The Outsiders II

Chapter Five

The next day was the last day before Summer Break. Everyone was talking about it, especially the greasers. You see, it's kinda a tradition. The socs like to go out for the first week of the break, and they jump any greaser they see. I know it doesn't seem like us, but we tend to keep our tails between our legs until we can knock 'em good. The day of break was good. Man, was it interesting. I'll tell ya, I could fall head over heels for Mag at least ten trillion times. Yeah, yeah, I'll get to what happened.

I think it was like maybe two thirty in the afternoon. School gets out at three and they usually give us a bit of free time for the last half hour of school. When Darry and Sodapop get home early, they normally come to the school and chill with us, until the bell rings. This day, Darry and Soda were there, and all together, there was me, Soda, Maggie, Darry, Two-Bit, and Steve. We were all puffing on reefers, and talking, when the names and the insults grew louder. Stella Hughes, and her socy gang were laughing and mocking us. Maggie, me, Darry, all of us. They were picking on Maggie like they always did, but they were also taking a strip off of the rest of us. Maggie glared over at Stella a couple times. She then took two long drags on her joint and then put it out at the toe of her shoe. She put her hair up in a ponytail and cracked her knuckles. We all perked up at this point, when we saw her speed walk towards Stella. She the moment she got in distance, she swung her closed fist and threw an awful punch to Stella's face. Maggie got Stella right in the nose, and all we saw as Stella scream and double over, with dark red seeping out of her hands. It was glorious. Maggie just smirked at all the socs, who've gone white at this point.
"Miss Jones!" A shocked teacher sprinted closer. Maggie flipped the teacher, and the socs off and walked right past 'em.

We started laughing and hootin' and hollerin' at the astonished group. We shoved past them and caught up with Maggie. She was at the corner store and downing a coke. We all stared at Mag in awe. She just smirked and looked down at her knuckles, which turned red.
"Magnolia!" Sodapop said, amazed. Maggie's head snapped to the side. She clenched her fist and glared at him.
"Do you want one too?" She said. We all laughed as she took a swing at him. He ducked and put his hands up.
"Sodapop Patrick Curtis! Are you deaf? I musta told you not to call me that at least ten thousand times." She yelled.
"Oh, you better get outta dodge, Pepsi-Cola." Darry said.
"Can it Darry!" Soda's goofy smile creeped onto his face. "Pony, tell your girl to lay off." Soda was laughing at this point. I jerked my head up a bit and Soda looked at Maggie. She charged at him, looking like she was gonna body check him. She chased Soda into the park. Shockingly, I couldn't keep up. We all started chasing after them goons, to see what she'd do. That girl is fast. When we'd gotten to the park, Soda and Maggie were on the ground, panting. Maggie was coughing, and Soda was gripping his sides, with a huge smile on his face.
"Geez. You oughta try for the track team. I reckon you're faster than Ponyboy." Soda gasped for air. We all sat down on the grass. Maggie rolled onto her back and let out a sigh.
"The next time you call me Magnolia, I'ma beat the tar outta you." 
"Yeah, you probably will."  Soda said.

As you can probably guess, Mag hates the name Magnolia. The only one who can call her Magnolia, without being slapped upside the head, is Mickey. Mickey can do what he wants. And from what I've told you, it's not like Maggie can just slap her brother upside the head.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis, you give that back right now!" Maggie jumped up from the floor and chased after me.
"Glory, she means business!" Sodapop called from the armchair.
"Ponyboy, give her back her book." Darry groaned. Maggie was sitting on the living room floor drawing that beautiful summer night. She was reading Gone With The Wind, and drawing out the characters in her sketchbook. I was bored and decided to be a bit of a bug and take the book. I grabbed it from beside Maggie.
"I'll say, you two are more like siblings than teenage lovers." Two-Bit chuckled.
Maggie went red.
"I'd say we're like best friends." I smirked. I was holding the book above her head, and she was reaching for it like a toddler would its mother.
"Ponyboy, just hand it over." Maggie said exhausted. 
"You gotta fight me for it, doll." I said. I took a step back and narrowed my eyes at her.
"Fight you?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Yepper." I put the book behind my back. Her perplexed look turned into a sly grin.
"Okay then. I'll fight you." Maggie crossed her arms. I shot her a cocky smile, as Sodapop and Two-Bit sat at the edge of their seats. Darry just rolled his eyes, of course.

I put the book on the dining table behind me, and turned to face her. I put my fists up. She didn't even flinch.
"Don't think I'ma go easy on you just 'cause you're a girl. Or might I say, my girl." I teased. She shrugged.
"Don't matter to me." She simply said. Man, did she ever look and sound like Dally. I didn't let that get to me. I threw a light punch, but in a matter of seconds, she blocked my hit, and used my own strength against me to haul me to the ground and pin me down.
Two-Bit and Soda were in stitches. They were laughing so uncontrollably, they were practically in tears. Darry tried to keep a straight face as best as he could. To top it off, Mag gave me a quick kiss and got up and grabbed her book. Soda started clapping, and I got up in time to see her bow majestically.
"Say, where'd you learn that?" Two-Bit pondered.
"Well, when you're around gang violence and drug wars, ya learn a thing or two."
"And," She said slowly. "It helps if you're rollin' with Dallas Winston."
"Glory Mag, you got some skills. Hey Pony, next time you're in a rumble, get this one to rescue you." Darry said.

Maggie was young, when she met Dally. She'd just turned nine years old, and he was eleven. I remember the first few times I'd seen her. Mom and Dad really liked her. She was the daughter they never had. I honestly always liked Maggie, in that sense. She was sweet and kind and had that same look in her eyes like Johnny. Ever since she'd been rollin' with Dally, she changed. Dally could do that. He could change people. Maggie grew tougher. And Dally had taught her the ways of the streets. While also being that brother she'd never had. Dally helped Maggie with her schooling, even though he dropped out in the eighth grade. He still tried. Maggie rolled with us a lot as a girl. She only lived maybe seven houses away from mine, in some old property and some beat up trailer.

One time, in the midst of the chaos caused by her brother, a huge fight broke out between them. I was sitting inside, playing poker with Soda, when we all heard screaming and yelling down the street. We all rushed outside, to see fighting in the streets. Mickey and Maggie was arguing and hitting each other. Mickey had gotten ahold of Mag by her hair and started socking her in the face, with a hand full of rings. Steve and Two-Bit were running down the street, and Dally had his switch out and was outrunning 'em.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" I heard Dally scream.

We all stopped dead in our tracks to see Mickey chasing Maggie with a chain. She'd gotten so tired of the beatings, she went for the nearest weapon; a large fallen branch. She swung it with so much force, it caught Mickey in the shoulder and took him off his feet. He was a fourteen year old kid who'd lost his mind, and his baby sister belted him with a branch.
"Ah! You little——!" He screamed.
"Huh? How does that feel?! How does it Mick? You sick, evil ——!" Maggie hollered.
Holding his shoulder, and bleeding from the places Maggie hit him, he stood up and ripped a glock 22 from his belt.
"You think you're so smart...how would you like to taste lead?!" He smiled sadistically.
My stomach dropped violently as she ducked for cover as the bullets screamed out towards her. A bullet hit the ground too close for comfort at her feet, sending her to the ground. Without a moment's hesitation Dally slammed Mickey to the ground. Mom had already had her arms around me, protecting me from whatever was to come. Dad's teeth were clenched together, and his eyes were unsure of what to do next.

Maggie reached for her switch and started a dead run for Mickey, but Soda ran past us and caught her.
"Let me go, Sodapop!" She screamed. She struggled, but it was no mystery how exhausted she was. She was covered in blood. So much so, she didn't even look human. Dally pointed Mickey's own gun at the base of Mickey's skull.
"I'll blow you away you sick——!" Dally roared. Finally, Dad had made up his mind. He grabbed Dallas and hauled him off of Mickey.
"No! No! I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna kill him! Let me go!" Dallas roared.
Johnny looked white by then. Two-Bit and Steve were scared as ever, and Darry was beside mom, trying to grasp the situation.
"Oh god! We're losin' her!" We heard Soda shout. We all looked over to see Maggie, limp as a ragdoll, in Soda's arms.
"Oh god! Darrel, get a cloth!" Mom shouted at Dad.
"Darrel! Go, I said!" Dad bolted for home and came back with a wet rag. Mom cleaned the blood off of Maggie's face as Mickey cackled sadistically. Two-Bit walked right up to him and socked him good in the teeth.
"Darry, call the paramedics, would ya?" Mom said. There was pure panic in her eyes. Even when the ambulance hauled her away and the cops arrested Mickey, even when Maggie was deemed okay to go home, the panic never left. Mom died worried sick about Mag. Even if she was alive today, that worry would never leave.