Miss Marley |The Outsiders|

16. Bloody Birthdays

"An' you're sure they're still drivin' around?"

Two-Bit slapped Sodapop on the shoulder happily, shaking his head from side to side while he did so. "You were there, Soda, saw 'em with your own eyes!"

The gang, minus Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny marched around the house frantically as they set up the last remaining pieces of Johhny's surprise. Anxiously, Marley ran her hands up and down her arms after putting the few finishing decorations on top of his birthday cake. Covered in yellow, green, and white sprinkles, all she was missing was a candle. Thankfully, Tim would be back any minute from the store.

Darry peered over his sister's shoulder as he pulled a beer from the fridge. Even with her back to him, he could sense the worried look in her eye as she chewed on her lip. "It's a nice cake," he said casually, "Johnny's gonna love it."

Marley's pride was squashed as she stared down at her creation. Sure, it was a cake and it would taste fine, but it would taste nothing like Momma's. The Curtis family was never one to take note of recipes, they were passed down from Christmas dinners and neighbourhood potlucks. No matter how hard they tried, none of the Curtis kids could recreate their Momma's recipes with such expertise. The cake was pretty, but it wasn't hers.

Nothing made in the cramped kitchen would ever taste like Momma's again.

"It's gonna be weird without them," Marley said bluntly. "Too quiet, the cake's gonna be too-"

"Greasers, battle stations!" Two-Bit screamed before shoving Sodapop and Steve into the living room and away from the door. With her previous comment forgotten, Marley pushed past her brother and stood in the doorway separating the two rooms. With a soft click, the house was submerged in darkness while Two-Bit clapped his hands together giddily. Meanwhile, Soda and Steve all managed to hide behind the couch, with only minimal arguing. Finally, once the house grew silent, the rumble of a car could be heard. The most important part of the day was keeping Johnny away from the house for as long as possible. Thankfully, Ponyboy and Dally had managed to do just that.

A door slammed, followed by quiet muttering as the figures grew closer. Marley wrapped her hands around herself and leaned against the doorframe happily. This is a feeling she missed; watching the door and being excited instead of fearful. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until the door creaked open, a thin ray of light flooding into the room.

"What the fu-"

"Suprise!"

Immediately following, was the sound of skin hitting skin, a loud thump, and furious muttering. With a heavy sigh, all too similar to their father, Darry rose from his chair and flicked on the light switch.

Tim was standing in the doorway, his left fist stained red with blood and a pack of birthday candles in his right. At his feet, Two-Bit held his bleeding nose. "Are you serious?" Marley asked, exasperated. Tim rolled his eyes and extended his hand to the greaser on the floor. "How's this my fault? He fucking jumped at me!"

"It's a surprise party, dipshit, he's supposed to surprise you! This wasn't even your party!"

Two-Bit rose to his feet slowly, wiping crimson blood from his lips lazily. The house was silent once more, tension heavy in the air. Perhaps he didn't notice, or maybe he couldn't be bothered to care, but Tim stalked over to Marley and pushed the candles into her hand. "The things I do for you," he muttered sarcastically.

She bit back a smile as Sodapop pretended to gag over the greaser's shoulder. "Yeah," she teased, "how will I ever repay you?"

Tim stretched his arm over his head and tilted his jaw to the left. "Well, you still owe me for skippin' out on our date... I can think of a few-"