DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER | SODAPOP CURTIS

FOURTEEN

"Alice? What are you doing?!"
Cade yelled from the driveway.

"Stop it! Stop trying so hard to fix us! I don't like you like that!"

I clenched my fists and got closer to his face.

"Why?! Why don't you?!"

"Because you are a bum! Look at yourself. I was finally happy. I finally got my first kiss. I finally found someone who loves me back. But you have to ruin it for me. Why?"

"Because I love you, Alice! How many times do I have to tell you?! I loved you for as long as you have loved me. I had the same dreams too. I thought we'd be together forever. I thought I would be your first kiss. You're going to blame me for being in love with you?!"

"Excuse me, but please shut the fuck up."

I walked away, and he grabbed my wrist to pull me back, and he brought me to his chest.

"You can't talk to me that way."

"NO." I pushed him and broke his grip from my wrist.

"Get over it, Cade. We used to be best friends. I used to love you. Nothing lasts forever. You hurt Dally. You hurt Sodapop. And you hurt me. But you 'loveeee' me so you think that's okay. If you loved me, you wouldn't have done any of this."

I walked past him and left him in the driveway. He tried to follow, but I ran the rest of the way.

"Alice, what the hell are you doing?" Anna yelled from the top of the steps.

I ran up the steps, avoiding eye contact with her and kept my head down.

I shut my door and took off my shirt and my shorts and picked up Sodapop's flannel from the floor next to my bed.

I laid on my bed, completely under the blankets with my hair sticking to my face as I held Sodapop's flannel close to my chest.

As I realized it still smelled like him, I threw it across the room and held on to a pillow instead.

"Why does it have to be me? Why?" I whispered to myself.

🌻

I woke up hardly being able to breathe under my hot blanket. I couldn't remember when I fell asleep or when I stopped crying if I ever did stop.

My clock read eleven o'clock and I could feel the emptiness in my house.

I put on my robe and nervously walked down the steps and found a note at the bottom of it.

Alice, we've gone out to Aunt Rose's house with the Kensington's. We can have Vicki or Cade pick you up if you'd like. Cade said you had a rough night last night, we didn't want to wake you up.
~ Mom

"Oh shit." I said, rubbing my face.

I finally had the house to myself. No parents, no Cade, and no Anna.