Outsiders fanfiction: Two-Bit Matthews

12

It was later that evening, Dallas was back with soup and Johnny had made enough for everyone and had it all ready by the time Darry had gotten home.
Everyone was fed and all sleepy and satisfied when there was a knock on the front door.
Darry frowned in confusion and got up from his chair to answer it. Who would want to talk to them?
Darry opened the door to see Mrs. Matthews.
"Mrs. Matthews, come in." He stepped aside for her to enter the house, "What can I do for you?"

She stepped inside, "I'm just here to get Keith. He is here, right?"

"Yes, he is. Two-Bit's in Soda and Pony's room. He's been sick."

"Oh." Her eyebrows furrowed together in worry, "I didn't know. He didn't call or anything." She sighed, "I'm just going to take him home."

Darry nodded, "I'll get him up for you." He felt like something was off with her.
Darry went and got Two-Bit and helped him into Mrs. Matthews' car.

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It's been about a month and none of the gang has hardly seen or heard anything from Two-Bit since his mom had taken him home.

Sodapop was out driving around just killing time when he saw Two-Bit walking out of a restaurant that they don't ever go to.
Soda turned the car around and whipped in the parking lot, "Two! Hey where have you been hiding yourself?" Soda inquired, "The boys've been worried man"

Two-Bit was slightly flustered that Soda had seen him, "Oh, you know...nothing much. Just hanging around"

"We've stopped by your house but you're never there....hey What are you doing here for?" He gestured towards the restaurant.

"Nothing, I'm just-" he was cut off.

"Hey is that a work uniform?" Before he could reply Soda spoke again, "Two, you got a job!? What happened?" Soda knows his friend and Two-Bit Matthews is not the kind to just go out and get a job because he feels likes he's the age where he needs to. Two has been the age for a job for a few years now and he's made it perfectly clear before that he wasn't about to start.

"N-no..no....well, yeeaahh.." Two avoided eye contact and for once didn't have a comical grin on his face. "I'm kinda working here."

Sodapop frowned when he noticed Two-Bit wasn't acting his normal self. "What's going on man? You can tell me." He said in a serious tone.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." He offered a weak chuckle and tried getting to his car.

"Bullshit." Soda stopped his friend. "You can try to sell that shit all you like, but I ain't buying. What the hell is going on with you? You just drop off the face of the earth and you say nothing's wrong."

"...I don't want to talk about it, Soda." His voice cracked.

"We're brothers Two-Bit. You can tell me, hell you can tell any of the boys." Soda kept on insisting until Keith broke.

"My mom has cancer, okay!" He snapped, "We can't afford the damn bills and I've got to man up and support her and my sister." He sniffled loudly and quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped.

Soda's jaw hung open. He wasn't expecting that in a million years; and he couldn't believe his eyes. Two-Bit was crying! "Two...I'm...I'm really sorry, but, why didn't you tell us?"

Two-Bit shook his head, "I didn't want you to see...I'm a mess Soda...I'm scared!" Tears were steaming down his cheeks like rivers by now.