Let It Be Me

Part 2

Everyone was frozen, as though the shot I'd fired had momentarily stopped time. The dark haired boy was crouched mid-step a few feet away from Bob. He had been clutching a switchblade but it dropped to the ground in front of him when the shot went off. Some of the Soc's had thrown their hands up in a knee jerk surrender. At first they appeared wide eyed and scared, then gradually their opened mouths contorted into relaxed grins when they saw that it was just me, a 15 year old girl, behind the gun. It was Bob who finally spoke up. He pulled Pony out of the water and shoved him to the ground.

"Well well boys, look who it is." He somehow still managed to come off as condescending despite the heavy slur in his voice. He wobbled on his feet a little and laughed. "What are you gonna do Callie, shoot me?" I cocked the hammer and positioned the barrel in line with him again.

"I've had a really bad night, Bob" I said flatly. "I'm tired and I'm cold and I'm sick of people who get off on making other people's lives hell."

"So, what? You're gonna kill me? Is that what you want me to think?" He laughed at the thought of it. His friends started to relax more too.

"No. I'm not going to kill you." I lowered the gun until it was directed at the front of his pants. "But if you don't leave my friends alone, so help me God, I'm going to wipe out any chance you have of spreading those asshole Soc genes of yours."

He paused, not sure how to react to the threat. Obviously I had hit on something. One thing I had learned through the years about defending yourself from a guy was to always go for the package. It was their kryptonite. I shrugged coolly.

"Kind of brilliant actually. In one shot I could take out countless generations of pricks like you." I stared down the barrel intently. "I'd be doing the world a favor really."

Behind him on the ground Ponyboy had finally stopped coughing up water and I saw his eyes turn toward me in recognition. His teeth chattered uncontrollably and he hugged himself, looking pained by the cold air lashing at his wet clothes. I started to get impatient. Getting Pony out of the fountain wasn't going to mean anything if he ended up freezing to death beside it instead.

One of Soc's at Bob's side shoved at his shoulder.

"Come on man, she's bluffing."

"One way to find out" I dared, keeping my eyes firmly on my target. Bob finally relented, obviously pissed off but not willing to take the risk tonight. Drunk or not, he knew enough to keep his kryptonite intact.

"You're gonna pay for this" he warned me, trying not to stumble as he stepped over Ponyboy. "I mean it, Callie. This isn't over."

We both froze for a moment, staring each other down, my hand still planted on the trigger, until finally he broke off and stumbled past me in defeat. He motioned silently to the other guys who grumbled their insults at me and followed him to the car. Once the headlights backed out of the parking lot, the dark haired boy ran and dropped to Pony's side.

"Pony, you alright?"

Ponyboy was shaking so hard he could barely answer back.

"Y...y...yeah, I'm o...ok."

I sighed and slid the gun back into my bag. My hands were shaking, and this time not from the cold. It was the first time I'd ever had to pull that gun and I knew now that I could use it. I would have shot Bob without hesitating if he'd stepped closer to me. I wasn't bluffing. The thought of that unnerved me. Something was obviously wrong. All the anger, the violence, the loss and neglect, it had taken its toll. I was broken. All those things people assumed they knew about me because of where I lived...I had just proven them right. Even if it was only to myself.