Cinnamon & Rubies // The Outsiders

twenty-six

Her head ached and no amount of rubbing at her temples was alleviating it. Darry sat across from her at the small table in the Curtis dining room, bills spread out between the two of them. For the past half hour, Caroline had calculated and re-calculated all the possible ways Helen and her could pay for their water bill. Louise's broken arm cost more than they had hoped, taking a chunk out of their savings. Caroline had emptied her savings for a car and was now trying to calculate how many extra shifts she needed to work in order to afford another month of water.

Darry was in a similar position. Without Sodapop at home, it meant one less mouth to feed but it also meant one less income stream. With track season starting soon, Darry needed to find a way to afford travel funds for Ponyboy while also making sure they kept the lights on.

"Hey Darry, Care," Ponyboy greeted as he walked into the kitchen with his bag slung over his shoulder. Caroline lifted her head and smiled in greeting.

"Hey little buddy," Darry replied. "Steve drive you home?"

Ponyboy dug the toe of his sneakers into the floor. He refused to look up at Darry and instead shrugged. "Nah, I walked home."

"Ponyboy, I told you that Two-Bit and Steve would be drivin' you to and from school. That's an order."

Caroline laid down the paper in her hand and tried to ignore the throbbing in her temples. "Why'd you walk, Pony? There's gotta be a reason, right?"

"Just wanted some fresh air."

She nodded. That was a good enough explanation for her and he came back in one piece. Frankly, it was a job well done. She checked the time and realized that she needed to start dinner soon. Helen would be dropping off Teddy and Louise before heading to her night shift in an hour. They didn't have much but she could scrounge up something from some vegetables and chicken.

"Caroline, are you even listening? He disobeyed orders," Darry exclaimed.

"He's a teenager, Darry. You tryna tell me you were the paragon of behavior and never worried your parents when you were a teen? Give him some slack." She crossed the room to examine the contents of the fridge. Ponyboy took that as his opportunity to head for his bedroom. Darry glanced between the two of them and followed after Ponyboy.

"We're not done with this, Caroline," he said.

"I never realized anything had started, dear," she snapped in retort. His jaw clenched and he pressed his lips in a thin line. Caroline looked over her shoulder at him, her eyebrow raised in a challenge. Darry shot her a pointed look and headed into the hall. Before she could follow to stop the increasingly raised voices, the front door slammed open and voices spilled into the living room.

Tim Shepard and Steve carried a slurring, rambling Two-Bit in between them. Caroline quickly changed direction to meet them at the door.

"He get jumped? He hurt?" she asked as she helped them guide Two-Bit to the couch.

"Pissed drunk," Tim answered. "Had to peel him off the bar and Curly ran down to the DX to grab Randle. He nearly started a fight with two other Greasers like a damned fool."

Caroline tsked her tongue and shook her head. "Steve, can you go grab me some water, a glass, and a raw egg? And some aspirin too, thank you. Tim, you want to stay for dinner? It'll be ready in about an hour."

"Nah, Curly an' I will figure somethin' out. But can I ask you...my little sister Angela's been having some problems an' I don't know what to do. I figured she needs a woman to talk to. Would you be able to talk with her?"

Caroline tugged a hand through her ponytail, her eyes darting from Two-Bit on the couch to Steve venturing into the kitchen and back towards the hallway where Darry and Ponyboy were shouting. She shut her eyes and sucked in a deep breath before plastering on a smile.