Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, S.E Hinton does.
-----x-----
"Blast it, Johnny, what do they matter? Shoot, my old man don't give a hang whether I'm in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter. That don't bother me none."
Johnny didn't say anything. But he stared at the dashboard with such hurt bewilderment that I could have bawled.
-----x-----
"Johnny, do ya think ya could help me o'er here with these dishes? My friends are gonna be comin' over later to catch up on some gossip," Nancy Cade drawled. "Ya think ya could handle that?"
Johnny stood in the doorway with his head lowered. "Yes, mama." He headed to the kitchen and looked over to his mother who was pouring herself a drink from a fresh bottle of booze. He winced, looking at the bottle she had only started the day before, which was now empty on the counter. He didn't like her when she was drunk. She was never nice like when she was sober, asking him how his day was an' all.
Loud voices erupted from the door, and Nancy rushed over to greet her friends. "Ruth! I heard ya was cookin' a bun in the oven again! Do ya know if it was Bobby's, or was ya goin' round with one of those young boys again?"
"Good ta see ya, Nancy, dear! Why yes, boy, good news sure gits around fast. It was Bobby's, dun worry. Even the doctor said it had to be his, seein' as I hasn't been foolin' around fer a long time now. I gosta be on ma best behaviour now, and start actin' like a real wife." Ruth's cheeks flushed as she finally caught her breath and she walked over to the couch.
Another two women walked in, one talking quite loudly in a loud and repetitive way; always turning to see if the other girl was listening. The other girl was quieter, and would only join in to agree with whatever the rest of the women were saying.
Johnny began to fill up the sink with warm water, and then left the faucet running while he went to go retrieve the dirty dishes from the house.
"Johnny, could ya hurry up with those dishes? I feel terribly rude bein' the only one here with a drink in my hand," Nancy called, laughing. The other girls joined in, and then went back to their gossiping. The loud girl, Mary, grabbed Johnny's shirt sleeve as he walked by.
"Well ain't you just precious. Nancy, you look way too young to have a teenager all ready! Ya do good in school, boy? My boy says you's always quieter than the rest of the kids your age. Somethin' wrong with ya, boy?" She taunted, her painted lips smiling in a menacing way.
"Nah, he's just dumb, ain't that right, Johnnycake?" Nancy replied, her speech beginning to slur. Johnny averted his eyes from them.
"I do try, mama..."
"Sure ya do. Ya done as good as ya can, darlin', and ya'd be smart like me, if it weren't fer yer daddy's lack of intelligence," Nancy said, her voice hardening on the topic of her husband. Johnny winced, wishing his mother wouldn't drink so much and let her mouth run. It would only result in more trouble when his dad came home.
Johnny hurried over to the sink when he heard water splashing onto the floor, and hurriedly turned off the tap. He heard the women discussing him, and his heart sank as he realized that none of the comments were compliments. He scrubbed the dishes quickly, rinsed them, then left them in the sink to dry before running to his room.
"Boy doesn't even have the courtesy ta stick around and give me some company once an' awhile. Kid's just like his father..." The voice drawled from the living room, and Johnny closed his bedroom door to drone out their voices.
He pulled his homework for the night out of his school bag lying on the floor, and stared blankly at the sheets of paper. How his friend, Ponyboy Curtis, seemed to comprehend all of the gibberish the teachers rattled off and expected you to know everything about, he'd never know.
He sighed, his head starting to hurt, and headed over to his window. He listened for the voices, and was reassured by a big chorus of laughter from down the hall. He lifted it up, and then climbed out, closing the window half way behind him. He adjusted the collar of his jacket, and then began to head over to his safe house: The Curtises. His dad would be coming home only in a few more hours.
