Disclaimer: I don't own anything from The Outsiders
Introduction - 2 years after the book
There wasn't enough light - no streetlights or anything to help, except for the headlights on the car, which weren't very bright. And driving down a hill in the dead of night did not make me feel better at all.
I sat uncomfortably in the front seat of a clean 1964 Ford Mustang. The music was coming out quietly from the stereo, but it we were silent otherwise. I had my arms crossed, my head against the window and legs crossed.
I knew he wasn't happy with me and I was saddened by it. But I was scared. Even then, thinking back to a couple minutes ago, it made me shiver.
His hand kept sliding and sliding up and up as he kissed me. His lips broke away from my lips to kiss my neck, saying a brief, "You're so beautiful."
I forced a laugh as my hand latched on his, pushing it back down my leg. "Thank you."
I didn't know Scott all that well. I knew he was in my Biology class and I knew he had a nice car and he wore expensive shirts. I knew that he never had his pencils sharped. And I knew that he could make any girl feel special when he wanted to.
I should've felt great to even be asked out by him, but I didn't really. Still, I went out with him, where we had an awkward first kiss. I went out with him again after that, and then again after that. Now we were on date number four and his hand was up my skirt.
I grabbed his hand again, pushing it down. "Scott -"
"Ssh," he hushed me, grabbing my face and kissing me again. When he suggested we move to the backseat, I knew what I was getting myself into, but I thought I could fend him off.
"Scott, I don't want to do this," I said, pushing against his chest.
"Come on, Debbie."
"No."
He leaned away and groaned loudly, not hiding his disappointment or anger. He ran a hand through his black hair. "Fine. Let me take you home."
"Oh, Scott -" I started, not finishing my sentence as the door slammed. I watched him walk to the front seat and start the car. I got out of the car and got into the front seat, crossing my arms and legs, looking out the window.
It was a terrible fourth date and now that he knew I wasn't going to give him what he wanted, he was probably done with me. Even if he was, he still kissed me when he dropped my off at my house.
I walked inside of the small blue house I called home, taking my shoes off quietly.
"Debbie."
I gasped as the lamp in the living came on. I looked at my mom in robe, sitting on the couch with an unimpressed look on his face. I sighed, starting to take off my jacket. "I know I'm fifteen minutes past my curfew, but -"
"But nothing," she said quickly. She stood and walking over to me. "You're grounded for a week. I'll have a list of new chores for you in the morning."
I nodded. "Okay."
She turned around. "Get to bed." She disappeared into the hallway.
I waited a couple of seconds before walking down the hallway and to my room. I didn't notice the body on my bed until I turned on the light. Needless to say, I was taken back.
I gasped, my back slamming against the door. "Jesus!"
"Debbie!" my mother yelled from her room down the hall.
"Sorry!" I yelled back, and then I picked up a plastic bottle of perfume on my dresser and throwing it my little brother. "Danny!"
Danny laughed, standing up and walking closer to me. "Sorry, sis."
"What did I say about coming into my room?"
"I just was waitin' for you to get back so I could ask you if you'd cover for me tomorrow night."
I sighed, walking over to my bed and crawling into it. "For what?"
"Tell mom we're going to see a movie or somethin'. I'm gonna get together with some friends and see if I can get into a bar."
"You what?" I sat up and glared at him. "Danny, you're 14."
He scoffed. "You're 17 and you've never done a fun thing in your life! I'm just tryin' to get my start early." He took a big step closer and put his hands together as a prayer. "Please, please, please, Debbie. I'll love you forever."
I smirked. "Ten bucks."
"Done."
Satisfied with myself and deeply worried for my brother, I rolled over in my bed. "Now get out, please."
"Sure thing, sis," he replied. I heard the door opened, but I knew he was still there. "How was your date, by the way?"
"Good," I said into my pillow.
"Alright. Night."
"Goodnight."
I was always covering for Danny. I would go to the movies on my own, or with a couple of kind-of-friends and tell my mother we were going together. I would do that for Danny because I wanted him to have fun while he was still just a kid, but I did my best to stop him, though it never worked. He never came to church on Sundays; he was out very late almost every night; he would skip a couple classes here and there. Danny was funny, handsome and very popular, and we were close, but we never hung out at school.
Danny fell into a group teenagers around Tulsa like'd to call Greasers. It was a very big group of people, mostly men or boys, made up by poor, JD, trouble-making guys who smoked too many cigarettes and drank too much beer and wore leather jackets in the summer and jeans that were tight enough to see the outline of the switch blade in their pocket. They were violent and passionate and emotional. They stuck to the East side of Tulsa and rarely crossed paths with Socs, and if they did, it was always ugly.
Greasers and Socs did share a drive-in in the middle of town and a high school that they didn't look at each other in, but other than that, they didn't associate.
Socs were too good for Greasers. Maybe not too good, but definitely too rich. Scott was a Soc. He had a nice car and money to spend on all the girls he went out with. He was cool, yet cold, like he didn't feel anything, which I guess added to the 'coolness'. Socs had no limits - they did what they want whenever they want, whether it was beating some Greasers kids up or buying a car they didn't need.
Danny was a Greaser, but he wasn't a poor JD. He was a troublemaker and he smoke and drank on occasion, but he didn't wear leather jackets or carry a switchblade. He did wear stupidly tight jeans and ugly converse runners, but he wasn't a full-on Greaser. All of his Greaser friends were rubbing off on him, but they had no idea who he really was - who our family really was.
My mom was very religiously sound - bible on her bedside table, a cross hanging on the wall in the living room and church every single Sunday. She valued modesty and honestly and discipline. She was very judgemental, but spoke in a soft voice, almost as if to trick you. Her mother had been worse than her and pushed her to marry a nice, rich, Catholic man she didn't really love. She did, but when he died, he left most of his money to his sister that had been exiled from his also very religious and restrictive family.
Bottom line, we did have money at one point, but we were slowly lowering on the totem pole. We had enough money for a nice car and nice house, but other expensive hobbies were going to have to wait.
Danny didn't care about money, but I did. That attracted Scott to me, and then came his flock of Soc friends. The girls that wished they could've been Scott's girl became kind-of-friends of mine and I started to hang out with them. I portrayed that I had money, but I had limits.
Danny was mostly a Greaser and I was mostly a Soc. But there was a part of both of us that was stuck in the awkward and uncomfortable middle.
My whole life had played out under my mother's rule and I was okay with it. Danny called me a pushover, but I just wanted someone to be there for her. But I couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like live freely.
I didn't know it then, but I was about to find out.
