The Dingo Incident

"The Dingo is a pretty rough hangout; there's always a fight going on there and once a girl got shot." –The Outsiders, Chapter 2

It was one of those hot, sticky summer nights when all you wanted to do was lie on your bed with your shirt off and not move. My friends had other ideas and I instead found myself packed into The Dingo with a hundred of my 'close' and sweaty friends, drinking a blessedly cold Coke.

All the girls were whining over their melting make-up and the guys were tryin' to look tuff despite sweating outta their ears.

I was watching Dallas Winston make a move on the waitress (she was foolish enough that it was working) when Jay nudged me.

"Wha?"

He nodded his head towards the door, "Glory, look what ol' Danny-boy brought along."

'Danny-boy' was in high school with us. Everyone thought he was real tuff because he had dark hair greased back and wore this leather jacket and smoked behind the school during lunch. Last year, he told everyone how the principal himself had caught him smoking and had him hauled up to his office. What happened next isn't exactly clear. Supposedly, the fuzz came and had Danny cuffed and pressed on the floor, reading him his rights, when the stupid kid shoved off the big guy holdin' him down and held them off. Even with his hands cuffed.

Truth is, Danny's a pansy. Johnny Cade is more of a greaser than Danny and everyone knows Johnny's timid. Worse, though, was that kids glorified Danny for his story and now he was the big man getting all the broads. And speaking of broads…hanging off of Danny was the broad of all broads. Roxanne.

She sure was a looker tonight wearing this tight white shirt and tight black pants. She even had Danny's jacket on and they weren't even going steady. I didn't even think they knew each other until now. And lordy hallelujah, she must have used a whole can of hair spray to keep her hair poofed up like that in this heat. All the girls were frowning while they touched their flat hair.

"Jeez!" Everyone in our booth looked over to Dana, who was smacking her gum angrily. "I thought she had a boyfriend already?"

Jay snaked an arm around his girlfriend's waist, "You jealous, baby?"

Dana rolled her eyes. I don't care what Jay says, but I always thought his girl was too prissy.

"No, but I'm sure she has a boyfriend. Willie Davis?"

Oh. Willie Davis. He wasn't a grease like us, but he wasn't a Soc either. Just in the middle. But lordy, he was as big as an ox and mighty aggressive.

I whistled low, "This'll be interesting. I'm gunna need another Coke for this show."

Jay smirked, pulling out a comb from his jacket and began fixing his hair, "You won't hafta watch bud, he's bringin' her over here to hang with us greasers."

All the guys sat up a little straighter, popping jacket collars (those who were dumb enough to wear jackets, like Jay) and trying to look cooler than it was possible in this heat wave.

Next to me, Dana's friend Colleen snorted and muttered, "Men." I don't know why she was here, but I think Dana brought her because Colleen digged me or something. Whatever, the only thing I was digging right now was Roxanne's visible cleavage as she slid in after Danny into our booth.

Everyone in The Dingo was looking at our motley crew now. Dallas Winston looked predatory. For sure, if Roxanne got tired of Danny he'd be right there to show her a better time.

"Hey, boys," she said huskily. I'm not just making up the 'husky' part. She always had a husky voice on account of her smoking so much. Normally, I don't go for girls who smoke a bunch because they don't smell as good. But if they all looked like Roxanne right now I wouldn't complain at all.

"Well, hi there, Roxanne," Dana said, trying to fluff her hair, "Golly, what're you doing here?"

"She's on a date with me," said Danny, slinging an arm over his 'girl,' who wrinkled her nose and pushed his arm off.

"Sure looks like it, Danny-boy," I drawled, "She's got your jacket on and everything."

"Ain't you hot, Roxy?" asked Colleen, "It's gotta be a hundred-something out there."

"No, I ain't hot," said Roxanne, taking one of Dana's fries. Dana didn't look too happy about that and pulled her plate away.

"Well, you ain't temperature hot, at least," Jay said smoothly. I wish I could just come up with the stuff on my feet like Jay does. But Glory, how red can Dana get. I thought she was gonna blow up with jealousy after Jay's comment.

"Ain't you a doll," purred Roxy.

"She's on a date with me," said Danny, and drank some of my Coke.

"So we heard," muttered Colleen and I noticed that she had real nice hair – it was red and soft-looking.

I laughed, "You dig okay, Colleen."

She blushed and I grinned and nudged her with my arm. I think I would walk her home tonight.

Dana was still burning from Jay's earlier comment, "I thought you had a boyfriend? Where's Willie at?"

Roxy didn't even bat an eye, "Oh, he's so possessive. And he wanted to take it slow, you know?" Jeez, that broad talked smoothly. I don't think Danny knew what he had on his hands.

"Yeah, well, I know baby," Danny said earnestly, "I like it fast, for sure. Did you guys know she's on a date with me?"

"No, you haven't mentioned it yet," Jay said.

"Do you all know Roxy?" Danny asked, finishing my Coke off. If I hadn't been so packed in here, I would have decked that idiot. He was going to pay me back.

"Yes, we all know Roxy," Dana snapped.

I would like to say that the rest of this hot, summer night was pleasant. But that would be a lie. Danny and Roxy didn't leave like many of us were hoping. They hung around, drinking other people's Cokes (mainly Danny) and flirting with the guys (mainly Roxy, or we would all deck Danny if he was flirting with us). Dana got angrier and angrier. She was just sitting there, slouched and frowning. She looked mighty ugly like that, all scrunched up. Suddenly, she sat up straight and looked like Christmas had come early.

"ROXANNE!"

I have never heard The Dingo go quiet. But boy howdy, you could hear a pin drop. Even cool Dallas Winston had paused in reaching for a fry. Next to him, Ponyboy Curtis was as pale as a sheet. Colleen's eyes were wide so I put my arm over her and pulled her in. Not the right moment exactly, but still.

Standing at the entrance was Willie Davis. He looked ready to murder Danny. He was all red and breathing heavily and he had brought some of his football buddies too. Was he always that large?

He came storming over, shoving a waitress and came right up to our booth. Everyone flinched. Dana slid out, Jay following. I pulled Colleen and we began to try and slide out too before it got nasty.

"ELLIS! What the HELL are you doin' with my girl?"

"I….I…" Boy, Danny sure looked like a pale fish, gaping like that.

"Aw, lay off William," Roxanne sighed, "I'm sick of you and always suffocating me."

"Roxy, baby, you know you're my world!"

Danny actually grew a pair and spoke up, "She said lay off, Davis. She said you two were through. She's my girl now, so find a new broad."

"Screw you, Danny Ellis, I'm gonna beat you so bad that you won't be able to see another girl again."

Willie Davis held a heater in his hand. Looking back on it, I don't know how a stupid football kid like Willie even knew how to handle a gun. But he had one, and it was loaded and pointed right at Roxanne and Danny.

"Roxy, you know I'm what's good for you," Willie had the looked of a crazed man, "I'll treat ya right."

Danny didn't know when to shut his trap, "You don't treat her right in all the ways she needs you stupid jock. She needs more than a letterman jacket and ya'll too stupid to give it to her."

"You shut your trap, Danny Ellis!"

"Yeah?" Danny flipped out his switchblade, holding it loosely and standing in front of Roxanne, who still seemed amazingly cool. I knew that she had only gone out with Danny to get Willie jealous. Roxanne knew Danny was all talk and really a pansy.

"This is bad," Jay muttered as Dana clung to him. Colleen was doing that to me too, but I pushed her away and stepped up to Danny and Willie.

"Hey, fellas," I reasoned, "Let's just forget the broad before the fuzz come. No one wants to get in trouble, you dig?"

"Stay out of this, bud," sneered Danny, "This idiot doesn't know what's he's doin'!"

Willie's hand was shaking something awful. There was no way he could hold that gun straight. "C'mon…"

"SHUT UP!" Willie yelled.

"Hey!" The yell was sharp and loud. It was Dallas Winston and now he was standing next to me, "Davis, don't be stupid. You're ass'll land so fast in jail that you won't be able to even say 'football.' And if you kill this pansy Danny, then you'll have his buddies on your ass and you don't want no greasers havin' a death wish for ya."

"You stay the hell outta this Dallas Winston," Willie said, "I don't need no more greasers tellin' me what to do, you stupid tards."

The rest is a mix of things that I can't remember straight. Dallas charged forward. Willie yelled more and suddenly everyone was yellin' and some guy punched another guy and Colleen was crying and grabbing on to me and Jay was hollering for us to get outta here and Danny was stabbing out with his switchblade and Roxanne was actually screaming at Willie too. And then there was a loud gunshot and and Danny screamed like a girl (and if it were any other situation the gang woulda given him a lotta crap for that) and for the second time in my whole life The Dingo was pin-drop silent.

Until Roxanne started screaming, and everyone pressed forward to see what the commotion was about. She was squirming on the ground, screaming and moaning and holding her arm while blood seeped through her hand.

"GLORY!" Two-Bit Matthews shouted, "She's been shot!"

Willie dropped his gun pretty fast and was charging out of there until Dallas and Tim Shepard took him out and beat him up real bad. Then Colleen was pulling on my arm and her, me, Jay, and Dana lit outta there real fast and soon we were panting down the street while cop cars and an ambulance screamed by to The Dingo.

"Holy….holy…" Jay's hand was shaking as he tried to light his cigarette, but he finally got it and took a long pull. "That was…messed up."

"You sure said it," I lit up too and Jay lit one up for Dana. Colleen refused so I just put my arm around her because she was shaking something awful.

"Too bad she ain't dead," Dana huffed and Jay chuckled and put his arm around her.

"You dig okay, doll," he said, then, "Let's walk our girls home."

That was a nice moment, right there. Quiet and peaceful. Of course we were all in a dark mood after The Dingo incident but still, it was nice.

Next day, everyone was talking about the girl who got shot at The Dingo (courtesy of Jay). But all I could remember was when I kissed Colleen on her front porch.