From Weakness to Strength

The Rumble

The three teens returned home where Darry had dinner ready. He made chicken and corn. Soda, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy ate like pigs, while Darla barely even nibbled at her food. Steve came not so long after dinner was finished. 

"Soda, when did you start shaving?" asked Ponyboy as he groomed himself in the bathroom mirror. 
"When I was 15," Soda replied. 
"When did Darry?"
"When he was 13. Why? Are you growing a beard for the ruble?" Soda joked as he was playing cards with Steve.
"Oh, you're funny," Ponyboy said sarcastically as he exited the bathroom and entered the living room where Darla was reading a book. 
You outta be be in the Reader's Digest, they pay a lot for funny things," Pony said as Steve was throwing cards in Soda's face, causing Soda to challenge Steve to an arm wrestle. 
"You like fights, huh, Soda?" asked Ponyboy. 
"Yeah, I like fights, man," Soda replied with a strained voice as he was starting to lose the arm wrestle. 
"How come?" Pony asked.
"It's a contest. It's like a drag race, or a dance or something like that," Soda replied. "We're gonna beat those Socs heads in, aren't we?" asked Soda.
"When I get into a fight, I wanna stomp. I like it too," Steve strained as he slammed his arm down, causing Soda to give in and take in the defeat. 
"Why do you like fights, Darry?" asked Ponyboy as Darry was looping his belt. 
"He likes to show off his muscles," Soda interjected with a snicker. 
"I'm gonna show em off to you, little buddy if you get any mouthier," said Darry. 
Usually, a comment like that would cause Darla to make a remark back at Soda, but instead she stayed still and kept reading. 
"Darry put on his tight black shirt that showed his muscles. 
"Hey, you two," Darry addressed Ponyboy and Darla. Darla didn't look up from her book and Ponyboy flicked a bottle lid. "I don't know if you two outta be in this rumble."
"How come? We've always come through before, haven't we?" asked Ponyboy.
"-Yeah, and I feel like stomping ass tonight," Darla interjected as she looked up from her book and closing it. She also caught eyes on Two-Bit who was balancing his shoe on a beer can.
"Yeah, but you guys were in shape before and you two ain't looking so good. You're tensed up all the time, you know. Both of you," Darry explained. 
"Come on, Darry. Everyone's tensed up before a rumble," said Soda. "It's skin against skin. They ain't gonna get hurt."
"Yeah, come on. We'll grab a hold of a little one," Ponyboy reassured.
"Well we'll need every every person we can get, but I don't know..." Darry trailed.
"-If it was knives and chains or something it'd be different. We'll be okay, right, Darla?" Ponyboy asked. 
"Yeah," Darla reassured.
"Alright, but you two be careful."
"We will," Darla reassured.
"How come you don't worry about Soda all the time?" asked Pony boy. 
"Man, that's one kid brother I ain't gonna worry about, cause this kid can use his head," Darry replied, giving Sodapop a noogie. "-At least one thing to grow hair on. LET'S GO!" Darry exclaimed.

And with that, everyone made a run out the door. Darla's spirits were suddenly lifted, knowing she was fighting for a reason. For Johnny. For Dallas. For Ponyboy. For her boys. 
Darry did a hand stand over the fence and flipped himself off. Steve got on top of the car and backflipped off of it. To show off, Darla did the same thing and landed in a split. Darry taught her everything she knows on acrobatics. 
Ponyboy got on Darry's back. Two-Bit opened a beer and Darla did a couple of back hand springs and an aerial. before she hopped in Soda's back. 
"You, Darla, and Ponyboy. If the fuzz show, you beat if out of there," said Derry. "We'll get jailed, but you three get orphanages. You know what I'm saying?"
"Ain't nobody gonna call the fuzz on this neighborhood! Cause they know better!" Steve cackled. 
"Hey, all the same you guys beat it outta there, ya hear me?" said Darry. 

They got to the lot where Tim Shepard's gang was already there. They greeted Time. 
"How're you doing?" Darry asked Tim.
"Pretty good," Tim replied, shaking Darry's hand. 
"You two and the quiet kid killed the soc, right?" Tim asked Ponyboy and Darla. 
"Good going, kid. Curly always said you were good kids. Curly's in the reformatory for the next six months," Tim explained. 
"Robbed another convenience store, did he now?" Darla asked. 
"You know it," Tim replied. Curly was the same age as Pony. Darla met him a couple of times. 

The sound of engines started to draw near to the lot and the sounds of voices echoed closer and closer. 
"Hey, Greasers! We're on our way!" the loud voices echoed tauntingly. 
The two gangs grouped up as cars pulled up at the lot. Darla was beside Ponyboy and Darry. Thunder started to rumble in the distance. 
Dallas Darla thought. He's gonna miss it.
"We'll get out there as even as we can get. Stay close to me, you two," Darry informed Ponyboy and Darla. 

The Socs got out of there cars and started separating themselves out evenly. Some of them were fighting over who would get "the girl"
Darla heard them and made sure to give them the dirtiest and most intimidating look she's ever given. 
Just then, a guy in a varsity jacket about Darry's age approached the eldest Curtis boy. 
"Hello, Darrel. Long time no see," said the guy. 
"Hello, Paul," Darry responded with a nod. 
"What's up?" Tim asked Two-Bit. 
"They used to buddy around together. Play football," Two-Bit replied. 
"I'll take you," Paul volunteered. 
Just then, the sound of running footsteps drew near from the right side of the lot. 
Y'ALL KNOW A RUBLE AIN'T A RUMBLE WITHOUT ME!" the voice of Dallas Winston shouted. 

Just then, a guy in a white polo and khaki pants punched Ponyboy square in the face, which caused a domino effect of everybody else starting to fight as well. Darla charged at the guy that was attacking Ponyboy, but was pushed down by another Soc. The thunder boomed louder as rain started to fall. Darla immediately got up and kicked the Soc in the gonads as hard as she could. weakening her oponent, she ran to Ponyboy's side and pulled the guy who was attacking Ponyboy by the hair, grabbed his arms, pulled them behind his back, then kicked his lower back. 
Just as she thought she one, someone from behind picked her up. 
"Let me go, you bastard!" Darla screamed. 
"You've gotten more fiery since the last time I saw you...Bella. Jackson."
"Oh shit," Darla mumbled before she was body slammed to the ground. She turned around to see Dan Chase. A lot older and built then he used to be. She knew he wasn't going to be an easy opponent. 
"You know my sister still talks about you. How you've been orphaned and how much you deserved it," Dan taunted before kicking Darla in the stomach. Darla groaned in pain. 
"No one cares about you. All these greasy slimeballs don't give a shit about you. They were just stuck with you and you're stupid and obnoxious self. You don't deserve even having greasy friends like these bastards,"
That got Darla where it hurt, but deep inside she knew it wasn't true. 
"You know what, Chase?" Darla challenged as she started getting up. 
"I did deserve it.  I deserved getting my parents killed and having friends like these. You know why? Because it turned my weaknesses into strengths."
Darla then kicked Daniel Chase's knee so hard, she heard a crack as Dan fell to the floor crying. She then grabbed Daniel Chase's madras collar and punched him square in the face. 
"--Good job, Honeybear!" came Dallas's voice. 
Darla looked back and smiled as Steve yelped like an Navajo Indian. Darla knew that was his victory scream and started to notice the Socs drawing themselves away from the lot. Darla and Dallas noticed Ponyboy on the ground, barely moving. Dallas grabbed Ponyboy and pulled him up. His face was bloody and bruised. "Are you okay?" Dallas asked. "Come on."

Darla helped Dallas get Ponyboy into the front seat of his t-bird, then hopped in the backseat herself. Dallas drove wildly and very fast. Darla assumed Dallas was taking them back to the hospital  to see Johnny. Darla was hoping Johnny was doing better. She didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't. 
Sounds of a siren came screeching from behind them, signalling for Dallas to pull over, which he did. 
"Act sick. I'll pretend like I'm taking you to the hospital." Dallas said. 
"You basically are," Darla interjected. 
Dallas chose to ignore her comment as the cop approached the car. "
"You've gotta have a good reason for driving like that," said the cop.
"The kid fell off his motorcycle. I'm taking him to the hospital," said Dallas. Pony started to moan exaggeratedly. The cop looked over at Ponyboy. "How bad is he?" he asked. 
"Do I look like a doctor? He looks pretty bad to me," Dallas retorted. 
"Follow me," said the cop. 
"Alright," said Dallas with a nod. The cop returned to his bike and started it up. 
"Sucker," Dallas snickered as he started pulling away from the curb. 
The cop drove in front of Dallas's t-bird and blinked his lights. Dallas started to drive behind the cop.
"Man," said Dallas in a low whisper. "I was crazy about wanting Johnny to stay out of trouble, man. If he was smart like me, he wouldn't have been in this mess. If he was smart like me, he wouldn't have ran in that church, man."
Darla laid back in her seat, a lot of thought streaming into her mind.
"You two better wise up, man. If you get tough like me and you don't get hurt."
Dallas's voice was getting more worked up by every word. "Watch out got yourself nothing can touch you, man," Dallas cried. Darla sat up and put her hands on Dallas's shoulders to calm him down.