The Other Side

Chapter 2

Dinner at the Curtis household was never a quiet affair. In addition to the Curtis boys, there was always at least one of the gang dropping in at some point during the meal, or Scout, the new girl, whose family had moved into Johnny's old house. Ponyboy had befriended her after he had found her sleeping in the park one night. She had tried to hide her face from but Ponyboy still saw the traces of tears and asked what was wrong. Her dad had come home from his truck haul and was raising ruckus back at the house. She had split for the park when he and her ma had started yelling. Thinking of his best friend Johnny, Ponyboy had felt sorry for her and invited her to stay with him and his brothers. He had been surprised when she turned down the offer, informing him that she was just fine on her own. Admiring her grit, Ponyboy asked the petite dark haired girl for her name. When she said Belinda, Ponyboy made a face and told her the name didn't fit, instead he was going to call her Scout because she reminded him the feisty girl named Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. The name stuck and so did Scout.

At first the rest of the guys in the gang, even Darry, hadn't been too crazy about some half-pint of a girl hanging around, warning Ponyboy she would be trouble. And she did get into a few scrapes now and then, but even though she was a little rough around the edges, Scout brought out a protective side of the boys, especially Ponyboy, and was soon cemented as a main fixture in the Curtis household.

Two-Bit was the one invading the dinner table tonight. Apparently he and his step-dad weren't seeing eye to eye again. Over what nobody really knew, it was hard to get a straight answer out of Two-Bit with him always turning everything into a joke. Squeezing him on the shoulder, Darry had turned on Mickey Mouse and handed Two-Bit a beer, a silent signal that the couch was his if Two-Bit needed a place for the night. Sodapop came right over with a slice of chocolate cake as Two-Bit plopped down in his usual spot on the couch. Ponyboy perked up, as he realized now was his chance to gloat over the fact that he had seen the pretty guidance counselor before Two-Bit. Shoveling beans in his mouth, Ponyboy bided his time, waiting for Darry to ask him how his day at school had went, just like he did every night.

Tonight however, Sodapop took over the conversation and brought up the latest news he had heard about the war from hearsay around the DX station.

"I'm telling you Darry, its gettin' real bad over there. They need guys like me to sign up and help fight over there in Vietnam!" Sodapop declared passionately.

"Sodapop don't push it with me tonight alright?" Darry sighed, pointing his fork in Sodapop's direction, "I've got enough on my plate with trying to finish this project for the new country club. I don't need to hear my kid brother lecture me about the war."

"Aw, let 'em go Darry," Two-Bit drawled from his half-reclined position on the couch, "That just leaves more chicks for me and my man Ponyboy. Ain't that right Ponyboy?"

Twisting in his chair, Darry turned and lowered his gaze on Two-Bit, "Two-Bit, hush up and eat that cake before I change my mind about letting you stay on the couch."

Raising his hands in mock surrender, one hand holding his cake plate and the other clutching his beer, Two-Bit switched his focus back to Mickey Mouse.

"And as for you," Darry continued, jabbing a finger at Ponyboy, as he turned back to the table. "Don't you be getting' ideas in your head about girls, what you need to focus on is your schoolin'."

Ponyboy swallowed his mouthful of beans with difficulty, "Glory!" he thought, "if Darry couldn't be terrifying when he scowled at someone."

"And yes I saw the report card you shoved in your sock drawer. Them kinda grades ain't gonna cut in this house little brother," Darry stated, his eyes freezing Ponyboy with an icy glare."