Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does, yada, yada, yada. The show must go on!
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ANYMORE, NOW GET OUT!" My mother's voice rang in my ears. It's funny that she said that, because I never open my mouth anyway. I know well enough to keep my trap shut, so I can avoid the two by four from my old man. My mother doesn't give a hoot about me, she only yells at me if she's hacked off at something or drunk, and my father beats me if I'm in his way. I lie to myself, tell myself that I hate them, but I don't. I love them, regardless of the love I didn't receive back. I had the gang to love me, but it was different, not the same as your parents loving you. Just like the Curtises, and how they were heartbroken when their parents died in an auto wreck, just four months ago. I would give mine up, just so they could get theirs back. I knew it was impossible, but it was something to think about.
I ran out the door, before my old lady could scream at me any more. I walked across my dump of a front lawn and over to the lot. I didn't feel like going to the Curtis household, I knew very well I was welcome there, but it didn't feel right sometimes. It was like I was intruding or something. Speak of the devil. There at the lot was Ponyboy, and Sodapop. I assumed Darry was at work, the guy never took a break. Steve was also there, him and Soda were throwing a football to each other, while Pony watched from the sidelines.
"Hey, hey, hey, Johnnycake!" yelled a joyful Soda, and I couldn't help feeling jealous, with his good looks. I wasn't anything handsome, just plain. I bothered me, just like I looked like I was fourteen bothered me. I waved and stood next to Pony. Me and Pony were buddies, we would always be.
"Hi Johnny," Said Pony quietly. He was pretty shy, like me. We watched Steve and Soda throw the ball back and forth until they stopped.
"What time is it Pone?" asked Soda. Pony took a watch out of his back pocket. He didn't want to wear it, I guess it wouldn't make him look so tuff.
"Five."
Steve swore and looked at Soda. "Dang, we were 'sposed to pick up the girls at four! They're gonna think we stood 'em up!" With that, they took off in a sprint towards Steve's souped up, and battered car.
"Johnny, do you wanna see a movie?" Asked Pony shyly, kicking the ground with his foot.
"Sure, we can swing by the reformatory, and see if Dally's out. Maybe he'll wanna come," I answered. Dally was in reform school for breaking into the high school and ransacking a classroom.
We set off, and ran into an unexpected guest- Dally. His light white blue eyes had a dangerous look in them, one I didn't look up to.
"Hey kids," He greeted us with usual curse words following that, in terms of affection of course.
"Hi, Dal, did you just get out today?" I asked, a little nervously.
"Yeah kid, this morning," He answered coolly.
"We were just gonna catch a show. Want to come along?" asked Ponyboy. I knew he was most likely afraid of Dally, but he usually spoke for me.
"Naw man, there's gonna be at drag race over at the Ribbon, its Tim's punk brother, Curly, against some other hoods. I wanna catch it 'cause I'm betting on Curly. Ten bucks. You punks are okay to come, only if Darry don't skin me," He said with a laugh.
I looked at Pony and he nodded. We followed Dally down our block, looking at the tough looking wood and wire that fenced them in, the overgrown yellow grass, and cracked, gray driveways. It was the same old thing, until Dally noticed something. We were just passing a house when Dally pointed at an upcoming driveway. I could barely see it, but a black haired kid was drawing chalk all over a driveway.
"Whadda ya say we jump this kid, huh? Unless you two too goody too!" Dally said with an evil grin and headed towards the kid. I didn't want to jump the kid. Most of us had been jumped before by Socs, and it wasn't exactly nice. I mean, the only good reason to use violence is for self defense, right? I'm sure Pony thought the same way, judging by the anxious glances he was throwing me. We followed uneasily: there was no stopping Dally, when he was this dangerous.
We approached the child from behind, and Pony and I stopped in our tracks when I saw the drawings on the driveway. They were the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The driveway was almost completely covered in anything perfectly replicated; I saw things like the moon, trees, ice cream, guitars, you name it. Even Dally stopped to admire them, once he realized he was doing it he stopped. He then put on his mean face and cracked his knuckles, causing the kid to turn around. Then, I realized that the kid drawing was a girl. She was a real looker, in a certain way. She appeared to be around thirteen, and had a pale face with freckles on her nose. I noticed that her hair wasn't black as I thought it was; it was a dark, dark reddish brown, kind of like the colour of a coke. And her eyes were the most noticeable. They were big, and round and the colour of clouds on a rainy day. Real pretty. I was brought out my infatuation by Dally's hard and cold voice.
"Well, well, well boys, looks like we've got ourselves a broad," He said, grinning like the devil. No, I thought, I didn't want Dally to torment this girl, she was only a child. Pony had a frightful look in his eyes. The girl stood up, dropped the chalk, and faced us. I took notice of what she was wearing: A white blouse, with a dark blue uniform looking skirt, and Mary Jane type shoes. Her clothes seemed to hang off of her; she was pretty thin.
"And what exactly is a broad?" she inquired with a quizzical smile, and I noticed her accent. It sounded Irish or British, and her voice was high pitched, but not in an annoying way.
"Ha, ha very funny voice, chick. Don't get wise," Dally snapped. She flinched at his voice.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she asked, and her voice sounded calm for being in front of Dallas Winston.
"Only if these chickens will help," He said eying us with pleasure. I could tell he was enjoying this, he liked tormenting people. I shook my head firmly. Pony followed my action, and he looked scared. I mean, I have a rep for looking scared, 'cause of my folks and the Socs, but Pony looked real scared.
"I won't waste me time then," He said with a harshness that made my back prickle with goosebumps. I knew Dally would never hurt me; I was like his kid brother, just like I was to the rest of the gang. With that he stormed off, swearing.
"Blimey, thanks boys. You just saved my skin!" she said with gratitude in her eyes but yet still looked scared a bit. Sensing the fright in her Pony said,
"Don't thank us, we didn't really do anything. Dally's alright. He won't come back," and his shyness seemed to fade.
"Well, I hope not. That boy looked like one dangerous bloke. Are you from around here?" she asked.
"Yeah, we lived here our whole lives. I'm Ponyboy Curtis, this is Johnny Cade," Pony answered.
"It's nice to meet you. You have an interesting name Ponyboy, although its sounds a bit wonky. My name is Ramona Charleston. I just moved here from Liverpool."
She answered, and smiled at me, and I felt a weird feeling. It was like sparks were shooting up from my stomach, and at the same time my heart turned to butter. We exchanged ages, and I found out that she was sixteen, same as me.
"Do you want to see a movie with us?" I blurted out, and Pony shot me a funny look, I'm guessing because it was because I rarely spoke.
"I fancy that. I could use some company, these days," She sighed.
"We were just planning to go. The movie is Gone with the Wind, it came out some time ago, but the movie house is replaying it," Pony said.
"Sounds nice," Ramona said, and we began to walk to the movie house, talking while we did.
"You two are a pair of nice blokes. Why were you with that boy, I mean, he isn't a nice type like you is he?" she asked, a bit hesitantly.
"Dally- that boy is our friend. Were both grease and in the same gang," I answered.
"What's grease?" Ramona inquired.
"Well, there are two big gangs in our town. There are the Greasers- that's us, and the Socs. The Greasers are the rough kids who live on the poor, east side of town, and the Socs are rich, and live on the west side of town. The Greasers are like hoods, and are pretty wild, like they steal and stuff. The Socs are downright mean. They throw beer blasts, riverbottom parties, and jump us for fun. And the Greasers are considered the bad ones in society," Pony said.
"Oh, so kind of like the Teddy Boys, back in England. The Teddy's were kind of like greasers as you said, except it didn't really matter if you were poor or not, saying that they were poor was mostly talking bollocks. It was just a form of rebellion," She said.
"Yeah, it's been pretty rough bein' a Greaser," I said, looking down.
"Things will turn around. Does living on the shoddy side make me a Greaser girl?" Ramona asked us.
"Well, ya sure don't look the type. Normally, Greasy girls dress, well, provocatively," Ponyboy said, and she laughed.
"The school I went to in Liverpool, it was a uniform school and I don't have too many other clothes," She said.
We finally reached the movies, bought our tickets and watched the movie in silence. I was glad, when Pony and I went with Soda, Two-Bit or anyone else, they would just talk, and we would get kicked out.
When it was over, it was only 3:00, and we didn't have anymore money, so Pony had the idea of going to the lot. I didn't blame him; Ramona was a real nice girl. I don't know what it was, but she really got us talking.
We went to the lot, and sat down on the ol' carseat. We talked for a while, and Ramona explained what she was doing here.
"Well, I lived in Liverpool with me dad and brother-Ronny. Me mum died when I was just a tyke, and I was a pretty sick baby. Heart Defect. Me father worked like a dog, trying to support me brother and I. As well, he was laid off at the factory and shipped me off to me Grandfather's, he moved here after the war, with some of his comrades. And that brings me here," She said.
"Golly, you've had it pretty rough too then... My parents died about four months ago, and I live with my two older brothers now," Ponyboy said quietly.
"I'm truly sorry Ponyboy, " Ramona said, and she sounded the most sincere a person could get.
"I don't need your pity..." Ponyboy said, sadly.
"What are your brothers like?" She said abrubtly, trying to change the subject.
"Well, my oldest brother is Darry. He is big, tall and likes to play football. My other brother; Sodapop is a great guy. He's always happy go lucky no matter what, and can make anyone grin. He is also the best looking boy you will possibly meet," Pony said with a grin. I couldn't help noticing his not so vivid description of Darry, maybe they didn't get along as well as Soda and he did.
"Well then, you boys might have some competition then," She said and flashed a grin directly at me. I immediately felt my ears and cheeks burn, and the same sensation in my stomach bubbled inside of me.
"Don't worry yourselves... only nice blokes bring out the cheekyness in me," She said.
"Me brother Ronny- he's back in Liverpool, he sort of sounds like your Soda. He was always the happy bloke of his mates, yet he was a goof. I miss him very much; he was me best friend," She said, with a sad look on her face. She then checked her watch, then stood up, and brushed the grass off her skirt.
"I'd ought to be going now, thank you for taking me to the pictures. I'll see you at school -right?" She asked.
"Yeah, We're both in the tenth grade," Pony answered. We were two years apart, but he had skipped up a grade and I had failed one; making us in the same grade.
"Awe too bad... I'm in the eleventh. It would have been gear if we were in the same grade," She said. I didn't know what "gear" was, and I wasn't prepared to ask.
"Goodbye Ponyboy, Gooodbye Johhny. I really hope to see you at school," Ramona said with a hopeful tone.
"See you around."
"Yeah, see you," I said. Then she turned around and walked home, and I still had that feeling. I didn't know what it was; hope, or happiness. I didn't think that mattered- It was only something.
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