Resolutions
Johnny sighed. Yet another boring day.
"Nothin' ever happens here." Johnny mumbled, not realising that someone heard him.
"It's New Year's Eve, Johnny." Ponyboy grinned, flopping on the couch next to him.
Johnny looked at his best friend. "It is?"
"Yeah." Pony replied, returning his friend's glance. "Didn't you know that?"
Johnny shook his head. "I haven't exactly looked at the calendar lately."
Pony snickered. Two-Bit had seen some guy on tv do a fancy trick with a lighter, and he'd tried it himself. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the less said about the calendar, the better.
The two boys stared at the blank tv screen as noise surrounded them. The gang was all there, as they nearly always were.
"You know, people always have resolutions for the new year." Pony said, and Johnny turned.
"Reso-what?" Johnny asked, raising one of his eye brows.
Ponyboy sighed. "Resolutions. You know, it's like a goal for next year or somethin'."
"Oh, right. Well, do you have any resolutions?" Johnny asked, and he watched his friend think for a moment.
"Yeah. To quit smokin'." Pony replied, grinning at his best friend. "What about you?"
Johnny's mouth twitched in concentration. "To.. to be more confident."
"That's a good one, Johnnycake." Pony said sincerely, and Johnny just nodded.
Silence followed for a minute, and soon Two-Bit turned on the television.
"Do you wanna see what everyone else's resolutions are?" Johnny suggested, and Pony agreed.
They looked over at Two-Bit, who was sitting on the arm chair a few feet away.
"Two-Bit?" Pony asked, and Two-Bit pulled his eyes away from the tv.
"Yeah?" He asked, giving a lopsided grin.
"What're your new year's resolutions?" Johnny asked, and Two-Bit screwed up his face.
"Shoot Johnny, I ain't even thought about it. But I'd have to say.. repeating junior year."
The two of them eyed up Two-Bit.
"Isn't there, like, an age limit for school?" Johnny asked, and Two-Bit shrugged.
"It's fun."
The boys snickered, and sneaked glances at each other.
"Let's ask Dally." Pony offered.
"Let's ask Dally what?" A voice asked from behind the couch.
Johnny and Pony turned to find the one and only Dallas Winston leaning against the couch.
"Uh.. about your new year's resolutions." Johnny replied, and Dally looked down at them.
"New years resolutions?" Dally asked, and the boys nodded.
"I ain't got no resolutions.. they don't do ya no good." He replied, taking a drag on his cigarette.
Pony sighed. Sometimes he didn't like Dally's no-good attitude.
"Who else can we ask?" Johnny asked, trying to distract Pony. He didn't like it when people looked hacked off by his hero.
"Soda." Pony shrugged, and the boys got off the couch. Soda and Steve were talking and drinking soda at the dining room table.
"Hey Pone, Johnny." Soda greeted the boys. Steve let out a grunt of acknowledgement.
"Hi." Pony replied, leaning against the doorway. He always felt he had to prove himself to Steve - so he could fit in with his older brother's crowd of friends.
"We was wonderin' if you two have any new year's resolutions." Johnny said, casually lighting up a cigarette.
Soda grinned. "No smokin' in the kitchen, remember?"
Johnny flinched. "Oh, right." He butted it out in a nearby ash tray and put it in his pockets.
"New years resolutions, eh? Well.. mine is to get promoted. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to work on cars by the summer." Steve grinned, showing the gap where his tooth had been knocked out in a recent rumle.
"'Course ya will, Steve-o. Saul'd be crazy not to promote his best garage assistant." Soda flashed his famous grin of his.
"Well, do you have any resolutions?" Steve asked, skulling down half of his soda.
"To.. be famous and make a whole heap o' money."
"Soda, that was what you said last year!" Pony scowled playfully, as Soda's eyes glinted.
Johnny grinned and led Pony into the living room.
"Where's Darry?" Johnny asked.
"Who's asking?" They turned to the couch to see Darry lying there, smiling up at them.
"We wanna ask you 'bout resolutions." Pony replied, and Darry thought for a moment.
"Earn more money." He simply said, turning his head into the direction of the tv, where a news bulletin was on.
For the rest of the afternoon, Johnny and Pony were bored.
"Why don't we write down everyone's resolutions?" Johnny suggested. Pony thought this was a good idea, and he said so.
They sat on the bed Soda and Pony shared, a pen poised in Ponyboy's hand.
"Let's write our ones down." Johnny said, leaning against the wall.
Pony began.
Pony - to quit smoking
Johnny - to be more confident
"Who did we ask next?"
"Two-Bit, I think. His was to.. repeat junior year." Johnny grinned.
Two-Bit - repeat junior year at high school
"What was Dally's resolution?" Pony asked.
Johnny sighed. "He didn't have one."
"We'll just have to make one up for him." Pony smiled, and bent down to write.
Dally - to be Pony and Johnny's slave for the whole year
"Pone, that's horrible!" Johnny laughed, and Pony shrugged.
"At least we know that one of them isn't going to come true."
Steve - to get promoted
"Soda's is the same as last year's." Pony groaned, and Johnny snickered.
"We should make one up for him, too." The older boy replied, taking the pen from Pony.
Soda - to buy blue rubber ducks
"What the hell, Johnny?" Pony laughed, and Johnny just shrugged.
"Another one that won't come true." He casually leant back against the wall.
Darry - to earn more money
"Do you think he'll look for another job? I mean, he has two already!" Pony said, frowning slightly.
"Either that or he's looking to get promoted." Johnny knew why Pony was so down on Darry working three jobs.
The two looked over their list again, and they were happy with the resolutions - except for Pony, who didn't understand Soda's one but it was an inside joke for Johnny.
"And I guess we wait." Pony grinned, and they both jumped as the clock struck twelve.
"Happy new year, Johnny." Pony said, looking up at his older friend.
"Happy new year, Pony." Johnny replied.