This Greaser's Got My Heart

My Mistake

It seems peaceful in this town, for now. I just moved here from a few towns over,so I know where people stand. There being Greasers and Socs. I was definitely more of the former; it wasn't by choice, but by circumstance. I have my beat up jeans-jacket on, boasting a few rips and tears from some things I'd gotten myself into. My hair is short for a girl, greased up more like a guys than a girls. Somehow it still made me look tough. It was maybe three inches long,a little different in some places, and kind of wild, but it seems to scare people off enough. I decide to risk a walk, figuring no harm could come to me while it was light out.

I walk alongisde a bunch of houses that were real close together, right past an empty lot. Might be a nice escape spot. I thought. From my Daddy that is. He ain't always been the nicest to me since my Mom had died. She had died earlier on when I was real young maybe eight or nine. Daddy took up drinking and it didn't fit'em to well. He got mean. Real angry with everything. And I was what he took it out on. I had a scar on my temple from one night when he shoved me, I fell right into our table and cut open my head. He didn't even care. That was when I decided it wasn't worth the tears. My Daddy wasn't worth making my head spin and makin' me bawl myself to sleep. I ended up findin' some real strong glue in our bathroom cabinet and filled my cut with it. I could a done with a couple stitches, but that wasn't happenin'.

A little lost in my thoughts, suddenly I felt uneasy. I look around me; I had been walking pretty slow 'cause I wasn't maybe a couple blocks from that old lot, but there was a blue mustang driving real careful-like behind me. Shit. There's no way I can turn around and there ain't anybody in the neighborhood I know. Not familiar with this towns hoods yet. The car suddenly stops and two or three guys get out. I realize then that I must have been walkin' longer than I had thought since it was startin' to get dark out. The way they were stumblin' I can tell they were drunk. I don't know if that means me gettin' away easier or not.

"Well, lookie here Bob. Looks like we've got us a little greasy slut, walking around at this time. She doesn't look like much." \

I hadn't thought I'd been out so late,but it seems like it keeps gettin' darker and the darker the more nervous I get. That remark makes me mad though. I keep my mouth shut trying to control myself. I keep going and spit on the guy that said it. 

"Where do you think you're going? And after doing something like that." They advance on me, but I bolt,not even knowin' where I could go to get away. It's not like I could go bangin' on someones door to get help, they'd whop me a good one and make the situation out to be my fault. I finally stop and they stumble into me, I guess being impaired caused that.

I turn around, trying to start this off hoping they'll leave. "Listen, I ain't lookin' for no trouble." 

Their toothy grins too bright in this darkness. "Well, too bad sweetie. A greaser like you is trouble." 

Before I have time to do anything one of the had manages to get behind me and grabs me, pinnin' my arms down. I struggle against that as another tries to pull off my jacket. The third has a knife to my now bared neck. I squirm knowing it's hopeless. I'm terrified not knowing what is goin' to happen. 

These guys are gonna kill me. That's what I keep thinkin'. After doin' god knows what. 

"Glory, get off me!" I yell at'em. They all stopp for a moment, 'cause when I yell I know it's loud. I open my mouth again, but the one with a knife puts it closer to my throat. His hand was unsteady from the cold and slowly more pressure pushes it into my neck. Meanwhile, I can feel a bruise formin' from the guy holdin' on to me, he's pretty strong.

"You better hush up, or everyone on the block'll here you!" His words are slurred, hand shakin' even more now and here I am still defenseless against three drunks.

"Hey!" Somebody yells out from across the street just as I shut my eyes, giving up. I hit the pavement hard and the hard grip is no longer n my arms. I look back and take the opportunity stand and whop the guy behind me with all my strength, he's a fair bit taller than me, but I nail'em right in the cheek. He grabs his face and his friends take off, leavin' him running slowl, tryin' to catch up.

 Suddenly a group of about four guys rush across the street."Yeah,stay away!" One of'em says, my knight with shinin' black hair. The first one to get to me is a boy who looks about sixteen, he has hair the color of a fox and the softest eyes I'd ever seen on a greaser. I like'em. 

"Are you all right?" He kinda runs into me since he was goin' so fast. "Sorry.."

"Yeah,yeah." I was breathing heavier than I realized."It was a pretty close call, but I think I'm okay for now." He looks at me a little concerned, the other guys he was with comes bounding towards us.

A guy with midnight colored hair who looks a little older than that other kid walks up to me and tilts my head up.

"Hey!" He lets me go and I get a decent look at'em. He is just as much of a looker even with a few scars and he is smilin' at me. If looks could kill, these two could a done it. The others surrounded us. The oldest lookin' one laughed.

"Are you two brothers?" I asked. Gesturing to the only two of their group that I'd really gotten a good look at yep. The older one tousles the others hair and laughs as his brothers eyebrows shoot up.

"Yep sure are!" 

"Really,you can tell?" 

I nodded. "Sure can." 

"You're a girl." The reddish haired boy gets whacked by his brother while he looks at me wide-eyed.

"Hey, anyhow, Pony did you see that? We should take'er back to Darry and fix her up." Fix me up? That was awful nice, and for greaser boys at that. I was willing to take the help, but I didn't know what was wrong?

They start walkin' and one of the other boys hangs back with me.

"Hey,the name's Two-Bit. You should come, old Darry'll fix ya' right up sweet cheeks!" He smiles at me. 

I nod, "Two-Bit,huh? I'm Andy." He salutes me and walks off, he seems pretty goofy. I start to follow'em before I lose'em, but I nearly fall down. "Ahh!" My ankle's busted. I must have struggled more than I thought. The youngest boy rushed back to me and everybody kept walkin', stealin' glances at me to see what happens. 

"You didn't say you hurt your ankle." He drawls an a voice that seems impossibly deep for his age, "Here, come on." He puts an arm to my waist and helps me limp. Under other circumstances, I would have slapped any guy that did that. I'm in pain though, left without options. And this kid was cute, it's a shame that I'm not, and he's prob'ly older than me.

"My name's Ponyboy." He piped up.

"I'm Andy." 

"Cool." He's silent now. He seems a lot different from most hoods. So does his brother. "My brother up there, that's Sodapop. And that," he points," is his best buddy, Steve. Don't mess with him, he's got some anger problems. And then that's Two-Bit. I guess you'll get to meet my brother Darry here soon." There's another one of'em? I'd never been part of a Greaser group before. I am one, but I've always been a loner.

Two-bit and Soda take off racin' to what I assume is Ponyboy's house. Steve starts walkin' backwards and yells back at us, "Whatch you doin' walking around all alone for?" 

"I just moved here, didn't think nothin' 'd happen in the light!" He gestures around us as we approach the house. 

"It ain't light out no more. That's okay, we'll protect ya'." He winks. 

Ponyboy sighs,"Don't worry 'bout him. He's just an old flirt, Soda too. 'Course with Sodas looks I guess he's got a right to be." That last part Ponyboy says more quietly. Really? Does this kid not think he's just as handsome as his brother? If anything, I'd say he's even more so.