Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders.
Author's Note: I started this story a few years ago and I went back to reread it and decided that I should rewrite it. I forgot where I was going with it, so I just changed the plot completely. I hope y'all like it! :) Read and review. :)
"Get out of my house!" My mom screamed, "And don't you ever come back." Her last blow came down hard and my head hit the side table. I stood up groggily. My head was pounding and my vision was blurred. I looked around wildly. If I could only run fast enough to get past her I could make it out of the house to freedom. My mom moved to the left and I ran like heck. My foot hit a chair but I didn't slow down until I was out of the front door. I didn't look back. It would only make the hurting worse.
"Why do they gotta fight so much?" I asked out loud, to no one in particular. I knew where to find the gang; they would most likely be at the Curtis' house. But I didn't want to see them. They all had their own problems; they didn't need to hear mine too. Man, I could go for a run right now, or a smoke. The park is the perfect place to cool down, that's what Ponyboy Curtis always tells me. Ponyboy is one of my best friends, and a member of our gang. We ain't really a gang, but in a neighborhood like ours you get to be real close to your friends. You would die for any of them and you would kill for any of them too.
I reached the park and I walked up and down the edge of the football field. I started to think. I realized I don't understand anything. I won't ever understand why my parents hate each other and me. Why Ponyboy has to live with his brother's because his parents are dead. Why Steve's dad treats him terrible and Two-Bit's dad left his mom with two little kids. It just ain't fair. I'm sure the Socs don't feel like this ever. They got everything good. They got the money, the cars, even the girls are better. It just isn't fair.
I was concentrating on the ground in front of me; I didn't see the blue Mustang pull up behind me. If only I had seen them I could have run and maybe things would have turned out different. Four big guys got out of the car and walked towards me. I looked around for something, anything to defend myself with. I had heard stories of people winning fights against the Socs with a piece of pipe. I turned around to start walking back down the field only to run into a madras shirt. I almost gagged when I smelled them. Socs always smell like English leather. I can't stand the smell, though most Greasers would give anything to smell like them.
The smallest guy was about twice my size, but I'm real small for sixteen. One of them had rings on all his fingers. I gulped. People get scars from rings, scars that never heal. They laughed and I felt my face turn white. The biggest one flicked out a knife and I ran. I had only made it five feet when I was pulled to the ground. The one with the rings was on me and started slugging me as hard as he could. He punched me harder than my dad ever had. My face was stinging and I could feel the blood flowing down my face. I wanted to scream but you don't do that in front of the Socs. You just take it or fight back because showing them weakness wouldn't change nothing. I felt a sharp pain in my head. I was being kicked, hard. The big guy handed the one with the rings a knife. I swung my arms around and knocked the knife out of his hands. They parted just enough and I ran through the space. I tripped and hit my head on a rock. Then everything went black.
Someone was gently rocking me.
"Hey Johnnycake," I heard Soda's soft voice over me. I tried to open my eyes but it hurt too much so I just groaned,
"Soda?" I heard a sigh of relief. Man, he must have thought I was dead or something.
"Yeah, it's me." He said, I opened my mouth. "Don't talk. You're gonna be okay." I tried to sit up, the pain seared my insides and it felt like I'd been shoved into a fire.
"There was a whole bunch of them," I said, "A blue Mustang full... I got so scared..." I tried to swear and could feel the tears coming to my eyes. I tried to hold them back but they flowed onto my face. Why won't they stop? It ain't that bad. Soda gave me a hug and pushed my hair out of my eyes. It ain't that bad.
"It's okay, Johnnycake, they're gone now. It's okay." I opened my eyes and saw all the guys standing over me. I groaned. Why the heck was everyone here? It was better to lose it in front of Soda than the whole gang. I looked closer. They all looked so worried. Even Dally. Ponyboy was as white as I felt.
"I guess I look pretty bad," I said. Pony nodded. Dallas sat down next to Soda.
"It's okay man," he said, "You're gonna be just fine." I nodded. I'll be fine. Dally knows all about this stuff. I'll be fine. Two-Bit took a deep breath.
"What happened, Johnnycake?" he asked. I sobbed and began the story.
"I wanted to get out of the house." I said, "You know, get out." They nodded. I took a deep breath and kept talking, "I walked to the park. The field is great for pacing-" My voice broke and Dallas ran his hand through my hair. "Before I knew it they were all over me. One of them had rings and he kept hitting me and hitting me and hitting me." I could hear Ponyboy and Soda sob a little Everyone else was too cool for that. They don't cry. Darry didn't even cry at his parent's funeral. And Dally, Dally was too tough for tears. I don't think he's ever cried in his whole life. "Then one of the others, the tallest one, kicked my head. I ran but I tripped on a rock and was knocked out." Dally shook his head.
"We need to get you cleaned up kid." he said. The others nodded.
"We can help him Darry. He can stay with us for a little while." I heard Ponyboy say. I shook my head.
"You guys don't have to do that," I said, "You hardly have room for yourselves in that little house." Darry and Dallas lifted me up.
"We'll be fine." Darrel said.
I tried not to complain as they carried me down the street. But every step they took burned. It took all of my strength to stop the tears. I am not weak. I thought, Next time, those Socs try to take me out, they'll have to fight one heck of a fight. They ain't ever gonna do anything like that to me ever again. Not ever.
…...
The screen door slammed shut. I winced. My dad was home and he was drunk. I could hear him yelling at my mom. I walked to my room and sat on my bed. The blanket was threadbare but I didn't dare ask for another one. The wallpaper was faded and peeling. But if I looked closely I could see rows of yellow flowers on a green background. I loved to sit and peel away at the wallpaper when there was nothing else to do. So most of the wallpaper was gone. I heard my dad walk down the hall. I looked toward my window. I could crawl out and never come back. But I could never do it. If I left now I'd just get a beating later for not being there to be a punching bag when my dad was done with Mom. It was too soon. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting. Not anymore. Not after the Socs. It had only been a week. I only stayed with the Curtis' for two days. I didn't want to make Pony and Soda sleep on the floor in their own home.
My dad was getting closer to my room. I looked once more to the window and snapped. I ran to it and tried to open it. It was stuck and my dad was getting closer. I pulled up faster and tugged harder. It stayed shut. A wave of hopelessness washed over me and I resisted the urge to cry. The door-handle turned and I looked around wildly. Then in a moment of desperation I tugged on the window. It stayed where it was and my dad walked into the room. I sat on the bed quickly. I wasn't about to tell him I was trying to escape. I watched him in terror. Why doesn't he just leave me alone? I sat still as he took off his belt. I winced as he hit it against the wall. Please no. Not now. It was too soon.
He pulled his belt tight and walked toward me. A voice in my head told me to turn my back to him. I almost laughed. Give my dad a target? No way. The voice repeated and I reluctantly turned my back to my dad. He looked confused but then a cruel smile formed on his lips. He tore my shirt and raised his hand. I heard him gasp and he backed away. I turned around, his face was white.
"Those scars." he said. I had been wrong. He was sober. I remembered all the times I'd been beaten by that belt. No doubt they left scars. I looked up and my dad backed out of my room as though I were a disease. When the door closed behind him I sighed with relief. Then I went back to the window. I opened it calmly, wondering why it hadn't opened so easily before. Then I climbed out slowly. I ducked and walked around the corner to the street. When no one ran after me I dashed to the Curtis' and knocked on their door. A bleary-eyed Darry opened the door. He opened the door quickly and let me in. I mumbled an apology.
"I didn't mean to wake you." I said, embarrassed. Darry shook his head.
"It's no problem Johnny." He said, with a slight smile. Pony poked his head out of his door and I saw Soda quickly pulling up a pair of jeans. Both of them ran to me.
"What do you need Johnnycake?" Soda asked. Ponyboy gasped.
"Did he beat you?" he asked. I shook my head. Pony pointed to my shirt. I had forgotten it was torn, "Johnny you can tell us the truth."
"Man Pony, I ain't lying to you." I snapped. Then I added in a softer voice, "That's why I came to see y'all. You'll never guess what happened to me."
I woke up on the Curtis' couch. Someone was pounding on the door. I stood up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Then I walked across the floor and opened the stood outside.
"Hey Dallas." I said, "What are you doing around here?"
Sodapop walked in the room, running his hand through his hair. He yawned loudly and walked to the fridge.
"Well I saw someone walking around today and I thought you might want to know who it was." Soda's head popped out from behind the kitchen wall.
"Who was it Dal?" He asked. Dallas shrugged his shoulders.
"Nobody for you Soda." He said with a smile. Soda walked back into the kitchen. "I saw someone probably looking for you, Johnnycake."
"Awww come one now Dal. Nobody ever wants to see me." I said.
"This girl will want to see you for sure." He said.
"A girl Dal?" I said, "Are you sure you're talking to the right guy?"
"Yeah man." Dally said, smiling a little more now, "She said her name was Brooke and had I seen her best friend around lately?" I nearly shot out of my seat.
"Brooke!" I yelled. "But she's not supposed to be here."
"Well then," Dallas said, "She sure ain't where she's supposed to be." I smiled. That sounded like Brooke. She just couldn't stay still, that girl. I hadn't seen her in two years. She used to live with her older sister before she ran off to Texas.
I walked to the couch and sat down. All the noise Soda was making in the kitchen woke Ponyboy and Darry. They stumbled into the living room and saw me sitting on the couch. Darry looked dead tired and Pony looked hungry, he couldn't get into that kitchen fast enough. Soda came back out.
"Time to eat." He said, with a smile as big as the Mississippi. I could have died. What food did he ruin this time?
I almost laughed when I saw the poor eggs Soda was trying to feed us. They were smothered in jelly, ketchup and pepper. We all laughed when we saw Soda scarfing down his eggs. I smiled. It was good to be laughing. Soda looked up from his now empty plate.
"You aren't gonna eat the eggs?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Soda," Darry said, "We can't eat these." Soda looked surprised.
"Why not?" He asked. Ponyboy shook his head.
"I'll make more eggs." He said, sighing. Soda shrugged and grabbed the remaining plates.
"So," Darry said, "I hear someone special is in town, coming to see you Johhny." I smiled.
"You heard right Darry." I said. "Brooke is back in town." Soda looked up from his plate quickly.
"Brooke?" He asked. I nodded.
"She shouldn't be here though." I said. "She swore she'd never come back."
"Is that why we haven't seen her for almost five years?" Pony asked from the stove.
"It ain't been that long, only two years." I said.
"Well," said Ponyboy, "If you ain't at your house how is she going to find you?" I laughed.
"That is the last place Brooke will go." I said, "Besides, she knows where she can find me." Soda nodded.
"You two have a lot to catch up on." He said. "I bet she'll be here in a few minutes."
"Or seconds," Dally shouted from the living room. We had almost forgotten he was there.
"What do you mean Dallas?" I asked him as someone knocked, loudly, on the door.
I ran to answer the door. But Ponyboy beat me too it. He runs fast for a fourteen year old kid. He swung open the door to reveal Brooke. She smiled brightly at Pony.
"Have you seen Johnny around?" She asked him. Ponyboy blushed and I rolled my eyes. I walked into the doorway. Her face lit up. "Johnny!" She yelled. I smiled back and gave her a big hug. She was thinner than she used to be. She was taller too. Her brown hair had grown darker but her blue eyes looked sad and scared.
"Hey Brooke," I said, "What are you doing around here?" Her smile dropped a little. She shifted her feet and looked down at the ground. But she didn't get the chance to tell me what she was doing home because the whole bunch of Curtis brothers were asking her a ton of questions.
"Why'd you have to leave Brooke?" asked Sodapop, "We missed you a whole lot." Dally was smiling.
"Playing cards just wasn't the same without you to help Soda play fair." He said. I had to laugh at that one. Everyone knew Soda couldn't ever play a single game of cards without cheating. But Brooke only smiled. I cocked my eyebrow. Something was wrong. I was willing to let the matter rest though. I gave her another hug and led her into the busy house.