A/N: Well hey everyone, I'm back! To newcomers, this is a re-write, but obviously, you don't need to read the one before this; in fact, I'd hope you didn't. To people who read the first, WELCOME BACK! I felt the need to rewrite this because, well, I just hated it. Honestly, I didn't have the plot figured out or anything. Now, I put all my other stories on hold and I have this one sorted out and everything. Also, to people who read the original, I changed the main characters name to a more common and realistic one. I hope nothing else changed except for better writing. I hope everyone enjoys this story, read, review, constructional criticism is fabulous (:
Chapter One
I walked down the quiet street that was known to become swarming with people as night fell. I felt like I myself was melting under the heat of the sun. I was on my way to the Curtis house. At least they had air conditioning compared to my house that might as well have been a furnace. My brother-in-law had yet to fix the air conditioning. Living with your 21 year old sister and 23 year old brother-in-law had its downfalls. Jakohb, my brother-in-law who might as well be my brother, tries to keep his job as an electrician. Jenna, my sister, is trying to properly raise a two year old daughter. Everything has been rough since Jenna found out she was pregnant when she was 18. Everything got even worse when our parents were both shot dead. That had come as a surprise to the town considering two innocent adults were shot. Jenna got custody over me considering she was about to be married and the court said it would be easier than shipping me across the state.
I shook my head to clear all of that away. I hated thinking about it. Jenna had been real nice to me all my life, after out folks passed away she became over protective of me. I would find it endearing in some way, but it's awful. I have to practically give an essay before going anywhere. Although, I can understand it slightly considering my closest friends were all boys. It wasn't like I hung out with them all the time. In fact, I was really only close to Two-Bit, Johnny, and Pony. I was friends with everyone else, but that was basically inevitable.
Two-Bit and I had been close friends for quite some time. We lived just down the street from one another for as long as I can remember. I had babysat his little sister, Katy, since I was twelve and he was 14. He loved to tease me, and he wasn't there much, but when he was, it was just me and him so we'd talk. I had used to try and be elegant and lady-like, trying to make an impression on this older boy, but he was such a goof that even my normal attitude seemed more mature compared to him. After talking for a while, we started to hang out even if I wasn't babysitting.
Just as any friendship, we just got closer and I was introduced to his other friends and just like that I slowly would bum around with them. I was close to Pony because when we first met, I was fifteen and he was thirteen. He was young so was excluded in some things, but since I was used to kids younger than him, he seemed just like any of the others, so I talked to him when he was left out of a trip to the rodeo, or a drag race, or whatever. He was nice and kind, and it was hard to ever get annoyed by him. Johnny was so quiet and at first I never knew why, so I always tried to talk to him. We talked and I took quite a liking to him, it was hard not to like Johnny though, especially once you figure out what he's gone through.
As I neared the house, the sound of playful yelling could be heard. I shook my head but smiled lightly to myself, wondering what awaited me. I opened the door and nearly tripped over Two-Bit and Steve wrestling like two idiots on the floor. Steve was clearly winning. "Hello, Jo-Jo," Soda rang out from his perch on the sofa.
I rolled my eyes at the nick name, I really didn't like it. It made me sound like some sort of circus clown. At least my full name, Jolene, sounded more dignified. "Hello, soft drink," I chided back at him. Soda pointed a 'menacing' finger at me. I laughed and watched as Steve pinned Two-Bit and had him down for three seconds.
"Okay, okay, you win," Two-Bit grudgingly admitted, and Steve released him. "Hey, Jolene," he said, grinning, standing up.
"Hey, Matthews," I said. "Randle," I said nodding to Steve.
"Who's here?" I heard Darry shout, probably from his bedroom.
"Jolene!" Soda shouted back. "So what brings ya here?" he asked.
"Your air conditioning," I grinned.
"It is just lovely ain't it?" Soda asked, grinning. His grin was so charming. When we had first met, I was literally dumbfounded by his good looks. His hair was shiny and golden, his eyes were dark brown, but lively and his grin was just blindingly perfect. I knew girls just drooled over him, greasers and socs alike. It would be a lie if I said I never had a small interest for him, but it faded away quickly.
"It is the loveliest thing ever in the summer time," Two-Bit said. "Well, that and bikinis."
"I hear that!" Steve said. I snorted. Pigs.
"So have you guys done much this summer?" I asked.
"Worked," Steve said.
"Same here," Soda mumbled.
"Well that's no fun," I said, wrinkling my nose. I hated work, not that I had a job. I did things every now and then. In the winter, I sometimes shoveled some of our neighbor's driveways, occasionally cut the grass in the summer. I couldn't stand it. I had a bad work ethic, I guess; I would forget to mow someone's yard, and if I remembered, sometimes I just did a halfhearted job.
"Well, I like working at the gas station. It ain't awful," Soda said. I knew he enjoyed working at a gas station, and I had to admit, it probably wasn't the worst job. Soda liked people, and he worked with them every day. Plus, working with your best buddy definitely wasn't a bad thing.
"Yeah, I haven't done much either," Two-Bit said. "Barely even gone over to Buck's this summer. Of course, it's been really busy this summer…" he started.
"Sounds like you all have had a shitty summer. Any of you want to go to the drive-in tonight?" I asked.
Steve shrugged ruefully. "I got a date with Evie tonight. If I blow her off again, I'm for sure gonna lose her." Soda chuckled at that.
"I don't think I can go either, said I'd go watch one of my buddies down at the rodeo tonight." I smiled lightly to myself. Soda loved the rodeos, he loved horses even more. Pony told me stories how Soda used to work at a stable and he grew real attached to one of the horses, eventually the horse was sold and apparently neither Soda nor Pony took that very well. I can't imagine they would; I remember clearly having a cat when I was younger, and when it ran away, I was devastated.
"I'd love to go with you, Jolene," Two-Bit said.
"Oh yeah, Matthews? Are you going to go with me or just come with me?" I asked, a mischievous smile one my lips, knowing the question would confuse him.
"The first one?" he said. It came out as more of a question than anything.
"Good answer. I'm gonna ask Ponyboy, he in the kitchen?"
Soda nodded and I walked in there. I saw Pony, quietly reading to himself while Johnny sat across from him, watching the smoke majestically curl from the ciggie between his lips. I sat in the chair between them. "Hey, Pony, Johnny Cakes."
Pony set his book down. "Hey." I glanced at the title, Edgar Allen Poe: Poems and Short Stories. I gave him credit, I didn't like poems. I found them awfully hard to understand, I didn't know how people got whole meanings and deep thoughts from a couple lines.
"Me and Two-Bit are going to the drive-in tonight, you want to come?" I asked. Then to Johnny, "You want to come, too?"
Johnny shrugged and quietly said, "Sure."
"Yeah, I'll go too, providing Darry lets me. It's, what, Friday?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah, if he lets me go, I'll go. What time?"
"Me and Two-Bit will swing by around seven?" I asked thoughtfully.
Pony and Johnny both nodded. I smiled and said a farewell as I headed back into the living room. I heard Two-Bit telling one of his tales, possibly one we'd all heard before. "And I walked down the alley, quickly, hoping to avoid the guy, but he stepped in front of me. I said 'look, I don't want any trouble'. He said, 'no, me either, I just want your money, hand it over'. I looked him dead in the eye and said 'Boy, I wish I could, but I don't have any. If I find some, you'll be the first to know', and with that I walked off," he finished with laughter.
I giggled slightly, it sounded like something he would do, but I wondered how much of it was true. It wasn't uncommon for him to change up his stories to make them funnier. But that's how he got his nick name. He always told jokes and made people laugh; always getting his 'Two-Bits' in. It was beyond fitting. He had failed junior year once, only because he goofed off. He liked school though, which I could never fathom why. He told jokes to teacher, if a cop pulled him over, he told them jokes. He was a drinker too. It was hard to find him without a beer bottle, but, it didn't bother me none. It just made him funnier. I don't think Darry thought it was too great to entrust Ponyboy in the hands of a drinking Two-Bit, but I wouldn't either. Nonetheless, Two-Bit was one of my closest friends.
"And did you tell him when you found money?" Soda asked.
"Found money? I'm still lookin' for some!"
