The next day, Johnny, Pony and I met up with Dallas at the corner of Pickett and Sutton. He was standing under the street lamp, smoking a cigarette. We had about an hour until the movie started so we wandered around our side of town.
We were fooling around in the drug store when the manager came up to us and suggested that we should leave. Dally just smirked and strutted out the door with the Coke that he had bought. Ponyboy soon followed him and they continued to walk down the street, knowing that we would catch up eventually.
Johnny stayed behind with me while I bought a Pepsi for the two of us. Neither of us wanted a full one, so why waste money on two? We left the store and saw Pony and Dally in the small field at the end of the street.
There were three young boys sitting there, innocently playing a game of cards. They looked no older than nine, but that didn't stop Dally.
"Hey! Did I say you could play on my grass? Huh?" Dally yelled threateningly. They all shook their heads, too afraid to speak. "Give me those cards, will ya?" he demanded.
They quickly gathered the cards and handed them to Dally. Their hands were shaking and they had turned pale as soon as Dally began to speak.
"You guys ever played fifty-two pick up?" he asked, playing with the deck of cards. Johnny and I were about fifteen teen away from them but I could hear the bitterness in his voice as if I were standing next to him.
“Yeah," the kids mumbled, looking at each other. Dally looked at them coldly.
"Don't get wise," he told them, "I don't like little kids. I don't like them. I just......" he trailed off, shaking his head. Just as we reached him, he flicked the cards everywhere. "Get out of here before I kill you!" he shouted.
The kids began to run as Dally chased them through the small field. Ponyboy, Johnny and I quickly ran after him. Once Dally stopped, he looked up at the sky and turned to us, smirking.
"Let's go." By the time we made it to the Nightly Double it was dark out.
Instead of paying to get in, we slipped through a hole in the fence that surrounded the drive-in. Dally liked to break laws and as for three of us; we just didn't want to pay.
We headed to the seats and began to watch the movie, when two Soc girls sat in front of us.
One of them had bright red hair that could be seen from a mile away. That was Cherry Valance. She was in all of my classes a few years ago and we got along pretty well. The only reason she started talking to me though is because we had to be partners for a science project.
The other one seemed as if she was reluctant to come. Her name was Marcia. I don't know her last name, which is strange because she also used to be in all of my classes.
Dally took one look at them and turned to Pony and Johnny. He started talking loudly. Loud enough for the girls to hear. He started out bad and got worse. Dallas could talk awful dirty if he wanted to, and I guess he wanted to right then. I saw Pony's ears turn pink and Johnny left hastily to get a coke.
I could see that Cherry was getting annoyed. Or scared. I couldn't figure out which it was. She sat up straight and chewed hard on her gum. Marcia just pretended not to hear Dally.
Dally took out a cancer stick and tried lighting it. He purposely leaned over the seat in front of him and brought it close to Cherry's face. Cherry just continued to watch the movie as Marcia laughed a bit.
"Some cute red head, huh?" Dally said to us, "Are you a real red head?" he asked Cherry, getting real close to her ear. "Are you real?" he pestered.
By now, Johnny was back and he handed Pony a coke. He hand another in his hand and I noticed it had two straws. I just shrugged and looked at Dally and Cherry again.
Dally leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the one beside Cherry. Well, he tried to at least. He had barely gotten his feet up when his chair tipped and he tumbled toward the ground along with both chairs.
All of us were laughing. Dally quickly scrambled to his feet and stood his chair back up, sitting down on it once more. The smile immediately wiped off of Cherry's face when he asked his next question.
"How can I figure out if this is your real red hair? Is it the same as you have on your...." he paused, pointing down at her 'area', "These eyebrows." he finished, putting his finger on her eyebrows.
I sat there, gaping at him. What was he thinking, asking a girl that question? Johnny and Ponyboy looked really uncomfortable and I don't blame them.
"Come on, Dal. Cut it out," Johnny said quietly. Dally just ignored him and laughed. He placed his feet on the back of Cherry's seat, and this time, he didn't fall.
I knew Cherry was at her breaking point. She was patient most of the time, but I could tell that something had happened earlier. Usually she and Marcia would be with their boyfriends, Bob Sheldon and Randy Adderson.
"Get your feet off my chair and shut your trap!" Cherry snapped. Dally merely looked at her and kept his feet where they were
"Who's gonna make me?" he smirked. Cherry was annoyed and he knew it. I reached over Pony and slapped Dally's shoulder. He just ignored me and continued what he was doing.
"You'd better leave us alone or I'll call the cops," she threatened. Dally's face twisted into fake shock.
"Oh, my, my. You've got me scared to death," he said sarcastically, "You should see my record sometime, baby."
"Why don't you leave us alone?" she demanded. When Dally started to talk, she cut him off. "Be nice and leave us alone!"
"I'm never nice," Dally smiled roguishly, "Can I interest you in a Coca Cola or a Seven Up-"
"Get lost, hood!" She exclaimed. Dally looked taken back for a moment. No one had ever denied him like that before. But he quickly got over his shock. He shrugged, stood up and walked away. Seconds later, Cherry spun around.
"Are you gonna start in on-" she stopped mid-sentence and looked closely at me. She smiled at me and started talking again, "Hey Rosie."
I was a bit shocked; she still remembered me. It had been at least two or three years since we last talked. Nevertheless, I smiled at her.
"Hey Cherry." Ponyboy and Johnny looked real confused. I looked at Marcia and her face held the same expression.
Cherry looked at the boys cautiously. She was probably wondering if they were mean and dangerous like Dally.
"Cherry, Marcia, this is my little brother, Ponyboy," I told them, motioning to Pony, who was staring at Cherry, "And this is Johnny Cade," I finished, putting my hand on Johnny's shoulder.
Cherry must have understood that they weren't like Dally because she smiled at them and introduced herself.
"My name's Sherri, but my friends call me Cherry because of my hair. And this is my friend, Marcia," she nodded toward Marcia, who was looking at me, confused. Cherry must have noticed because she went on, "Marcia, you remember Rosabella Curtis, don't you?"
Marcia then nodded and smiled at me, finally recognizing me. She wasn't the brightest but she was kind, so we got along fine. She was funny, too. She could give Two-Bit a run for his money.
Johnny held up his cup, offering it to me. So that's why it had two straws. I held it and took a sip from the straw closest to me, well aware that Ponyboy was watching the two of us closely. I nodded in thanks, handing him back the cup.
"So, Ponyboy's an original name," Cherry commented, trying to make conversation. Pony smiled at her. Most people would make fun of his name.
"Well my dad was an original person," Ponyboy answered. Boy, was he right. "I got a brother named Sodapop, even says so on his birth certificate," he smiled, "You're a cheerleader, aren't you?" Cherry looked surprised.
"Yeah, I am. You don't look old enough to be going to high school," she said.
"I'm not. I got put up a year in grade school," Ponyboy shrugged. Cherry nodded and looked at me.
"He's just like you, Rose," she smiled. Then she changed the subject, "What's a nice boy like you doing, hanging around with trash like that?" she questioned, pointing in the direction that Dally had left in.
"Dally's my buddy. I'm a grease, too," Pony told her. Her face softened.
"I'm sorry Ponyboy," she apologized quietly, "So your brother, Sodapop, works at a gasoline station, right? DX, I think," she said briskly.
"Yeah," Pony replied.
"He's a doll, I should've known you were brothers," Pony smiled proudly at her statement. Was Cherry flirting with my little brother?
I knew that Ponyboy didn't think he looked one bit like Soda, even though he did. He was smiling because it isn't every day that you hear a Soc tell you that they think our brother is a doll.
"How come we don't see him around school anymore?" Marcia asked, speaking for the first time, "He's not any older than you, is he?" she looked at me, "Has he been working full time since your parents died?" I tried not to wince when she said 'died'.
"No he's not older than me, Marcia, he's my twin. And he dropped out to help support the family," I replied, seeing Ponyboy stiffen.
One time, he told me that when he says dropout, he thinks of some poor dumb-looking hoodlum wandering the streets, breaking out street lights. That didn't fit our happy-go-lucky brother at all. He told me that it fitted Dallas, not Sodapop. He was right about it not being like Soda, but Dally wasn't stupid. He was just street smart, not book smart like Ponyboy.
Dally came back with an armful of cokes. When he handed one to Cherry, he just had to say something stupid.
"Here, I thought this might cool you off." That was a bad idea. Cherry looked at him incredulously and threw her coke in his face.
"Maybe that'll cool you off, Greaser! When you learn to talk and act decent, I might cool off, too!" she yelled at him.
Dally wiped the coke off his face with his sleeve and smiled dangerously at her. I knew that smile.
"Fiery, huh? Just the way I like them." He tried to put his arms around her but she started struggling.
"Get off! Get off me!" She tried to get him to stop and I started pulling on his jacket but he wouldn't budge.
"Leave her alone, Dal," Johnny told him bravely. Dally stopped what he was doing and looked at Johnny. While he was distracted, Cherry shoved him off of her. I took my seat between Pony and Johnny again and stared at him in disbelief. Johnny couldn't even say "boo" to a goose!
"What did you say?" Dally asked him, shocked and a bit angry. Johnny got a little pale, but he didn't back down.
"You heard me. Leave her alone" he repeated. Dally looked like he still couldn't believe his ears.
"What did you say, you little shit? What did you say to me?" he threatened. I could see that Johnny was too nervous to speak so I stood up.
"He told you to leave her alone, Dallas. Now do as you're told!" I demanded, glaring at him. He scowled at Johnny and I, but he didn't do anything else.
If it had been anyone else but Johnny or I, Dally would have flattened us without hesitation. He couldn't hit Johnny; Johnny was the gang's pet. He was Dally's pet, too.
He couldn't hit me either; I was like his little sister and he respected me like he respected my mother. And Dally did a lot of bad things, but he never stooped so low as to hit a woman.
Dally got up and stalked off, his fists jammed into his pockets and a frown on his face. This time, he didn't come back. Cherry sighed in relief.
"Thanks, he had me scared to death," she told Johnny and I. Johnny managed an admiring grin.
"You sure didn't show it. Nobody talks to Dally like that."
"From what I saw, you do," she smiled. I placed my hand on his shoulder, making him turn to face me.
"Great job, Johnnycake. I'm proud of you," I said softly. I saw his face light up with joy. Even though I say it a lot, he still always loved hearing me tell him that I'm proud of him. That anyone's proud of him, actually. It'd mean the most though, if Dally would say it to him.
I said it for a reason; it had taken more than just nerve for him to say what he'd just said to Dally. Johnny worshiped the ground Dallas walked on and I had never heard Johnny talk back to anyone, much less his hero.
"Thanks, Rosie. You know, for helping me and all." His quiet voice was barely audible but I still heard him.
"Why don't y'all come up here and sit with us, so you can protect us." We were interrupted by Marcia's voice. Johnny looked at Pony, then at me, silently asking if they could. I laughed slightly and nodded.
Ponyboy got up and sat next to Cherry, leaving Johnny to sit next to Marcia. He didn't, though.
He grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers and pulled me with him. He motioned for me to sit next to Marcia, and once I did, he sat beside me. I couldn't help but notice that he never pulled his hand away.
"So how old are y'all?" Marcia questioned.
"Fourteen," Ponyboy answered.
"Sixteen," Johnny and I answered in unison. For a moment, I thought I saw Johnny's ears get red.
"That's funny; I thought you boys were both-"
"Sixteen," Cherry finished, cutting Marcia off. I was grateful. Johnny only looked fourteen and he knew it. It bugged him real bad.
"How come y'all ain't scared of us like you were Dally?" Johnny spoke up. Cherry sighed and began to explain.
"Well Rosie wouldn't hurt a fly and you two are too sweet to scare anyone. First of all, you didn't join in Dallas's dirty talk, and you made him leave us alone. And when we asked you to sit up here with us, you didn't act like it was an invitation to make out for the night. Besides, I've heard about Dallas Winston, he looked as hard as nails and twice as tough. You two don't look mean."
"Sure," Ponyboy said tiredly, "We're young and innocent."
"No," Cherry corrected, looking at him carefully, "Not innocent. You've seen too much to be innocent. You're just not.....dirty."
"Dally's okay," Johnny said defensively, making Ponyboy and I nod in agreement. You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't, it isn't a gang anymore, it's a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering pack like the Socs in their social clubs or the street gangs in New York or the wolves in the timber. "He's tough and all, but he's a cool old guy."
"He'd leave you alone if he knew who you were." Ponyboy was right. All the guys were nice (or at least tried to be) around girls they see constantly, like relatives or the girls in class. But they will watch a nice girl go by on a street corner and say all kinds of lousy things about her. Don't ask me why, because I don't know why.
We talked for a while and found out why they were here without a car. They had come with Bob and Randy but they left when they found out the boys had brought some booze along. The boys had gotten angry and left. Cherry sounded annoyed when she told us. I would be, too if I were her.
Her idea of a good time wasn't to sit in a drive-in and watch people get drunk. Mine wasn't either, but our ideas of a good time were very different. Hers sounded as if it was high class and probably expensive. Mine wasn't either of those things. Mine was simply to be with my friends and family.
"Okay, greasers, you've had it!" a deep voice called out from behind us. Johnny quickly pulled me toward him and put his arm around my shoulder, as if to protect me. I wasn't complaining; I had almost jumped out of my skin. It was like having someone leap out from behind a door and yell "boo" at you.
I cautiously looked over Johnny's shoulder, where my head had previously been buried. There stood Two-Bit, grinning like a Chessy cat.
"Glory, Two-Bit, scare us to death why don't you!" I exclaimed, sighing in relief. He was good at voice imitations and had sounded just like a snarling Soc.
I looked up at Johnny and saw that his eyes were shut and he was white as a ghost. He was breathing quickly but he never let go of me. Two-Bit knew better then to scare Johnny like that. I guess he'd forgotten; he's kind of scatterbrained.
"Hey, it's okay, Johnny," I whispered gently. He opened his eyes and looked down at me. He then looked at Two-Bit.
"Hey, Two-Bit," he said weakly.
"Sorry, kid," he apologized, "I forgot. Now, what do we have here?" He pointed to Johnny's arm, which was still around my shoulder protectively. We just ignored him and tried to watch the movie. When we didn't answers him, he shrugged and pulled up a chair behind Marcia and started talking to her, "Who's this, your great-aunts?"
"Great-grandmothers, twice removed," Cherry said smoothly.
I couldn't tell if Two-Bit was drunk or not. It's kind of hard to tell with him. He acts boozed up sometimes even when he's sober.
"Shoot, you're ninety-six if you're a day," he cocked one eyebrow up and the other down, which he always did when something puzzled him, or bothered him, or when he felt like saying something smart.
"I'm a night," Marcia said brightly. Two-Bit stared at her admiringly.
"You're a sharp one. Where'd you two ever get to be picked up by a couple of greasy hoods like Pony and Johnny?"
"We really picked them up," Marcia said, "We're really Arabian slave traders and we're thinking about shanghaiing them. They're worth ten camels apiece at least."
"Five," Two-Bit disagreed, "They don't talk Arabian. At least, I don't think. Say something in Arabian, Johnnycake." I just rolled my eyes.
"Aw, cut it out!" Johnny broke in, "Dally was bothering them and when he left they wanted us to sit with them to protect them. Against wisecracking greasers like you, probably." When he said that Two-Bit and I couldn't help but smile.
Johnny didn't usually get sassy like that. We thought we were doing good if we could get him to talk at all.
"Hey, where is Dally anyway?" Two-Bit questioned.
"He went to hunt some action. Booze or dames or a fight," Ponyboy told him.
"I hope he doesn't get jailed again, he just got out," I said, worried.
"He'll probably find the fight," Two-Bit stated cheerfully, "That's why I came over. Mr. Timothy Shepard and Co. are looking for whoever so kindly slashed their car's tires, and since Mr. Curly Shepard spotted Dallas doing it, well...Does Dally have a blade?"
"Not that I know of," I replied. Two bit nodded and kept talking.
"Good. Tim'll fight fair if Dally don't pull a blade on him. Dally shouldn't have any trouble." While we were talking, Cherry and Marcia were staring at us.
"You guys don't believe in playing rough or anything, do you?" Cherry asked.
"A fair fight isn't rough," Two-Bit said, "Blades are rough. So are chains and heaters and pool sticks and rumbles. Skin fighting isn't rough. It blows off steam better than anything. There's nothing wrong with throwing a few punches. Socs are rough. They gang up on one or two, or they rumble each other with their social clubs. Us greasers usually stick together, but when we do fight among ourselves, it's a fair fight between two. And Dally deserves whatever he gets, cause slashed tires ain't no joke when you've got to work to pay for them. He got spotted, too, and that was his fault. Our one rule, besides stick together, is don’t get caught. He might get beat up, he might not. Either way there's not going to be any blood feud between our outfit and Shepard's. If we needed them tomorrow they'd show. If Tim beats Dally's head in, and then tomorrow asks us for help in a rumble, we'll show. Dally was getting kicks. He got caught. He pays up. No sweat."
"Yeah, real simple," Cherry remarked sarcastically.
"Sure, if he gets killed or something, you just bury him. No sweat," Marcia commented, unconcerned. The thought of Dally dying made me wince. Dally could get on my last nerve, but he was like another brother to me and I cared for him. Hell, I'd take a bullet for anyone in the gang.
"You dig okay, baby," Two-Bit grinned at Marcia, "Anyone want a weed?" He offered. Pony and Johnny both took one, while Cherry and Marcia and I declined.
I looked at Johnny and saw that the colour had returned to his face. His breathing was back to normal too, but his hands were shaking ever so slightly. I found myself smiling involuntarily when I realized that Johnny had never moved his arm.
"Hey, Ponyboy, will you come with me to get some popcorn?" Cherry asked. Pony practically jumped from his seat.
"Sure," he smiled, "Y'all want some?" I could see that asking us was an afterthought because he probably didn't want to seem too excited.
"I do," Marcia told Pony. She was finishing off the coke that Dally had bought her. That's the difference between Cherry and Marcia. Cherry said that she wouldn't drink it if she was dying of thirst and she meant it. But Marcia saw no reason to waste a perfectly good, free coke.
"Me too," Two-Bit spoke up, flipping Ponyboy a fifty cent piece, "Get Johnny and Rosie some, too." He saw me reach for my money but he stopped me and quickly added, "I'm buying."
The two of them went to the concession stand, talking away and ignoring the looks that they got. Two-Bit and Marcia started joking around, leaving me and Johnny to ourselves.
"Are you okay?" I questioned him, concerned, "Two-Bit didn't mean to scare you like that, but you know how he is. He's always forgetting something."
"I'm fine, Rosie. I just wasn't expecting it. It's fine, really," he told me quietly. I didn't believe him and he knew it. I looked at the movie screen and sighed. I wanted to ask him something, but I hesitated.
"Hey, Johnnycake, why did you put your arm around me when Two-Bit pretended to be a Soc?" I waited patiently for his answer but it never came. I looked up at him again and saw him staring at me.
"I remembered you getting jumped a few days ago and I didn't want you to get hurt," he said softly. I smiled at him gently.
"Those Socs didn't hurt me," I reminded him. He just shrugged.
"No, but they could've. And I don't want them to hurt you like they hurt me."
Ponyboy and Cherry soon came back and handed us out popcorn. We watched the rest of the movie in silence. Well, Cherry, Pony, Johnny and I did at least. Two-Bit and Marcia kept laughing at each other's jokes.
When the movie ended, Two-Bit gallantly offered to walk them home and after a bit of persuasion, they agreed. Cherry and Ponyboy were talking about what separates Socs and greasers. Pony thought it was money but Cherry corrected him.
"It's not just money. Part of it is, but not all. You greasers have a different set of values. You're more emotional. We're sophisticated, cool to the point of not feeling anything. Nothing is real with us. You know, sometimes I'll catch myself talking to a girlfriend, and realize I don't mean half of what I'm saying. I don't really think a beer blast on the river bottom is super cool, but I'll rave about one to a girlfriend just to be saying something," she smiled at Ponyboy and I, "You two are the only ones I've ever told that to." I remember her telling me that a few years ago. "Rat race is a perfect name for it," she continued, "We're always going and going and going, and never asking where. Did you ever hear of having more than you wanted? So that you couldn't want anything else and then started looking for something else to want? It seems like we're always searching for something to satisfy us, and never finding it. Maybe if we could lose our cool, we could."
That was the truth. Socs were always behind a wall of aloofness, careful not to let their real selves show through. I had seen a social club rumble once. The Socs even fought coldly and practically and impersonally.
"That's why we're separated," Pony realized, "It's not money, it's feeling. You don't feel anything and we feel too violently."
"And," she was trying to hide a smile, "that's probably why we take turns getting our names in the paper."
Two-Bit and Marcia weren't even listening to us. They were engaged in some wild conversation that made no sense to anyone but themselves. Marcia suddenly gasped.
"Cherry, look what's coming." We all looked and saw a blue Mustang coming down the street. Johnny made a small noise in his throat and when I looked at him he was white.
Marcia was shifting nervously. "What are we going to do?" Cherry bit her fingernail.
"Stand here," she said, "There isn't much else we can do."
"Who is it?" Two-Bit asked, "The F.B.I.?"
"No," Cherry said bleakly, "It's Randy and Bob."
"And a few other of the socially elite checkered-shirt set," Two-Bit added grimly.
"Your boyfriends?" Johnny's voice was steady, but standing as close to him as I was, I could see he was trembling. I wondered why, Johnny was a nervous wreck, but he was never that jumpy. Cherry started walking down the street.
"Maybe they won't see us. Act normal," she told us.
"Who's acting?" Two-Bit grinned, "I'm a natural normal."
The Mustang passed us slowly and went right on by. Marcia sighed in relief.
"That was close," Cherry turned to Ponyboy again, "Tell me about your oldest brother. You don't talk much about him."
I could see that he was trying to think of something to say about Darry. He just shrugged.
"What's to talk about? He's big and handsome and likes to play football."
"I mean, what's he like? I feel like I know Soda from the way you talk about him. Tell me about Darry." When he was silent she urged him on, "Is he wild and reckless like Soda? Kind and responsible like Rosie? Dreamy, like you?" Pony's face turned red and he bit his lip.
"He's..." he started to say but then he burst out bitterly "He's not like Sodapop or Rosie at all and he sure ain't like me. He's hard as a rock and about as human. He's got eyes exactly like frozen ice. He thinks I'm a pain in the neck. He likes Soda and Rosie, everybody likes them, but he can't stand me. I bet he wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere, and he'd do it, too, if they'd let him." Two-Bit, Johnny and I were staring at him now.
"No..." Two-Bit said, dumfounded, "No, Ponyboy, that ain't right... you got it wrong..."
"Gee," Johnny said softly, "I thought you, Darry, Soda and Rosie got along real well...."
"Well, we don't," Pony snapped. His ears were red by now. He felt stupid, I know he did. Compared to Johnny's home, ours was heaven. At least Darry didn't get drunk and beat us up or run us out of the house, and he had Sodapop and I to talk things over with. "And you can shut your trap, Johnny Cade, cause we all know you ain't wanted at home, either. And you can't blame them."
"Ponyboy," I gasped, not believing that sweet little Pony would say something like that to Johnny.
Johnny's eyes went round and he winced as though Pony had belted him. Two-Bit slapped him good across the side of the head, and hard. Johnny was looking down at his shoes but lifted his head when I grabbed his hand like he had done to me earlier. I smiled sympathetically at him.
"Shut your mouth, kid. If you weren't Soda and Rosie's kid brother I'd beat the tar out of you. You know better than to talk to Johnny like that," he put his hand on Johnny's shoulder, "He didn't mean it, Johnny." Ponyboy looked down and I knew that he felt guilty. Johnny was his best friend.
"I'm sorry," he said miserably, "I was just mad."
"It's the truth," Johnny said with a bleak grin, "I don't care."
"No it isn't, Johnny," I disagreed, shaking my head.
"Shut up talking like that," Two-Bit said fiercely, messing up Johnny's hair, "We couldn't get along without you, so you can just shut up!"
The blue Mustang was coming down the street again, more slowly.
"Well," Cherry said resignedly, "They've spotted us." The Mustang came to a halt beside us, and the two boys in the front seat got out. They were Socs all right.
One had on a white shirt and a madras ski jacket, and the other a light yellow shirt and a wine-coloured sweater. Two-Bit started to tuck in his shirttail, but stopped himself in time. He just flipped up the collar of his black leather jacket and lit a cigarette. The Socs didn't even seem to see us.
"Cherry, Marcia, listen to us..." the handsome black-haired Soc with the dark sweater began. Johnny was breathing heavily and I noticed he was staring at the Soc's hand. He was wearing three heavy rings.
I looked quickly at Johnny, an idea dawning on me. I remembered that it was a blue Mustang that had pulled up beside the vacant lot and that Johnny's face had been cut up by someone wearing rings... The Soc's voice broke into my thoughts.
"...just because we got a little drunk last time..." Cherry looked mad.
"A little? You call reeling and passing out in the streets 'a little'? Bob, I told you, I'm never going out with you while you're drinking, and I mean it. Too many things could happen while you're drunk. It's me or the booze." The other Soc, a tall guy with a semi-Beatle haircut, turned to Marcia.
"Baby, you know we don't get drunk very often..." When she only gave him a cold stare, he got angry, "And even if you are mad at us, that's no reason to go walking the streets with these bums."
Two-Bit took a long drag on his cigarette, Johnny slouched and hooked his thumbs in his pockets, I crossed my arms and Ponyboy stiffened. We can look meaner than anything when we want to. Two-Bit put his elbow on Johnny's shoulder.
"Who you calling bums?"
"Listen, greasers, we got four more of us in the back seat..."
"Then pity the back seat," Two-Bit said to the sky.
"If you're looking for a fight..." Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, but it only made him look cooler.
"You mean if I'm looking for a good jumping, you outnumber us, so you'll give it to us? Well..." He snatched up an empty bottle, busted off the end, gave it to Pony, and pushed me back, then reached in his back pocket and flipped out his switchblade. "Try it, pal."
"No!" Cherry cried, "Stop it!" she looked at Bob, "We'll ride home with you. Just wait a minute."
"Why?" Two-Bit demanded, "We ain't scared of them." Cherry shuddered.
"I can't stand fights... I can't stand them..." Pony pulled her off to the side and threw the bottle on the ground. He never could've used that, he was too nice. They spoke for a second but I only heard her last few words.
"If I ever see Dallas Winston again, I might...fall in love with him." I could feel my jaw drop as the words left her mouth. It's a good thing that AJ wasn't there. If she was, she probably would've attacked Cherry.
Cherry made her way over to the blue Mustang and got in, not looking at anyone. Once they drove off, we walked home.
"Y'all going home?" Two-Bit yawned, breaking the silence. Ponyboy shrugged and shook his head. We had until midnight, then we had to get home. "I don't know why I handed you that busted bottle," Two-Bit looked at Pony, "You'd never use it," he stated, "Well, I'm gonna go play a little snooker and hunt up a poker game. Maybe get rip-roaring drunk, I dunno. See y'all tomorrow."
By now we were at the lot, so Johnny, Ponyboy and I laid down as Two-Bit walked off. I looked at Pony and saw that he was shivering. He forgot to bring his jacket again. He started talking to Johnny about something, but I wasn't listening. I felt like I was forgetting to do something.
Suddenly, I jumped to my feet, startling the boys. They looked at me, confused.
"I've got to go guys. I told AJ I would go to her house after the movie," I told them, "Pony don't forget, you have to be home by midnight. And Johnny, don't hesitate to go to our house, you're always welcome. Especially when it's this cold," I reminded them. They nodded and I bent down to hug the two of them. "See you later," I shot them a smile and began to jog to AJ's.
When I got there, I could hear AJ yelling at her brothers. She was never very good with kids. I looked at the clock on the wall and it read 11:50. How two little boys were able to stay up so late was beyond me.
"Zack, Theo!" I called. The house was silent for a moment. Then the sound of small feet running toward me filled the air. The two of them bounded down the stairs with huge grins on their faces.
They hurried over to me and I crouched down to hug them. AJ tiredly came down the stair and huffed, crossing her arms.
"Took you long enough." I just smiled at her sheepishly. Her mouth opened in shock, "You forgot, didn't you?" I laughed a bit.
"Better late than never," I stated. She just huffed again and pointed to her brothers.
"Whatever. Just put those monsters to bed!" she demanded, "I'm gonna get an aspirin," she mumbled, heading into the kitchen. I chuckled and looked down at the two 'monsters'. They were looking up at me innocently.
"Okay, time to get into your PJs," I said gently. They quickly scurried up the stairs and appeared in front of me a few minutes later with their Elvis pyjamas on. "Now give your sister a hug and go upstairs."
Once the words were out of my mouth, AJ walked in to the room and was nearly tackled by the boys. She let out a small scream as they hugged her legs. She stared at me and I nodded toward the two children and looked at her expectantly.
She sighed and awkwardly got down on her knees. She opened her arms and they immediately went into them, hugging her tightly. I smiled at her as she embraced them.
They kissed her cheeks at the same time, and when they scrambled upstairs, she wiped the slobber off her face with her sleeve.
"How do you do that?" she asked me, "They won't listen to me, but they listen to you." I just shrugged.
"I don't yell at them," I said simply. She looked at me blankly. "You can't scream your demands at them; they're children. AJ, you're all they have. Your parents are never home and if they are, they're asleep or they're too busy to spend time with the boys. If they don't have you, they have nothing. If they have nothing, they'll end up like Dallas." She nodded her head a bit. She knew I was right.
Dally was a trouble maker. He gets thrown in jail every other week and he acts like he doesn't care about anyone. I had a hard time trying to picture Zack and Theo like that. They really were young and innocent.
"Do you want to put them to bed? Or do you want me to?" I questioned, breaking the silence. She thought for a second and looked at me, smiling slightly.
"I'll do it. After all, I'm their big sister." I was proud of her. She was gonna try to be a good big sister and I knew she could do it. I nodded my head toward the stairs.
"Better not keep them waiting," I joked. She smirked at me and stared to walk up the stairs. I was about to walk out the door but her voice stopped me.
"Hey, Rosie?" she called, making me turn around. "Thanks." With that being said, I nodded and left the house, crossing the lawn.
When I opened the front door of my house, I saw Darry sitting in his chair, reading the newspaper. Soda was sitting on the couch, watching TV. When I stepped in, they looked up. The clock on the wall showed 12:20.
"Hey where's Ponyboy?" I asked, confused. Darry and Soda looked at each other then turned to me. Darry spoke up.
"We don't know."
YOU ARE READING
Stay Gold {The Outsiders}
Fanfiction"Ponyboy!" I yelled, worried. I quickly shoved on my shoes and began to run out the door when I felt someone grab my arm. I turned around and looked into the eyes of my oldest brother. "What do you think you're doing?" Darry asked me. "I'm getting...
