The Outsiders: A New Place

Chapter 9

me and pony were starting to get closer and closer as the days went on, same as for everyone else in the gang. its been two weeks since i arrived in tulsa, and two more weeks until the rumble.

"hey ash, wanna head to the lot?" ponyboy asked. i nodded my head and as we were heading out pony yelled back into the house, "heading to the lot with ash, be back soon!" murmurs of the gang saying "alright" erupted and we headed out.

the hot july sun shone brightly on me, and i could feel myself getting a tan just from walking. "hey pony," i started. "remember when we first met, and you said we should race sometime?"

he grinned devilishly, catching on to what i was saying. "you're on." we both got into position and unlike two bit, he actually knew the correct starting stance.

"now pony, i don't want you to go easy on me. id rather lose to someone trying their best than to win against someone who went easy, you hear?" i asked.

"did you think i would go easy on you?" he said laughing a bit.

"pony, i know you, so yes you would have." we both laughed and prepared to run again. i said "ready, set, GO!" and we were off. i was about the same speed as pony at the beginning, but as the race went on he slowly drifted ahead by a hair. i knew that if you pumped your arms faster then your legs will follow, and that's exactly what i tried. it wasn't enough though, and ponyboy came into the lot before i did.

"damn, you're faster than i thought." he said between breaths. "i thought i was going to win by a considerable margin."

"you're faster than i thought too. most guys i've raced i've beaten." i said between breaths too. our breathing slowed to normal and we sat down together.

the sun was just about to start setting at this point and ponyboy turned to look at me. i turned to look at him and at that moment, i realized how truly beautiful he is. the sun's light reflected off of his grey-green eyes, and they were deep with meaning. the setting sun made his skin light up an orange-ish color and he stared right back at me.

Ponyboy's POV

i stared at her deep brown eyes that held so much meaning, and had seen so much. her hair was so long and beautiful, and it framed her face perfectly. the bruise on her cheek had almost completely faded, and i brushed the back of my finger on that cheek to push a strand of hair behind her ear. a smile emerged from ash's face and i did the same.

"ash?" i started. "will you be my girlfriend?" there was a quick pause, then her eyes lit up and she whispered "yes."

Ash's POV

"ash?" he asked quietly. "will you be my girlfriend?"

i felt my insides get numb and i felt happy everywhere. "yes." i said, quieter than i would have liked. we both beamed and i leaned up against pony and he put his arm around me. we stared off into the sky as the sun set.

a few hours later...

i awoke suddenly and sat up, forgetting where i was. i looked around as ponyboy squirmed beside me, waking up too. it was dark, and i remembered we were at the lot. "pony, what time is it?" i asked, starting to panic.

"huh? ohhh... um... it is... TEN O'CLOCK? darry'll kill me when i get home!"

"two bits also gonna kill me when we get home!" we jolted up and sprinted down the sidewalk. two bit was probably so worried, and all he ever was was nice to me. and now i probably scared him half to death.

i wasn't just worried about me though. i've seen darry when he is mad, and it is not pretty. pony once came home from a movie late and darry yelled at him, saying he never uses his head.

we ran up to the house and ran in. the whole gang was sitting there looking calm. two bit looked slightly freaked out and when we walked in, two ran up to me and engulfed me in a hug. i wish the same would have happened to ponyboy though. i heard darry yelling at pony, and i also heard two bit saying to me "i was so worried, i thought somethin' bad happened to you. i thought you got beat by a soc or somethin' like that. never do that again, please. you got that?"

i nodded and stepped out of the hug to find darry still yelling at ponyboy. the gang looked so unbothered by the yelling, even pony. i just looked around expecting someone to say something, but they didn't. suddenly, darry said, "what do mean you fell asleep in the lot with her?!"

"i don't know, she just fell asleep on me, and i didn't want to move her so i guess i fell asleep too."

"this has been happening too many times recently! you are grounded until further notice, you hear?"

"if you are going to blame anyone for this, blame me." i said stepping forward. all eyes turned to me and darry's angered expression stayed plastered on his face. "you even heard it from pony. i was the one who fell asleep, and pony was just being nice and not tryin' to wake me. dont punish him for my actions."

his expression softened and he stared at me for a second, then to pony. "next time this happens, im not going to let a girl stick up for you." he said stepping to pony then walking away.

"you didn't have to do that, i could have handled him myself." ponyboy said slowly walking over to me. "it was my fault that happened. i just couldn't stand seeing him yell at you like that for something i did."

he smiled bright and headed upstairs for bed. "come on kid, its late. lets head on out." two bit said while walking out the door. i followed and we got into his car. "so, do you have a thing for pony? like a... thing thing?"

"well... um... yeah. i do. is that a bad thing?" i asked.

"nah, he's a good kid. when will you two start datin' already?"

"actually," i responded nervously. "we just started dating. tonight. but don't tell the gang yet, whatever you do. we will tell them when the time is right."

"awww, the gangs got two little love birds now. ash and ponyboy curtis. ponyboy and ash curtis. it has such a nice ring to it."

"two bit, stop making this such a big deal!" i yelled while laughing. we got out of the car and into the house. "i need a shower. i stink bad."

two bit laughed at my remark and i hopped into the shower. after my shower, i decided to stretch in my room, since i have barely stretched since i got to tulsa. i did my right, left, and middle splits then went into a backbend. i held the backbend for a while, it felt good to stretch it out.

of course, with my luck, two bit came in right as i was stretching. i turned to him while still in the backbend and his eyes were wide. "watcha lookin' at?"

"ill leave you alone to do, whatever the hell is happening here." he turned around and closed the door as i kicked over out of the backbend and climbed into bed.

i had trouble falling asleep that night, for reasons i don't know. but when i eventually did fall asleep, i had a very strange dream. not bad, or scary, just weird.

it was of two older people, sitting on the couch in a home i didn't recognize, watching tv. only the tv was big and modern looking, and it was in full color. the couple looked to be in love, but i didn't know who they were. two kids, about my age roughly, came out from somewhere and sat on the couch with their parents.

"this is the new place i had always imagined." the woman whispered. the man turned to look at her and placed a kiss on her lips. "im so glad i met you."

as they were about to kiss again, i woke up to glints of orange peeping through my window. i wondered what that dream was about, and who those older people were.

i remembered then what ponyboy had told me about sunrises and sunsets, and how he likes to watch them. i decided to see what it was like, and i got up and stood in front if my window at stared. i get why he enjoys them, it was very soothing and calming. i wondered how many other people were awake like me, looking at the same sunrise. i wondered how many people have never seen a sunrise, and how maybe they could change for the better just by watching it.

im not sure how long i was there by my window, but i snapped out of my thoughts when they sky was no longer orange but a light blue.

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