Tragic Kingdom (80s/90s imagines)

94: The Curtis Brothers (The Outsiders)

For 80smovies11

**violence warning**

You knew better. You could practically hear Darry drilling you about knowing when to call for someone to come get you, but you hadn't realized the sun would go down so quickly. And you were already walking home. And you may have forgotten how long of a walk it was from the library to your house.

Dumb Socs get the library on their side of town.

You naturally developed a quicker step from growing up as a girl on the "wrong side of the tracks," but the headlights you saw turn the corner behind you made you pick up the pace a little more. Your heart hammered at your chest as you realized that the car was slowing down beside you.

Maybe they'll just yell something and speed off. Maybe they'll throw food at me... and drive off.

You hoped for nothing more that they would just drive away. But you couldn't be so lucky.

"Hey, little girl!" his voice called out harshly. "Ooh, boy, I think we found ourselves a little greaser girl! Stop the car."

The terror in your system made your blood run cold, and just as you thought to run, you felt a hand yank on your hair. The force threw you back, stumbling to the cement, unable to catch yourself in the fall.

You bit back a yelp, and years of living with the gang over your shoulder had taught you to never give him the satisfaction of seeing the pain in your face. You found his eyes and maintained the gaze.

His face faltered a second. Maybe it was the eye contact or maybe it was how young you looked now that he could see you directly in the streetlight. Whatever it was, he got over it promptly. "What? You used to some greaser scum throwing you around?" He squatted you get eye-level with you. "You like that, you greasy piece of-"

A large gob of your spit was now splattered across the middle of his face. "Leave me alone, you Social piece of shit." You didn't have to raise your voice. Darry's voice in the back of your head was screaming at you to not make this any worse, but the part of you that couldn't swallow your pride was just a little louder.

Before you could really listen to either side again, his hand snapped across your cheek. "I was gonna be nice..."

You had stopped listening, but the pain you experienced in the next excruciatingly long couple of minutes was like nothing you could ever describe. Your eyes screwed shut, and every when they finished you couldn't tell. The cool night air did nothing to sooth your burning, swelling skin.

When your eyes opened again, you were at home. A whopping headache assailed you, and through squinted eyelids, you could see Soda taking off your shoes. You tried to shift to a sitting position, but every nerve in your body screamed at you to stay still. So. Much. Pain. You quietly groaned.

Soda's head perked up at the sign of you awakening. "Hey, sunshine," he greeted softly. "I know you don't like your shoes getting on the furniture."

"Is she awake?" Darry's normally stern voice sounded concerned. He appeared at the foot of the couch you were laying across. "Oh, thank God. I thought we were going to have to go to the hospital, and you know we can't do that." He was mostly muttering to himself, but you also knew he had this incessant nature to lecture.

"I-" you began, but words evaded you. Everything hurt too much to formulate sentences. Individual words seemed like too much at the moment.

Darry knelt down beside the couch and gave you a once over. Sighing, he gently smoothed your hair back.

Taking the deepest breath you could manage, you blinked back tears. "I- I'm sorry. I di-didn't..." You caught your breath. "He caught me."

"Shh..." he cooed. "I'll have plenty of time to yell at you about safety later."

"Yeah, Y/n," Ponyboy chimed in from elsewhere you couldn't see. "You would've been out there longer if some kid from down the road hadn't seen it all go down. He came running and hugging and puffing about you getting harassed by some Soc."

"Ponyboy," Darry said in a warning tone. He turned back to you, his signature stony expression etched into his face. "Did you get a good look at the guy who did this?"

"Jesus, Dar, you sound like a cop," Soda teased quietly from the end of the coach, where he had seated himself, gently propping your feet on his lap.

"Will you two shut it for a minute?" your eldest brother snapped.

Your head was still pounding, and you were still so disoriented. You had no idea what time it was or how long you had been home. Everything felt off. "Yeah, Darry. I saw his face pretty good."

Soda nodded. "Me and the gang are gonna go find that no-good Soc and teach him a lesson for messing with our baby sister."

As much as you hated being called their "baby sister," you wanted nothing more than to be swaddled and put to bed.

Amid the confusion going on in your head, a thought popped up. You swallowed. "Am I going to have to see him again?"

Pony, who had moved into your line of sight, was the one to answer. "They'll bring him for you to check then take him somewhere else to lay him out. Unless you wanna see him get his ass whooped."

You sunk further into the couch. "I want nothing more than to see him get the shit beat out of him." Your laugh sounded pitiful and was punctuated by a slight groan in pain. "Can I go to bed now?"

Darry patted your hand. "Sure thing, kiddo." He carefully scooped you up, not that he could really avoid any sensitive spots, and carried you to your bed.

"Darry," you whispered before he left the room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I didn't call."

He sighed again. "I'm just glad your home now. Get some sleep. You're gonna be sore as hell tomorrow."

Idk if I intended for this to be this long but I'm not mad. I'm actually pretty happy w this one. (I lowkey get tired of romance but you didn't hear that from me.)

Anyway, I hope you liked it! Thank you for requesting again!! It means so much that you trust me w your requests.

M'kay.

~Mariah