The Exorcism of Ponyboy Curtis

Beginning

Pony's POV
I'm panting, running around the track at the fastest speed I can manage. People from the stands cheer all the Will Rogers track runners on, wanting us to win the race. I slow down when I cross the finish line and the crowd goes wild. My teammates come up to me and clap me on the back, saying good job and stuff like that. I nod my thanks and grab the bottle of water that our coach hands me. I take a long sip and then hand it back to him. I sit down on the bench and let out a huge breath. I'm surprised I made it this far; the events that have occurred during the past week made me wonder if I was ever going to make it to seventeen. Looking around at all the smiling faces, I'm glad I did. But we never should have done it in the first place.

One week earlier....
It was just a normal day after school on Friday night. I go home, do some homework, and the guys come into the house, as rowdy as ever. It's six o'clock, and I'm just starting to make dinner. Darry's not home yet, and I'm glad because I had a boatload of homework. I make lasagna for dinner and put it in the oven. Soda comes bounding over as I stand up and says, "Hey, kiddo. You up for something fun tonight with the guys?" I ask, "What kind of fun?" He says, "Scary stuff." I roll my eyes and ask, "Like what?" He replies, "We were thinking of playing with an ouija board," and I start shaking my head. I say, "No way, Soda. You have any idea how dangerous those things are? People get possessed, maybe even killed."

He says, "Don't worry. It's going to be fine. Plus, I know you've always wanted to play with one." I groan and say, "Soda, that was when I was younger." He puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder and tries to compromise by saying, "How about you join us for a little while, and if you decide not to play you can go to bed?" I let out a sigh and rub my temples. I accept his offer and say, "Okay, Soda." He whoops and I laugh before sitting down at the table. The thought of playing with a ouija board scares the shit out of me. I know something bad is going to happen tonight.

When the timer beeps on the oven, I take my mitt and open the door. As I pull the lasagna out of the oven, Darry comes walking in the door. I set the pan on the rack and say, "Hey, Dar." He comes into the kitchen and says, "Hey, Pone. Sure smells good." I say, "Thanks," and then I turn around with my arms crossed. Darry asks, "What?" I ask, "Did you hear what the guys are planning to do tonight?" He shakes his head and says, "No. Haven't got a clue." I explain, "They're planning on playing with a ouija board." He groans and asks, "What the hell are they thinking? That stuff's dangerous." I say, "I know. I tried to tell Soda that, but then he made an offer and I agreed to play." He says, "If you're going to play, I am too. I've got to make sure nothing bad happens."

There's a moment of silence before I say, "Something bad is going to happen tonight. I can feel it. Are you sure about this?" Dar comes over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. He says, "It'll be okay. We'll try it out and if we don't want to continue then we won't. Okay?" I nod and say, "Okay." He grins and then says, "We should eat." I say, "That's a good idea." I go out into the living room with Darry behind me and say, "Okay, you buffoons. Dinner's ready." The guys jump up and race to the kitchen. I roll my eyes and follow them into the kitchen.

I sit down at the table next to Darry and take a plate. I wait until the guys are finished getting their food and then I get my food. I start eating right away, because I'm super hungry. Track practice was rough, and I'm hella tired. I don't know how I keep doing it. Between track practice, doing homework, and making dinner, I'm lucky if I get a full eight hours of sleep.

When I'm finished eating my food, I set my plate in the sink and wash my hands. I head back into the living room and make myself comfortable on the couch. I close my eyes and try to relax. Tonight won't be too bad; we'll have some fun and everything will be fine.

I drift off to sleep and wake up an hour later when Soda shakes me. I rub my eyes and ask, "Is it time?" He says, "Yeah. It's eight o'clock, kiddo. We were going to start a half hour ago." I sigh and swing my legs off the couch. The gang is seated on the floor in a half circle, including Darry. I join him on the floor and say, "Alright. Let's do this." Soda gets the ouija board out of the box and sets it onto the floor. He grabs the planchette and sets it on the middle of the board. I let out a shaky breath as we all move our fingers to the center. I feel my fingers rest on the planchette and realize that this is actually happening.

Soda asks, "Is there anyone here?" Nothing. "Are there any spirits in this house?" The planchette begins moving and I say, "Alright. This isn't funny. Two-Bit?" He says, "I'm not moving it. Steve?" Steve rolls his eyes and says, "Yeah, because I'm totally into scaring the shit out of you guys." I ask, "Soda? Darry?" They shake their heads and Two-Bit says, "Alright. Everyone take their hands off the planchette." We take our hands off and it continues to move. "Holy shit," Two-Bit whispers. I watch as it moves toward the letters and gulp. Soda says, "Z-O-Z-O," and then the lights flicker.

Darry asks, "Do you want something with us?" The planchette moves to the word yes. Steve asks, "Who? Who could you possibly want?" The planchette begins to slowly move toward the letters once again, and once the letters move to P-O, I already know the answer. I ask, "You want me?" The planchette stops moving on the letters and moves toward yes or no. I blanch when it moves to yes.