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Thank God it was only an empty beer bottle Two-Bit broke and not the whole damn kitchen.
Dinner preparation was getting a little out of control even with Darry downstairs yelling at everyone. Steve decided to accompany them and help with the sink full of dishes since he was the only one willing to do them with Johnny drying them off. Two-Bit decided to hang out for a few hours before he'd have to head home to his mother and kid sister. As for Dally, he might've been relaxing at Buck's when the gang left but may as well have been on his way now.
Virginia smiled and patted Ponyboy's shoulder, nudging him and glancing at the kitchen knife in his hand and the potato half in the other.
"Watch your hand, Pone," she warned.
"What, like yours, Bluebell?" he joked, gesturing to her bandaged hand with the tool.
Virginia smiled and threw a carrot tip at him and jumped when she heard a slam on the table. Soda held his fists up in victory while Steve rubbed his shoulder, clearly having lost in an arm wrestle.
Grouping the quartered vegetables into a clean bowl, Virginia returned her attention to her little brother who resumed cutting the potatoes.
"How was school, kid?"
"It's alright. Mr. Syme liked my paper."
Virginia looked at him with interest. "Really?"
Ponyboy smiled and nodded, feeling delighted about his work. He had his sister and Johnny read it over before turning it in since Soda and Darry were busy with work. Virginia thought it was just about the best thing she's ever read, feeling nothing but pride for her talented brother with every single paper, short story, or poem he writes. She knew Darry had strict expectations of Ponyboy's road to success and although she and Soda didn't always agree on how Darry constantly pressured the youngest Curtis, she could understand where he was coming from. Between the two of them, Ponyboy had the best shot at real success in the future. Not Virginia.
Pony lowered the knife and walked over to the other side of the table, grabbing a thick book underneath some crinkled papers. Virginia looked at the cover curiously and dropped the can of beans she held.
"I almost forgot. I got this for you from the library."
"Emma," Virginia murmured, a soft smile growing on her face.
"I know you like a good Jane Austen novel now and then. Even though I got you to read Pride and Prejudice," Pony chuckled.
She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Oh, you're the sweetest, kid, thank you."
Pony frowned when he caught a whiff of something all-too-familiar from her. "You been smokin'?"
She froze when she realized how loud it was and scowled, smacking him on the head with the book. Luckily, Darry was too busy taking the chicken out of the oven to hear them and Steve was finishing up the last of the dishes if he wasn't spraying Johnny with the faucet.
