Still Growin' Up Now

Chapter 1

It's not every day that Darry gets off of work early, especially so early that the boys haven't even gotten out of school for the day. He can't help but smile to himself as he walks down main street, realizing how much free time is left in his day. He isn't in much of a hurry, he's already deposited his paycheck at the bank, so he's able to take his time, glancing in the shop windows as he goes. The sign in the window of the diner on the corner next to the bank is enough to catch his attention that he stops. Free Mumps and Measles Vaccine Today! He skims over the poster, and then thinks about the article he'd read in the paper the other day when he was having breakfast. He should get one; In fact, he's sure all of the boys could use one. He sighs a bit at this thought, remembering the flu shot debacle that occurred in September last year. He realizes that making them come get the shot will likely make his free afternoon much more stressful, but having it be free is real handy, and will look great to the state that his brothers are kept up to date with vaccinations and such. Maybe if he bribes them with food, they'll put up less of a fight with him? He muses on the idea as he turns to head for his truck, and decides to make the drive over to the DX to pick the gang up, knowing they were going to meet Soda there after school anyways.

"Darry, don't you remember what happened last time?" Soda whines as they take a place beside Dally, who's leaning on the outside of the DX with a smoke, waiting for the boys from school to arrive. Darry knew Soda was going to whine, but he's more willing to tolerate it over the absolute shitshow that will be Ponyboy when he finds out the plan for the afternoon.

"What's the problem?" Dally asks, though he looks thoroughly uninterested as he says it.

"We're going down to the diner on main street, they're doing a vaccine clinic," Darry replies, purposefully not phrasing it as a question of if he'd like to come. God knows ultimately Dallas Winston does what he wants, but occasionally Darry can corral him into doing things.

"Scared of a little needle Sodapop?" Dally prods, his shit eating grin across his face as he turns to actually look at them.

"It's not me I'm worried about," Soda mumbles, giving Darry another imploring look, but Darry knows he can't budge. Dally must remember the same incident, because he lets out his signature laugh, smoke puffing out of his mouth like a dragon between his huffs of laughter.

"Hell's it even for, man? It's summer, the flu ain't until the fall," Dally points out, always one to argue for the simple entertainment value he seems to get from starting arguments.

"Mumps and measles," Darry replies, cracking his knuckles as he watches Two Bit come whipping into the DX, his distinct loud laughter audible with the car windows down.

"The fuck is a mumps?" Dally murmurs, stumping out the end of his smoke with his boot. Despite all his griping, he pushes off from the wall and makes his way over to Darry's truck, climbing into the bed and lounging as if he is in the backseat of a limousine.

"Darry! What you doing here so early?" Two Bit exclaims, half hanging out the driver's side window of his car in greeting.

"Got off early, figured we could all get something to eat at the diner on main," Darry says casually, and he hears a snicker from Dallas, who he very subtly flips off behind his back.

"Sounds good to me, floor it, Two Bit!" Steve hollers, never one to ask many questions. Two Bit shifts his gear, purposefully making the wheels spin out a bit before he starts rolling out of the lot, and Darry can hear Ponyboy and Johnny making a commotion in the back seat.

"C'mon lets get this over with," Darry murmurs to Soda, who despite his complaints has perked up mostly at the prospect of spending time with the gang. He hops into the cab of the truck. "Don't you dare fall out the back of my truck, Dally!" Darry shouts over his shoulder as he climbs behind the wheel, not waiting to hear a response as he starts up the engine.