Simply a Greaser

Chapter 55

We walked to the Curtis', not saying much. His mood had gotten a little better, but not by much. I was excited to see them again. It felt like it'd been months since I'd last talked to them. 

Dallas called Darry and told him we were back and we were coming over. Darry said he would call everyone else and gather them at his house. We could then go eat, and maybe even to see a movie at the Drive-In, if Dal and I had enough energy by the end of the night. I was already having trouble keeping my eyelids open, but I could ignore my tiredness for a few hours. 

We got to their house and I had to keep myself from running inside. Dallas tried to play it off, but I could tell that he was fighting a smile as we walked in. 

The gang was congregated in the kitchen. When they heard the door open, they stampeded out of the room and welcomed us back. They all gave Dally that bro-hug thing that all guys do and hugged me, albeit more briefly than they had when I was leaving and Dally wasn't there to watch. I couldn't blame them. 

Dallas saw Two-Bit, who was lagging behind on his crutches, and said, "You still hobblin' around on them damn things?" 

Two-Bit grinned and replied, "You still got a face that looks like a horse's ass?" 

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. They weren't threatening each other, so they must've been on better terms. They did the hug thing, then Two-Bit wobbled over to me. Dallas started talking to Darry like he was trying to distract himself when Two-Bit and I gave each other a hug. 

After talking for a few minutes, we headed over to the Dingo. We all piled into the bed of Darry's truck, with Two-Bit riding upfront. 

When we got settled into the Dingo, Dallas and I recounted New York, being sure to tell them in great detail of James' money. 

"Damn," Steve whistled, sipping his shake. "You two are the only greasers-turned-socs I've ever met." 

We laughed, then Dally rolled his eyes. "The day you see me with a soc is the day I die." 

"Shit, Dal, I didn't know I was talkin' to a ghost," I replied, smiling ear to ear. "If that's true, you died back up in New York." 

"Fuck you." He took a bite of his burger. "They didn't count- weren't from down here." 

"You sayin' the socs up in New York are worth a damn?" Soda questioned, raising his eyebrows. "Who are you, and what happened to Dallas?" 

Dally shrugged. "I-I mean, they were alright. Not bad." 

We moved on with the conversation. By the end of the meal, I was exhausted. Dal still had enough energy to go to the Drive-In, so I let him go with the gang. They needed to hang out without me around anyways. They needed some guy time. 

They went out of their way to ride with Darry to drop me off at Buck's so they could say goodnight. Before I got inside, I caught Two-Bit's eye and he sent me a wink. I hadn't really gotten to talk to him much. I wanted to, but with Dally around that was hard. 

I fell asleep immediately, despite the noise of a party downstairs. 

I woke up at around noon, meaning that I slept for about thirteen hours. I still felt groggy. 

I showered, then began the walk to the Curtis' house. Dallas wasn't at Buck's, so I figured he was still with the gang. By the time I got there, it was two, so Darry, Steve, and Soda were at work. 

Pony, Johnny, and Two-Bit were at the house, watching TV and playing cards, just like always. 

When I walked in, they all smiled, but Two-Bit had by-far the widest smile out of all of them. 

He grabbed his crutches and hobbled on over to me. 

"Boy, am I glad your brother is at Sylvia's right now," he said quietly. 

Before I could ask any questions, he leaned in and kissed me. 

When he pulled away, Johnny gagged. 

I had to talk to that boy. He couldn't be gagging anymore, not when he was dating Randy's kid sister. 

We sat on the couch, talking and laughing. Being back was great. 

Soon, Soda and Steve were off work. They seemed like they were excited about something, but I didn't know what. Darry got off work early and acted happier than normal, too. Something was up. 

Dally got to the house a few minutes after Darry. He was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time, almost bouncing off the walls. All of them, except for Pony, Johnny, and Two-Bit were drinking. 

After twenty minutes of confusion, I asked Two-Bit, "Why are they so... happy?"

Two-Bit frowned. "The rumble's tonight." 

My stomach fell. With everything going on, I had forgotten about the rumble. 

I hated rumbles. They were stupid and dangerous. Anyone could get hurt badly, especially if bottles or knives were allowed. 

"Is everyone goin'?" 

Two-Bit shook his head. "Not me. I can't." He lifted his broken leg and let it thump on the ground. "With this damn thing, I'm about as useless as a dog in a catfight." 

I wanted to tell him I was happy he couldn't go, but I knew he didn't want to hear that. 

So, we watched as the gang went out the door, hollering and doing flips down the street. 

As Johnny closed the door, Mickey turned off. Talk about putting the cherry on top of the cake. 

Two-Bit looked at the clock. "Okay. We have about three hours- or more- before they get back." He grinned. "What do you wanna do while they're gone?" 

I grabbed the remote and flipped a channel over. A movie that I'd heard of called Psycho was just starting. 

I looked at Two-Bit, who was looking at me with wide eyes. 

"Watch a movie?" I asked, setting the remote down. "I heard this was good." 

"It's scary," he mumbled. "It's good but scary. You sure you can handle it?" he asked, his voice light. 

I rolled my eyes. "What's so bad about some scary movie?" 

He shook his head. "The endin'... it's insane."