de facto 〖 ponyboy curtis 〗

nineteen.

Jo-Lynn

Jo liked her birthday and she liked to hang with her friends, but big parties were never her thing. She's usually the friend who's looking out for everyone and it's much harder to do that when you're surrounded by people you don't know and your friends get a little distracted from time to time but tonight Jo's friends said that she was gonna let loose and someone else was gonna be the responsible one. She didn't quite believe them but was excited nonetheless. They're taking her to a hideaway spot where people go to party almost every weekend. It was mostly teens and young adults, integrated, and there's DJs who play every weekend.

Ponyboy told her that his brother and crew went there from time to time and that he went with them once. Unlike his brothers, Pony wasn't a big fan of dancing but he still enjoyed the music and it was a good party. He also promised that they'd have just as good a time when they got together tomorrow after church and she couldn't wait. Tonight was about her and her friends, though, and she needed it.

Jo finished getting dressed a while ago, she was wearing the red dress Ponyboy got her and she couldn't help but smile every time she looked down and ran her fingers over the soft red fabric. "Where'd you get that dress?" Calvin questioned, leaning against Jo's bedroom door frame.

She spun around and bit her lip to suppress her smile. "Birthday gift."

He gave her a skeptical look as she passed him to raid their mom's room for her makeup. "The white boy got it for you?"

Jo avoided his question completely, keeping quiet for a moment. "Tough shirt," she complimented, poking her head out from the room and then going into the bathroom.

"Thanks, copped it last week." Cal was going with the crew too, he liked the hideaway and spent plenty of weekends there with his own friends.  He wore a pair of dark green pants and a matching green silk button up shirt with a black stripe on each side. He quit relaxing his hair a few years ago and now took pride in his short curls. Jo always appreciated how nice her brother could get done up. Some days he'll spend more time getting ready in the bathroom than she does.

"You look hip." She meant it but was mainly trying to change the subject while she added a touch of blush, mascara, and lipstick to her face.

"Thanks sis," he said. He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a shake to get under her skin a bit. He checked himself out in the mirror but wasn't gonna let Jo off the hook that easily. "You know it ain't that easy to throw me off right?"

"Calvin let me finish gettin' ready," she demands, pushing him away and going back to looking in the mirror, fixing loose strands of hair and trying to perfect the placement of her hair clip.

"You should've told him to come. It's integrated, can't nobody say nothin'."

"Calvin drop it. I don't want nobody askin' me questions."

"What if I wanna meet the guy?" Jo had never been happier to hear a knock on the door. She rushed to the front, her next excuse to avoid Calvin's questioning.

"Aye, what's happenin', baby?" Terry exclaims as the door opens. Jo chuckled and greeted him and everyone else with a hug.

"Hey now, look at y'all," Diane praised.

"Yeah, tough fits," Jackson says.

"Thanks," Jo says, closing the door behind the group. It was Terry, Diane, Jeannie, Jackson, and their other girlfriend Ida Jade, she just turned eighteen and was Jo's old neighbor. Jo and Ida haven't seen each other in a long time but it was always like no time passed when they get together. Years ago, the two spent countless nights at each other's houses singing, dancing, playing cards, making up stories and games, and whatever else came to them. Even though they didn't hang out all the time, she was who Jo considered her closest friend.