A/N: Hey guys! This ain't my first fanfic, but it is my first Outsiders fanfic, so please be kind. I loved this book and I loved the movie. They're absolutely fantabulous if you ask me! So please Read and Review and be nice. It's going to get better. Just pull through with me please!
A What?
Thunder screamed outside and shook the night with lightning illuminating the pitch-black sky, threatening to come down on a least-expecting victim. Rain lashed and peppered against the windows of the Curtis's home, but it wasn't enough to move its inhabitants.
Sodapop Curtis was playing poker with his best friend, Steve Randle. He placed four Marlboro's in the middle of the table and carefully slipped his hand into his shoe. Without looking away from his cards, Steve said, "Bring that hand back up here, Soda, 'cause I know you got an ace in there."
"What ace? I was itchin', that's all," Soda said innocently as his hand shot back up to the table as though it had been there the entire time.
"Next time I play poker with you, remind me to take all shoes off," said Steve.
"Hey ya'll!" a slurred voice erupted from the door. The door slammed and in came Two-Bit Mathews, drunk as ever and dripping from head to toe. He plopped himself down on the couch and turned on the television.
"Two-Bit, don't you have a T.V. at your house?" Ponyboy asked. He had been sitting in Darry's armchair. Darry was working late – as usual.
"Yeah, but it's busted. My mom knocked into it after laughing too hard. Hey, when's Mickey comin' on?" he asked in his slurred voice. Everyone could tell he was drunk. No one bothered to answer him.
The door suddenly slammed open and thunder erupted, making everyone in the room jump. The lightning lit up the faces of Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade, making it look as if it was one of those horror movies. Dallas was carrying an unconscious Johnny in his arms. His left hand was bleeding severely from a lengthy wound and blood was dripping from both his nose and mouth. Johnny was worse than him. He was sporting a black eye and his chest was cut open severely with marks that looked as if they were made by a broken bottle, or more than one blade.
"Holy shit, man! What the hell happened?" Two-Bit said in a sober expression. Soda and Steve looked away from their game and stared at the new arrivals. Ponyboy jumped up from the armchair and motioned for Dally to put Johnny on the couch. After Dally did that, he collapsed onto the floor.
"I saw Johnny gettin' jumped by the Socs, so I went to help. There were seven of 'em, man – too many for me to handle. Johnny was out cold by then, so I just took out my blade, but one of 'em swung a chain. They beat me up good, but I just ran with Johnny 'cause I didn't have a heater. I hate runnin' . . ." He trailed off.
Ponyboy had gone to the kitchen and he returned with several bandages and some ointment. Dally stubbornly refused to be taken care of and continued to eye Johnny warily as Pony applied the ointment to his cuts.
"He ain't gotta be taken to the hospital, does he?" asked Dally.
"Not really – but he can't go home either," Pony replied. "He's stayin' with us. You too, Dally."
Dally closed his eyes and grunted in agreement. Two-Bit began humming the theme song to Mickey Mouse as Pony continued to aid Johnny. Dally fell asleep on the couch, giving Pony the chance to tend to his wound, as Steve and Soda had their conversation while playing poker.
"One day I'm going to get real even with them Socs," Soda practically snarled.
"I'll be there with you, buddy. We'll beat them Socs 'til there ain't nothin' left of 'em." He set down his cards and said, "Read 'em an' weep." But Soda put down a better hand and said, "That's a week's worth of cigarettes and twenty-five cents!"
The door opened a final time and Darry came in wearily. He would have collapsed right then and there, but he decided it best to sit in the armchair. When he did, he looked around the room. Two-Bit was an inch away from the T.V., Steve and Soda were arm wrestling, Pony was tending to Dally, and Johnny was unconscious on the couch – the typical day.
"What happened?" he asked wearily.
"They got jumped. But they're alright. There were seven of them, Darry," said Pony. He finished bandaging Dally's arm and got up.
"What are you doing up? It's one o'clock in the morning!" said Darry.
"I was waitin' for you! And anyway, I was just about to go to sleep now. Night ya'll."
"Night!" everyone echoed back.
It wasn't long before Two-Bit was snoring, Steve was drooling on the table, Darry was grunting in the armchair, and Soda was slinging his arm around Ponyboy.
…:Next Day:…
"Where are my shoes?"
"Under the couch!"
"Hurry up or you're gonna be late!"
"Where's my DX shirt?"
"On the couch!"
"Hurry up or you're gonna be late!"
It was another typical day at the Curtis's. Ponyboy, Dally, and Johnny had all gone to the Nightly Double (Johnny was still smarting and aching, but Dally insisted). Two-Bit was off getting drunk and Soda, Steve and Darry were getting ready for work. The three of them hopped into Darry's old truck and Darry dropped Soda and Steve at their gas station.
"Today's going to be a slow day," said Soda as he sat on top of the counter. "I can feel it."
"It's Saturday, it's always slow on Saturday," Steve added. He was zipping through a magazine.
The unexpected was beginning to happen. A blue Mustang rounded the corner and drove slowly past the street the DX was stationed on. Soda and Steve eyes it warily.
"What are they doin' in our territory?" Steve piped up.
"They probably got lost or somethin'. The neutral territory ain't far from here," Soda replied.
But they were wrong. The blue Mustang came roaring back and it stopped directly in front of the gas station. Soda jumped off the counter and he and Steve exited the gas station's shop. They approached the Mustang cautiously. Soda counted six Socs in the car.
"You're outta your territory, Soc," he snarled at one of them.
"What's your point?"
"It means you'd better watch out!" Steve snapped at him.
"Or what? You're going to come after us with oil grease and put it in our hair?" the Soc said.
"You're gonna get it good for what you did to Johnny and Dal yesterday," said Steve.
"I'm shaking in my boots, kid. You'll get the same treatment if you continue."
"Go beg your mommy for some money and leave us alone," said Soda.
"Well at least I still have a mom to cry to!" the Soc snapped.
There was deathly silence. Steve glanced towards Soda. He was ghastly white, his teeth were clenched tightly so that his jaw line went white and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were pearl. They had gone too far. Steve could tell Soda was ready to lash out.
Soda did what he had to do. With tears of anger welling up inside of him, he turned to the Soc who had made the disgusting comment. He drew back his fist and WAM! The Soc stumbled backwards and fell onto the hard concrete, blood dripping from his mouth. It was Soc against Greaser all over again.
Soda was fighting three Socs at the same time while Steve was doing the same. It was a battle they were losing. The Socs Steve had were slugging him good. He was pinned to the ground by two and the other just kept slugging and slugging until he could take no more. The free Soc took his head with both hands and slammed it hard onto the concrete, making Steve black out completely.
"Steve!" Soda yelled from the vice grip the Socs had on him. One Soc grabbed hold of his hands and flipped him in the air so that Soda landed on his back with a loud crack. Another Soc picked him up again and rammed him into the nearest wall. He kept banging Soda's head against the wall, but Soda did not give up. His eyes were getting heavily lidded as the Socs kept hitting him hard in the head. Another Soc stabbed him deeply in the chest and Soda screamed. His scream echoed into the streets. He blacked out.
The next thing Soda knew, he was being shaken vigorously. "Wake up, punk!" someone shouted at him. His eyelids flickered and then opened. He was staring into the faces of a Soc.
"He's awake."
"Who . . . who are you?" Soda asked the Soc.
"I'm a Soc, you dumbass."
"A what?"
OceanLily12's Note: Yes, that's right - the Socs have Soda and it'll all be explained in the next chapter. So what did you think? Was I good for a rookie in the Outsiders's world, or did I go horribly wrong into the likes of a Hell-hole? Please tell me in a review because that will base how many chapters I should do. Poor Sodapop . . . from greaser to Soc . . .