Characters belong to S.E. Hinton.
I hope you like my version of The Outsiders!
"Don't worry El we wont be moving any where else for a while" said my mom as we helped unpack my dads Volvo. She always said that when we moved to a new place, but this time I think she meant it. I just nodded and carried my box of stuff into our new home. When I walked back out I realized how beat up the house really was. Nothing like the other houses we used to live in. When I looked I also realized how much better our house was compared to the ones further down the street. That just made me want to explore.
"Hey mom I'm gonna look around" all I heard from up stairs was a faint "uh huh" I grabbed my dad's old leather jacket and his baseball cap before she could change her mind. It was a small town so getting around was easy. On my way home I stopped by a drug store and picked up a few cokes. While walking closer to the local movie theater I saw a boy about my age maybe a year younger then I am. He was checking himself out in the mirror when an expensive looking car pulled up at the curb. The boys in the car started hooting at the other boy and he just tried to walk away. But the car kept following him, and me being me I started to follow them. We walked down endless alleys for almost an hour when the car finally caught up with the boy. The clearly older boys ran out of the car, there were five of them, and pinned the younger boy to the ground. The younger boy dropped his switch blade on the ground and one of the other guys picked it up and held it to his neck.
That's when I stopped standing around. I picked up the biggest rock I could find and chucked it at the older boys. They looked at me and laughed. "That all the back up you got greaser?" one of the older boys said sneering. Two of the five boys tried to circle me and pin me down but as soon as they had my arms I heard screaming coming from not that far away. As soon as the older boys saw the other guys they ran into their car like the devil himself was after them. Two of the new boys ran after the car, and then one other boy ran out from an empty lot and grabbed a 2 by 4 that was lying on the ground. They started hooting and hollering after the car. I got up off the ground and walked over to the boy that who was still on the ground. Two boys were sitting with him and lecturing him about something. I walked close enough for them to notice me and they stopped talking.
"You okay?" I asked kneeling down next to him. The boy nodded and the oldest one looked at him.
"Who are you?" he said, I looked up at him and said "I'm Ellie."
The boy on the ground looked at me again and said "I'm Ponyboy, but they call me Pony, That's my brother Sodapop and Darrel" I nodded me hello to both of the older boys when the three boys that were chasing off the car walked over.
"You okay Pony?" one of them said.
The boy who threw the 2 by 4 looked at me and said "and who might you be?" that got every ones attention and they all looked at me.
"That's Ellie" Pony said getting up off the ground. "He tried to help me get away from the Socs."
"Well then your one of us boy!" said a boy in a Mickey Mouse T- shirt. He slapped me on the back and grabbed my hand and shook it. I gave him a weak smile and shook his hand.
"Hey, hey what kind of hand shake is that for a guy huh?" he said jokingly. I just shrugged and turned around; the boy that tried to hit the car with the wood was looking at me.
I stared at him and said "what?"
He raised his hands in defense and said "nothin'" I looked away.
Pony bumped me and said "that's just Dally don't mind him" I nodded and looked at him again.
"What's Dally short for?" I asked.
He looked at me, his eyes were hiding something "Dallas" he said. I nodded letting the conversation go.
The boy with the Mickey Mouse shirt said "if were getting into introductions, I'm Two-Bit" I stared at him with a confused look.
"What kinda name is Two-Bit?" I asked. "It's a nick-name" he said defensively "Ma real name is Keith."
I laughed and said "yeah Two-Bit fits you better" I was still laughing when Two-Bit started smiling and eventually laughed with me. Soon every one else was laughing too. Some one walked in through the front door and said
"Hey Pony who's the new kid" I stopped laughing long enough to walk up to them.
"I'm Ellie" I said as I walked up to them.
The other boy looked up at me "I'm Johnny" he said quietly, I smiled. Some one tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to see Dallas.
"What?" I asked, he just looked at me and jerked his head towards the door. I followed him out onto Pony's porch. "What do ya want?" I asked looking at him.
"What were you trying to do when you helped Pony?" he asked finally stopped and looked at me.
"What do you mean?" I asked puzzled.
"You ain't no greaser, let alone a boy. You could have gotten your self killed." I looked at him and just stared. "And what do you care?" Dallas laughed and smiled like a cocky basterd.
"Your right, what do I care, go ahead and get yourself killed girly" he yelled loud enough for the guys inside to huddle by the door.
"Why'd Dally call you girly?" Pony asked.
"Because that's what I am" I said staring angrily at Dallas and pulling off my baseball cap. My hair looked longer with out it; mom liked it best when I didn't wear a hat. Every one looked at me in some kind of awe, except Darrel. Two-Bit was the first one to break the silence.
"Well that don't change shit, you tried savin' one of us so you are one of us." Two-Bit hooted and that got the rest of them started too. I just smiled and looked at Dallas who scowled at me.
"The way we live is gonna get you killed girl." He said coldly.
Pony looked at him and said "What's wrong with you Dally?"
Dallas pointed at me and said "with the shit we get into, she's gonna get killed and I know that none of yall is gonna want to take the responsibility." Two-Bit started to say some thing but I cut him off.
"Dallas I can take care off ma self, thank you" I said angrily. He scowled at me, threw his cigarette bud on the ground and marched off the porch.
Johnny looked after Dallas and said in awe "Gee I've never seen Dally that angry."
Pony looked at me "No one tells Dally off like that, and when they do they end up real hurt." I looked at Pony, "well ain't that just great" I said flatly.
Two-Bit got some booze from the store and we started drinking it up in the Curtis's house. "Hey Ellie try a Bud" Two-Bit said passing me his bottle of beer.
"Um, okay" I said uncertainly, I brought the bottle to my lips and chugged till it was empty. When I finished I raised the bottle in triumph and hooted. Two-Bit started yelling too as he passed me another beer and got himself a new one. When I was on my third beer and Two-Bit was on his fifth Darrel said
"Okay guys time to go, Soda and I got work and Pony has school, so git." I looked at him and then suddenly remembered
"Aw I got school too, shit my parents are gonna be pissed." I said Two-Bit started laughing. Johnny stood up and said
"If you know where you live I could get you over there real fast"
I looked at him and smiled "could you really?"
He gave a shy smile "yeah it wouldn't be a problem" Johnny shrugged.
"Okay cool" I said standing up with my beer, both Johnny and Two-Bit stood up too. Two-Bit looked at Johnny and said
"don't worry Johnny buddy I can drive her home." Johnny tried to protest but Two-Bit wouldn't let him he just looked over at me and said "come on Ellie lets go" I looked at every one, said good bye and thanked Darrel for the beer and for letting me hang at their house.
"Cya tomorrow Ellie" Pony said from the porch. I waved as Two-Bit started up his old car and drove off.
"So where do you live?" he asked
"take a left..." I said and thats how it was driving home. He wasn't the happy go lucky Two-Bit that he was at the house, he even seemed a little bit more sober but I was more worried about getting home.
"Thanks for the ride Two-Bit" I said smiling sleepily at him.
"Yeah, don't mention it" he said giving an awkward wave and driving off.
"Where have you been?" mom asked when I walked into the house.
"I was out making friends mom" I said walking past her and into my room.
The next day when I woke up and was getting ready for school I felt like I was going to die. "So this is what a hangover is" I said to myself in the mirror in the bathroom. Walking into school with the loud kids and bright florescent lights didn't help much either. I saw Ponyboy during the day and talked to him a bit. He is 2 grades younger than me in school so we didn't have the same lunch period. So I sat alone at lunch waiting for it to be over and sitting in the shade of a tree trying to make the mind splitting headache disappear.
"Your parents didn't care when you walked into your house smelling like beer?" someone asked behind me.
I jumped and turned around "Dallas? What are you doing here?" I asked
"Just passin' by" he said not looking at me. "So what did they say when you walked in the house smelling like beer?"
I looked at the ground "They were too busy unpacking they didn't notice the smell." I said
Dallas made a "Humph" noise and started walking away.
"Hey wait" I said getting up and standing close to the chain link fence separating the school grounds from the rest of the town.
Dallas turned around and looked at me "What?" he asked.
"How do you get rid of a hangover?" I asked. Dallas laughed and kept walking. I watched him as he walked away irritatedly. My head hurt, not because of the hangover but because of Dallas, the problem was I didn't know why.
I walked home with Pony after school, partly because I didn't know my way home and partly because I didn't want him walking alone. We separated about half way to my house and I assured him I knew my way home from there.
"Everyone's coming over again tonight" he said "you should stop by"
"I'll think about it" I said waving and walking away. I got home and no one was there, so I sat in my room and did my homework. By the time I was finished it was still light enough out to walk over to Pony's. So I went, leaving a note for my parents saying I would be home later. I locked my door and walked down the front steps of my house. I hadn't gotten a block from my house when I saw Two-Bit's car rumble down the street towards me.
"Need a ride little lady?" he asked laughing as he pulled over to where I was.
"Sure, you heading to Pony's?" I asked
"You know it!" he said "Get in! You're going to have to sit in the back tough... Dallas has shot gun" Two-Bit said apologeticly.
"Thats fine" I said opening the door to the back seat and climbing in. "Dallas" I said acknowledging him.
"Ellie" he said not turning around. We sat in silence for the rest of the ride to Pony's. I could tell that Two-Bit was uncomfortable, but the way Dallas had was acting around me was pissing me off. When Two-Bit stopped the car in front of Pony's he bolted out of the car and up the wooden steps of the house. Dallas and I sat there for a second more before we both started to get out. I walked a head of him and when I got to the metal gate I had a thought.
He was right behind me and I turned on him, "If you're going to act like that i'll leave. I don't want to ruin your day." I said the last part sarcastically.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said solemnly.
"You know what I mean" I said, my voice was low because I wasn't sure I could talk to him without yelling at the top of my lunges.
Dallas's eyes narrowed and the emotions I saw pass through them made him look hungry, empty and dark. If I hadn't been a few inches shorter than him we would have been close enough to kiss. Dallas just glared at me and practically growled "You don't belong here." My eyes widened and I turned and walked to the house. I walked through the house angrily until I found the beer. I grabbed four or five beers and stormed out of the house. Every one followed me to the door. Dallas was still standing by the gate, his eyes still narrowed and they followed me until I started walking down the street.
"Hey Ellie where ya goin'?" I heard Pony call.
"Hey Ellie!" Two-Bit yelled.
"Leave her alone" I heard Dallas say.
I walked down the street and opened one of the bottles of beer downing it in a few minutes. I settled down at a park and drank two more beers. By then I could feel a buzz.
Well thats the first chapter i'm not sure if i'll write more i'm not sure whats going to happen next. if you have any suggestions please let me know!