My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter VIII

"Where have you been all day?" Steve asked me when I wheeled myself in the front door.

"I was at the stables."

"What?"

"I was practicing riding without using my legs. I signed up for the rodeo tomorrow."

"And you went all alone? We've discussed this, Penny—"

"Dallas was with me. You trust Dally, right?"

Steve sighed in relief. "Alright, that's good. So, um... your parents are here."

My heart nearly stopped. I knew they were coming sometime in the week; I just didn't know when. I started shaking slightly from the nerves. "Steve, you should talk to them before I go inside."

"What should I tell them?"

"Tell them that I was in an accident, and that I can no longer walk. Don't say anything about the rodeo, though, because I don't want them to stop me from riding in tomorrow's."

"Alright. Just stay in front of the house, and I'll come get you in a minute."

I nodded and wheeled myself away from the door. The summer breeze ruffled through my hair, and blew bright green leaves across my path. The sun cast its golden rays through an open spot in the clouds, but big, fluffy clouds eventually blocked it. I wheeled myself over to the bed of flowers, and watched them sway gently in admiration.

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me. "Oh, Penny... I'm so sorry!"

I squeezed back tightly. "It's alright, mom. I've adapted."

My father gave me a tight hug, then wrapped his arms around my mother, who had started to cry. I couldn't bear seeing my mother so distraught. Tears of my own sprang from my eyes.

"Please don't cry, mama. I'm alright," I pleaded.

She smiled sadly. "I know you are."

My father turned to Steve. "Any good places to eat around here?"

My cousin thought for a moment. "Your best bet's probably the Dingo, downtown."

My dad wrote the name of the place on his hand. "Alright. Let's go." As my mother, father and I turned to leave, my dad threw a glance at Steve. "You coming?"

Steve chuckled and followed us. We made our way to the Dingo pretty quickly, considering we—everyone but me, I guess—were on foot. When we got there, I ordered my usual: a cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke.

"So, what is there to do around here?" my father asked.

"Well, there isn't a whole lot, I guess. I mostly hang out with Steve and his friends. We just kinda chill, or go around town. They've got rodeos here every week, though."

"You shoulda seen her ride that first week she was here! She won the barrel racing event, and very nearly won another race," Steve laughed.

My mother smiled sadly. "It's a shame those days are over now."

I shifted uncomfortably. "About that... I'm riding in a rodeo tomorrow."

My parents, especially my mother, looked shocked. "What? You need use of your legs for that, ya know. Besides, you don't even have a horse here in Oklahoma."

"We'll, I've been practicing this week, and it's not too much harder. And I do have a horse."

My cousin nodded. "It was sort of my best buddy's horse once. That horse would only listen to him, until Penny came along. The city stable guys gave him to her."

"It was 'sort of' your friend's horse?"

Steve went on to explain the whole story of Sodapop and Mickey Mouse. Meanwhile, I rested my chin in my hand, and stared off into space. Suddenly, my eyes were covered by two strong hands. "Guess who?"

"Dally!"

He grinned at me, his shaggy blonde hair falling in front of his eye. "How are ya, princess?"

"Just swell," I smiled back.

My dad raised an eyebrow—it kinda reminded me of Two-Bit. "Who's this?"

I took Dally's hand. "This is Dallas—"

"Her boyfriend," he cut in. I smiled at him.

"This must be that knight in shining armor," my mother remarked.

"Mom..." I groaned.

She laughed. "Sorry."

Dally joined us at the booth we were sitting in. My dad stared at him. "How'd you meet my daughter?"

Dallas looked at me. "Well, we were at a rodeo, man. I went out looking for my hat, and I saw some guys bothering her."

My mother looked intrigued. "And you rode in to save her?"

"Yeah, I suppose I did." Everyone laughed.

"What are your other friends like?" my mother asked.

My father agreed. "Yeah. Tell us about them."

I thought for a moment. "Well, there's Darry. He's got two younger brothers, Sodapop and Ponyboy. Their parents died early this year, but they get to stay together if they behave. Darry just works a lot, but's pretty cool when he's around. Sodapop is a fountain of endless energy, and Ponyboy likes to read and draw. There's Two-Bit—he's always wise-crackin'. Oh, and there's Johnny, too. He's really quiet. He doesn't have a real good home or anythin'."

My mother smiled. "It's nice you found friends for the summer."

"Mama, I don't wanna just stay here for the summer. I wanna live here in Tulsa."

"Penny..."

"Just listen to me. They've got really great schools here, and I've got way better friends than back home in Kansas. I don't wanna live on a farm, miles away from anyone or anything. I like it here."

My parents looked at each other. "We'll discuss that later."

My dad was desperate to change the subject, but he didn't do a great job. "So, I assume you got our letter?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't really want to talk about the war right now, though."

"Sorry."

Dally casually took my hand in his. "You coming to the Curtis place tonight?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, probably."

"I've gotta go. I'll see you later, Penny."

"See ya later, Dally. What's so urgent?"

He winked at me. "You'll see."

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Author's note
See? I know how to not be so mean. Alright, so I was typing the line "You coming?" when they were going to the Dingo, but then I perished, because I realized those were the last words of "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds, I think? Anyway...

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