My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter IV

I sat on the couch, my hands wrapped around my knees. I was still shaking, and I was sure I was as white as I felt.

"Do you want some chocolate cake?" Darry asked.

I shrugged. "S-sure."

Darry pulled the chocolate cake out of the icebox and cut a slice off. He brought it to me, and I set it on my lap—I was too shaky to hold it. I kept nervously glancing out the window as I ate. Darry whispered something to Sodapop.

Soda came and sat by me. It was silent, so he turned the television on low. Darry grabbed his jacket and left. "Where is he goin'?" I asked.

"He's looking for Steve."

I was silent for a moment. I almost said, "This wasn't how I imagined my summer vacation," but I didn't say anything.

"This has been a pretty interesting beginning to your summer vacation, hasn't it?" Soda sighed.

I sighed, too. "Yeah."

I leaned back and watched the television. There wasn't anything interesting on. Just the news, and it was going on and on about Vietnam. I was nearly asleep when the door opened, and a couple of people came in.

"I'm fine, Darry," one was saying as he came in. I looked up to find Steve and Darry coming in.

"Steve, are you alright?" I asked quickly.

"Yes—" Steve said, but Darry cut in.

"I've gotta play nurse again, but I'm driving you two home after that."

Ponyboy and Johnny came in—they had been in the backyard, looking at the stars—and sat in front of the television. Mickey Mouse had turned on. Darry patched up Steve, so I watched it with them.

"I'm gonna grab some cake before we leave," Steve said, walking into the kitchen.

I knew Steve probably wouldn't give me the full story, so I decided to ask Darry before Steve came back into the room. "What happened out there?"

Darry sighed and sat down. "I went out in the direction of Steve's house, and Dallas came running up to me. Said Steve was passed out in the streets. Anyway, I followed him, and sure enough. I'm surprised the kid didn't get hit. He says he's alright, and I know he's tough and all, but I think he's hiding more than he's letting on. That satisfy your curiosity?"

I started to nod but stopped. "What was Dally doin' over there?"

"He was looking for those guys that jumped you and Steve. He beat 'em up real good. Luckily, he didn't get caught. He's always been one to do things like that, but that's probably the most reckless he's ever been. He must like you an awful lot."

I digested what he said. I hoped Dallas liked me 'an awful lot,' because I felt the same way. Steve came back into the living room with his cake.

"Is Penny alright?" he asked, his mouth full of the cake. Of course, he wouldn't ask me. He knew I'd lie.

Darry glanced at me for a moment. "She'll be alright. I ain't a doc, so I can't be sure, but I suspect a sprained ankle and a couple broken ribs. She's pretty shook up." He turned back to me. "Maybe you shouldn't ride tomorrow... you should still go get acquainted with the horse, though."

I nodded. "Alright."

Steve scarfed down the rest of his cake. "Let's go."

We piled into Darry's truck, and he drove the block and a half to Steve's house. I limped in behind Steve, who was making sure his father wasn't angry. It was never consistent—sometimes, my uncle was a pretty fine person. Other times, however, he was angry and bitter, for no apparent reason.

I collapsed onto my bed. My ankle and sides were aching. I tried falling asleep. I wanted to get the real-life nightmare out of my mind, but the day was haunting me. It was the same Socs both times. What did they have against me? Against some stranger from Kansas?

I laid on my bed for ages, thinking about it. It was late when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in," I called.

Steve entered and sat on the bed beside me. "I'm sorry about today."

"It's alright. It wasn't all bad."

My cousin cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

I smiled softly to myself. "You can't tell anyone, alright? Not a single soul. Not even Sodapop."

"Deal."

"I've got my eye on someone..."

"Let me guess! Uh... Sodapop?" I shook my head. "Two-Bit?" I shook my head again. "Dally?" I bit back a smile. "You like Dally! Man... how did a bad boy like him catch the eyes of such a good girl like you?"

"Well, I mean... he saved me..."

"So, any guy that steps between you and danger is going to steal your heart?"

"No, that's not what I meant. He just... got something special about him."

Steve laughed. "I was just playing with you. He's a cool ole guy." He paused. "Goodnight, Penny."

"Goodnight."

After he left, I pulled out a sheet of paper and my fountain pen. I started writing a letter to my mother.

Dear Mama,

Steve took me to a rodeo today. It was pretty good, until some guys started bothering me. It's alright, though. I had a postcard I was gonna send you, but I didn't get around to it before the letter, so I'll tell you now. I found my blonde-haired, blue-eyed knight in shining armor! He rode in on his noble steed to save me. One of Steve's friends says he must really like me... this guy, Dally, went and got revenge for me after those boys bothered me again.

Sincerely,

Penny

I sealed the envelope and set it on the desk. I was finally tired—my eyelids felt heavy, and I was getting easily distracted. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Author's note
I apologize for making y'all sad in the last chapter. So, I made this chapter sort of a 'recovery chapter.' Here's another apology: I'm sorry I'm about to make you sad again. This is the end of my completed chapters. I'll try to get more on here every week or two, just hang on.
On a different note, as I was typing the words "knight in shining armor" earlier in this chapter, the song that happened to be on said those words as I was typing them...
Anyway...

Your friendly neighborhood greaser, signing off...
Stay gold y'all ⭐️