The Outsiders II

Chapter Two

The next day was boring as ever. The gang was over for supper, which was Soda's homemade Mac 'n' Cheese. Two-Bit brought some booze over, as well as some Coke. After dinner, Maggie and I walked down to the park to relax and watch the sun set. She always loved that kinda thing. Sunsets, stars, she reminded me of Cherry Valance. She did look like Cherry. But she was prettier. And she was more rough around the edges. I liked Maggie more than I'd ever liked Cherry. Or any girl for that matter.

We fooled around on the swingset for a bit, talking and laughing together. It was nice.
We eventually sat up on the jungle gym, and watched the sky turn a dark blue.

"Mickey is back in town." She said stiffly.
"What?" My head snapped over to look at her.
"I was getting myself a coke at the corner store, when I heard a couple of socs talking about Mickey and how he's back in town." She said. "I went and asked a couple or greasers and the rumours are true."
"Does Darry or Soda know about this?" I eyed her. She just shrugged and and worriedly sighed.
"I thought I could get away from him, Pony." She closed her eyes and lightly hit the back of her head on the metal bars.
"He's sly and cunning. Not even Dally would have escaped him." I put my hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and looked at me. Her eyes had the same pleading look in them, as Darry had the day of  Mom and Dad's funeral.
"I wish Dally were here." She said.

The sound of a engine revving filled my ears. We whipped ourselves around to see a brown mustang approaching us quickly.
"Do we hide?" I asked.
"It's too late now. Look!" She pointed at five socs getting out of the car. They walked into the park in a matter of seconds. I recognised the leader. Maggie did too.

"I know you're here, Magnolia." He sounded like a stereotypical movie villain. He had young voice with an evil touch to it.
"What do you want, Mickey?" Maggie shouted, giving away our position.
She stood up, as did I. We could see them clear as day.

Mickey was about Darry's size. He had sandy blonde hair that was shaggy and that stuck out in little tufts on the side of his face. He had green eyes like Maggie, but his had a sadistic glare in them. He smiled dangerously. Gosh, he reminded me of Dally. He was like Dally's evil twin.

He held a toothpick between his teeth and was wearing a madras under a black leather jacket. He looked like a greaser, but his pants proved otherwise. He wore tanned dress pants over nice dress shoes.

"So, uh...what are you doing with this greaser?" His words were bitter.
"Go away, Mickey!" She spat.
"That ain't how you should talk to your brother, Mag." He hissed back, with a sly grin.
"So?"
"So, you're coming with me. It took me two blasted years of lookin' for me to find you."
"I ain't going nowhere!" She roared.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that." Mickey chuckled. "Get 'em, boys." It didn't even take half a second before those nasty socs were bolting up the jungle gym ladders and stairs.
"Maggie, run!" I shouted, taking her by the hand. We ran across a platform and jumped off the equipment. She yelped in pain and grabbed her ankle, but she bit her tongue and kept going. The socs were hot on our trail, and within seconds we were being tackled to the ground. A soc grabbed Maggie by the wrists and bounded them together using his large hands. He forced her hands behind her back. One of the other socs grabbed me the same way, and held a blade to my neck.

Mickey walked up to Maggie and smiled deviously.
"You disrespectful, defiant, broad!" Mickey shouted. He raised his hand and backhanded her so hard, her head violently jerked to the side. A pit grew in my stomach, as I feared he had broken her neck, but I sighed something relieved, as she turned her head over to its original position. A large bruise surrounding a bleeding cut was now on the left side of her face. I felt hot tears of frustration well up. I wanted to take my blade to Mickey so badly. I squirmed and yelled and screamed, but the grip on my wrists were firm. Too firm. My wrists stung something awful.

I cussed Mickey out to draw his attention to me. It definitely worked, because he whipped out his switch and held it to my face.
"What's that? You got somethin' to say, kid?" Mickey pressed the blade harder into my cheek. I felt the soc press the blade into my neck harder too. I was either going to be strangled to death or bleed out from the cut forming on my neck. Mickey ripped the blade on my cheek back, and it stung terribly, when the air hit it.
"Pony!" Maggie cried.
"Pony? Ponyboy Curtis? You're Darry's kid brother?" Mickey looked surprised.
"So, what's it to you?" I glared at him.
"Feisty, huh?" Mickey put his blade in his mouth. My blood coated his lips and his tongue. It was gross. I gagged at the sight of it. Man, how I wished Dally were there.

I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if I should scream or not. But Maggie did. She screamed for  Darry, Soda, Two Bit, anyone to come help. The soc covered her mouth and gripped harder.

I knew what I had to do. Maggie looked at me, and nodded to the soc's leg. I kicked it as hard as I could and she bit the soc's hand real hard. We both broke from their holds, and bolted home. Of course they followed us, but when we got in the house, the boys ran out after them.

Maggie was sitting on the couch when Darry came back inside. She was holding her head in her hands. I could see dark bruises on her wrists. Darry noticed them too, for he gently took her wrist and eased it off her forehead.
"Are you alright?" He smiled weakly as she looked up.
"I think so." Her voice quivered.
Soda came over with some ice and bandaids. He patched me up and gave me the ice pack.  Darry took care of Maggie, giving her a painkiller for her face, and bandaged her up, like Soda did to me.

We went to bed a bit early that night. I didn't mind. I was tired.

Maggie tossed and turned and cried a few times. I guess it's hard without Dally. I didn't blame her. He was our friend, our brother. He was trouble but it didn't stop him from loving his buddies. I missed him. We all did.