ITS ABOUT TIME ➤ Ponyboy Curtis

23

𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚊 𝙳𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚠𝚜
    ♫ -"This Feeling" by Alabama Shakes

    It was September 2nd, 1965 and the constant engine sounds made by cars with cracked exhaust systems was giving me one monster of a headache. Steve and Sodapop had been working in the garage all day while I worked the register at the DX. I was hardly working—people were only coming to to look at magazines while their cars were being worked on. Of course they didn't buy anything either—so I sat there and twiddled my thumbs until our shift ended.
   "What in the Sam Hill is the cause for all those noisy cars?" I groaned as I hopped in Steve's truck. Sodapop jumped in beside me, unintentionally squishing me between him and Steve.
   Steve started the truck and the engine didn't make a big racket like seemingly every other car in Tulsa. "People just ain't taking care of their cars I guess." Steve shrugged and pulled onto the road.
   Elvis was playing on the radio on our ride home. Although I hardly did anything that day, I was so tired that the loud rock music was the only thing keeping me awake. That and maybe Sodapop's god awful singing. He thought he was the knew Chuck Berry, we thought he was a loony.
   "So Georgie," Steve began, "You exited for our first day on Monday?"
  I shrugged my shoulders. "Not really."
  "I thought you were crazy about books and stuff, what'd ya mean you're not exited?"
   "I'm just not thrilled about it. Especially the social part of it. Emphasis on the Soc-ial."
   Steve scrunched his thick dark eyebrows and scoffed. "You better not be saying you're scared of a couple Socs." He said. "Don't worry about no Socs, Georgie. Me and Two-Bit'll keep you safe."
   I didn't tell Steve that I wasn't worrying about the Socs, I just didn't want to get into a long conversation when we'd be home in five minutes. Socs still scared me and I wasn't exactly thrilled about being around them every week day, but they weren't the reason that I was dreading the school year. It was something else.
     "Thanks, Steve." I said rather loudly. We had been talking over Sodapop's singing for the whole card ride, but only then when did he start getting loud.
   Sodapop made a fist with one hand and pretended he was singing from a microphone. He used his other hand to grab the invisible microphone stand and leaned forward in his seat, imitating Elvis on stage.
  Steve, after seeing Soda from the corner of his eye, decided to hit the breaks and send Sodapop forward. Soda quickly slid off the seat and banged his forehead against the glove compartment.
   Laughter bounced off the walls of the truck as Steve kept on driving. Sodapop lifted his head, revealing a huge laughing smile and a big, round, red mark on his forehead. He shook his head and laughed, rubbing his forehead in a circular motion.
   "You okay Sodie-Pop?" I giggled.
   "I'm alright, I'm alright." Sodapop chuckled, then said sharply, "Thanks for asking, Georgia." He sent a playful glare at Steve.
   Steve said briskly, "I knew ya'd be fine, that's why I did it."
   The truck pulled in front of the Curtis house and Sodapop and I jumped out. "Well if this mark isn't gone by dinner," He said whist pointing to his forehead, "We're gonna have some trouble, Buddy."
    Steve walked around the front of the truck and gave Soda a slap on the back. "You'll be alright."
  We made our way up the porch steps. "I better be."
    Dally and Two-Bit were fussing like adolescents about something when we walked in. They sat at opposite sides of the coffee table, pointing at various cards laying on the table. I didn't understand them well—both of their accents would come out when they were angry—but I think it was about a game of Go Fish. Something about cheating. God knows how someone cheats in Go Fish, but apparently Two-Bit was guilty.
   I looked past the bickering boys and met the eyes of Ponyboy, who was sitting next to Johnny on the couch. Pony sprung up from his seat and met me with a kiss on the cheek. "Hi Georgie." He said, placing a hand on my hip. His smile was blinding.
  My heart fluttered and my cheeks turned pink. "Hi Pony." My lips curved into a downturned smile, for I was trying not to show how head over heels in love I was with Ponyboy. He was just so cute, I always smiled when I looked at him.
   "Georgie!" Dallas caught my attention. "Tell your idiot brother over here that you can't grab seven cards when you fish." Dally's teeth were clenched as he looked at Two-Bit with frustration.
   I stepped towards their card battle field and rolled my eyes at my brother. He had about double the amount of cards that Dallas had. "Two-Bit," I said, "you know you're only supposed to pick up one card."
   "No I do not." Two-Bit said matter-of-factly, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips. "Never in my life have I played like that. I coulda grabbed six-dozen cards if I wanted too."
   "No you can't!" The rest of the gang shouted simultaneously, with our own little comments afterwards.
    Out of the blue, Two-But started cackling. His face was red from laughing so hard and he slapped his knee repeatedly. "Oh my lord, you shoulda seen your face Dallly!" He roared.
  Dallas opened his mouth in confusion. "What in fucks name are ya talking about." He thew his hands in the air and they landed back in fists on the table.
   Two-Bit was still laughing. "I was wishing you'da not notice, so when ya called me out I just argued for the fun of it."
    Dal's angry expression slowly fell and he tried hiding a smile. "Two-Bit, you jackass! I was ready to knock your teeth in, man." Dally warned, pointing a finger at Two-Bit. "If this was a game of poker, you'da been dead."
   "Don't act like you haven't egged anyone on before, Dal." Two's laughing and seized and he was now grinning like a chessy-cat. Two-Bit always laughed at his jokes, and his laugh was always as loud as an elephant. It was almost funny.
   Johnny piped up from the couch, "Well Dally doesn't egg on anyone that could kill 'em."
   "Cause they don't exist." Dal snorted. I didn't agree, I thought Two-Bit was more than capable of beating Dally up, he just didn't care enough to ever do it.
    I hoped that Two-Bit knew this, but when I looked at him he was shuffling cards and not paying any attention to what Dally said. I was glad, what Dally said wasn't true even if he thought it was. No one's unstoppable. As much as I loved Dallas, he was too big for his britches sometimes.
  "Well," Steve said, "Ima hankerin for a burger. Reckon we should go to the Dingo for a bite?"
   Sodpop was halfway through unbuttoning his DX shirt. "Yes please!" He turned to Pony and I, "You two should come."
   "Can't." Ponyboy stated. "I'm takin' Georgie out." He wore a proud smile and looked at me lovingly. I felt a swarm of butterflies awake in my stomach.
   The gang had gotten in the habit of picking on Ponyboy from time to time, always about how in love he was. I guess it wasn't really the gang, just Steve, who scoffed at Ponyboy's pride.
  Pony glared at him, his eyes deep and full of annoyance. "Got something to say?" He sassed. I liked it was Ponyboy got sassy, which was often. I thought it was cute.
   Steve wore a condescending smirk. "I just can't imagine what kind a date a kid like you could set up."
   Steve's teasing annoyed Ponyboy more that Darry's incessant nagging. His jaw clenched. "You're acting like you take Evie to a five star restaurant every weekend, Steve. You're no better than I am."
   "Yeah? Well were ya goin'?"
  "Down to the park and then to Bucks." Pony said defensively, anchoring his hands on his hips.
  Steve rolled his eyes and slouched. "Well ain't that special." He scoffed.
   Sodapop strolled over to the couch and stretched out on his back. Everyone was used to Steve and Pony's bickering, including me. I knew it would take a while for them to settle down, so I went to Ponyboy's room and replaced my DX shirt for one of his old ones that didn't fit him anymore. He kept them separate from his other clothes so I knew where to find them.
  When I returned to the living room, Steve had a beer in his hand. He had sat on the floor with his back on the couch. "All I'm saying is that I don't like seeing y'all be all mushy. Especially how you swoon over Georgie, it makes me wanna hurl." said Steve, as if he wasn't the one to bring up the topic. I swear that boy could start an argument in an empty house.
    Ponyboy was getting ready to leave, tying his shoes. "Well she's my girl." He countered. Pony's eyebrows we're furrowed and he rolled his bottom lip in between his teeth.
   Steve crossed his arms. At a lack of words, he said, "And she's my..sister.. almost." His face was stern and his buck teeth were showing from the parting of his lips. After an eye roll from Pony, he added, "Maybe I should glue your eyes in place to keep them from rolling around that head of yours."
    By now I was waiting at the door for one of them to either get too tired to fight for too angry to be there. I knew the fighting was over when Ponyboy wrapped his arm around my waist and opened the screen door. "Alright sweat hog, you go do that."
  Without another word, Ponyboy guided me out the front door and down the sidewalk. His left arm was still planted around my waist as we walked.
  Ponyboy was always a little quiet. But I had noticed over the past month or two that he had been coming out of his shell. "You really put Steve in his place back there." I said, and Ponyboy breathily laughed. "Since when did you get so confident?"
   A blush appeared up to Ponyboy's cheeks. I loved how easily I could make him blush, even when I didn't mean to. Pony's hand that was placed on my hip fell down and interlocked with my hand. "Since you, I guess." He said, bashful and blushing. Pony grazed his thumb up and down the back of my hand.
   It was my turn to blush, and I did. "What do you mean, Pony? Am I just that life changing?" I laughed at my own joke, which I usually do.
  Ponyboy crookedly smiled, something he does when he's amused. "Yeah." Ponyboy sighed and looked ahead at the sidewalk. A soft breeze fluttered past us as we got closer to the park. "I feel more confident now that I'm with you."
   My heart fluttered and I slowed down to a stop. With my right hand, I cupped Ponyboy's face and brought my lips to his. He shifted his body and wrapped his arm around my waist, almost pulling me into him.
  I loved the feeling of his touch. It made my skin hot and my stomach fill with fluttering butterflies. Pony's face was flushed and he wore a giddy smile as we kelp walking to the park. When I noticed, My heart fluttered. He was sensitive, but he covered it up with a tough outer shell. I loved him so much.