A fic I'm working on to help persuade my friend to quit smoking. She's 13(almost 14) and I don't want her to smoke.
Two-Bit had quit, Johnny has quit, Soda has quit, Steve is working on quitting, but what about our favorite weed-fiend?
Ponyboy Curtis was sitting under the main staircase at his school, smoking happily without a care in the world. He was skipping of course, just to get a smoke. He hadn't met the requirement for track this year, his smoking has gotten his breath short. Two-Bit could easily tackle Pony and keep him down lately. But then again, Two-Bit had quit smoking and made the football team. His breath was much better and he could run easily. Quarter back. But he still drank, but he had even cut down at that too! Anyways, he just about dozed off when the bell rang, making him jump and drop the lit cigarette onto his jeans. He felt the sharp burn and quickly patted it out. Then, after making sure the cigarette was out, he put the butt in his pocket and went to his next class.
Two-Bit was flicking a paper football at Johnny, who sat in front of him. Pony sat down and sighed. Two-Bit began to sniff the air until Pony found Two-Bit's nose dug into his thigh.
"W-what are you doing?" Pony asked, aghast. Two-Bit didn't move, he just started to dig his finger into the burn hold in Pony's thigh. "Two-Bit, what are you...?"
"Been smoking recently, Pone?" he asked which was more of a statement than a question.
"Get your nose out of my crotch!" Pony whispered harshly. Two-Bit lined his back with the chair and frowned lowly at him. "And yeah, I've been smoking." he admitted. Two-Bit glanced at the teacher and smiled like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and turned back to Pony.
"Smoking ain't too great for you, buddy..." There was a catch in his voice, "I quit and got a football position." he said, proudly. "And you didn't make the track team this year."
"I know." he admitted lowly.
"You should cut back." Two-Bit finally said, glaring hard at the chalkboard. "Johnny quit and I'm working on Steve too."
"Why do you care?" asked Pony, who had gotten tired of the rapid fire information Two-Bit was handing to him. He had never known Two-Bit to be so smart. He thought the football was getting to him.
"Because you're fourteen, idiot. Dally is too hard-headed to listen to me. Hell, he's the idiot who..."
"Mr. Matthews, please answer the question." the teacher asked. Two-Bit looked at the chalkboard.
"Yellow penguin." he said. The class roared in laughter. The teacher, on the other hand, wasn't as thrilled.
"No, Mr. Matthews." he said. He turned back to the chalkboard, still speaking, "It's Robert Frost." and he began to scribble on the board.
"Oh, darn, that was my second guess." Two-Bit hissed, snapping a finger. The teacher grinned to the chalkboard. "Anyways, Pone, smoking is unhealthy."
"No it ain't. You won't die from a few cigarettes!"
"Yeah, but you're a chain smoker!"
"Why do you care anyways?"
"Because I don't want you to die!" roared Two-Bit, slamming his fist down on the table and turning over a chair. The teacher whipped around and glared at Two-Bit.
"Two-Bit Matthews, what is the matter with you today, son?" he asked. Two-Bit glared at the teacher for a moment, then at Pony.
"I'm... sorry... I got carried away..." he said, sitting back down.
"Don't let it happen again, please."
"Course."
–x-X-x–
"Ponyboy, I got a call from the school today," Darry announced at dinner that night. Soda was eating happily at his chicken, "And your trigonometry teacher told me you weren't in that class today, kid. You skipping, son?" Pony played at his potatoes cautiously.
"N-no Dar..." Darry was staring hard at Pony.
"That's not a convincing 'no', Ponyboy." Soda looked up.
"You skippin' Pone?" he asked.
"No!"
"Yeap, he's skipping Darry." Soda announced and went back to his hunks of food.
"I am not!"
"Pony, why are you skipping?" Darry asked, knowing Pony would spill it if he bullied him enough.
"I had a craving..."
"Cigarette?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry Dar." Pony whined, frowning at his fork. Darry put down his fork and leaned back to look at Pony.
"Ponyboy, smoking is no excuse to skip a class to relieve a temptation." he said, "Smoking can kill you... You had such a talent for track." he said.
"I know."
"And then Two-Bit..." he began. "Two-Bit quit, and boy that wasn't easy, and he made football and he could get a scholarship!"
"Two-Bit told me to stop today too." sighed Pony, looking hard at Darry, "After digging his nose into my crotch."
"Your crotch? Pony, your dick been smoking recently?" Soda asked. Darry reached over and hit him playfully. Soda then made a comment, "Yellow dick."
"Shaddup Sodapop." Pony harshly whispered. Soda cocked the side of his mouth and squinted his eyes, with a grin, making his face scrunch up like Dally did up in Jay Mountain. Then, Soda made another comment, "Your dick had a bad habit."
"Soda." Darry warned. "Pony, smoking kills, you know that right?"
"That's what Two-Bit said!"
"It's the truth baby. I mean, that junk contains tar, carbon monoxide, chemicals like DDT, arsenic and formaldehyde..."
"Formal-what?"
"Formaldehyde. Stuff used to preserve dead animals." Soda explained. The others just looked at him. "What? It was the only thing I learned and remembered at that school."
"Aw, ew." Pony gagged, thinking about the dead animal thing. Darry cackled.
"Yeah. Gross right?"
"Hell yeah..."
"Watch your mouth, kid."
Next chapter: Two-Bit and the rest of the gang sit Pony down and tell him the wrongs of smoking at his age.