the small platforms next to the zipline !! and we used to build a sorta dodgy looking sauna using some planks of wood and a big blue tarp that was held down by some rocks and we would collect sticks to make a fire with and then we would go sit in it and just talk and chill in the sauna. not everyone wanted to go, understandably considering iirc i put it off the first year i went but then tried it the next and loved it, so there was enough room for all of us to comfortable sit and even lie down on the log benches !! and we even had like,, bay leaf sticks with the leaves on it and stuff and we would dunk them into a bucket of water and then gently hit someone who was lying down as a like,,, relaxation thing? and it was so nice and it smelt SO GOOD it smelt like wood and grass and nature and it was sweet in a savoury way and i miss the smell so much just thinking about it. like you could literally smell the bay leaves because of the water evaporating after you take it out the bucket. and the hot air was so much harder to breathe when you stood up and it felt thicker and the air lower to the ground was cool so when you found it hard to breathe you would basically stick your head onto the grass to get a bit of cool and it felt so good !! and we would take breaks to drink water and pour cold water on ourselves or we would go into the lake though the last time i went a lot of the lake had dried up D: but its okay because i still have good memories with the lake when it wasnt like that. once during the sauna we went in the lake after and the sky was so clear like i could see all the stars and i could see the big dipper and it was just so beautiful. i even used the zipline to get into the lake that time as well and it was just so magical. i was kinda like,, sleepy (?) so i kinda was just not fully there so it was like so much cooler because i didnt feel real during it and it was just amazing.

omg and the activities we would do. we went on a hike in a forest and it was SO COOL like we would have to go climb up the steep hill that separated the field area and the train tracks and we would literally go onto the train tracks and at the time there wasnt any trains so we got to literally touch the tracks and we would go into the forest and IT WAS SO COOL like the light came in at a perfect angle and it was so pretty and we would pick blueberries and aaaaaaaa it was so amazing !! and we would split up and walk to an area to play some games using the trees and it was amazing. and also we would just do sports games using the field but also we went BIKING!!!! they had so many bikes for the people who didnt bring their own and we would go on the bikes and cycle to some sand dunes literally like 5 minutes away from the place and climb up them and jump and stuff and we carved tic tac toe grids into the stable parts and played and it was so fun AND I LITERALLY SAW A LIZARD CLIMB UP ONE OF THE EDGES INTO THE GRASS LMAO and we also cycled to a lake

this one to be exact!! and we would jump off from the small pier thing and swim around back to the edge and it had sand and a slide and it was generally really fun cycling to and from there. i did cause multiple crashes with the bikes while cycling there LMAO mainly because my brain just tends to blow things out of proportion for no reason and like LMAO someone would start coming a bit closer to me and i would panic and stop and then everyone behind me would then have to immediately stop and they would crash into me.. like once i got my cousin to come with me and someone looked like they were gonna go behind my cousin who was in front of me and i panicked because i didnt want to be separated from her so i just stopped because i was panicking too much and everyone behind me crashed into me LMAO and they were all like 'bruuuuh' but anyways it was really fun cycling there because i went past the place my aunt on my mums side got married + the place my uncle on my dads side got married (no they did not marry each other it was separate weddings) !! a few times i didnt go cycling because i just didnt feel good and didnt want to go but it was okay in the end because i was all alone in the cabin and i would just sleep and draw while waiting for them to come back and they would flood in cycling down the small hill that leads to the field and has the bike area and i would just see them from the porch of the cabin and it was cool :D

mMmMmmmmmMMM and the food area !! we would usually sit inside the pizzeria (because the place was also a pizzeria more on that later) and it was fun because we had breakfast, lunch, dinner + a night snack thing (its called naksniņas) and like even though im usually the pickest eater at the camp and they had to make exceptions for me because we werent allowed dessert at lunch unless we ate all our food like i still got to eat a lot lol like there was usually something i could eat even if i couldnt eat all of it and the juice was so nice and ngl i kinda liked being on the like,,, duty of having to set up before the meals + clean up after because getting all the stuff and setting it up was just so peaceful and calm and i loved it and mmmmsmsmsmsmsm it was so cool and THE NIGHT SNACK THING WAS LITERALLY THE BEST it was practically dessert for dinner but right before bed + we would do an activity after dinner before it !! i talked to my dad and figured out the spelling of the word because im not that good at latvian atm and mmmm . also like we would have tea and it was so good !! we would also have a small snack like a biscuit or cereal bar and it was so nice good way to end the day :D

i also lost an entire waterbottle there dont ask how

the cabins were nice because i usually end up on the second floor level thing of it and theres a small window on it !! and a cool ladder to get up to it though its a pain when camp first starts + when it finishes because you have to pack everything up while trying to not hit your head on any of the beams or the slant of the cabin roof and you have to haul everything up and down... other than that its so fun because theres small holes (like,,, really small. cant fit a pen down it) and when the people in the two rooms below that cabin spot are being pisstaking you can pour water down it and they shut up LMAO its really funny because they see the water dripping and get more pissed off and then become less annoying and we used to slip them notes to tell them to shut up LMAO also listened into their convos to be annoying too

anyways to finish off with my favouritest things ever about it. last day we would make pizzas and your family would be there and you could make multiple pizzas ! i usually made one for my parents / family and then one for myself and my sister because we r really picky and dont like cheese . and it was so fun and the pizzas were SO GOOD and i share the other pizza thats not mine with my family because i hate cheese and they are happy too. i also love the one evening where we cook dinner ourselves i think thats the sauna night as well but omg its so nice we have dough balls to wrap around a stick and asduidfohih its so nice omg i love them so much right because we take the stick and then toast them over a fire and when you do them right its a tiny bit doughy on the inside but a safe amount and its like,, slightly crispy in a good way on the outside so amazing and like you can put stuff in it like cheese and ketchup and stuff but i just eat mine plain and they are so good mmmamMMm and we also have watermelon iirc and it was so good overall like best evening of the camp :)

anyways i love camp and i miss it

#mellow random #nah because i miss it so much i #pleading eyes emoji #i love latvia

1 note · View note

jaxsteamblog · 4 years

Text

Secrets

Click here to read the full fic on AO3

They didn’t stay out much longer than that, and they walked back to the beach house quietly. Zuko let Katara rinse at the outdoor shower first and she listened to him smack their shoes to clean off the sand. A futile effort, but one that had to be attempted.

While he rinsed, Katara found a pair of sandy beach towels in a box near the porch and took them over. Wrapping herself in one, she looked up at the sky. The stars were a little different here, or at least in slightly different positions.

Clutching the spare towel, Katara shivered slightly in the night air.

“Cold?” Zuko asked. She handed him the towel and pulled an unimpressed face as he dried his hair while steaming slightly.

Pulling water off her body would act like evaporation and just cool her more, so Katara stood still dripping. Firebenders just warmed themselves apparently.

“Yeah. I think I’m going to take a proper shower and go to bed.” She replied.

Zuko twisted up his towel and wrapped it around the back of his neck, holding onto the ends.

“Good night your Highness.” He said and smiled. Katara did pull the water from her body and tossed it in his face.

“Good night.” She retorted and walked off.

The shower in the house smelled faintly like brackish water, but it felt clean. Katara turned her face up into the warm spray and rinsed the ocean from her hair and skin. There was soap here already and smelled like an artificial ocean; fake salt water jelly soap and coconut shampoo. But as she bathed, she felt the small shells of tiny bivalves sticking to her arms and legs.

Wrapping herself in a clean, rough bath towel - whoever kept this house obviously didn’t believe in fabric softener - Katara moved from the bathroom and fell directly onto the bed. If she got two nights in a row of good sleep, it’d be a miracle.

When she woke up a ten hours later, still nearly in the same position, Katara wondered if she had slept or merely passed out. Her sheets were damp and the towel was uncomfortably caught under her body. With bending, she dried everything and unabashedly used the water to rinse her face free of sleep. Clapping her hands together, the water exploded into steam and she dressed as it dissipated.

Over breakfast, Suki announced that she wanted to go to the beach and they all started to pack up a basket to take down. Katara found the bottles of sunscreen, using her foot to fend off Suki who was reaching for the tanning oil while also yelling at her brother that their melanin wouldn’t save them from skin cancer.

Zuko packed lunches and they all somehow managed to dress and get down to the beach. With her bending, they all played a variation of king of the hill with everyone attempting to get to Katara to knock her over. Not one of them could get past her multitude of water limbs and she even picked Sokka up by his ankles and flung him off toward the reef.

They wound down after the initial burst of energy and Suki went snorkeling while Sokka stayed on the beach doing some sand sculpting. Zuko went looking for seashells and Katara floated in the calm water, feeling the sun warm her skin.

At lunch, Zuko announced that he had found some shellfish and, if they wanted, they could make a beach pit for dinner. Sokka readily agreed and worked with Zuko on digging the pit. Katara fulfilled her assumed role as her bending made it much easier to catch their dinner and grab seaweed to layer over the hot stones.

Suki engineered the layering while Zuko heated everything up. Then, while Sokka placed the electric thermometer and reburied everything, the rest of them went back up to the house to grab supplies.

A cooler was filled with ice and beer, while Katara grabbed plates and cutlery. They chatted as they moved around the kitchen, snagging butter and bread, arguing about what else they could need.

Back at the beach, Katara went swimming again while the others stayed by the pit and relaxed. Treading water, she looked at them all.

It was odd to have such a normal night with her secret out in the open. Zuko must not have said anything to her brother as Sokka hadn’t turned on his overbearing parent mode. And Zuko himself didn’t seem bothered by it.

Katara kept swimming until she saw Sokka and Suki walk up to the house. Darting back to the beach, Katara dried herself before sitting on the large blanket they had laid out under an umbrella that was quickly becoming unnecessary.

“Zuko, did you know Admiral Zhao?” Katara asked suddenly and Zuko looked at her in surprise.

“Zhao? Yeah, I did.” He said. Katara nodded and pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on her knees.

“I hated him, to be honest.” Zuko added and Katara lowered her face so her forehead pressed on her knees instead.

“You’re not just saying that?” She questioned.

“No, he was truly awful. My time in the war was,” Zuko made a sound as he thought of how to word his thoughts. “Questionable. He kept trying to out me as a traitor and I had to dodge him quite frequently.”

“Your uncle said your family fought for the exiled prince, so doesn’t that make you a traitor for real?” Katara asked, raising her head. Zuko looked pained and it confused her.

“My uncle, he,” Zuko’s voice was strained. “My family was not united during the war. I didn’t overtly fight for either side.”

“Your father supported the coup?” Katara asked incredulously. Zuko frowned and turned away from her.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He murmured.

Katara watched him for a moment, feeling a little sick. Then she turned away too, speaking softly as she did. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s only because it makes me look bad.” Zuko replied, his voice low.

When he stood, Katara startled and unfurled herself, stretching out her legs and looking at him as he moved.

“Want a beer?” He asked, his back turned to her.

“Sure.” She said. He went to the cooler and opened it, making the ice shift as he grabbed two cans. He let the lid slam shut and walked back, handing Katara a can before sitting down. They both opened their drinks and Katara watched Zuko as he looked out at the ocean.

“This feels awful because you know, you could look up everything in a high school textbook. But you don’t, so it’s up to me to tell you and I really don’t want to.” Zuko said and took a drink.

“You want someone else to tell me your secrets.” Katara said.

Zuko scoffed bitterly. “It’s not a secret if it’s public knowledge Katara.”

“Then why don’t you just tell me?”

Zuko chugged his beer and gasped, examining the label.

“Because I kind of like this world where I’m not me.” He said and smiled at her. Katara weakly reflected back the smile, like the moon reflecting back the light of the sun.

Sokka and Suki came crashing back to their spot in a tangle of limbs and running mouths. Throwing Katara a shovel, they dug up the food while Suki and Zuko laid out the dishes and necessities. They ate most of the food with their fingers, scalding themselves and laughing at each other. They continued to drink, while Katara insisted that they try to stay hydrated. Ultimately, she imbibed too much and stopped keeping track.

After dinner was done and the trash collected, they debated the merits of staying out. Katara had gotten too much sun and decided to head back in. Zuko agreed, claiming he had gotten in his share of night swimming already. Suki and Sokka had started to cuddle up together and neither was intending on going anywhere.

So Katara and Zuko got up and headed toward the sand dunes. Feeling her head spin, Katara stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

“Stairs, my old nemesis.” She said, swaying on her feet.

“Allow me.” Zuko said and reached for her. Katara held out her arms, but Zuko ducked under them, grabbing her by the legs and heaving her over his shoulder. Before she could protest, Zuko started up the wooden stairs.

“You okay?” He asked as Katara bounced against him, his shoulder pressing into her stomach.

“Yeah. You have a nice butt.” She stated.

“Thanks, I worked hard on it and I’m pretty attached to it.” Zuko said and she giggled. He stopped at the top of the stairs and set her down. As her world tipped right side up, Katara staggered and Zuko held onto her hands to steady her.

“Your girlfriend is a lucky woman.” Katara said and Zuko chuckled.

“Sometimes I wish she felt that way. Because I’ll tell you a secret,” He replied, leaning in and shielding his mouth with his hand. “We’re not actually in love.”

Katara scoffed and pushed him away.

“She told me that already.” She said.

“Then it’s not much of a secret.” Zuko remarked.

Not having anything else to say, Katara turned on her heel and started marching back to the house. Zuko quickened his steps to catch up to her and then started to walk leisurely. Completely besotted, Katara found herself matching his pace.

“You should tell me a better secret since I told you mine.” She said suddenly. Zuko stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky.

“Hmmmm. Okay.” He stopped and Katara stopped. After a moment still staring at the sky, Zuko looked at her and smiled.

“What if I told you I’m a prince?” He said.

“Ha!” Katara brayed, just as Zuko’s face went white with terror.

“Wait. You’re serious?” She asked. Her stomach twisted and Katara could feel sour bubbles in her throat.

“You’re the prince of the Fire Nation?!” She shouted.

“Zuko, you idiot!” Sokka yelled back from the beach.

“I told you it was common knowledge!” Zuko exclaimed.

“But that means your father is the Fire Lord!”

“I am well aware of that, yes!”

“He’s not a great guy, Zuko!”

“I can’t really help being born, Katara!”

Katara abruptly sat down, holding her head in her hands.

“Spirits, I am so dumb.” She muttered.

Zuko crouched next to her, putting his hand on her upper back.

“To be honest, it is fairly impressive that you went this long without learning anything about the Fire Nation royal family.” He said and Katara groaned.

“You all were the bad guys and I was trying to ignore anything that had to do with my being Queen of the Water Tribe.” She said. Opening her hands, Katara stared down at the sandy patch of grass.

“We’re fine Suki.” Zuko called gently and Katara looked up. Suki cocked her head and Katara only nodded before covering her face again and groaning.

“I didn’t fight for my father Katara. I,” Zuko hesitated and Katara stayed quiet in her huddled form, breathing in her own hot air.

“You want to know a secret even your brother doesn’t know?” He asked.

“Please don’t tell me you were in charge of one of the prisons we burned down.” Katara grumbled.

“You, you burned down a prison?” Zuko sputtered.

“Multiple.” Katara corrected. “There were multiple prisons.”

“Well that answers a lot of questions my uncle had.” Zuko mumbled. He then patted Katara’s back. “No, it’s not about prisons.”

“What then?” Katara croaked.

“The reason why Zhao kept hounding me was because he thought I was the Blue Spirit.” Zuko said and Katara’s body went cold. “Have you heard of him?”

Oh spirits above and below. Katara thought. That is worse.

Katara popped her head up and stared directly at him. “Zuko, I think we already met before this summer.”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

#zutara #fanfiction #jax writes #modern au #zutara month 2020 #the fic that prompts built

40 notes · View notes

likethetailofacomet · 5 years

Text

The Broken Bits, Chapter Four:

Been Gone Such A Long Time

A/N: Who is V the bartender????

Word Count: 3,465

Tunes: Missing, The XX

Vanna bumped the door open with her hip as she hastily tied her long brown hair in a ponytail. The bell above the door jingled, but the noise of Saturday night swallowed the sound of the bell. Someone was very drunkenly singing “Don’t Stop Believing”, a small group of equally drunken fans gathered near the stage to cheer him on. Ugh, that’s right, it’s karaoke night, she thought as she finished her pony tail and hurried toward the bar. She was only ten minutes late, but the backup had already started at the drink station, and she winced at the look Jay shot her from behind the mixing tin he was shaking furiously- far more vigorously than a martini called for, he was bruising the gin on purpose by the look of it. He shook the container in one hand and haphazardly garnished a long island iced tea with the other by plopping a lemon wheel in it, the dark liquid sloshing out over the top of the glass and onto the rubber spill mat below. Vanna slipped past a group of bachelorettes and lifted the trap door to enter the bar area, an apologetic look on her face. “Sorry, Jay, the baby was-“

“Yeah, yeah, it’s all good, V, just get over here and start pouring beers.” Jay rolled his eyes before giving her a wink to prove that his 5 minutes of hating her were up. He wasn’t really mad at her, it had just been a long night and Kayla, the opening bartender, had all but evaporated as soon as the clock struck ten having been at The Hippo since noon. She was supposed to wait for her relief to get there, but she had a date and Jay’s pleading did nothing to guilt her into staying past her shift time. Vanna smiled at him as she reached into the mug chiller for three cold glasses and began pouring Brooklyn Lagers, expertly tilting the glasses to create the perfect head of foam before sliding them down the bar to Jay at the drink station. The two worked seamlessly with Jay calling out beers and wine for Vanna to pour as they dug out from under the mountain of orders. When the crowd around the drink station had dispersed, the patrons properly plied and ready to make fools out of themselves on stage, Vanna helped Jay get things back in order before the next wave hit.

“So, everything good with the kid?” Jay asked over his shoulder as he replenished the lime wedges from a container he’d pulled from a cooler under the bar.

Vanna laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, he’s fine.” She gestured with the towel in her hand. “Just at that age where everything is a fight, there’s always a tantrum to be thrown, and he seems to have a sixth sense for when I’m leaving. Kid was passed out, asleep and snoring, but as soon as I said goodbye to the babysitter and grabbed my keys he was awake and screaming.”

Jay chuckled. “Yeah, I remember when mine was like that.” He laughed again, using tongs to refill a jar of maraschino cherries. “Fiona used to switch” he snapped his fingers with a loud crack, “like a demon possessed her when I’d have to leave for work. Now?” he blew air through his lips and raised his tong hand. “Now I’m lucky if I get a “later, dad” It’s a phase, V, no worries.”

Vanna leaned against the shelving behind the bar and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well don’t tell me that.” Jay laughed. “Is it too much to ask for something in between tantrums and indifference?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t exist.” Jay finished filling the garnish bin and moved to lean against the shelving next to her. He wiped his hands on his apron before crossing his arms and gently nudging her with his shoulder as the group of bachelorettes took the stage for “Dancing Queen”. “So, uh, you hear from the kid’s dad recently? I know he was here to visit a few months back and then…I uh…I know that whole… attack thing happened and you said you had family there and…I’m rambling now. If you don’t want to answer just tell me to shut up.” He turned his head to smile sheepishly at her.

She felt her chest tighten at the mention of the attack, at the thought of him…at the thought of her family. He’d finally gotten in touch with her a full two days after the attacks, those two days passing like months while she waited to hear about the people she cared about. But it had been a quick, curt conversation that hadn’t made her feel much better at all. She sighed, ran a hand over the top of her head and grabbed the end of her ponytail, tugging and twisting it around her fingers. It was her nervous tic, and Jay noticed. “I…no, I haven’t heard anything since...”

Jay leaned over and gave her a one armed hug. “Sorry I brought it up, V, just…I care, that’s all. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Thanks, Jay,” she leaned into his hug without uncrossing her arms. She knew that he was just trying to show interest, show support. He didn’t know all the ins and outs of her situation. He didn’t know the history of it…and he didn’t know she had a brother. As the group of cosmopolitan drowned girls on stage wound down their song, another wave of patrons started approaching the bar and their moment of reprieve was over. They resumed their positions at the drink station and in front of the taps, and Vanna was glad that she didn’t have to do much thinking to pour beers; she was at The Hippo, her mind was anywhere but.

She went on auto pilot, muscle memory taking over to pour the perfect 8oz servings of wine, her wrist tilting at the same angle each time, arm pulling upwards at the same point of each pour. This way her mind was free to wander from person to person, starting with Bertrand. He’d been the first man she’d fallen for, wide eyed and oblivious, like a deer caught in a hunter’s sights. He was serious and dignified, he stood for all of the things she admired about the nobility, all of the things she wanted but could never have. He’d promised her nothing, and they’d never talked about what their relationship meant if it meant anything at all. They hadn’t done much talking period, if she was being truthful with herself, spending their time alone with their hands roving under each other’s clothing, their lips leaving hot trails and little marks all over one another’s skin. She’d sighed his name into a kiss more frequently than she’d said it in any other manner; he’d pinned her to a wall, a bookcase, a door, more often then he’d stood before her and had a conversation. There wasn’t love to have been lost. He was the father of her child, and it had hurt that he didn’t want to give it a try, to see if they could be a family, find love where they’d found pleasure. He’d said it had been due to familial duties, and that was when she learned that she’d never be good enough for these people, and she didn’t want her child to live that way. She didn’t tell Bertrand about the baby because she didn’t want his pity, didn’t want him to see his son as a burden. She always planned to tell him someday, but someday when she could rightfully refuse any monetary aid he’d try to shove at her to assuage his guilt. She didn’t love him when she left Cordonia, and she didn’t love him now that he’d found her, now that he knew about Bartie. He’d said he wanted to be part of their lives, that since he’d found them he’d felt that he was missing half of himself. But she felt nothing other than relief that he wanted to be involved in Bartie’s life in a real way, and not just by writing a check. Since the attacks though, she’d heard nothing from him, and again, it hurt that this time he’d lied about wanting to be a part of their lives. Two strikes against him and he’d started off down in the count; That night, as she mechanically poured a glass of house red, she decided that she was done considering Bertrand Beaumont family.

Her thoughts went next to her mother. Before leaving Cordonia it had been almost ten years since she heard from Bianca Walker. She was vaguely aware of Jay calling for a Sam Adams and two Amstel Lights, and she poured them as she recalled the last time she’d spoken to her mother on the phone -on her 17th birthday. She hadn’t given any clue that it would be the last time they spoke, simply wished her daughter a happy birthday, told her she missed her, like always, and that she hoped she was doing well, that she was happy…like always. When Christmas came and went followed by New Year’s Eve without a call or card, she and Drake had started to worry. They’d reached out by phone only to find that Bianca had changed her number. They’d sent a letter that hadn’t been returned as undeliverable, so they knew that she hadn’t moved, knew that nothing had happened to her…she had simply just stopped being involved in their lives. The visits had stopped 2 years prior, the invites, 3, and she remembered the painful jumble of mixed feelings she had; my mother wants nothing to do with me, did I do something wrong? How could she just... she remembered the hot tears boiling in her eyes. She remembered Drake’s reaction when he saw how it was affecting her.

“Hey...Savvy,” he hadn’t used that nickname since they were much younger. Hearing it had made her eyes flick up to his as she exhaled slowly. “Screw her. You got me. Always.” She knew Drake must have been hurting just as much, knew he was probably angry and confused just like she was. But he was putting it all aside to take care of her. That’s what Drake did for the people he loved.

She’d given Bianca one last chance when she came to the states. She’d figured, even if they hadn’t spoken, or seen one another, even if Bianca hadn’t tried or even made it seem like she wanted to try, Savannah thought she’d want to know that she was going to be a grandmother. When she’d showed up at Bianca’s family ranch in Texas, she was struck first by the joyful resonance of the wind chime that hung from the porch. She watched, mesmerized as the thin metal rods dangled, swaying in the breeze and catching the sun as they clinked together. The sound and the shine of the sunlight hurdled her back in time to a visit nearly twenty years ago. She was 7, Drake 9, and they were bursting with excitement over the gift they’d made their mother, with Bastien’s help, of course. Bastien had cut the pieces of metal, letting Drake help him punch holes so that they could be strung from a small wooden disk that Savannah had painted. Their mother had beamed and carried on about how gorgeous it was and how lucky she was to receive such a beautiful and thoughtful gift, promising that it would grace her porch forever. The paint was faded and chipped, the wooden disk cracked and nearly split in two from years in the unrelenting Texas sun. But there it still hung. So she hasn’t forgotten about us… That thought and the dilapidated wind chime gave her the courage to walk up the porch steps and knock on the red screen door.

When her mother answered, however, that courage evaporated. The look on Bianca’s face was one of mixed fear, anguish and regret, swirled with a touch of defensiveness, and Savannah wished she could take back the knock, take back her trip to Texas, and go back to New York where it was easy to disappear into the crowd. “Savvy…” she gasped, but quickly regained her composure. “What are you doing here?” the woman asked her, propping the door open just enough to speak, not enough to be welcoming. She crossed her arms over her chest as her graying hair danced on the breeze.

Savannah didn’t know how to answer, so she blurted out, “Just thought you’d like to know you were going to be a grandmother. Just thought you’d like to know that your children are still alive.” She heard the venom in her voice and it both surprised her and didn’t- she was hurt, again, let down, again, by the woman before her. “But I was wrong, I guess, huh?” Bianca said nothing, but Savannah caught her eyes flick up to the wind chime. “This was a mistake…” she followed Bianca’s gaze to the chime before crossing the porch and reaching up to remove the chime from the hook that had been screwed into the porch’s wooden roof. Without a word, she took the chime and turned her back on her mother, climbing into the cab of the truck she’d rented. She drove and drove, tears falling and curses flowing. Bianca Walker wasn’t family anymore.

Vanna was pulled back to the present as she realized that she had overfilled the glass in her hand, cold amber liquid flowing out of the tap and over her fingers. “Shit,” she muttered as she closed the tap and wiped her hand on the rag hanging from her apron. She cleaned off the rim of the glass, poured out a bit of liquid and topped it off achieving the perfect 2 inch foam head before sliding it down to Jay. She let her mind go to one last person- Drake. Drake would always be family. He would always be one of the most important people in her life. But she would always feel a twisting, burning feeling of regret for the way that she’d left him; just a note, but he deserved so much more, and she’d always regret not giving it to him. At the time, she thought she was doing him a favor, leaving before he found out about her child. She remembered, painfully, how destroyed her brother had been when he heard of the loss of his own child- a child he never even got to hold- and she thought that watching her go through a pregnancy, watching her raise a son on her own, would bring things up for him that he’d worked hard to bury. She thought, at the time she left, that she’d be doing him a favor-that he’d be better off without her to worry about, to try to take care of. She knew, now, that she was wrong. Every day she woke up full of missing him. Every day she woke up and knew in her heart that he missed her, too. But every day she woke up in New York City was one more day longer that she’d been away, and as the days turned to years she became embarrassed and anxious to reach out to him, knowing that she’d hurt him with her sudden departure. She wanted to but couldn’t.

When she’d spoken to Bertrand after the attacks, she’d gotten an update that had chilled her very soul- Drake had been shot. She’d sobbed and cried herself to sleep that night, despite Bertrand’s assurances that his surgery had been successful and that he was expected to make a full recovery. The only thing that had made her feel even remotely better is that Bertrand had told her that he was seeing someone, and that she hadn’t left his side, that she would be there for him in his recovery, would be there to help him in whatever way that he needed. Her brother was loved, and from the sound of it, loved fiercely. It was the only thing keeping her from complete devastation, and as much as she wanted to fly back to see him, to beg him to forgive her and to hug him more tightly than she ever had before, she knew that now wasn’t the time- that he needed to focus on healing and having her show up to tear open old wounds wasn’t going to help. She may have lost Bertrand. She may have lost Bianca. But she’d never really lose Drake, and she knew that. Drake Walker and her son were the only family that she had left.

That’s not true, said a voice in the very back of her memory. You have Bastien…you have…there was someone else, someone she knew was there for her, someone she knew had loved her very much as a child…someone she couldn’t quite remember, but she couldn’t completely forget, either. I wonder where she is now…I wonder if she remembers me… Her wondering was cut short as Jay called for more drinks and she pushed all the memories down to focus on the task at hand.

The night wore on in waves as it tended to on karaoke nights, until the clock struck 2am and Jay’s shift came to a close. He helped her restock a few items before she shooed him out. “Go home, Jay, I was late, you’re exhausted. Get home to that adorable little brat of yours.” She gave him a good-natured shove.

“Alright, ain’t gotta tell me twice,” he grinned. “Have a good night, V, hope the last two hours fly for ya.”

Jay lifted the trap door and exited the bar just as the bell above the door jingled, and two more customers walked in. Vanna lifted her gaze from the tap to the door and smiled as she saw one of her favorite regulars. She overheard him greeting Jay amicably before leading the girl he was with over to the bar. Who’s that? She wondered about the girl. Usually he comes with…

“Hey, V…” he said, the tone of his voice slightly off. She let the towel she was drying her hands on fall back down to her apron as she pulled the tap to pour Dan’s beer.

“Hey you, long time no see…where’s-“

“V, we need to talk…”

. . . . . . . . .

Two days before they were supposed to leave for the Council’s trip to New York, Claire was perched on the back of the couch behind Drake, gently kneading the tense muscles of his injured shoulder. Her right leg was draped over his other shoulder, his fingers grazing her shin as he closed his eyes , leaning into her touch. “How’s that feel?” she asked, applying pressure to his shoulder blade with her thumb, rubbing in a circular motion.

He winced and let out a low hiss, but he responded with, “Feels amazing, Berkley, don’t you ever stop.” His eyes squeezed even more tightly shut.

Claire grinned. “Ever?” she craned her neck to look down at him, mischief sparkling in her clear blue eyes. “But if I never stop, how can we-“

Without warning, he gripped her leg and pulled her down and around his shoulders and into his lap, his right arm coming around her, his left hand sliding up to cup her cheek. Surprised laughter bubbled from her lips as he absently brushed his fingertips along her arm. A spark of mischief to match hers was reflected in his dark eyes, and a slow smile spread across his face. “In that case, you can stop now,” he said, voice low and full of intent. He dropped his head to catch her lips, but before the kiss could deepen, a buzz interrupted the moment as the phone in Claire’s pocket rang. “You don’t have to get that, do you?” he groaned.

“No way,” she breathed, kissing him back, bringing her hands up to tangle in his hair. But the phone continued to buzz, even after the caller had left a message. “Ugh…maybe I do,” she whined, reaching for her pocket without pulling away from his lips. She waited until she absolutely had to to pull apart, pressing the answer button before checking the caller I.D. “Hello?” she answered, eyes still locked on Drake’s as he continued to brush his fingers along her arm.

“C?” There was alarm and excitement and news in Dan’s voice, and it made Claire sit up straight.

“Dan?” The way she greeted him drew Drake’s attention.

“C…I just left The Hippo…I think I know where Drake’s sister is…you’re not going to believe this…”

. . . . . . .

Tagging: @ooo-barff-ooo @sleepwalkingelite @zaffrenotes @brightpinkpeppercorn @mind-reader1@jovialyouthmusic @endlessly-searching-for-you @notoriouscs @endlesstaylormckenzie @agent-bossypants@andy-loves-corgis @akrenich @nekkidmolerat @indiacater @thequeenofcronuts @the-everlasting-dream @the-whiskeywife@roonarific @stopforamoment @mfackenthal@mkatschoicesblog @drakewalkerisreal @drakesensworld @gibbles82 @iplaydrake @speedyoperarascalparty @bobasheebaby @carabeth

#the broken bits #trr #the royal romance #ltla follow up series #drake x mc #drake x claire #bastien x annabelle #bas x belle #bastien x oc #savannah walker #bianca walker #vanna #jay and v #choices fanfiction

40 notes · View notes

eliniei · 5 years

Text

Those Hard Days - Chapter 2

Summary: Rae’s brother always made sure she was tough as nails. But when her father flips her world upside down, will she find that there’s a limit on how strong she can be?

Warnings: Rape/Non-con (non-graphic, fade-to-black), child abuse, underage drinking, underage smoking, drug use, violence, major character death

A/N: Here we are. This chapter is a little rough and a little longer than the rest, and I’m sorry. I cannot stress enough that there is rape in this chapter. It is not graphic, but it is still there.

AO3: here Fanfiction.net:

Masterlist

Prologue | Next Chapter

Chapter 2 - Violation

Rae stepped outside, the backpack in her hand sagging to the ground as her cold, blue eyes swept over her house. It was dark and the nights were starting to get cool. The wind was rustling the dying leaves in the few trees that surrounded the yard and driveway. Her brother’s cologne wafted up from the flannel shirt she’d swiped from his room and the tails whipped around her body. After pushing her dark hair out of her face, she turned her back on the house.

She slung the bag up, squared her shoulders, and lifted her head. This was the hardest thing she'd ever done. The fights she’d been in- hell, even living on the streets of New York- didn’t compare to the ache she felt in her chest right now. She had a great family- well, they were friends, really, but they all treated her as a sister. She had a brother who kept her as safe as he could, even if he was in the Cooler more days lately than she could count. She inhaled the scent of his cologne again as she pulled the shirt closer around her body. She’d miss him the most.

After they’d moved to Tulsa and the Curtis outfit took them in, Dally had always encouraged her to hang with him (except at the rodeos, of course, since that’s where he picked up most of his girls and he didn’t want no kid sister annoying him while he’ll did “an honest day’s work”). He’d said the Curtis’s were a “wholesome group of kids” and that she “needed wholesome in her life.”

Well, as wholesome as you can get in the hood, she supposed. To their credit, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis did try to whip them into upstanding citizens before they passed.

She loved them all dearly, but she definitely idolized her brother, even if he was an awful influence, and she knew he loved her even if she the hell out of him sometimes. Only the thought of him angry stayed her feet. She didn't really want any of them to worry, but she couldn't stay. She couldn’t handle this anymore. More importantly, she couldn’t burden them with her problems. The Curtis brothers had too much on their plates with their parents gone and the eyes of the state constantly watching them. Her brother, too, had more than he could handle with the fuzz always on his tail.

Rae took a deep breath and steeled herself, lest all her courage evaporate. She took the first step off the porch.

Behind her, the door creaked open and she knew she’d stalled there too long.

"Where d’ya think you’re goin’, girl?" the slurred voice of her drunken father pierced her thoughts.

This was exactly why she couldn't stay. Her father’s fist and the newest bruise on her side weighed heavily on her mind.

Rae’s expression went dark, but she kept going. She heard him stumble down the front steps after her. “Get back in ‘ere."

"Fuck you," she said, simply.

His pace quickened behind her. She shivered. Her father terrified her real good. When he was drunk, he was dangerous and he was almost always drunk. She had a bad feeling, but she always did before getting a sound beating. Rae gritted her teeth.

"I said stop, girl," he growled. She urged her feet to go faster but he was on the warpath and his quick but clumsy strides still outmatched hers. She took off running, trying to gain some distance between them but before she could get very far, she tripped over a stone buried in the dirt of the driveway.

He took the opportunity to grab ahold of the flying, loose strap of her bag and jerked her backwards before she could fall. She fell against him, but quickly freed herself of the other strap and lunged away. Her father reached out to grab her shoulder. He spun her around to face him and she lost her balance. He backhanded her across the cheek and she stumbled back, tripping over her own feet. She landed hard on the ground, the impact hard enough to send a shock of pain up her spine. The movement rustled up a cloud of dirt around her. He tossed her backpack to the ground, out of her reach. She saw the glint of her switchblade in the light of the porch, peeking its way out of the side pocket and cursed herself for not keeping it on her. Dally would sure ream her good for it later.

"Do what I tell ya to do, when I tell ya to do it, ya hear? We’ve been over this before, you little ingrate," he grunted and threw his beer bottle to the ground. It shattered, the stray pieces of glass and leftover liquid flying everywhere. “Or do ya want them little hood friends o’ yers to have even more problems, huh?”

Rae covered her head to shield her face and as soon as she was clear, she turned to go for her backpack, but her father shoved his foot into her back and forced her down. She saw his shadow looming over her on the ground and panic started to rise in her chest. Desperately, she tried to crawl out from under him, but he pressed down harder on her spine. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out.

Her father laughed at her struggle. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and she slumped onto to dirt. Her ears started ringing. Everything went fuzzy, and then black.

It was real nice sorta black, too. No dreams, no nightmares. It was quiet and peaceful. She wished could’ve stayed there longer but-

“Get the fuck outta here!”

The sound of someone shouting threw Rae back into hectic reality. She had no idea how long she’d been out but she was lying on her back now. Her body shivered against the chill and her head was throbbing where she’d been struck. She heard feet moving around a lot, skidding around in the dirt; a fight- or a beating. Skin against skin. More shouting. The sound of solid wood connecting with skin and a loud grunt. Someone falling to the ground, and scrambling away. Hands slid under her back and lifted her into a sitting position. Barely conscious, she cried out and started fighting, thinking it might be her father again.

"Fuckin’ Christ, quit it!" a rough, familiar voice commanded, a strong hand grabbed both of hers. Rae forced her eyes opened. Dally's face filled her vision. He was the one who was holding her. Not their father. Relief washed over her and she tightly curled her shaking hands around his.

Darrel Curtis stood a few feet back with a baseball bat in hand, watching the woods behind the house. She was still shivering, but she couldn't tell if it was because she was cold, scared, or both. Her eyes burned and a few tears leaked from her eyes before she could stop them. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision.

"D-Dally?" Rae said between shivers. His face held an expression of barely-concealed rage, his ice blue eyes blazing, as he took in the sight of his kid sister. She thought maybe there was something else there too. Was it...fear? Dally tore the leather jacket off his back and laid it over her. It was the fur-lined one, and it was warm.

"Yeah, sis, it’s me. He's gone," her older brother nearly whispered. To anyone else, it might have sounded endearing. But to Rae, he looked like a bomb and if he’d spoken any louder, he would have probably blown. Despite the hardness in his voice, he gently brushed the tears from her cheeks and pushed the stray hair out of her face.

"What-what happened?" Rae stuttered, teeth chattering. Dally stared at her in silence for a few moments, the cogs whirring in his head. She watched his face, his haunted eyes rimmed with red. He eventually lifted his jacket for her to see under it. He chewed on the inside of his mouth and looked away as she peered down. Her jeans and underwear were tugged halfway down her legs. Her eyes glazed over and she looked away as well, anger and dread pooling in the pit of her stomach.

“Rae, I’m-” There was an unmistakable, but damn near imperceptible quiver in his voice.

"Come on, guys. We need to go," Darry said, quietly. Dallas took his sister’s hands again and lifted her to her feet. Everything hurt and she staggered. He grabbed her before she fell, and his jacket dropped to the ground. He held her steady as she pulled her pants back up.

"We can’t call the cops” Dally decided, not taking his eyes off of Rae. She winced as she bent over to pick up the jacket, gripping his arm for balance. “Can she stay with you tonight? I'll-I'll figure out what to do later.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Rae, let’s go get you some clothes.” He started leading her back to the house. She took a few steps out of the way to grab her backpack and silently followed him.

"I'll wait out here," their friend offered, clutching the baseball bat tight in one hand, "and make sure that he doesn't come back."

"Thanks, man," He opened the door to the house and went straight to her room. There wasn’t much besides a bed and a dresser. Dally went about searching through her closet. He took one of her jackets off a hanger and threw it behind him. It landed on her bed. "Grab some clothes and do it quickly. Where's your backpack?" Rae set his leather jacket down and dropped her bag on top of it. He went to her dresser and opened the top drawer, a look of confusion spreading over his features at how barren it was.

"Here," she answered and a long moment of silence between them commenced. She stared down at it and started dusting it off. He watched the dirt fall onto the covers of her bed. "Clothes are already in the bag." She unbuttoned her dust-covered shirt and shoved it into his arms, then pulled on one of the few a plain t-shirts left in her chest of drawers and slipped into the fraying jean jacket Dally had grabbed. He threw the shirt to the floor and grabbed her by the collar, murder in his eyes and a hint of panic in his voice. Rae swore if Dally had been any more pissed, she’d probably be able to see steam coming out his ears. She braced herself for the reaming of the century.

"What did ya think you were doin' out there this late? And where was your knife? Didn’t I teach you anythin’? You know how he gets." She tried to push his hand away but he wouldn’t budge. She mirrored his glare and he shoved her down onto the bed. "What the hell is that look for?"

"Since you were in jail again and weren’t here to get knocked around no more, he thought it was my turn," she answered, resentment lacing her tone, but decided to give it to him straight. She never could lie to him. "You've saved me from it for fifteen years but I just couldn't…I don’t know how you…I had it in my mind to run away, but I don’t think I really could’ve.” With a sigh, she reached over and pulled the switchblade out of the side pocket of her backpack. She held it up to show him. His expression darkened.

“Why the fuck wasn’t that in your pocket? Why didn’t you just go to Two-Bit’s or Darry’s? Hell, even Shepard’s would’ve done. However much I hate that stupid kid, Curly wouldn’t say no to you.” His voice started rising, the time bomb ticking again. He wiped his hand down his face, frustrated. “I never thought my own sister could be this stupid.” The anger in her own gut started ballooning. Like brother, like sister.

“He caught on and threatened to report Darry as unfit. He didn’t care if you didn’t come home anymore, but he sure as hell did if I didn’t.” She was sure she heard her own voice wavering.

Dally was shocked for a few seconds, his breath cut short. His face betrayed nothing, but she could tell. She knew him well enough. He backed off and crossed his arms over is chest.

“Why didn’t you come and tell me?”

“What could you have done from jail?” she snapped. His eyes turned to fire. Her own anger evaporated into shame as she watched him and then lowered her eyes. It wasn't his fault he was picked up on a trumped-up charge. “Sorry.” She stood up, quickly, and went to gather her things. “Let’s just go.” He grabbed her arm and swung her around. Rae’s eyes widened and she tensed as her father's face flashed in the place of her brother's.

"Hey, I’m still talking to you-," he started, voice rising again, but was cut short by the look on her face. He took a steadying breath rested his arms over her shoulders. “Look, don’t- don’t apologize. It ain’t your fault.”

"It is my fault," she insisted, turning away from him again. Her insides were tying themselves in knots and her eyes were burning. She didn’t want him to see. “You said it yourself! If I wasn’t-”

"No, Rae, I was wrong. This is my fault for not bein’ here when I knew…” His voice trailed off, strangling on the last few words. “That old fuck is sick. Always has been," Dally said, pulling his sister against his chest. Her back straightened against him. Was-was he hinting at something? Her stomach soured at the thought.

“Did he-”

“Forget it,” he shushed her and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, kid,” he sighed. She tried to relax, breathing in the scent of his cigarettes and cologne.

“Dally, I feel so weak,” she confessed. His arms tightened in response, but she felt his body go rigid behind her.

"Hurry up!" Darry shouted from outside. His voice made her jump and her brother released her. "We don't got all night."

"Yeah, yeah. We’re comin’!" Dally called back, then looked back down at her. "Come on." Rae searched his face. His eyes were still hard and dangerous, but his other features had softened. She nodded and quickly wiped a tear away from her cheek, then went to running fingers through her hair to comb out the knots as he hoisted her backpack over his shoulder. They went back out to meet Darry and head to the Curtis house.

The walk over was mostly quiet. Dally and Darry talked quietly amongst themselves, but she didn’t care to listen in and opted to stare at the ground. Eventually, her brother retracted in on himself, lost in thought as he smoked a cigarette. She noticed his hands visibly shaking- probably an after-effect of the adrenaline. Either that, or he was really spooked.

When they finally got to the house, both boys helped her inside. Dally sat her down on the couch while Darry shooed his brothers to their room.

"Darry will take care of you tonight, alright?”

“You’re leaving again?” she asked, panic climbing up her throat. She gripped his arm, nails digging into the sleeve of his jacket. He hesitated for a moment before biting his lip and nodding.

“Relax. I’m just going to Buck’s. He’ll help me hunt that fucker down and beat the shit outta him. Maybe worse.” She looked down at her lap and released his arm. He sat forward and took her hands. “I’ll be back soon and we’ll be together.”

"Yeah, sure," Rae said, in a low voice.

“I will,” he tried to assure her, flashing her a smile. “A drunk idiot like him can’t be that hard to find. Don’t ya trust me?” He stood back up.

“‘Course I do.” He ruffled her hair. Darry appeared, carrying a couple of pillows and a blanket. Her brother nodded in his direction, the smile replaced with something more serious, and was out the front door.

A small, terrible feeling started creeping through her body. She didn’t want Dally to go. She never did. But, she really wanted her father to pay. Darry knelt in front of her and put a reassuring hand on her arm.

"He always comes back, right?” She was silent but nodded, sadly. “Are you alright?"

"I don’t know," she replied. He watched her for a few seconds, concern in his eyes, as she tried to keep her expression neutral but her face was starting to crumble.

"Don't worry. You will be."

“I want Dally to-”

The two younger Curtis brothers came back into the room, halting her comment. Even dazed, she didn’t miss the look of warning Darry gave them. It was easier to keep herself together with the others in the room.

"Hey, Rae," Sodapop said. "Haven't seen ya in a while. What's up?" They both took in the sight of her, completely covered in dirt.

"What happened? Are you alright?" the youngest, Ponyboy, asked. When she didn't answer, the two boys exchanged glances.

"Rae?" Soda asked.

"Sorry," she replied, quickly. “Been a long night. Just tired.”

"Enough. You two get to bed. We'll have a chat in the mornin’," Darry suggested. Soda nodded, but Pony opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue.

"Night," Soda said, quickly, and dragged his younger brother out of the room by the arm. Darry set the bed clothes on the couch.

"If you need anythin’ at all, come and wake me up, okay?" She nodded, but couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact. "Goodnight, Rae."

She nodded again and he left for his own room, leaving her alone. Her eyes welled with tears and she took a deep breath, willing them away. Dally wouldn’t want her to cry. She needed to be more like him- tough.

She closed her eyes and leaned forward, head in her hands, thoughts running wildly. She dug the heels of her palms in her eyes. After a few minutes of sitting silently, she got up and slowly began making her bed.

#The Outsiders #outsiders #Dallas Winston #dally winston #Steve Randle #Two-Bit Mathews #Ponyboy Curtis #Sodapop Curtis #darry curtis #Johnny Cade #rae winston

5 notes · View notes