her way ✰ (dallas winston x reader)

chapter 83 - brave

~your p.o.v~

I was getting ready for work like usual, but I couldn't help but feel different. Tonight was the night of the rumble and I couldn't help but be nervous for the boys.

I know they knew how to handle themselves, but I couldn't help but be nervous.

I looked at the outfit I had laid out for the rumble. It was a normal pair of jeans, a white shirt, and over that I would be wearing my brother's old Letterman's jacket.

I may have not been a soc anymore, but I'd always be a Sheldon and Bob will have always been my brother. I'm not going there to represent the socs, but I'll go there to represent my older brother.

Maybe he was harsh to the people he didn't know well, but I know he was just scared and pressured by his label. He was confused and scared. Hopefully the world can someday, somehow know how he really was. Maybe someone could tell the real story of Bob Sheldon, of the greasers and socs. How all of us deep down didn't want these labels and the fighting.

We aren't looking for a fight, we're just looking to belong.

I snapped out of my daze and tore my eyes away from my brother's letterman jacket, a sadness sitting in the pit of my stomach. What I would give to tell my brother everything I had learned since he left.

I was ready to head out when Two-bit called my name.

"Someone's on the phone for you! Some guy from an office or something?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. Who would want to call me from an office?

I made my way out of the room, shoving my DX hat on as I went over to the phone. Two-bit handed it to me and I brought it up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Donald Miller." A man spoke up. It took me a moment to recognize the voice.

"Donald, as in my dad's friend and work colleague?"

"This is him."

"Hey, Donald. What's up?" I balanced the phone between my shoulder and neck for a moment, adjusting my work shirt. I felt casual on the phone with him because he had come over to my house many times when I was younger to spend time with my dad. I knew him well, he must've been around 36 or 37 now.

"Took me a while to find this number of yours. I didn't know where you went after everything that happened with your family." He stated.

"Yeah, I moved in with a buddy of mine."

"Anyways, I got some news on your dad."

I felt my blood run cold. I wrapped my hand around the phone now, standing up straighter.

"R-really? What happened to him?"

"You're not gonna like this."

"Spit it out, Donald."

"Little bit ago he got married. He settled down with the first woman he could find, ended up taking her last name. Seems like he didn't want anything to do with the surname Sheldon anymore."

"Oh my god..." My voice wavered.

"Listen, Donald. I gotta get to work.." My voice was shaky and I felt tears pricking my eyes.

"Y/n, wait-" I slammed the phone back down angrily.

"Idiot!" I cried, slamming my hand against the wall. How could he do this? Did he really not have any love left for the family he once had? Did he just want to erase the Sheldon family altogether?

I sniffled, hiding my face in my hands. I couldn't believe it.

I was the last Sheldon left.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" Two-bit sounded nervous as he approached me.

I wiped my tears away with my sleeve.

"N-nothin." I muttered, sounding stuffy.

"Sure doesn't sound like nothin."

"I have to go to work. I don't have time to explain it all."

"Well I have time. I'll walk you to work and you can tell me everything."

-

I finally made it to work and I had told Two-bit everything. He seemed to feel bad, but I didn't want to make him sad.

"Don't go pitying me now or something. You got a rumble to get excited for!" I punched his shoulder and he smiled.

"Yeah, I'm more than ready for the rumble."

"You were born ready, man! You'll kick those socs asses!" I encouraged him and soon he was back in his normal happy mood.

"Well, I'm gonna be late for school. Thankfully it's a Friday and I won't have to go to school tomorrow after getting in a fight." Two-bit waved goodbye and I smiled, waving back.

I went into work and went along with my day as usual.

-

I was flipping through a magazine while sitting on the stool behind the counter when the bell rang. I saw Thomas and Cherry enter the DX together and my face lit up.

"Hey, guys!" I smiled and they saw me, smiling back.

"Hey, Y/n! It's been a while." Cherry spoke first.

"Yeah, I missed you. What brings you guys to the DX?"

"We were missing you, we wanted to stop bye and talk for a bit." Thomas answered. I smirked.

"Awe, you shouldn't have."

"How are you feeling about the rumble? I heard you have to show up to represent Bob." Cherry asked. I shrugged.

"Of course I'm rooting for the greasers. I'm not worried about myself, I don't have to fight. I'm just worried about the gang, but I know they can handle themselves."

"I'm showing up to the rumble." Thomas said. I looked at him in surprise.

"Really? Do you even know how to fight?"

"Not really, but I thought I should. I knew Bob since I was always over at your guys' house. Just feels right to go."

"Yeah, I get that."

"You're real brave to show up to the rumble, Y/n. I don't think I'd ever have the courage to do something like that. I just hate fighting." She admitted.

"It's no big deal to me."

"I don't just mean you're brave with fighting either. You've just been brave in general with everything. You're real special, Y/n. I don't know many people who could do what you've done and still make it out the other side." She sounded sincere and I gave her a soft smile.

"That's real sweet of you, Cherry."

"I mean it. Most people around here only care about their labels and wouldn't ever want to switch from a soc to a greaser. You don't care what people think and I admire that. I hate to admit it, but I worry about my social status all the time. Thanks to you, I really want to change. I want to be different."

"Don't worry about it, Cherry. You still have a lot of time to make yourself who you wanna be." I assured her.

And I meant it. We were all just kids experiencing big changes.

We still had our whole lives ahead of us to grow and become who we wanted to be.