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Virginia had never been happier to be safe and sound at home than she was that night for as soon as Two-Bit dropped her and Ponyboy off, she collapsed onto the couch and curled up into a figurative ball of sentiment.
"Wait, what happened?" Darry asked with a confused frown plastered on his face. He bent down to pick up Ponyboy's jacket that he tried to toss onto the armchair in front of the door.
Darry took a peek at his little sister who clutched a pillow Ponyboy grabbed for her and she blankly stared at the small TV box showing one of the night programs. Ponyboy sat on the far end of the couch with a foot propped up on the seat and his nose stuck in a book. The small lamp on the side table next to him was switched on, giving him the perfect amount of light to cozy up and read his heart out. He tried to move Virginia's feet away from him in frustration and got a kick to the knee in return.
"Quit touching my feet!"
"I ain't touchin' you!"
"Hey, knock it off," Darry ordered firmly. Both fell quiet and returned their attention to the program.
"Shoot, I don't know, Darry," Two-Bit answered, giving him a shrug. He walked over to collect his leather jacket which was draped over a chair. "Kid said she wasn't feelin' good. Ol' Dallas was there and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was real mad."
Virginia felt her grip on the pillow tighten when Two-Bit uttered that last little factoid that Darry should've been the absolute last to know. Even without looking at him, she could feel his angry stare at her.
The Coke Sam bought for her to make up for the one he spilled sat on the corner of the table, untouched and alone. Looking at it made Virginia feel worse but she gingerly wrapped her fingers around it and nursed the straw into her mouth. It was flat but still decent.
"Thanks for bringin' 'em back, Two," Darry said, patting Two-Bit's shoulder. "Say hi to your mom and Brenda for me, will you?"
"Sure. Take it easy, y'all." Two-Bit grabbed his leather jacket that was draped over the chair, nodded to Ponyboy, and ruffled Virginia's splayed hair. And with a wave of his hand, the screen door was closed just as soon as it was open.
Hearing his footsteps, Virginia looked up to see Darry kneeling in front of her. She chewed on the tip of the straw nervously as his hand patted her head soothingly.
"What happened?" he asked. Virginia knew the tone of voice he used wasn't so endearing as it was stern.
"Just some fight," she mumbled, choosing to take another sip of the Coke. Darry frowned and took the drink away from her.
She spat out the straw that was stuck in her mouth. "C'mon, Darry, move. You're blockin' the TV," she whined. Her feeble attempt at shoving his shoulder was futile.
"You know, baby, I think you had too much TV and soda today," he mumbled, getting up and switching the box off. "It ain't good for you."
"Great. No movie, no TV, no Coke, just sell me already," Virginia muttered. She slammed the pillow onto her face when Ponyboy's light started to bother her.
