"Jaw Breaker"
By: Seinasu
Disclaimer: The Outsiders is copyright © S.E. Hinton and all others associated with legal rights.
Author's Note: This is my take on how Steve reacted to getting his jaw punched by Darry. The story takes place before the novel.
A vicious right hook smashed into Steve's jaw so hard, he thought his skull had shattered inside his very flesh. Then another jab punched him in his chest, making him double over and gasp for air. A couple more blows and finally, he staggered backwards, helpless to where his feet took him. He bumped into a pair of leather covered arms.
"Hey, get the hell off of me, Randle!" It was Dallas Winston's voice and it was his rough hands that shoved him off to the side, causing him to collapse to the ground. "Damn, I don't care if you're goofin' around, just don't go runnin' into me like that."
Steve could only hear the frantic voices of the Curtis brothers and Dallas, because hot tears distorted his sight. He'd never felt such physical anguish in his entire life, as he lied curled up in fetal position on the kitchen floor. His body trembled all over, but the pain in his jaw – the horrific, electrifying ache wouldn't stop. He couldn't even move his lips without creating tremors of pain that shook up and down his body.
"Glory hallelujah, what happened here?" Dallas asked once he got a good look at Steve's bloodied and broken face; from Steve's uneven position, it sounded like the other boy was standing over his body.
"Steve... said that Darry was 'all brawn and no brains'," Sodapop replied quietly as he knelt next to Steve's crumpled form but didn't so much as look at him. Dallas carefully noted the stony expression he wore on his face and just a few feet away, Ponyboy's loss of color from witnessing the violence that exploded just moments before. Meanwhile, Steve could sense how upset his best friend was – not at his brother, but at him. He knew he'd gone too far with that remark... but it was just a joke! He really didn't mean it! But there was no way he could apologize now, not with his jaw throbbing in sheer misery.
"Ponyboy, help these two by taking Steve to the hospital," Darry snapped as he stomped out of the kitchen and faded into the living room. Seconds later, an ear piercing SLAM of the bedroom door echoed throughout the unsettling silence of the Curtis household.
Before helping the two brothers, Dallas chuckled darkly. "I've done a lot of stupid things before, Steve, but I ain't never been stupid enough to piss off Darry like that."
THE END