Chapter 19: 💥|EIGHTEEN|💥

💥|EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE|💥

I CAN'T STOP the giant smile that breaks across my face as Todd holds out a bouquet of daises. We had agreed to keep things casual meaning no gifts, but I wasn't complaining. "They're beautiful, thank you," I tell him as I take the bouquet into my hands.

"You always used to say roses were too romantic, so I settled with daises." He explained opening the passenger car door so I could get inside.

I chuckle "Daises were definitely the correct option."

He smiles as he shuts the door and slowly jogs over to the driver's side, sliding in. "Do I get to know where we're going?" I ask as he starts the engine.

"No, that'd ruin the surprise." He responds as he pulls out of his mile-long driveway. I huff at his response and lay back against the seat. My eyes flicker to the window and I watch as the sun follows us through the houses and trees. I pretended to be upset about Todd not telling me where we were going but he knew I loved being surprised.

I think I loved him.

I feel a warm hand on my thigh, and I smile, laying my hand on top of Todd's. "Close your eyes, baby," Todd instructs. I obey and smile when he says "No peaking."

Todd takes a few more turns, my body swaying with every turn and jerk of the wheel. When Todd finally stops and kills the engine, I hear him get out of the car; seconds later, I hear my car door open. Todd gently grabs my hands, I smile and let him gently pull me up.

"Wach your step." He warns as he slowly leads me by my hands.

"Can I open my eyes now?" I question as the cold evening air caresses my cheeks, making my nose numb. It was early December so the air was getting colder and dryer. It was maybe sixty degrees out right now.

"One second...now."

I open my eyes, gasping at the scene in front of me. It was a picnic complete with a cheese board, champagne, fancy sandwiches, and candles all laid out on a plaid blanket; daisy petals surrounded the blanket, thrown around for decoration. It was beautiful. I could tell Todd put a lot of time into this from how well everything was placed.

"Todd...you did this?" I question slightly breathless. I could feel tears filling my eyes. Me and Todd had agreed to be fuck buddies, no strings attached. That also meant no dates. Or so I thought. Is this a date?

As if he could read my mind, Todd replies with a smile "I know we said no dates...but I couldn't help myself." He smiles.

"No...I love it." I tell him as we sit on the picnic blanket laid out. Todd grabs the bottle of champagne and pops the cork, pouring the yellowish-orange liquid into two glasses.

He hands one to me, and we clink the glass together; he takes a generous sip of the alcohol and sighs lightly as he pulls his drink from his lips. I followed him, letting the smooth liquid slide down my throat; the crisp bubbles made my taste buds tingle.

I had never had champagne before. It tasted as expensive as its bottle looked. I grin as Todd throws an arm around my shoulders as we watch the sunset.

His light skin is flushed with yellows, pinks, and oranges giving him an angelic look while his facial features become more defined.

I press a soft kiss to his jaw, his freshly shaven skin smelling of cedarwood. I trail my kisses along his jaw, down his neck. I smirk against his skin when I hear his breath hitch in his throat. Todd's arm moves from my shoulders to my waist. I squeal when he pulls me on top of him.

Todd pulled me away, tilting my chin so I could look at him. He looked at me with soft eyes and a calm smile "You're so beautiful." He whispers running his thumb along my lower lip.

My heart jumps around in my chest while a smile grows on my face. "I think I'm falling in love with you," I admit quietly.

I feel my stomach clench in fear, scared he wouldn't feel the same or that he wouldn't want to see me anymore. Or that—

"I think I'm falling in love with you too." Todd finally says after a moment of silence.

I smile and press my lips to his. He reacts to the kiss quickly, his arms wrapping around my waist. I feel him lay me down on the blanket, everything around me melted as I let myself get lost in the feeling of Todd's lips against mine.

One of his hands held his body up while the other roamed my form, stopping at the space between my legs and rubbing me through my jeans. A soft moan falls from my lips and I shudder as he trails his warm mouth down my neck.

"You're so perfect, Angela." He whispers against my skin as he starts to suck on my neck, nibbling lightly. I pull him away from my neck and he attacks my lips.  I roll on top of him and sit up, pulling him to sit up with me.

We pull away breathless and panting. My whole body hummed with arousal and heat as his hand moved from the space between my legs to rest on my hip. "I wish I could let you meet my parents." He mumbles, pressing his forehead to mine.

I chuckle lightly "They'd have a heart attack if you brought a hood girl home." I joke. I knew my parents wouldn't be too thrilled if I brought home a soc. Mom wouldn't make too big of a deal about it, but I knew Dad would blow a fuse. He thought of the Socs as nothing but greedy pigs. "Those pigs are all hat and no cattle, mark my words.' He used to tell me.

I knew if he would just meet Todd and actually talk to him, they'd get along well. "You're more than just a hood girl." He tells me moving a strand of my hair from my face. My stomach flutters at his words and I press my cheek against his hand when he places his hand on my face. "When I graduate high school I'm going to California for college." He claims.

I put my hand over his that sat on my face, squeezing lightly "At least we have three more years, right?" I say with a sad smile.

"We don't have to stop seeing each other." He muses.

I raise an eyebrow with a snicker. "You're going to be halfway across the country while I'll be stuck in this shitty town. You're gonna meet girls better than me." I reply.

He frowns at my words. "I'll never find a girl better than you, Anglea. You're all I want."

I froze in his hold; I felt tears forming for the second time tonight. "Come with me." He whispers.

"What?" I blurt out my tears disappearing as quickly as they came. I look at Todd as if he'd just grown two heads.

"Come with me to Cali, Angela. You'll love it there. There's beaches and gorgeous mountains and our parents wouldn't be able to tell us what to do." He rambles. He grabs my face with both hands, looking at me with hopeful eyes; he presses his lips to mine in a sensual kiss. When he pulls away, he smiles lightly. "Say yes, Angela." He begs.

"My family needs me, Todd. I can't just leave." I argue with a frown. I could feel my heart splinter at my words. I wanted to go with Todd and be able to hold his hand in pu lic and not have to worry about judgemental stares. I wanted to go on dates and kiss him whenever I wanted. But I can't just leave my family. They need me.

"When are you going to stop thinking of everyone else and do what you want?" Todd asks me.

"It's never about me Todd," I reply with a sad smile.

"This is your future we're talking about. Not your mom's or your dad's or one of your brother's. What do you want?" Todd questions.

I chew on the inside of my cheek thinking hard about his question. I already knew the answer. But I couldn't. I helped with bills and cooked at home; then again, Ponyboy was 13 now and would probably get a job in the next year or so, and Darry could help mom cook dinner. Maybe they didn't need me.

"I'll go," I whisper.

Todd's face lights up with a grin and he holds me tighter. "Yes?"

"Yes," I repeat.

Todd pulls me into him and I wrap my arms around his neck, breathing in his expensive scent as I close my eyes and sigh in contentment.

Nothing else mattered but him and I.

"Angela!" I jump out of Todd's embrace, my stomach dropping as I look up to see my parents running towards us, their car running just a few feet away from where Todd was parked.

I jump to my feet, Todd scrambling to his as I run to them, meeting them halfway in the field we stood in.

"What are you doing out here at midnight?!" My father demands.

"Goodness child, where's your jacket? You must be freezing!" My mother gasps as she runs her warm hands over my arms. I hadn't noticed how cold I was until now.

"It's not what it looks like. He's just my friend," I promise as my father glares at Todd through the dark.

"A friend that you have to sneak out to see?" My dad retorts, his eyes now on me.

"It's none of your business what I do. What are you even doing out here?" I fire back.

"You're not as slick as you think you are. We followed you here." Dad tells me shamelessly.

"You followed me?!" I growl as my mom lays her jacket over my shoulders.

"You're our daughter. Of course, we followed you. Get over here boy!" My father demands calling over to Todd.

My body tenses and I hold my hand out as my father takes a step forward. "Go away this is none of your concern!" I yell back.

My dad gives me a look I know all too well. I fall silent and gulp as I feel Todd step behind me. My father looks him up and down with judgemental eyes, not hiding his distaste.

Todd holds out his hand "Hello, sir." He says awkwardly.

Dad throws a glare to his outstretched hand and Todd takes the hint, letting his hand fall as he scratches at the back of his neck. "Don't you think you should've shook my hand before you had my daughter sneak out to see you son?" Dad growls.

I throw Mom a pleading look, and she frowns, placing her hand on her husband's shoulder, mumbling to him to be nice.

My father's gaze softens as he looks down at Mom, and he looks back up at Todd, his face turning to stone. "Only cowards sneak around with people's daughters, boy." He tells him.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't ever happen again." Todd rushes out.

My father grumbles, glancing him up and down, his eyes stop on his wrist "That's an expensive lookin' watch." He comments before meeting Todd's eyes.

"It was my grandfather's, Sir" Todd replies.

"You're from the West side anchya?" He questions him. Todd nods and I curse in my head. There's no way I will be able to see Todd after this. I'd be lucky if they didn't put metal bars on my window.

"You will never see my daughter again. Angela let's go." Dad commands.

I stay glued to my spot, and I grab Todd's hand; my father raises a bushy brow at me. "No," I say, fighting back the wobble in my voice.

"You're coming home now. I'll drag you to the car myself if I have to." Dad threatens.

Mom gently pushes him back, speaking up and sending her husband a glare "Your father is not doing that. Come on sweetheart, we'll talk about this tomorrow." She tells me.

"No, if I leave, I'll never see Todd again," I respond, moving to step closer to Todd, the father of my parents.

"He's just a boy, Angela don't be dramatic." Dad scoffs; he grabs my arm and gently pulls me forward.

I yank away from his grasp. "He's not just a boy; I love him!" I blurt out.

"You don't know anything about love, Angela your sixteen. Now let's go."

I realize that my father won't listen to my pleading or my reasoning. So I turn my gaze on my mother. "Please, Mama, don't make me stop seeing him. I love him." I beg.

Mom looks at me with a frown "Let's just go home, okay?" She questions with pleading eyes.

"No, I want to stay with him." I retort stubbornly.

"Fine." My father finally gives in. "Just know you're grounded for a month starting tomorrow." He tells me.

"Fine." I bite back.

My heart twists in my chest as I watch my parents walk away, back to their car. Only when they're gone does Todd speak up. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble." He tells me.

I turn to him, wrapping my arms around his neck "It doesn't matter. Let's just finish our picnic." I say attempting a smile to brighten the mood.

Thankfully, it works, and Todd picks me up, carrying me to the blanket and setting me down. We spend the rest of the night talking, laughing, and eating, falling asleep wrapped in each other's embrace.

When I wake up the next morning Todd is already awake. We get up and put everything back in the trunk, exchanging light kisses here and there.

The drive to my house is quiet and he holds my hand the whole time. Anxiety rises when I see the chief of police at our door talking to Darry. Did my parents seriously call the cops?

"I'll see you later," I tell Todd, pecking his cheek before hopping out of the car. Todd drives off as I open the fenced gate of our house. "Is everything all right?" I ask as I climb the steps of my porch. I freeze when I see Darry's wet eyes.

My brother doesn't cry. Not for anything.

"Darry, what's wrong? You're scaring me," I speak up as both he and the cop stare at me. Darry looked broken, the cop guilty. What the hell is going on?

"They're gone, Ange." Darry rasps before going back into the house.

I turn back to the cop, tears of fear in my eyes. "Who's gone?" I question. I make notice of Dad's car not in the driveway and my heart hammers in my chest.

"A car crash happened late in the night. A man was driving under the influence and hit a car with two people inside...their bodies were identified as Darrel Curtis Sr. and Katherine Curtis." He says.

A broken wail escapes my lips as my ears start to ring and my head pounds as I slide to the floor. My stomach twists in an ugly knot and I think I might throw up. My parents are dead. And it was all my fault.

💥|PRESENT TIME|💥

MY EYES SNAP open and I gasp a breath of air into my lungs. My body was slick with sweat, and the beeping I could hear wasn't helping my panicked mind.

I feel a cold hand on my arm and hear someone gently hushing me. I look over to see Darry, his eyes holding concern as he brushes my hair from my face. "You're alright, kiddo." He assures me.

"I'm so sorry." I sob as tears run down my face. I couldn't comprehend where I was, too worked up to think as I cried.

Darry doesn't tell me to stop or suck it up. Instead, he wraps his strong arms around me, gently hugging me as he hushes me softly. I didn't deserve his comfort. I didn't deserve his care. I was the reason our parents were dead. They wouldn't have been on the road so late at night if it weren't for me.

"I killed Mama and Daddy." I ball like a baby. I felt pathetic. But it was all just too much. I couldn't keep this secret bubbling in me anymore.

"What?" Darry asks pulling away from me and looking at me with confusion.

"I snuck out. That's why they were on the road so late. If I had just stayed home they wouldn't have even been on the road." I hiccup.

"It isn't your fault, Angela. It's the drunk driver's; every teenager sneaks out. Don't blame yourself like this." He tells me.

I don't respond, instead laying my hand on top of his "I love you, brother. I know I don't say that enough." I tell him.

He smiles lightly. "I love you too, Angela." He responds.

My eyes widen as Ponyboy pops into my head; I shoot up from my bed, crying out in pain. It felt like my ribs were crushed. Darry curses under his breath and helps me lay back down. "You've got a broken rib and some minor burns on your back. You've been in a coma for a week." He tells me.

I freeze and look back up at him "What about Pony, Johnny, and Dally? Are they alright?" I question.

"Yeah, they're fine. Already back at home. Johnny and Ponyboy have court in a few weeks." He explains.

I nod and we both turn when we hear a knock. Darry huffs, visibly annoyed by the person who knocked on the door. It made me wonder who was on the other side. "Who is it?" I question as Darry stands up from the chair he sat in that was beside my hospital bed.

"Someone who's s been waiting to talk to you," Darry says. He walks to the door, and my eyebrows twist in confusion.

When he opens the door to reveal Dally, my heart jumps, and I can't help but feel relieved. He looked no different than he did the last time I saw him. He was okay.

He seemed to deflate in relief when he saw me, his eyes softening so much that it even surprised me. "We have some talking to do later, about...this," Darry says, gesturing to Dally and me.

My cheeks redden as he leaves, shutting the door behind him, leaving Dally and me alone.