Disclaimer: The Outsiders ain't mine.
"Two-Bit, shut up." I sighed tiredly, running a hand through my bangs. "You're damn annoying." Two-Bit laughed at me, though I knew it went in one ear and out the other. He rarely listened to me.
"Aw, c'mon girlie, don't you need some thrills once in a while?" I pursed my lips at him, crossing my arms.
"Not when I'm supposed to be working!" I snapped. "Boss told me that the next time I slacked off that I would be demoted, or even fired! I can't have that! So buy something, steal something, or get out!" He gave me a goofy grin, one that always made me smile. I never could stay mad at him.
"Well somebody has a stick up their butt today, don't they?" He teased again.
"Yeah," I replied haughtily, "His name is Todd, and he's the manager of this here 'shop', so you best be gettin' your butt outta here." I uncrossed my arms, fiddling with the cash register. Two-Bit laughed wildly, another thing I had grown fond of in the year I had been in Tulsa.
I tried to look annoyed at him, I couldn't imagine how much trouble I was gonna get in if Todd came out and saw Two-Bit lounging around like he owned the place. I knew Todd would do anything to get me fired, and I mean anything. The fact that I was on the poor side of town, and I barely scraped by with the money I earned didn't help the fact that things were constantly stolen from here. Besides that, he didn't like me much.
"Whatever you say, Cupcake."
"Two-Bit, you know Kathy would be jealous if she heard half the things you said to me." Kathy was Two-Bit's girlfriend, they'd been together for a few months, or that's what Two-Bit's told me.
"Whatever you say."
I waved my hand, motioning towards the door. "Now get goin', I'm sure your friends are waitin' for ya." He laughed, waving goodbye before exiting the store. I sighed in relief, pushing some curls from my face.
I had this feeling that today wasn't going to be a good day. I glanced at the compact mirror that was open on the counter, where I had been doing my make up before Two-Bit had interrupted. I took the time to look myself over, Two-Bit always said I was too hard on myself; I was trying to be perfect.
I didn't like my eyes. They were this bland brown color. Everyone's eyes were brown nowadays. I wish I had Two-Bit's gray eyes, or maybe even blue eyes, like the color of the ocean. I rarely put on eyeliner or mascara; I was constantly told I looked better without it. My hair was dirty blonde, usually straight but I curled it when I had to work. I should at least try to look decent while out in public.
I had on a plain black shirt. It was only work after all, and it's not like I got anythin' nicer. My jeans skirt, through the years they've survived I'm surprised they don't look worse, and simple sneakers that I wear everywhere. They've gotta be my favorite pair, even though they were pretty torn up by now. I looked like a real greaser, even though I was more of the 'middle class' kind. I rearranged the blue 'Shop Mart' apron I had on. The name of this store was dumb, I know that, but it was a job.
One thing I had learned when I first arrived here was I didn't like Socs. It was one of the reasons me and Two-Bit had become such good friends. I wasn't that smart, so I didn't know a Soc when I saw one. Not when I first came here anyway. You bad mouth one of them and they get the whole gang of 'em on you in a quarter of a second. I hadn't known what hit me, I just remember being forced to the ground with two guys holdin' my arms and two on my legs, the last holding my head in place with a blade at my throat. It was horrifying.
What had I done to them, to cause them to attack me and threaten something as precious as my life? I wasn't their enemies, the greasers, but they still jumped me. The Soc gave me a nice scratch, it wasn't too deep, but it wasn't a poke either. Under my chin is a scar about two inches long, though that happened awhile back. I felt ugly as it is, once the scar had become more obvious, I became even more self conscious.
While I was lost in thought, I had failed to see someone approach the counter.
"Excuse me." I looked up, meeting the eyes of a boy in a Madras shirt. Soc. They rarely came around here; it's like them to come into greaser territory, though it was becoming more common. That scared me.
He had dirty blonde hair with streaks of black in it; his eyes were dark blue and intimidating. I missed Two-Bit's laughing gray eyes.
"How may I help you?" I wish Two-Bit had stayed. I really do, especially now. I felt so intimidated, so small underneath this Soc who could easily take advantage of me or hurt me. Two-Bit was always good support for these kinds of serious situations. I could feel my hand shaking as I covered the bruise on my neck.
The Soc rose a thick eyebrow before grumbling, "Cigarettes. I have money."
I nodded, snatching a pack and sliding it to him. I wanted him to leave as soon as possible.
"Fifty cents, please." His dark blue eyes gazed into mind, making me shiver. Just give me the money, I silently pleaded. Give me the money and leave. He gave me a crooked smile, dropping the money on the counter as if placing it in my hands was forbidden. He snatched the cancer sticks from the counter, observing some magazines on the rack before slowly leaving the store. I let out a sigh of relief.
I don't know why I felt so vulnerable at work. "Man, when does my shift end?" I asked no one in particular. Sometimes the days just dragged on. I took a quick glance at the calendar that had all the times and work days on it and sighed. Only three more hours until I could go home a sleep. Joy.
"Well, you can but just about anything here boys!" Two-Bit's loud, obnoxious voice rang out. I looked towards the entrance, sighing as I saw him bring in two of his buddies. He wouldn't have come back if he hadn't seen that Soc walk in. The one greaser behind him, I knew him. He had quite a reputation, Dallas Winston was his name. Or, he fit Dallas Winston's description. The second greaser was a nervous lookin' dark skinned boy.
Two-Bit and Dally sauntered over to me, the dark skinned boy walking closely behind them. Now that I got a closer look at him, I couldn't help but wonder how he got that scar on his face.
"Two-Bit, I told you not to come back. Do you know how much trouble I can get in?" His playful grin comforted me.
"Aw, I just wanted to introduce you to some of my buddies. You haven't gotten into society yet, Cupcake. You haven't met all of the people that aren't your friends yet." I smiled, offhandedly brushing the hair from my eyes as I looked both of them over. My eyes traveled to Dallas first.
He was your typical lookin' greaser guy. Tuff hair and hard eyes. He was slightly intimidating, and he nearly towered over me. I tried to catch a glimpse of the boy behind him, but he was well hidden.
"Oh really? Well then, get to introducin' then leave." I stated, crossing my arms again. I was going to be in real trouble if Todd decided to come out of the backroom with the stores phone in his hand, he had memorized the Boss' phone number by now. He always threatened to call the fuzz on Two-Bit, it's happened twice before. Two-Bit was a greaser, and Todd was a Soc. Who do you think would those pigs believed? I didn't want my buddy to go to jail again. There isn't any beer or Mickey Mouse in there. How would he live? "I do have work you know."
"Man, anything to get rid of us greasers, huh?" Dally laughed with Two-Bit, while I rolled my eyes. I glanced at the quiet, timid boy whose eyes were darting back and forth as if something was going to jump out and attack him. He had moved a little bit, he went from behind Dally and was now standing between the two, his hands in his jean pockets.
"My name is April. It's nice to meet you." I smiled at him, clearly brushing off the two boys on the side of me. He looked up at me, surprised. His eyes met mine for a moment before he looked down awkwardly, shifting his feet on the ground. I found this action incredibly cute.
"I'm Johnny Cade." He muttered softly. I smiled again. His greasy hair and torn clothes were probably the only reason he would be called a greaser. He looked like he's been in a fight recently though. Johnny had one of the darkest bruises on his cheeks that I'd ever seen, and I almost asked about it outta curiosity. Almost. But I refrained from doing so. It looked like a touchy subject to be askin' about. I wasn't sure why I felt so worried about that bruise, I couldn't pinpoint the feeling.
"Nice to meet you. And I already know you, Mr. Dallas Winston." He smirked flirtatiously, telling me my assumptions had been correct.
"Oh really? Well I can show you a few more things about me that you didn't know." Two-Bit let out an obnoxious laugh, while Johnny's ears turned a bit red. I could feel my face grow hot, too, but I kept my cool.
"Well, shouldn't we hang out first? Things are movin' kinda fast for me, aren't they?"
"Then why don't you hang out with me and some other greasers tomorrow night? We're going to see some beach movie." Dally offered. I mulled it over. People like Dally just weren't my type of guys. In fact, I hadn't really thought about it before, but I knew Dallas Winston was my type.
"Well, why not? It can't hurt, can it?" I asked with a shrug.
"You only say that 'cause you haven't been out with greasers before, babe!" Two-Bit laughed, taking a drink from the bottle in his hand. I didn't even notice he had taken something. I sighed and shook it off, and after hearing the backdoor open, I tensed up and pretending to be occupied with the cash register. Johnny seemed to notice my distress, so he placed a Coke on the counter and dug in his pockets for some change.
"Uh, here..." He fumbled around in his other pocket before dropping some change on the counter. Two-Bit stood still, proudly guzzling down his drink, while Dally seemed slightly amused at Johnny's actions. The door creaked closed and with a satisfied smile, I turned to Johnny.
"Thanks." I grinned, giving him a look of gratitude. "Here, take the Coke for free, for helpin' me out there." I pushed his money back to him, which he reluctantly took and opened the Coke. Dally broke the awkward silence by laughing.
"Well sweet cheeks, we'll be at the Dingo around seven tomorrow night. I'm sure Two-Bit over here could give you a ride." I looked away, appalled at the suggestion.
"In that death trap? I'm safer walking through the Socs neighborhood with a sign that says 'Greasers Rule'." I commented sarcastically, getting laughs outta Dally and Two-Bit. Johnny kind of smiled, but soon disappeared. He looked real young, fourteen at the oldest. I didn't think he was that young though. I vaguely remember Two-Bit describing some of the people in his 'gang'. I was pretty sure that Johnny was apart of them, I was confusing myself though, so I stopped thinking about that and went back to the three confused boys in front of me.
"Well, okay, I guess. I'll go out with you guys." I finally confirmed. "So, I'll meet you tonight at the Dingo. Now get lost, hoods!" Two-Bit smiled playfully, messing up my hair as the three of them left for good. Only one hour left, boy how time flew.
"You have tomorrow. You can't go out with them." Todd growled, his red hair sticking to his face. His eyes were the same dull blue color of the apron I was forced to wear. A plan formed in my head. Todd would fire me in a second if had a choice, but I was the prettiest salesclerk here, as my boss had stated a few times before. I was also the most proficient at my job.
"We're going out tonight. You don't eavesdrop very well." I teased, stomping my foot and crossing my arms. I even put a pout on my face to make a point. He growled a little bit, knowing he'd lost the battle. I couldn't work after the store closed tonight, so he sent me a dirty look and left.
"You have off tonight. Just go home, so I can close up."
I grinned, I was so glad I annoyed him to death sometimes. He grumbled something along the lines of 'stupid employee' as I headed out the door.
"Just like silly putty in my hand!" I giggled with a small smile. Now all I had to do was get through the rest of the day and tomorrow. I had to get home to be able to plan my outfit out. I wondered, as I walked home alone that night, what Two-Bit's friends could be like.