Chapter Text
Fuck. All I gotta do is ring the doorbell. Shouldn't be hard, right? Well it's hard when ya can't stand up. And you're bleeding from nearly everywhere. And it hurts to move. I mean, it ain't like I planned to get beat by my dad and Socs in the same night but here we are.
I think I'm gonna pass out. Nope, not think, I'm 100% going to. Using the last of the strength I got here, I ring the Curtis doorbell. Before one of them can even reach the door, I'm passed out on the porch, still bleeding.
• • •
When I wake up, everything hurts. Somehow, I'm inside the house on Soda's bed. Superman must've carried me in. He tends to carry people a lot. Mostly cause he's the only one strong enough, at least for me, Soda, Dally, and Two-Bit. Anyone could pick up Johnny and Pony.
Well, opening my eyes is a task. The lights feel too bright and I don't wanna move. I slightly turn my head. Soda is sitting there, playing with the fabric of his shirt, looking nervous as hell.
"Hey Pepsi" I say, my voice raspy and quiet.
"Holy shit, you're awake. I was starting to get scared. You been sleeping for 16 hours. But, to be far, Darry gave you a lotta meds before patching you up." Soda says, his mouth moving fast and quickly.
"How bad is it? I blacked out for most of what happened."
"Well, huge fucking cut on your stomach, another on your shoulder. Bruises on your face and stomach, plus scratches on your face, the kind like Johnny's scar. Something else must've happened though that we can't tell cause you seemed in pain about something and we couldn't figure out what it was." Soda explains.
Shit. I remember now. Paul Holden. He had been wearing his football rings that all em Socs have. Him and his friends had jumped me when I was walking around last night.
I tell Soda just that, and he looks at me like I'm stupid. "You were just walking around last night?"
"I needed to get out of the house. But, now I really wish I stayed home."
"Do you remember anything else they did to you?" he asks softly.
"I do, but, um, can I talk to Darry about it first? I'll tell you then, but I think it's better if I talk to him." Soda nods and goes to get Dar.
I think he'll be able to help me more with this. Soda's my best friend, but how do you tell your best friend that this happened? That now you're a fucking weirdo cause some Soc guys decided to mess with you?
The oldest brother walks in and closes the door behind him. He sits next to me on the bed, and looks at my like I'm his little brother too. I think that's what makes me break. Knowing that someone actually cares a bit. For the first time in ever, I start to cry in front of Darry.
"What happened with those Socs Stevie?" he asks softly, try a calm me down.
"D-Darry, I told them no and they just did it anyway. They wouldn't let me go. I was so scared and I hated it." I whisper, unable to tell him what happened. The words are scarier than the memories sometimes.
"Steve, you can tell me, I ain't gonna be mad at you."
"I-I think they raped me Dar. I didn't want it, so I think that's the word. They taught us about it at school, said it's wrong and illegal." I whisper, forcing the words to leave my mouth.
I'm not even done talking when Darry hugs me. Tight. Like the Superman he is. And I feel safe.
"I need to know who did it." he says quietly, like I'm a spooked deer.
"Paul Holden. He's the only one I know the name of."
"Stevie, I know this is scary, but we gotta file a police report. They need to get in trouble for this."
I shake my head. "I can't. They'll just hurt me more. They said that if I told the police, they'd hurt Soda. I can't let them hurt him, not my Soda."
"Then we'll handle it the greaser way. Once your ready to tell the gang, I'm sure Dallas is gonna wanna have a rumble. And we're gonna let him. Cause that's the only way I'm gonna be able to beat the shit out of him for hurting you. You're basically my brother Steve, I ain't letting this go."
"What if Soda hates me?" I ask nervously.
"He could never hate you, especially not over this. If anything, I'm gonna have to hold him back from beating the shit out of Paul." Darry says, moving a bit so that he ain't touching me. I guess he noticed my flinch when he hugged me.
He leaves to get Soda. I wait, my hands shaking. It was my fault for walking around anyway. I shouldn't have been out so late. I should've just stayed home. My dad was done beating me anyway, so who cares?
Soda walks in while I'm lost in thought. He sits next to me and I flinch. His face is immediately filled with concern.
"Steve, what happened? Dar said you wanted to tell me?"
"Paul and his friends, when they jumped me, they... um, they raped me." I whisper, waiting for him to hit me. Why wouldn't he? I'm fucked up and broken now. He should hurt me.
"I'm gonna fucking kill him." Soda whispers, standing up. "How could he do that to you?"
"Pepsi, please stop. I need you here. Please." I tell him.
He sits back down. "Okay, I'll stay. But I can't make any promises about not hurting him later."