Heart Breaker

Chapter 30

Two-Bit stuck his head in the door just as Darry went flying out of it. Leaping as he went off the stes, Darry turned a somersault in mid-air. hit the ground, and bounced up before Soda could catch him.

"Welup," Two-Bit said cheerfully, cocking an eyebrow, "I see we are in prime condition for a rumble. Is everybody happy?"

"Yeah!" screamed Soda as he too did a flying somersault off the steps. He flipped up to walk on his hands and then did a no-hands cartwheel across the yard to beat Darry's performance. The excitement was catching. Screeching like an I dian, Steve went running across the lawn in flying leaps, stopped suddenly, and flipped backward. Pony did a no-hands cartwheel off the porch steps, hit the ground, and rolled to his feet. Two-Bit followed him in a similar manner. I jumped off the porch and did a back flip, then I did a no-hands cartwheel.

"I am a greaser," Sodapop chanted. "I am a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our fair city. I beat up people. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man, do I have fun!"

"Greaser... greaser... greaser" Steve singsonged. "O victim of enviroment, underprivileged, rotten, no-count hood!"

"Juvenile delinquent, you're no good!" Darry shouted.

"Get thee hance, white trash," Two-Bit said in a snobbish voice. "I am a Soc. I am the privileed and the well-dressed. I throw beer blasts, drive fancy cars, break windows at fancy parties."

"And what do you do for fun?" Pony inquired in a serious, awed voice.

"I jump greasers!" Two-Bit screamed, and did a cartwheel.

We settled down as we walked to the lot. Two-Bit was the only one wearing a jacket; he had a couple of beers stuffed in it.

"Hey, Two-Bit," Pony asked, "how come you like to fight?"

Two-Bit looked at Pony like he was nuts. "Shoot, everybody fights."

"Listen, Soda, y/n, and Ponyboy," Darry said as we strode down the street, "if the fuzz show, you three beat it out of there. The rest of us can only get jailed. Soda, Pony, you two can get sent to a boys' home. y/n, you might get sent to a girls' home."

"Nobody in this neighborhood's going to call the fuzz," Steve said grimly. "They know what'd happen if they did."

"All the same, you three blow at the first sight of trouble. You hear me?" Darry said.

"You sure don't need an amplifier," Soda said, and stuck his tongue at the back of Darry's head. Both Pony and I giggled.

Tim Shepard and company were already waiting when we arrived at the vacant lot, along with a gang from Brumly, one of the suburbs. Tim and the leader of the Brumly outfit moved forward to shake hands with each of us--- proving that ourss gangs were on the same side in this fight, although most of the guys in those two outfits weren't exactly what I'd like to call my friends.

Tim studied Pony," You and the quiet black-headed kid were the ones who killed that Soc?"

"Yeah," Pony said.

"Good goin', kid. Curly always said you were a good kid. Curly's in the reformatory for the next six months." Tim grinned. "He caught breakin' into a liquor store, the little..." He went on the call Curly every unprintable name under the sun.

He stopped at me. "Aren't you Dal's girl?"

"Yes, I am." I said.

"I never thought you could fight, but if you need help let us know." Tim said.

"Trust me, I am almost as strong a Sodapop or even Two-Bit. I can handle myself." I said grining.

"No wonder Dally loves you so much." Tim said with a smile.

As the Socs were arriving Pony came back over to stand with Soda, Steve, Two-Bit and me.

They lined up silently, facing us, and we lned facing them.