First Day
I didn't want to wake up that morning. Everything inside me was saying that it was a better idea to stay in bed. My conscious should know by now better than to argue with my brother Darry.
Darry means well. I know he does. Sometimes...we just don't exactly see eye to eye. We still love each other, and I guess that's what really counts in a family. My other brother Sodapop is about as happy-go-lucky as they get. You can't help but like the guy, and if you know him you love him. Not that any of our friends would ever admit to this.
When I say our friends I really just mean two guys. Steve Randle and Keith Matthews. No one's allowed to call him Keith except for his mom and even she calls him Two-Bit. Two-Bit's definitely a joker, but he knows how to be serious when the time calls for it. Steve, on the other hand, is not a joker. He's got a big temper and never really liked me.
I'm still wondering why, but it doesn't matter that much anymore.
There used to be two other guys in the group, Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade. They're both dead now, died on the same night a couple of months ago. Sometimes I still have to stop myself before I ask where they are. You get so used to seeing people everyday that its hard to believe that they could be just gone. I used to think of us all as this big puzzle. Now, two of the pieces were missing and the puzzle would never be whole again.
Ponyboy Michael Curtis!
That would be me, but most people just call me Pony. I like to think that my dad was an original person since he's the one that named me Ponyboy. He could've just been crazy, which would explain a few things I've been wondering about.
Hold on Darry, I'm coming!
You better be or you'll miss your ride to school
I had almost forgotten about school. I can't say why since I've been going for most of my life, and it wasn't as if this was my first day back after Johnny and Dally...
If you ever want to hear about a kid's hell, that would be a perfect example. It was bad enough that people avoided me left and right because I was a Greaser. A Greaser would be someone who lives over here on the west side. Most people just see us as hoodlums and J.Ds, but we're not all like that. Now they avoided me because they thought I was involved in a murder. In a way I am. I was there when Johnny stabbed Bob. Never mind that I was unconscious when it actually happened.
During the first week most people avoided me, whispered as I walked past, that sort of thing. As always there were a few assholes who tried to start something and a couple of guys that knew Bob and roughed me up a bit.
Don't make me call you again!
As I stepped out of my room I wondered why Darry was still here. He works as a roofer and is usually gone by now.
There you are Pony, Darry and I were about to split your slice of the cake
There was Soda and his infectious grin again. I couldn't help but smile myself.
You better not, breakfast is the important meal of the day
Especially when its chocolate cake, right Darry? Soda asked with a wink.
Darry just nodded and gave him a sort of half grin. Soda can tease Darry. He does it about every single morning. I don't think I'm there just yet.
Chocolate cake is a pretty unusual breakfast. Most moms would make pancakes or bacon or something. We don't have a mom or dad. They died about a year ago. It was a freak accident with a train...you get the idea. Darry had to fight the state to let him keep us. I'm glad as hell he did because you hear all these stories about guys like me that go to live with some guy and the guy doesn't have any lady friends if you catch my meaning.
I'd rather not think about it. I've never heard of that ever happening to any guys that live around here. Every so often word gets around that some Greaser chick was raped and then you wonder if it was a Soc or a Greaser. Socs are the opposite of Greasers. They live over on the West side and most of them are stuck up. Not all of them are like that though. I've meet some decent Socs. You really can't always judge a book by its cover. Whenever I hear about something bad happening over here I wonder if it could happen on the West side. If Socs are raping our girls then they could be doing the same thing to the Soc girls.
A friend once told me, Things are rough all over
Boy, ain't that the truth.
Darry how come you're not at work? I asked him, just now remembering that he was still here.
Today's job doesn't start till nine thirty, now finish up your cake.
School didn't start until eight, and it was just now seven forty-five. I shoveled in the last few bites and took my plate to the sink. The rule here is the first two people that get up make breakfast and the last person up does the dishes. Soda and Darry's plates were already in the sink so i grabbed the soap and a sponge and went to work.
Who's taking me to school today? I wondered out loud.
Two Bit and he'll be here any minute Darry said.
He's going today?
Maybe, maybe not, but he's taking you
Two Bit's been known to skip school on occasion. That may be why he's still a junior and he's eighteen. I had just finished up the last plate when the door opened and a happy whoop came down the halls.
Is the youngin' ready for school? Two Bit asked and ruffled my hair.
Yeah, I'm ready. Hey...you going today?
He paused, shrugged, then finally nodded.
Might as well. There's a student teacher in English, pretty young...and damn
He grinned at me and raised one eyebrow in typical Two Bit fashion. I rolled my eyes a little as we walked out the door.
There you have it folks. Just a basic introductory chapter. Please review and email me at savethechickens595@hotmail.com if you want my screen name to talk
^^