Miss Marley |The Outsiders|

20. Starting Over

"Really Marley, it's just a cut," Sodapop whined loudly behind the peroxide-soaked cloth held against his temple. As he bit down on his cheek, Marley had her brows furrowed in concentration while she cautiously cleaned the dirt and gravel from the cut. A bit of blood stained her top lip, though she refused to acknowledge it until her brother was taken care of. "It ain't just a scar, Soda," Marley bit, "he coulda really hurt you."

Steve scoffed as he restocked the shelves near the front of the gas station. "Right, it ain't like he slapped you or nothin'." Marley rolled her eyes before she raised her fingers to the right side of her face delicately. Just as she suspected, the skin was tender and already turning purple. "Please," she laughed, "that was nothin'. You should see what he can do when he's drunk."

Sodapop's hand covered her wrist gently as he pushed the rag away. "I'm okay now, Marls, promise." His smile was just as kind as his eyes, even if it was a bit forced for her sake. Skeptically, Marley whispered under her breath in a way only her mother ever could before she flipped the small metal box open and fished out a single band-aid. The kit creaked loudly as its chipped and dented lid slapped against the DX's counter. Sodapop grimaced as she pushed the bandage into place, ignoring the thin pieces of paper that fell to the ground.

"When'd you get outta your fighting stage, huh? I used to patch you up all the time."

It seemed Ponyboy was the only of the Curtis kids to skip his fighting phase. Darry got into his fair share in his first year of high school but because of his height and stature, coaches and teachers pushed him towards football instead of the principal's office. Even Marley was known to fight a few girls in the halls between classes, usually, after one of them made a comment about one of her brothers. She still had the scar on her hip thanks to Sylvia's long, painted nails. Sodapop on the other hand, only fought when Steve got himself into trouble.

"I stopped fighting when Steve grew a few more brain cells and didn't need me bailing him out every five minutes," Sodapop hollered while his friend placed the last few magazines on the rack. "That's a load of bull," Steve shouted back, "you stopped fighting 'cause Darry said he'd beat your head in!"

With a small smile, Marley turned her head to the door and the rays of sunlight bled in through the window. Just as she turned, a group of young boys caught her eye, each with a cup from the diner in hand. As the bell above the door rang out, Steve called, "hey hoods, get outta here while you still can!"

"Shut the fuck up Steve, or I'm drinkin' your milkshake."

Steve and Dallas argued back and forth, sounding like the stray dogs barking away into the night while Marley quickly shut the first-aid kit as quietly as she could. Just as the box clanged shut, the bell above the door jingled for a second time. Their eyes had locked for a fraction of a second before Tim stormed across the hall. "What the absolute fuck, Marlene?"

he was leaning against the counter, the tips of his fingers barely tracing the side of the girl's face. At this angle, the beaming sunlight shone down over him, illuminating his scar and the bluish bruise over the bridge of his nose. Marley shrugged casually as her eyes found the cigarette placed behind his ear, effectively holding back a few of his curls. "It really ain't that bad," she mumbled graciously. "I can handle a bruise or two."

"You shouldn't have to," Tim grumbled before turning around to face the gang. Sodapop had slunk away from his spot beside his sister and was standing between Ponyboy and Johnny as they quietly eyed the candy bars behind them. Steve was slurping away at his milkshake, occasionally shooting Two-Bit dirty looks when he pretended to slip a pack of cigs in his pocket. Near the back of the store, Dally looked over the stock shamelessly. Slyly, with his elbows proper on the counter, Tim squinted at Ponyboy and ignored Marley hitting his shoulder. "One of y'all rocked his shit, right? Showed how we do things 'round here?"