The Outsiders II

Chapter Seven

Maggie was in a coma for only four days. She'd been been missing for four days as well. On the eighth day Darry got a call.
"Hello? Hey Two-Bit. Oh my gosh, that's great! I see. Alright, well he will be so joyed to hear that. I'll let them know. Okay. Alright. You take it easy, you hear? Okay. Bye." Darry slipped a few tears.
"Is she okay? Is she coming home?" I asked.
"Hold your horses, kid." Darry said. "Maggie woke up this morning. She's doing fine, but the doctors need to keep an eye on her for the next three weeks to make sure she's well enough to fly back to Tulsa. Two-Bit says she'll be here sometime in August." Darry beamed.
"But that's so long from now!" I complained.
"Well at least she's coming home alive." Darry snapped. I backed down.
"Is she coming home right away?" I said.
"No. They need to keep her in the hospital for the night to check up on her. But then she'll come home. You can stay with her if you'd like. But as long as you come home for a while in between." Darry replied.
"She asked about you. She really wants to see you. She misses ya, kid." Darry ruffed my hair up.
"Can I call her?" I asked.
"No. Just wait 'till she comes home and you can talk to her until her ears fall off." Darry teased. I shoved him playfully.

Boy, those three weeks dragged by. It's like they intentionally made me wait and wait. Finally, Two-Bit called Darry to say they were taking off. We waited around, and Darry baked a cake for Maggie, and we all got flowers and gifts for her.

Finally, five o'clock rolled around and we drove to the airport. I waited at the terminal forever with a bouquet of Maggie's favourite flowers. I waited and waited, and finally? I saw Two-Bit walking with Maggie. Her hair was done up in braids. I screamed her name and ran for her. When I got to her I wrapped my arms around her. I sobbed and cried and laughed all at the same time. She was crying too. She smelled of peppermint candies and butterscotch. I looked at her and I didn't care who was watching, I kissed her. The guys gawked at us for a moment before coming to us.

"Mag...I thought I lost you. You scared the living daylights outta me." I looked into her face. She was a little bruised up and a little pale. She had some bruises and some cuts. She was bawling like a baby.
"I'm so sorry, Ponyboy...I'm so so sorry." She sobbed. I hugged her gently.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you guys...I...I didn't mean for this to happen." She said to us.
"Don't be sorry." Darry weeped.
"It's not your fault." Sodapop sniffled.
"We love you, Mag." Steve said.
"I love you, Magnolia Jones."  I said. She scoffed and punched me softly in the ribs.
"I love you too, Ponyboy Curtis." She chuckled.
"You two are as cute as buttons." Two-Bit snickered.

Maggie got checked over by the doctors and was let go. Me, Soda, and Darry set up the house for her. We ate our dinner and had a dessert and flopped into bed.

Maggie acted different. She rolled onto her side, away from me.
"Mag?" I said quietly.
"Hmm?" She said.
"Are you okay?" I put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched.
"Fine." She said sternly

When I think about it, she's like all of us. She has Darry's seriousness and maturity, Soda's happy-go-lucky charm and compassion, Steve's goofiness and humour, Two-Bit's laziness and wisecracking nature, Johnny's timidness and pain, she's got Dally's coldness and temper, and she has my creativity and smarts. I realize now that she truly is the heart of the gang. She's what holds us together and keeps us going. Without her, we would fall apart. Knowing that, just tears me up inside. Not only that, her and I developed a strong bond like her and Dally had. Although me and Maggie will never have a bond like her and Dally's, ours was still pretty close. Darry says we're best friends, but I try not to admit it, because people had started to call me a fruit, since I hung around her so much. I was actually around her more than the others. I do agree though. Maggie and me are best friends. She may not be my buddy like Johnny was, but I can talk to her about nearly everything. She's like Soda in a way. She's easy to talk to, and once you do start talking to her and opening up, it's hard to stop.

Like most of us, for that girl, things were rough all over. Parents who chose the high life over her, a brother who wants her dead, no girl friends to call her own, because every girl who ain't a grease thinks she's loose, her best friend was shot down by cops. She didn't have anyone to turn to for her girl things, and we tried to help, but we ain't girls or fruits. But yet she still tries hard to be happy. She puts all of us before her, even when she just wants to lose hope. That's why we love her. That's why Dally loved her. That's why I love her. 

"Are you sure?" I gently rolled her towards me.
"Yeah." She said. Her voice broke and she looked away from me.
"Mag. What's wrong?" I pushed. She opened her mouth to say something but she just stopped. I didn't say anything else. I just kissed her gently.
"I just feel guilty." She said between kisses.
"Don't." I said, gripping her waist as I rolled on top of her. Our hands laced together and our lips never parted much. Needless to say, things went down.

The next morning at the breakfast table, Soda and Steve were debating about the dumbest things, as usual. We'd all gotten into the conversation somehow, until Soda narrowed his eyes at Maggie.
"What in almighty is that?" Soda poked a dark purple mark on her neck. She flinched.
"What?"
"Did you get into a fight?" Soda inspected the mark.
"No, why?" She said.
"You've got a bruise on your neck." Soda sniggered.
Did I do that? I thought hard on it. I must have. We got caught up in the moment.
"That ain't no bruise, you goon." Steve smirked.
"Magnolia Faith...is that a hickey?!" Darry said with a horrified look in his eyes. He swiftly narrowed his eyes at me.
"Ha! The kid's got one too!" Steve laughed.
Two-Bit burst into laughter.
"Pony, you devil!" Soda snickered.
"Oh Glory!" Darry hollered.
"Tell us how you got!" Steve shouted.
Maggie cocked an eyebrow.
"Your mother." She said smoothly.
Everyone started laughing uncontrollably. I started coughing on my eggs as I laughed.
"This girl!" Soda rubbed his face. I ran my fingers through my hair and laughed.

To ruin our morning, Mickey decided to contact Darry, looking for a fight. He stopped by our house and banged on the door. I was sitting on the sofa when Darry answered.
"What the hell do you think you're doin' here?!" Darry hollered.
"Now shut your trap and listen to me." Mickey hissed.
"Why should I do that? You ain't welcome here, boy." Darry growled.
"I propose ya greasers and us socs have another rumble. Smooth things over, Pop. Savvy?" Mickey said cunningly.
"Well when we beat the tar outta y'all, then you stay the hell away from Maggie and us. You hear?" Darry spat.
"Yep, yep." Mickey strolled off cackling.
Boy, was that kid in for a rude awakening.