Aurora

"You're the cute mechanic from the DX," Elise stated once Sodapop sat down beside me. Sodapop grinned,

"Well thank you, but I'm taken," He said without a loss in beat, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I was grateful for the warmth as the air started to have a chill to it. "You're in school to become a teacher, right?"

"Yes, I'm in my final year and then I'm hoping to get a placement around here so I can move back."

"What ages are you interested in teaching?"

"Well to be honest I can't stand little children so I'm hoping high school kids. I want to help the kids in our neighbourhood who are too scared for help."

"Oh yeah? That's pretty tuff. What subject are you planning to focus in teaching?"

"Hopefully English or History, if all goes well." Sodapop nodded and he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say.

"What are you planning on doing in the future?" She asked, although I know it as a loaded question. Dad had wanted to know as well, he wanted to make sure Sodapop wasn't planning to work at the DX forever.

"Well I want to be a mechanic for sure... My buddy Steve and I were thinking of maybe opening our own shop. We'd definitely get a lot of service on our side of town but we're only dreaming it right now."

"That'd be so cool!" Andrew piped up. Soda smiled,

"It wouldn't be any time soon though, Steve and I still have a lot of saving to do." Everyone nodded and we sat in silence for a little while and then Elise smiled,

"I want to thank you for being there for my family when I wasn't able to be. I wasn't able to get a car to make the drive home and I couldn't afford a plane ticket."

"Of course," Soda said, kissing my head, "There's nothing that could have happened to make me leave them."

She smiled and Andrew listened to Sodapop even though he seemed really bored. Sodapop must have noticed because he smiled at Andrew,

"Hey kiddo, don't you got baseball tryouts coming up?"

"Yeah I do." Andrew said smiling. We could all tell he was impressed that Sodapop remembered even though Andrew only mentioned it once. I loved that about Sodapop- he hardly ever forgot a detail.

"Well let's throw a ball around. I'm getting kinda restless sitting here," Soda said and Andrew went inside to grab two of his gloves and a ball. Sodapop stood up and walked off the porch with Andrew and they started throwing the ball around.

"Did you play baseball Sodapop?" My mom asked and he shook his head,

"Only in gym class. I was too busy working at the DX so I didn't really have time for sports." He threw the ball back to Andrew. They continued throwing it back and forth for a little while before Mom decided it was time for dinner. She and Dad went inside to finish cooking and Elise moved over to sit beside me.

"He's a looker," She said smiling. I nodded, leaning back in my chair and trying not to yawn.

"He's everything to me Lise. He's perfect."

"You're pretty lucky Rory. Not at lot of people get lucky enough to find their true love this young in life."

"I know... It's hard wanting to talk about it with my friends because they've never felt this way before."

"Well it's going to get easier soon as you guys start to get older."

"Maya is in a relationship with Sodapop's older brother Darry."

"She is?"

"Yeah... I think she has strong feelings about him. I mean... She's already... Been with him."

"That's okay." Elise said, smiling at me. I knew she had been with guys that she wasn't committed to, she was always into the East side boys. While a lot of the middle class girls supposedly went with the West Side boys, many of them didn't go for middle class girls because we didn't have the same amount of money they did.

"Have you found someone?" I asked and she blushed but she nodded,

"I have... So far it's been going very well."

"Elise shut up! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Well he wanted to come for dinner tonight but I didn't want to make things awkward you know?"

"Elise I swear, you'd better invite him over! Please!"

She grinned and went inside, leaving me in my chair. I watched Sodapop play ball with Andrew and my heart soar. Sodapop was the man that I wanted to spend my life with, no questions asked. If I could fall asleep and wake up in his arms every night and every day I would be the happiest woman on the planet. I had to promise myself to try and become better, become more confident for Sodapop. And I'd do whatever it took.

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