The Outsiders: Book Two

The Way Things Have To Be...?

I heard Red retch again and sighed inwardly as I pulled her hair away from her face again.

“You don't handle alcohol so well, do you?” I asked her with a hint of sarcasm.

Red only groaned and heaved again. “I don't...drink often. I was too busy finding food and...oh Lord...” she mumbled, putting her hand over her mouth. “Trying to survive.”

“Be like Two-Bit. He lives on alcohol just fine.”

“And chocolate cake,” she added icily, leaning back against the wall and taking a deep breath. “Ugh. I'll never drink another drop as long as I live.”

“That's not living then, is it now?”

“Shut up.”

I laughed. “Get cleaned up and I'll make you some breakfast.”

“I'm not hungry,” Red protested.

“You will be. Hurry up.”

I made pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and set out plates. On the kitchen counter, I found a note—Running some errands, be back soon -Darry. Glancing out the window, I realized the truck was gone. Huh.

Vaguely, I wondered what Darry could possibly be doing. I hadn't seen Soda since yesterday either, but I figured he was just staying somewhere else for the night. Or maybe he'd come back late and left with Darry. Did they have work today? Thanksgiving had passed, after all.

Red entered the room with wet hair and fresh clothes. I noticed she was wearing one of my t-shirts—I didn't say anything about it, even though it made me smile.

I put some food on her plate and sat down. I was digging in, but Red only poked at her food. Maybe she really wasn't hungry? At least that's what I suspected, until I realized how quiet she was being.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, swallowing the last of my pancake.

Red glanced up at me, then leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Well...” She bit her lip. “I...Sod—I mean, I still haven't got a job,” she finished abruptly. Her ice-colored eyes were hard.

That surprised me. Why was she worrying about this?

“You don't need a job,” I told her. “You're fourteen. I don't think that's even legal.”

“So? Do I look fourteen?” she asked seriously. I shook my head. She was right. She could definitely pass for older. It must have been that hardened look she had.

Red continued. “I need something to stay busy at. And not just some desk job or something. I don't want to be one of those dumb women who wear ornamental glasses and take phone calls. I want dirty work. Something real, that I deserve a day's pay for.”

“Is that why you wanted to work at the gas station? On the cars?”

Red nodded eagerly. “Yeah. I know I'm doing something worthwhile, getting my hands dirty.”

“Well, Red...”

Her eyes narrowed. “What? You don't think I can do it?”

I shook my head vigorously. “It's not that, it's just that Jeb will probably pick Axle. Steve took him in yesterday, and he apparently knew what he was doing.” I laughed nervously. “And...well, I don't want to see you doing something you'll get...”

“I'll get what?” she asked curiously.

“Well...what—what would happen if you got hurt?”

Red's expression softened, and she smiled faintly. “You're worried about me getting hurt?”

I looked at her like she was crazy. “Well, yeah—why wouldn't I be? You're like my best friend.”

“You haven't even known me that long, Pony. But it's really sweet...” she got a faraway look in her eyes.

“What? What is?”

“That you care. I don't know the last time someone actually...cared.” Red turned to look at me, and she looked happy and appalled at the same time. “You don't have to worry. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that I can be tough-as-nails and knife my way through anything—if I have to.”

“What do you mean, if you have to?” I asked cautiously.

Red smiled confidently, but her eyes were sad.“Ponyboy...you do realize I'm not going to stay here forever? I've found places to harbor myself for maybe a month or two at a time. I just...I want to be untouchable.”

For a moment, what she said just swirled around in my skull like a loose breeze. Then I looked her in the eye and said, “Are you nuts?”

“What?” she asked me.

“Why the hell would you leave? You have everything here!”

“Pony-” Red faltered.

“And what, untouchable? You wanna just harden yourself beyond caring?” I was almost livid. I knew I wasn't being fair, but neither was she. Red couldn't leave. “You know Dally? If you 'harden yourself beyond caring', you end up like him. He said the exact same thing to me about four months ago, when...when my best friend was killed.” I felt like I was going to start bawling, but I kept talking. “'Stop caring—become untouchable.' Well, look at him now! He's practically a corpse, he was completely mangled when we found him. He's blind...” I faltered now. “He's blind, because he took a Molotov to the face. We don't know if he'll ever see again. And we can't have a doctor come look at him, because he's officially been dead for four months. We'd be harboring a fugitive.”

Red looked bitter and torn, but she wasn't crying. She looked like she wanted to an awful lot though. Like she was trying to keep her composure together. In the back of my head, I was completely guilty, for attacking her the way I just had, but I was angry too. Red couldn't leave us. I needed her.

“Pony...” she said in a pained voice. Her eyes were almost gray, like someone had wrung all the blue out of them. “I...” Red's eyes became steely. “Dammit, I don't need to explain myself to you!” she yelled, slamming her fist down on the table, causing all the ceramics to shudder and clink. “It's just the way things have to be!” She stood up and bolted out the door.

What I'd said to her finally hit me. I was right. So was she. But I didn't have to so...cruel about it. I tried to see it from her point of view. But I couldn't. Why would she want to leave?

A/N

Okay, sorry for the scare...I guess it sort of scared me into an idea. I really do love this book, even with it's cliché moments - which I won't deny it has. This is sort of a "I'm shedding some light on stuff so we can transition without forgetting it" chapter. Next chapter is under construction, so yay! Thanks for reading, and for your support - I think that's actually what changed my mind into continuing.

~Hazel :D