I do not own The Outsiders. All rights go to S.E. Hinton.
"Girls, parties, and-" Steve started.
"And an education!" I exclaimed. Dallas and Steve hit me upside the head and laughed along with the rest.
"Look, man. There's the three G's to college; Girls, Get-togethers, and Gin. No one cares about education except you and Johnny, man," Two-Bit started cackling at Dallas's comment. I sighed and adjusted my orientation forms in my palms. I looked at Johnny. He read my face like a book; he understood.
"Look, that group right there is making a lot of ruckus," A girl in front of us in line said to an administrator and pointed to us. The administrator looked us, pulling her glasses to the edge of her pointy, sloped nose.
"Straighten up before I do it for you," She slapped the big yard stick against the palm of her hand and then laughed to walk away. We all jumped when the slap echoed throughout the room.
"Gee, reminds me of Mrs. Weiss from High School," Sodapop said. We all nodded simultaneously and took another step forward when the lady at the desk yelled "Next!". I took a glance at Sodapop. He knew I was scared. I was sixteen entering college. He told me not to fear anything because we had the gang. And Darry was just a phone call away. I always imagined this day with my mom hugging me and Dad telling me he was proud of me with tears in his eyes. Then again, I never imagined Sodapop getting into a college like Malibu Bay. The air here was just right; a breeze with sun shining down on you every second of the day. Of course, out here were the surfers, the girls, and the hottest Hollywood stars. It was nothing like Tulsa, and never would be home. I knew something. I would never ever call this place home. But it was cozy for my contentment for now.
Out here the beaches were as sandy as a sandbox back on the playground in Oklahoma. The hills cascading down the California land in a waterfall mold. A rock could hit you any second, but I'll tell you what, it was pretty damn gorgeous out here. And I don't just mean the girls. Of course, Dallas, Two-Bit, Sodapop, and Steve were the broad magnets. When they meant they could attract girls from sea to shining sea, they meant it good and well. Me and Johnny were tagging along in the back. Steve made a commitment to learn to surf and to 'hang ten' and Sodapop promises he'll get his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And knowing how movie star handsome he is, he'll probably just get one for kicks. Two-Bit just wants as any beach blondes as he can catch out here. And Dallas… Dallas just wants to breaks the law out here. But I keep warning him that we were in California, not Oklahoma. They didn't let you off the hook as easily.
"Aw, lay off, Wizard of Oz, I'll be fine. Since when haven't I?" He merely responds with. I know he wants those blondes too. All me and Johnny want is that education to get to… oh, who are we kidding? We want everything they did, only more. Right now, we were at the orientation to register at Malibu Bay University to get our assigned dorm.
"Next!" The lady exclaimed. I looked at our group, and Dallas pushed me forward. I stepped up to the plate and laid down my form.
"Name."
"Curtis, Ponyboy."
"Ponyboy Curtis…?" She lowered her glasses. I nodded nervously.
"Original name."
"My dad was an original person," it was like hearing a scratched record play.
"City registered under."
"Tulsa, Oklahoma."
"Parents' names."
"I'm an orphan…"
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Guardian?"
"Darrel Curtis, Jr."
"Okay, address.
"East 117th street, Tulsa Oklahoma. 70523."
"Grade point average."
'4.9." She raised her eyebrows and then wet on taking information.
"Majoring in?"
"Journalism."
"Okay, thank you. You're in room 10967. Next!" She handed me a key and a couple papers and ushered Sodapop to come to her. I looked at the map she handed me. Building 109… Oh, great, all they way on the other side of campus….
XXXXX
"No, Ponyboy, we're in the same dorms with the girls. Most of them are separated, boys and girls. But here," Sodapop laughed, "Here, we get broads galore. Gorgeous ones too."
"But, Soda-"
"Hush, young one. Help me find 10934," He said. I sighed and hit his arm playfully.
"It's over there," I pointed to the room to our right.
"Thanks, man. I'll come visit you in yours in a little while. What room again?"
"10967."
"K. Thanks, Pone," He pulled his luggage into the room and when he opened the door, hoots and hollers vibrated throughout the hallway. I laughed to myself and started pulling my stuff towards the elevator. I pressed the up button and trudged onto the elevator. Once I got to my floor and spotted my room, I took a deep sigh and tried not to freak out. What were my roommates like? Nerdy? Jocks? Surfers? I had three of them I realized. Maybe one would be a nerd, one would be a jock, and one a surfer… Oh yeah… That would suck. Plus, which clique would I belong to? The nerds? The jocks? Oh, no, definitely not a surfer. I don't even know what the hang ten sign was. I thought it was a gang symbol they had here.
I took another deep breathe and pushed open the doorway. There stood four twin beds, one clean as can be with cleaning supplies on top of it in alphabetical order. One covered in seashells and shark teeth and a surfboard up against the wall next to it. The next had clothes already shoved between the sheets, falling over the sides of the bed into piles. Pads and helmets bordered the bed skirt. Yep… I was right… Jock, surfer, nerd. Dear God, help me. I could already figure that out without even seeing the guys, who I didn't see yet.
"Hello?" I shouted. No one answered. I put my stuff down on the made-up bed without stuff arranged on it and started scoping around the room. Little kitchen, big closet… It was nice. The door suddenly burst open to see three guys, all about the same height, all matching the descriptions of the bed. One was broad-shouldered, had blonde hair, slanted blue eyes, a scowling face. He was clad in a varsity t-shirt with the number forty-five on the front in white letters with the rest of the shirt a turquoise tint. He wore jeans below and mint new converse. Another had a wetsuit on and flip-flops, not had broad-shoulders, but he was tall. I always imagined surfers having their hair long as can be, kinda like hippies. Boy, was I wrong! He had light-brown hair, just cutting off a little underneath the eyebrows. He had dark brown eyes, tan skin, and big red cheeks along with the back of his ears. The other had sandy, brownish hair color, blue eyes, and straightest teeth on earth. He had a plaid shirt on with polka dot suspenders over it with bright orange pants and white converse. No glasses, no braces, or runny nose, like I pictured.
I stood up.
"Hi, I'm Ponyboy Curtis. I guess I'll be y'all's roommate," The jock looked at the surfer and raised one eyebrow to ask for approval. The surfer just responded with a shrug and gestured to me as if to say go on. The jock sighed and took a couple steps towards me.
"What kind of a name is that?" He said. I licked my lips anxiously.
"My dad was an original person," I responded. Two times today. Better count on saying it everyday for the next four years, Ponyboy.
"Okay, cool. I'm Jackson Collins. I'm the slob around here," He said, motioning to the pile of dirty clothes across from my bed.
"I'm guessing you play sports…"
"Oh, all of them. Football, soccer, baseball, track, basketball, lacrosse. You do any, greaser?" Even in California, I was known of our kind.
"Track and football."
"Ah, cool." He walked to his bed and the surfer stepped up to the plate.
"Hey, I'm Jared Alfonso. I'm the dude over there with the shells and board," He pointed to his territory.
"Cool. You surf?'
"You know it. Look, I've been surfing ever since I was three."
"Three?"
"Yep. My mom tried teaching me baseball in the little, itsy-bitsy leagues like Jackson over here, but my dad and I took up surfing," he made his way over to his turf. He didn't have the normal surfer's accent. Not like I imagined. Then again, none of this was what I imagined. He seemed friendlier, less conceited than the rest of the crowd.
"I'm Evan Williams," The nerd said. And he didn't have the high, squeaky voice I thought he would. It was actually pretty deep, and I was pretty surprised to see a sign of a mustache above his upper lip when he took a step forward.
"That's my stuff over there. I'm one of those geeks who's dedicated to medicine and try my best to find all the bacteria I can get," He wasn't hunched over, didn't grip to his suspenders or anything. He was just… a normal kid.
"Yeah, so if you touch anything, swab it and give it to him or else they'll be problems," Jackson said, emptying more clothes on his bed.
"Well, I think it's cool your dedicating your studies to medicine," I said, turning towards Evan at his bed.
"That's one thing you and my cousin agree on," Jared and Jackson dropped their stuff immediately and rushed to my bed and sat me down. Evan poked his head in so that we could all discuss whatever.
"His cousin," Jackson pointed to Evan, "is a babe! She's the hottest thing that's walked this earth, Ponyboy. I went out with her for like eleven months and I'll tell ya something, the best eleven months of my life."
"Why'd y'all split?"
"She fell for Jared here. Of course, they're split right now."
"She older?"
"Oh, yeah. Look, this is your first year here at Malibu Bay. We're sophomores. She's a junior. She likes younger men for some odd reason."
"What's she like?"
"Beautiful, pretty, gorgeous, adorable, hot, sexy, a babe-"
"I mean her personality."
"Oh, I have no idea. I didn't pay attention to that."
"See, this is why she dumped you and went for a real guy," Jared said.
"She's funny, nice, generous, caring, loving, humorous, sharp as a tack, understanding, and she looks good in a bikini," He said. I smiled. Oh yeah, the beaches here too were great. Except how cold the water is.
"So she's a babe?" I said.
"Totally," They all chorused.