Let It Be Me

Part 22

"How come you can go to work and to the hospital to see Two-Bit and out with Cindy but we ain't allowed to even go past the front gate?" Pony argued to Darry. They'd been at it for twenty minutes and Darry was trying really hard to keep his cool but I could see that he was wearing thin. "Now Soda's gonna be over at the Valance's and that's ok too?" Darry's eyes zeroed in on me from across the table as he took his last sip of coffee. I smiled meekly.

"It's just to see my dad" I defended softly. "I'll go there and come right back." He sighed into his mug, then swallowed and put the cup back down. Pony sensed that Darry was weakening and his energy heightened.

"And I'll make sure nothin' happens, Darry. Johnny too." Darry's eyes widened.

"All three of you want to go?" he complained dropping his hands on the table. He looked over at Johnny who was biting his thumbnail nervously. Johnny's hand dropped.

"Well..." he shrugged. "We've been stuck in here for a month. And it ain't like Soc's hang out in that prison."

"Don't you want her to have someone with her?" Pony retorted.

"It has to be today?" Darry asked in exasperation. "You can't just wait for my day off? I can take you, Cal. It ain't like I'm tryin' to keep you from your dad."  He thought for a moment and shook his head. "I can't have you guys ridin' the bus."

"We won't be" I offered. "Eva's going to take us." He made a face.

"Who?"

"My best friend" I answered back, realizing how much I had been blowing her off. Even the guy I had been living with since October didn't know who she was. Darry's eyes moved to Johnny.

"Johnny, this Eva person" he said leaning toward him. "Is she..." Johnny shook his head.

"She ain't a trouble maker."

"Why are you askin' him?" Pony asked defensively. "I'm sitting right here. You don't think I can tell when someone's trouble? I do have half a brain you know. According to my grades I may even be intelligent." Darry studied Johnny's eyes for another moment, then leaned back in his chair and pointed at Pony.

"You're pushin' it, kid" he warned him. "I don't like the idea of this. I really don't." Johnny sat up straight.

"Darry" he said quietly. "We ain't gonna go anywhere but to the jail and back. We have a ride. We won't go over to their territory. Not even to the lot." He looked over at me. "She just needs to see her dad today."

"And she'll have both of us with her" Pony finished. Darry's eyes moved back and forth between all three of us as he tapped on his mug. Finally, he let out a sigh.

"Alright, fine" he conceded. "Just there and back. If this Eva person doesn't show up you ain't takin' the bus. You just stay put at home, you dig?" Johnny and Pony smiled but I couldn't. As much as we all needed to get the hell out of the house for a little while, the weight of what I was about to do was too heavy.

It was about three o'clock when Eva's Chevy rumbled up to the gate. Pony poked his head inside from the front porch.

"Ride's here" he announced happily. He couldn't hide the fact that he was thrilled just to be getting out of the house.  Johnny squeezed my hand.

"You ready?" I stood up from the couch and nodded.

"I think so."

I had only made it about half way down the front steps when I saw Eva coming up the walk and broke into a run to her. I nearly knocked her down as I grabbed her and gave her a hug.

"Woah" she said in a laugh. "Missed you too, bitch." I took an extra second to squeeze her.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in a year" I gushed. I backed my head away and took her in. "I'm sorry I've been so terrible about being in touch" She shrugged and shifted her weight to one hip.