Beach Babe | The Outsiders | Johnny Cade

| Sleep | 17 |

      August got home a couple nights ago. Me and him got into a really big fight, I confronted him about the mailbox smashing and he just lied. When I told him I knew he was lying we got into an explosive verbal fight that Theo had to break up. I almost didn't even notice the bandages wrapped around his hand. Turns out one of the mailboxes exploded and August got cut by some of the metal. I cleaned it up and re-bandaged it all while telling him off. The tension in the house was very high, I grounded August and told him he couldn't go anywhere and had to stay with Theo or me at all times. He wasn't happy about but he should've thought about that before he was an idiot. We haven't spoken a word to each other. I hate it. I love my baby brother and I hate that I had to ground him.

     School starts tomorrow. I'm not ready. The gang was just planning on hanging out all day for "The last day of freedom!" As Two-Bit put it. I was currently on my way over with my dads old flask I found in my moms stuff filled with my tequila tucked into the inside of my jacket. I wasn't planning on spending today sober.

When I walked into the house I saw what was the normal for us, Steve and Two-Bit wrestling on the floor, Soda eating cake, pony putting school supplies in his bag, Johnny laying on the couch with his eyes closed, and Dallas leaning against the wall smoking.

Dallas hit Johnnys foot and said something I couldn't hear over the shouting of Steve and Two. He sat up and waved to me "Hey Stacy" I waved back to him and slumped down on the couch next to him. "Your brother still mad at you?" I had told the gang about the whole thing yesterday.

I buried my face in my hands "Of course he isss" I uncovered my face "I don't know what to do, he hates me!"

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you. He's probably just mad and needs to cool off." Soda says with a mouth full "I can't tell you how many times this same sorta' thing has happened between Ponyboy and Darry."

"That makes me feel better, thanks Soda." And I meant it. He gave me thumbs up and kept eating.

After awhile I zoned out staring at the tv and over thinking about school. It starts tomorrow. Tomorrow. I'm scared, I've never been scared for the first day of school. I hate the feeling of being scared. What if my brothers get made fun of? What if I get made fun of? What if one of them fails? How am I going to make sure they do their homework? How am I going to balance my school work with theirs? I don't want to-

"Hellooooo? Stacy!" I snapped out of it and Two-Bt was waving his hand in front of my face, it looks like he won the fight "Quit doin' that, it freaks me out."

"Sorry," I sighed "I'm just... tired." I settled down on the couch and closed my eyes, I could already feel a headache starting.

I guess I dozed off because I woke up, dazed and confused, and with more people around. Just one though, some girl with soda in the kitchen. She's got long blonde hair, brighter than mine, clothes that were obviously too small for her, and high heeled wedges.

I was trying to figure out who she was when Dallas noticed I was awake. "Wellll look who's awake!" He had moved to sitting on the floor playing cards with Johnny and Pony. I stuck my tounge out at him, he flipped me off. We're both sooooo mature

"Did you sleep well?" Johnny asked me. I nodded and sat up on the couch.

I rubbed my eyes a couple times "Did I miss anything?"

Pony shook his head "Nah, only thing that happened was Darry getting back from work and going to bed and Sandy coming over," he jerked his head towards the girl in the kitchen "Oh and Steve went home to talk to Hannah."

"Sandy?" I asked

"No one told you about her?" Two-Bit said, looking away from the TV because of a commercial break. I shook my head