Come Down From Your Fences

Chapter 10

Two-Bit entered the Curtis' house with a loud "Howdy", punctuated by the slamming of the screen door. Darry entered the living room, buttoning his shirt. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Two-Bit standing there, looking more awake at eight in the morning on a Saturday than Darry had ever seen him look.

"Howdy," Two-Bit repeated cheerfully.

"Mornin'," Darry responded gruffly. It was early and he didn't like to deal with Two-Bit's special brand of reality before he'd had his first cup of coffee.

A shadow appeared at the front door, followed by the sound of someone impatiently clearing their throat. Darry squinted, trying to see through the dingy screen.

"Two-Bit," Darry said, slightly confused, "is that your sister on our porch?"

Two-Bit looked behind him and let out a laugh. "Oh, hey sis. Forgot you were there," he said as he let her in.

Darry nodded a greeting to the scrawny kid who stepped into the house, but she ignored him. Her long, rust colored hair was pulled into a haphazard ponytail which swung back and forth with each step she took. The faded Mickey Mouse t-shirt she had on mirrored the one worn by her big brother.

"Mom got called into work this morning, so I got stuck babysittin' the runt here," Two-Bit explained. He playfully punched his sister on the shoulder and she responded with a sharp elbow to his stomach. Doubled over, Two-Bit gasped, "It's gonna be a long day."

Darry shook his head in amusement. Between the two of them, he wasn't sure which Mathews was going to be doing the babysitting today. A part of him was disappointed that he had to go to work and was going to miss finding out.

Heading toward the kitchen, Darry hollered, "Ponyboy, get your butt out of bed. Two-Bit's here."

Passing Darry in the hall, Soda ambled into the living room, dressed for work and carrying his shoes. "Mornin'," he greeted Two-Bit before noticing the new addition to their group.

"Hey - Little-Bit, I ain't seen you in forever," he said cheerfully. Two-Bit grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

"Careful, man. You're takin' your life into your own hands. Trust me." Two-Bit was muttering so quietly that Sodapop had to strain to hear him.

"Aw, don't worry. Kids love me - girls 'specially." Soda gave him a wink, but jumped when someone suddenly poked him in the back.

Soda turned, a big smile plastered across his face. Two-Bit's sister was standing there, all four feet of her, hands on her hips and her toe tapping impatiently.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya, man," Two-Bit whispered ominously in Soda's ear.

"My name is Sabrina," his sister announced.

Soda laughed. "I know, just like the Teenage Wi --"

"Not Little-Bit!"

"In the Archie Comics..." Soda trailed off, his smile fading.

"I'm not a little kid. I've been ten for three whole weeks!" She actually stamped her foot on that one. Her face was turning an interesting shade of red and Soda felt a twinge of fear.

He took a step back, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Golly, that's great. Happy Birthd --"

"So don't call me little kid names!"

"Of course not. Wouldn't, uh, dream of it," Soda stammered as he backed up into the hallway. "Pony," he yelled, "Two-Bit's here!"

Ponyboy came out of the bathroom, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Soda rushed over to him. "Thank God you weren't born a girl," he whispered.

"What in the world does that mean?" Ponyboy asked at the same moment the shrill scream of a ten year old split through the morning.

"I heard that!" Sabrina Mathews announced at the top of her lungs.

Ponyboy shuddered. "Oh," he said. "Never mind."

"Hey," Soda said before Pony could leave the hallway, "me and Steve don't work 'til later so we'll be able to go with you guys to the hospital. We won't be able to stay long, though."

"That's fine. Ya know, Johnny really misses you guys."

"Yeah, I miss him, too." Soda got quiet and for a moment he seemed to be a million miles away.

Pony wondered if he was only thinking about Johnny, if maybe his mind was on another person he missed. Soda did that a lot lately - got real quiet and still. Sometimes it scared Ponyboy, it was so unlike his brother to be serious and lost in his thoughts. Soda never talked about it, but Pony knew he was still upset about the whole Sandy thing. Unsure of what to say - would he make it worse, would Soda even want to talk about it - Ponyboy said nothing and felt completely useless.

A smile spread across Soda's face and just like that the moment passed. The old Soda was back and Pony wondered if he'd imagined the whole thing.

"Figured we could follow you guys in Steve's car. That way, when Two-Bit's car breaks down, we'll be able to give you guys a lift."

"I heard that!" Two-Bit hollered from the other room.

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Ponyboy stepped into the living room, careful not to make eye contact with the ticking time bomb that was Two-Bit's sister. He made it successfully to the couch and flopped down on the worn cushions.

Saturday morning cartoons were on and both Sabrina and Two-Bit were staring at the television, glassy eyed and temporarily distracted. Pony almost laughed out loud at the picture they made. Like brother, like sister, he thought. They even sat the same - legs crossed, leaning back, arms braced on the floor, head cocked to the right like they were pondering the meaning of the universe, not simply trying to figure out how the coyote could catch the roadrunner this time.

"Ponyboy," Darry's voice broke through his thoughts and he looked up at his older brother. Darry was pulling on his jacket, getting ready to leave for work. "I want you home early today," he continued.

"But --" Ponyboy started to argue.

"No buts about it. You have a ton of homework to do and as far as I can tell, you didn't touch any of it yesterday. Your grades are terrible, Ponyboy, and that's not like you."

"They're not that bad," Ponyboy mumbled. He looked at Two-Bit, embarrassed to have this conversation in front of his friend, but he wasn't paying attention.

"Yes, they are," Darry said bluntly. "Have you even started that paper your English teacher assigned you?"

Pony sighed and leaned his head back, wishing he could sink deeper into the cushions and disappear.

"I've tried." He could actually feel Darry's anger rise without even looking at him. It wasn't like he was lying. He'd stared at the blank page, pencil ready to go, but the words wouldn't come.

"Ponyboy, this isn't a joke."

"I didn't say it was. There's just a lot going on right now."

Darry sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you want to keep Johnny company, but you have to look after yourself, too. Home by two - have we got a deal?"

"Fine," Pony relented, "home by two."

Just then, Steve walked through the door, letting it slam behind him. Surprised to see Two-Bit's sister, he said, "Hey there, Little-Bit ..."