My first Outsiders story, so I hope I do good! There isn't enough Marcia stories out there. I was disappointed when Marcia had such a small part in the movie and the book, because I felt like she was even more nice and friendly with the greasers than Cherry. Since I love Marcia so much, I decided, "What the heck, let's write a story for her!"
As for pairings, the following will be in the story: Marcia x Johnny, slight Marcia x Two-Bit, Cherry x Bob (I believe Bob really loved Cherry), Marcia x Bob (As in friendship - who says they weren't good friends?), Steve x Evie, and Sodapop x Sandy
EDIT (IMPORTANT): I decided I will keep writing this story, but I'm first going through and cleaning up the previous chapters. This will be an Alternate Universe, but everything will be as close to canon as possible up to the Church fire - I plan to have Johnny and Dallas survive and to show how Johnny and Marcia's lives would have been effected. This story is not popular at all, but I still love it and since this is the only Johnny/Marcia story out there, I'm gonna keep going with it.
Disclaimer: The Outsiders belongs to S.E. Hinton...which stands for Steve Evie Hinton...not really.
Johnny's big dark eyes darted back and forth as the three of them grabbed their seats. The night air was crisp and cool as a beach movie came onto the huge screen, sending flickering light into the darkness. Rubbing his hands together to keep warm, Johnny watched the beginning credits start to play. Beside him, he could hear Ponyboy and Dallas' voices beside him.
"Man, its freezing!" Ponyboy said, rubbing his bare arms. He was only wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. At least Johnny and Dallas had their jackets to keep the wind off them.
"Then why didn't you bring a coat stupid?" Dallas retorted, fiddling with his cigarette.
Ponyboy sighed before replying: "I forgot to."
The three had taken a seat behind two Soc girls. Johnny eyed them nervously, wondering if they would whisper about them, or giggle while saying, "What filthy greasers…" He heard it a million times before, but it always hurt to hear it. It was like a paper cut - you've had them before, but whenever you get a new one it still stings just as much as the last one.
They only managed a few minutes in to the movie when Dallas started to get restless. Soon enough, he leaned towards the girls and started talking dirty. Johnny would have been amazed at the things Dallas was saying if he hadn't been saying them to two girls; Soc girls at that. Johnny always wondered what it would be like if he dated a Soc; not that he really was into the whole dating thing - he was scared stiff around most girls. If he ever did date though, he hoped it would be a classy girl who wore decent skirts and rarely cussed or smoked. That would be something, Johnny thought. If only I was more like Dally, then maybe a girl would look at me the way they look at him.
Push came to shove, and before Johnny or Ponyboy could react, the red head turned to Dallas and snapped, "Get your feet off my chair and shut your trap!"
"Who's going to make me, huh, your boyfriend?"
As the two continued to dig in to each other, Johnny hesitantly observed. The red head seemed a bit nervous, and angry too, snapping her gum loudly, but the dark haired girl just kept watching the movie. She seemed to try to ignore Dallas and his rude comments. Even if he didn't show it, Johnny knew that had really set Dallas off. Nobody ignored Dallas Winston - it just angered him. Just as the red head and Dallas started to raise their voices at each other, Johnny walked off and got a coke. Anything to get away from all the yelling.
He had only left for a minute or two when he came back to see Dallas gone and Ponyboy chatting to the two Soc girls. They seemed friendly enough. The red head was now smiling and the dark haired girl was laughing. Johnny was glad Ponyboy was there; they were a lot alike, just as much as they were different. They were both embarrassed whenever one of the gang went off about a wild party or how they spent a night with a certain girl. Those were the kind of stories Johnny hated. They made him turn red faster than a fever.
Johnny sat down in his seat beside Ponyboy, managing to look at the girls and softly say, "hi" before turning back to the movie.
The two Soc girls were Cherry Valance and Marcia Brown. Cherry was sixteen years old with bright red hair and green eyes. She was a beauty and was one of the most popular girls in school. She made good grades and always went to beer blasts and the coolest parties. Cherry was a "Super Soc", as Two-Bit would say. Marcia was sixteen as well with short, dark brown hair that curled around her face. She shared Cherry's popularity, content with never being completely in the spotlight. She was a simple kind of a pretty, always smiling and laughing. They were best friends since they were little kids, despite their different personalities. Marcia had a great sense of humor and always ready to make a friend. Cherry was more sophisticated and in to "deeper" things like watching sunsets or daydreaming.
Marcia was still facing the boys, giving them a soft smile. She turned her attention to Johnny, staring into his round black eyes that reminded her of a lost puppy. As soon as Johnny turned and caught her gaze, he diverted his eyes elsewhere, blushing. Marcia couldn't help but giggle.
Soon enough, Dallas came striding back, his arms filled with cokes. He handed them out to everyone except Johnny, who was busy sipping on his. When he gave one to Marcia, she quietly said, "Thank you," but he didn't hear her. Instead, he took a seat beside Cherry.
"Here, maybe this will cool you off," Dallas said, eying the screen as he took a drag on his cigarette. Cherry gave him an incredulous look before splashing the coke right back in his face.
"Maybe that will cool you off greaser! After you wash your mouth and learn to talk decent, maybe I'll cool off too."
Dally wiped the coke off his face and gave Cherry a dangerous smile. He always liked a challenge, especially when it came to girls. "Fiery, huh? Well, that's just the way I like 'em." He suddenly reached over and started to wrap his arms around her, causing Cherry to protest and shove him off. Marcia looked on in worry, gasping when Cherry yelled at Dallas in a shrill voice.
Before he knew what he was doing, Johnny stood up. "Leave her alone Dal."
Dallas suddenly went still, staring at Johnny with surprise. Marcia didn't even know the boy's name and knew that was certainly out of character for him. He looked ready to faint as he stared at Dallas. Marcia was scared he would break in to a million pieces.
"What did you say Johnny?"
"You heard me…" Johnny mumbled, his sudden courage gone.
"What did you say you lil' shit? Whaddya say to me?"
Johnny gave him a pleading look. "Come on…" He gave Dallas a shrug, his stomach hardening to rock.
Dallas gave Cherry a burning glare before stalking off, cursing them out. Marcia felt her shoulders relax with relief as Cherry turned to Johnny.
"Thank you, he had me scared to death."
Johnny forced a smile. "Well, you sure didn't look it. Nobody talks to Dally like that."
"From what I saw, you do."
Marcia couldn't help but admire the boy. Ponyboy was looking at Johnny in shock - it wasn't everyday Johnny Cade stood up to Dallas Winston.
Taking a breath of courage, Marcia gave them a flirtatious look. "Why don't y'all sit up here? You can protect us."
Johnny and Ponyboy looked at each other and grinned. Would we ever have something to tell the boys! Johnny thought, and Pony simply gave him a nod, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "Okay, might as well…"
The two greasers moved up so that Johnny sat beside Marcia, and Ponyboy sat beside Cherry.
The four started to talk, forgetting about the movie. Johnny was pretty quiet, except for when one of the girls talked to him. Cherry seemed to be getting into a steady conversation with Ponyboy, while Marcia stayed still beside Johnny, a comfortable silence between them.
Marcia overheard Ponyboy talk about Dallas. "He'd leave you alone if he knew you."
Marcia couldn't help but envy the way the boys took up for one another. The Socs didn't do that; they talked about each other behind their backs and gossiped about the worst things. They were always planting rumors and tricking each other, even jumping one another whenever they were bored. Marcia despised that. It wasn't right to treat your friends like trash.
"Well, I'm glad he doesn't know us," Marcia said with finality. And she meant it too. She had heard of Dallas Winston. He was pure trouble, always getting in jail and starting fights. Although she thought it was nice of him to buy her and Cherry cokes. She never would have expected that, especially from someone as rough and tough like Dally.
During their conversation, the two girls finally told Johnny and Ponyboy why they were at the movies alone. They had come with their boyfriends, Bob and Randy, when they got drunk. Marcia drank the occasional time but the two of them had been pickled. Cherry was furious with them - she couldn't stand alcohol at all. They finally told the boys off and left them, coming to watch the movie alone. As they walked to the stands, they could hear the boys swear angrily and drive off, obviously to drink their booze elsewhere.
It had become silent again, at least, that's what Ponyboy and Cherry thought. Marcia really liked Johnny, the way he was so shy and sweet, so she would quietly ask about him: what it was like living on the East side, who he liked to hang out with, what their local hangouts were...
"…and sometimes we go to the Dingo. Dally really likes it in there, but it ain't really for me. Me and Pony usually hang around the lot, or we go to Jay's. That place isn't as rough as the Dingo. A girl once got stabbed there."
He was surprised at himself, to say the least. He usually didn't speak more than a sentence here and there to the boys but here he was, chatting up a storm (no doubt hesitantly and quietly) with a Soc, but not just any Soc, a girl. Girls made Johnny incredibly nervous, as if they were going to claw into him any second!
He never really got to talk to Cherry, but Marcia was always ready to make a joke or ask a question. Her curious, funny personality reminded him of good ol' Two-Bit. He would just love to have a conversation with her. Johnny knew that they would have a roaring time.
"That's awful! I don't think I could go to a place like that…" Marcia said timidly. "The wildest thing that ever happened at Rusty's was diarrhea!"
Johnny gave a small chuckle at her joke, and Marcia beamed at him. Cherry never did like her quirky sense of humor, and neither did Randy if she was truthful. It was nice to have someone appreciate it.
"You know Johnny; I think you would be more suited for the West side than the East."
Johnny gave her an anxious look. "Whaddya mean?"
"I mean that ya'll ain't like that Dallas Winston and all those other hoods. I could picture you and your friend at Rusty's, not some takeout like the Dingo. I don't know why. You look tough but at the same time you don't. Know what I mean?"
Johnny just stared at her with a confused look in his eyes. He wasn't sure if he understood or not. He never got the chance to say anything because before he knew it, a hand grabbed his shoulder in a firm grip as another landed on Marcia's. A deep voice boomed behind the four saying, "All right, you've had it greasers!"
Marcia let out a sudden squeal. Johnny turned and met Two-Bit's eyes, twinkling with laughter. He was wearing his usual goofy grin. Marcia started to laugh when she realized it wasn't Randy or Bob coming after them.
Johnny didn't even notice. He was shaking with fright and his face was as white as a sheet. Two-Bit should have known better than to scare him like that, but Two-Bit was always going on and forgetting. Trying to calm himself down, he breathed in and out slowly, but his breaths came out in gasps. Two-Bit suddenly realized and ruffled his hair.
"Shoot kid I forgot." He suddenly handed Johnny a bottle in a paper bag. "Here, this'll calm your nerves." Two-Bit turned to the two girls and, with a wise smile, said, "Well now, who do we have here? Your great-grandmothers?"
Cherry rolled her eyes and smiled. "Great Aunts, twice removed."
"Shoot, your ninety-nine if you're a day!"
"I'm a night," Marcia spoke up brightly. Two-Bit was impressed.
"Well aren't you somethin'? How did two greasers like these pick up two classy ladies like yourselves?"
"Actually," Marcia began, "we picked them up. We're really Arabian slave traders and we're thinking of shanghaiing them. They should go for about, five camels a piece."
Two-Bit shook his head. "Nope, four. They don't speak Arabian I don't think. Say something in Arabian Johnnycake!"
"Ah, cut it out!" Johnny said. "Look, Dallas was bothering them so they asked us to come and protect them, probably from wise-cracking greasers like you."
Two-Bit grinned at Johnny. He wasn't usually like this. He was a bit looser and calmer than he normally was, which was fine for Two-Bit. He hated to see the sixteen-year-old so tensed up all the time.
"Hey, where is ol' Dally anyways?"
Ponyboy started to answer him, and as the two spoke, Marcia leaned towards Johnny and jerked a thumb towards Two-Bit. "Is he a friend of yours?" she whispered. Johnny nodded.
Cherry's voice suddenly spoke up. "You boys don't believe in playing rough do you?"
Two-Bit shrugged. "Well, a fair fight ain't rough."
Cherry seemed annoyed by his answer. "Yeah boy, real simple," she said, throwing her hand up before lying it on her purse.
Marcia looked around at them casually. "Yeah, if he gets killed or something, you just bury him, no sweat."
By the way Two-Bit looked her over, Johnny knew that it wasn't blondes he was looking for tonight. "You dig okay, baby." He pulled out a pack of tobacco. "Wanna chew?" The girls declined politely.
"Uh, Ponyboy, come with me to popcorn?" Cherry said in a quick tone.
Pony jumped up. "Sure. Ya'll want some?"
"I do," said Marcia. Johnny gave her a curious look. She was finishing off the coke Dallas had given her earlier. Cherry had looked at her coke and then at Dallas as if they were trash from a dump. Marcia told the others what she thought of Dallas Winston, but she stilled thanked him and drank her coke. That was what separated the two. Cherry stood with the Socs, and only the Socs. She didn't hate greasers and never wanted to see a fight or a rumble, but then again, she would never defend a greaser either. Marcia didn't really seem to care. A coke was a coke, whether a Soc or a greaser bought it.
"Yeah, me too. And get Johnny some. I'm buying." Two-Bit popped up and handed Ponyboy enough change to pay for the three, and the two went off towards the concession stand.
"So," Two-Bit placed a hand on Marcia's shoulder. "You're from the West Side right?"
"Yes," she replied. "I like it. It's a nice neighborhood."
"I'm from the other side of town. I can't picture a pretty thing like you over in them parts though."
Marcia couldn't help but be flattered. "Really? What, I don't use enough grease in my hair for the likes of you?" she joked.
Two-Bit clicked his tongue. "No sirree, and that skirt your wearing - much too long. It wouldn't hurt to wear some more makeup too."
Marcia gave him a serious look. "Well, you sir are no gentleman."
"Gentlemen don't have no fun."
She twisted in her sit so she came face-to-face with him. Johnny watched the movie, occasionally looking back at them. It was hard to tell what was more interesting: the shoot-out in the film or the wild conversation between the jokers.
When he glanced back at Marcia, she met his gaze and gave him a wink. Johnny felt his cheeks burn. That was the first time a girl had ever looked at him like that. Well, besides Sylvia, but she had been Dallas' girl - a cheating one at that.
Marcia pointed at one of Two-Bit's rust-colored sideburns. "What are you growin' on the side of your head anyways? A potato or sumthin'?"
Two-Bit laughed. This girl was much more interesting than he expected her to be. "I don't know. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were going for a Beatles look by the size of that bang covering your forehead!"
"Why, John Lennon is my idol. Johnny loves him just as much as I do!" Marcia turned to Johnny and placed a hand over his. "Right Johnny? You're on my side, right?"
Johnny had turned from red to pink. He was glad it was dark out; no one would notice. "Y-yeah, sure I am…"
"Hey!" Two-Bit barked in a snarling voice. He slid on a pair of dark shades and hunched over the two, his voice like a Soc's. "You greaser! Tryin' to make with my girl?"
This time, Johnny didn't feel that shiver crawl up his spine. Instead, he gripped Marcia's hand tighter. "Your girl?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow, doing his best to impersonate Two-Bit.
"That's right! Back off before I get my noble steed to hound on you!" Ponyboy and Cherry had just made it back when Two-Bit paused. He stood up straight while pointing a demanding finger at Ponyboy. "Horse-boy, go get that grease, hop to it!"
Marcia was laughing as hard as she could, despite being so loud. Pony and Cherry just stood and looked at them, obviously confused as to what they were talking about. "Horse-boy?"
Two-Bit swiped off his glasses and sighed. "Pony, you ruined it. Thanks a lot."
Cherry and Ponyboy exchanged glances before settling down, not bothering to ask what was going on. The popcorn was passed around.
Two-Bit slouched beside Johnny and whispered in a teasing voice, "You know Johnnycake, you can let go of her hand now."
Johnny's black eyes were like saucers when he realized his hand was still gripped around Marcia's. In an instant he removed his hand and shoved it into his bag of popcorn, avoiding eye-contact by watching the screen.
"Hey, calm down Johnny," Two-Bit said. "I was just kidding. No need to go shy on us again!"
For awhile, the five sat together, staying quiet. The only time the silence was broken was when Marcia and Two-Bit began talking. No one else could join in because they would mention something about guns one second and then the conversation would swerve to stuff about shoes. Only those two could make a worth-while chat about shoes, laces, guns and trees.
About twenty minutes before the movie ended, Two-Bit gallantly asked Marcia for her number. With a blush and a grin, Marcia eagerly wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to him.
"Now don't lose it," she told him.
"I'll treat this number as if it was the number to the Lord." Pretending to pray, Two-Bit looked up to the night sky. "Sorry sir, but you didn't give me your area code!"
A giggle bubbled to her lips and Two-Bit couldn't help but grin at her. He hadn't been this attracted to a girl in a long time. Sure, he looked and dated and fooled around, but he never stuck to staring at one girl for so long.
Just as the last movie ended, the group gathered together to leave the drive-in.
"Wait!" Marcia called to Johnny. He stood away from the crowd, so Marcia hurried over to him. She handed him a small paper. When he looked at it, his heart jumped. It was her phone number.
She was giving him her number.
"I…I can't. Two-Bit has his eye on you. I couldn't-"
"It's nothing like that Johnny." Marcia rolled her eyes. "I liked talkin' to you. You're sweet, ya know that? What's the harm in wanting to chat more?"
Taking a deep breath, he shoved the paper into his jacket pocket. "O-okay."
The two rejoined the group. Two-Bit was convincing the girls to let them drive them home. He had his car parked back at his house, so they could walk back and give them a lift. They weren't sure at first –they were greasers after all – but they eased up and agreed.
Johnny tagged along behind the rest. Two-Bit had given Marcia his leather jacket to keep her warm in the chilly air, and they walked up ahead. Cherry and Pony were in a deep conversation, leaving Johnny by himself. Johnny looked down at Marcia's number. He was giddy and nervous at the same time -after all, this was her number- but at the same time he felt guilty. Two-Bit liked her a lot, he could tell. Then again, it was like Marcia said, what's the harm in chatting? Feeling his spirits rise, he thought about showing her around, maybe to the Dingo sometime. She seemed interested when he mentioned it, even though he didn't go for the place himself. One thing was for sure: he would definitely not be heading over to the West Side any time soon. Not after what some Socs did to him four months ago. Staring at the scrap paper in his hand, questions started to bombard him.
Should I throw it away?
Should I call her tomorrow?
Should I give her my number?
Should I trust her? She is a Soc.
Why did she give it to me? Doesn't she have a boy-
That's when he felt his throat tightened. She had a boyfriend. He remembered something she mentioned to him earlier: "I like Randy, he's my boyfriend and all. But it's like we don't dig, maybe we're too different. Ever get that feeling?"
Johnny remembered how he replied with a simple nod, even though he didn't really know if he actually ever felt like that before. If they didn't dig each other, how could they date and all that? It didn't make any sense to him. Then again, why would it? He never dated before. Never considered it, and probably never would. Johnny was almost sure about that until a little voice in his head whispered, are you telling the truth Johnnycake? He blushed, shook his head free of his thoughts, and tried to keep up with the rest.
Hope you liked it! Read and review!
-Kendell