Dally's Baby Sister//Ponyboy Curtis

Thirteen//Friday Night

AMELIA

SODAPOP TURNED SEVENTEEN on that Thursday night. We cooked out, laughed, and Darry even bought two cases of beer. He thought he would let loose on Sodapop tonight and let him have a drink or two. There was music, and the house got hot, so we went into the backyard for the night. I offered to sleep on the couch that night so he could have his bed back.

The entire day was about Sodapop, and the next day was about getting him a new girl. The dance was Friday at eight o'clock. He was going, whether he liked it or not. Darry still wasn't allowing me out of the house, especially as so late of an hour. So, Ponyboy was going with the rest of the gang—well, the rest of the gang and the Shepherd kids.

I didn't really like that Darry was allowing Ponyboy and Sodapop to run amok with Angela. I don't really know her anymore. Plus, Sodapop is a handsome boy. Handsome boys get the wrong kind of attention from the girls in our neighborhood. So, seeing as I don't know what Angela's motives are, it makes me sick to my stomach to know that Ponyboy and Soda are probably going to be dancing with her tonight.

As they were getting ready, Ponyboy and I talked in the living room.

"Are you sure you don't want to just sneak out tonight? Everyone's going to be asking about you. Angela's kind of hoping you'd come," he said. I sighed. Darry heard Ponyboy as me about sneaking out and came rushing in the living room.

"She isn't going anywhere. Especially not with Tim and Curly Shepherd. Those boys are menaces. Poor girl can't defend herself," he said. I sighed again.

"I can defend myself just fine," I said in a low grumble. Darry's head snapped toward me.

"Kiddo, if Curly gets his hands on you—"

"Nobody's putting their hands on her. She's my girl, and I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. With that said, could she please come with us? She's fun once she sees there's nothing to worry about," he said. Darry cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fun like how?" he asked.

"She dances and laughs and jokes. Come on, Darry, even I don't think like that," Pony said as he was doing the belt to his trousers.

"Darry, I'm not one to argue, but—" I started to say, but I got cut off.

"Amelia, whatever you're about to say is going to go in vain. Forget about it. You're not going to that dance," he said. He looked kind of upset with himself for saying that, almost as if he wants me to go and have a good time, but something—that Soc at the Nightly Double—was making him decide against it.

"Besides, I called your mother and told her what happened," he said. I shot up and I felt my heart drop to my toes.

"Darry, why would you do that?" I practically yelled. Why would he call my mother? She won't do anything as far as I'm concerned. She'll probably call my aunt, Gina, at best just to tell her what happened.

"She deserved to know, Amelia. She's your mother, she would want to know," he said.

"Darry, her father is faced with abuse charges, that should give you a solid hint that out of anyone in that family, Dallas is the one you should have called," Ponyboy reasoned.