My porch is the closest to the vacant lot and from our spot we can hear the boys hollering over their football game. I smile, shaking my head remembering how badly I used to want to play with them when I was younger. The one time I finally got play was when Two-Bit wasn't around. I caught the ball and Steve tackled me to the ground, breaking two of my fingers in the process. He carried me home to Mama and kept apologizing for two weeks afterwards.
The thing about my brother's friends is that while I was never invited into their little gang I was still a part of their little family because of whose little sister I was. When Two-Bit or Mama couldn't take me someplace or pick me up one of them always would. Even Dallas Winston would walk me home from my after school dance classes if he was headed that way anyways. The gang was just like this weird family and I knew that even though I wasn't close to any of them all I had to do was cry and if I couldn't find my brother they would take care of whatever or whoever was bothering me.
I sip on my lemonade and remember the time Dallas had picked me up from dance class. It was sure a sight to see then. He didn't talk to me the entire time, but I remember feeling safe with him. Dallas was a hood, but he watched his mouth around girls especially around me. I'm not saying he cared the least bit, but I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me as long as I was under his watch.
"Incoming Curtis," Emily says and we all look up quickly. Sodapop Curtis is hobbling down the street to my house and I smile somewhat.
Sodapop had spent almost two years in Vietnam before he was injured. He was way too close to a blast from a landmine and while it thankfully didn't kill him, the blast burned him and threw him a few feet. He now walks with a cane and his left arm is in a sling. There are burns that cover that trail up his left arm to his face and he has an eye patch. My brother says that he doesn't even act like his old self anymore. He's meaner and things trigger these weird panic attacks. Two-Bit says it's terrifying what the war did to Sodapop and the idea sent my stomach into knots.
"Hey ladies," he says once he reaches the bottom of my porch and I smile at him.
"Hi Soda," I say to him. He's struggling to make his way up the porch but I don't make any motion to help him. Two-bit told me that Soda hates that people don't think he can do anything for himself anymore. So I leave him alone and I can tell by the smile on his face that he's happy I did.
"What you brings you around Sodapop?" Mindy asks and he sits down on the porch swing next to me.
"I got bored watching the boy's play football without me and Two-Bit told me that there's some fresh squeezed lemonade here so I thought I'd come check it out," he explains and I stand up to get him a glass from inside.
"You want some of Mama's chocolate cake? We got some leftover from last night," I say knowing how much those Curtis boy's love chocolate cake.
"Do you even have to ask Little-Bit?" He cracks a grin and I smile at him.
"That is a god awful nickname," I say over my shoulder and Sodapop chuckles.
I can hear the girls talking to Soda and I'm glad that he's socializing with us instead of going home to be by himself. I make sure to cut Soda an extra-large piece of cake because no one is going to eat it and I don't want it to go to waste. I balance the glass of lemonade on the plate and bring it back out to him and he smiles.
"Thank you ma'am," he says and I wink taking a piece of cake off of his cake and popping it into my mouth. "So what you hens gabbing about?"
"Don't call us hens," I tell him.
"We're talking about the party at Mark and Bryan's house," Polly says and Soda nods his head.
"Yeah I think I heard Pony talking about it," Soda says and Polly's eyes light up. She had the biggest crush on him and I already knew that we were really going to this party now.
"Don't those parties get kind of rough?" Mindy asks and Polly rolls her eyes. "I heard some kid ended up in the hospital because of one of those Tigers."
"The Tiber Street Tigers don't come to parties on this side of town," Soda explains and Polly rolls her eyes.
"Sure they do Sodapop. You just have to look for them," Polly is ridiculously prideful of her brother's gang which is why I'm still so surprised that she's buddy buddy with Angela Shepard. Last time I checked the Shepard gang and the Tigers were on the outs.
"I don't think I'll be going to any party that gang members attend," Mindy says and Polly sneers at her.
"Oh like the bunch of Socs you hang around is any better," Polly snaps and Mindy throws her nose in the air. This is something she picked up from her new friends and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it.
"Actually they kind of are," Mindy counters before standing up. "Go to the party if you want El, but you wouldn't catch me dead there."
"Oh like we would want you there anyways," Polly says as she pulls her lip up in a dangerous smirk.
"I really wasn't talking to you," Mindy says over her shoulder before looking back at me and both of us make a face at each other. "Besides I got church in the morning."
Polly rolls her eyes and goes back to flipping through the magazine in her lap.
"Are you going to come tomorrow morning Soda?" Mindy asks and he looks a little caught off guard. "Dawn called me and told that you were thinking about stopping by."
"Yeah she seems to think it will be good for me," Soda licks his lips and looks down at his messed up foot.
Dawn is Soda's girlfriend. They got to together about a year after Sandy left him. I know the two of them had been friends for a while before that and had been sweet on each other, but I never thought a Soc-y girl like Dawn would actually go out with Soda. She really loves him though. She cried when he went off to Vietnam and then went off to school in Philadelphia before he could come home. I don't think they've seen each other since he's been home since he can't really take a bus to Philadelphia and she can't really leave school. It's nice to know the two of them are still together though; she's real good to him.
"Just come by tomorrow morning. If you don't like it you don't have to come back," Mindy says and Soda nods his head.
"Yeah, I'll think about it," he tells her and then Mindy leaves the topic alone. She never forces church on anyone, just says it might be a good idea and then leaves it alone.
"I didn't know you and Dawn were friends," Soda says and Mindy smiles.
"She was my camp counselor at church camp one year. Her mom's also real active with the fundraisers we hold." Mindy explains and at the mention of Dawn's mama Soda's eyes darken a bit. Two-Bit had once told me that both Soda and Dawn don't like her mama at all. She's a real Bitch, Two-Bit had said. "We only talk once in a while, but she's just worried about you. Wants to get you out of the house for something uplifting."
"Sounds like Dawn," Soda says with a small warm smile and I picture how the two of them were before he went off to Vietnam.
There's a lot of hollering coming from down the street and we look to find the rest of my brother's friends coming home. "Bet they're coming to finish off the lemonade," I say and Emily ad Polly stand up.
"Which means it's our cue to go," Emily says because while they liked the attention from the boys, they didn't like how all of them would tease them at the same time when they were together. "We'll meet you at Polly's tonight?"
"Yeah," I say and Mindy stretches her legs out on the porch. She's used to the boy's teasing like I am.
Two-Bit is by far the loudest and I roll my eyes when I see him pull Mark into a headlock. Mark and Bryan started hanging around them after Ponyboy befriended them. They weren't really part of the gang I guess, but the other boys seem to like them just fine.
"Looks like Ol' Soda beat us here," Steve calls and Soda laughs. "Enjoying the girl talk?"
"Sure thing, I'm learning all kinds of secrets," he calls back before nudging me in the ribs. The truth is that we could have been sharing secrets and Soda would have locked all of them away. He would never tell a soul. That's the greatest thing about him.
"I bet you are. Mindy and Eleanor are just full of them," Two-Bit chimes in before heading inside to get everyone a glass.
The boys are all sweaty and gross. Mindy scoots a little ways from Steve and I stifle a laugh. She has a rather big crush on Steve, always has and she doesn't like to be near him in case he says something to her and she blushes.
"How was graduation Ponyboy?" Mindy asks trying to seem normal as possible but I can tell she's dying inside.
"Oh it was real fun," he says to her before glancing at me. Pony's always been shy and he also seems to get cuter each time I see him. Which surprisingly isn't very often. He's always busy with school, work, and I guess friends now since he's Mr. Popularity.
"You missed a real party afterwards," Mark says and he punches Pony in the arm. "Surprised you weren't there." He says to me and I try not to blush at the fact that his golden eyes are looking straight into mine.
"I wasn't invited," I say and Darry grunts.
"Eleanor you know you're always welcome in our house," he reminds me and I nod my head. He pats the porch railing and looks around before saying, "I better get going. Lydia will kill me if we're late for this appointment."
"What appointment is Superman going to?" Steve asks Soda.
Soda cracks a grin and says, "They got a flower appointment for the wedding."
"Well shoot, Darry can afford that?" Two-Bit says as he places the pitcher of lemonade on the table out here and hands out glasses to the boys.
"Her parents are paying for most of it. It's driving Darry nuts." Pony explains.
Mindy and I stare at each other, trying to find an appropriate time to head back inside the house. The boys are probably going to start talking about something gross soon and we wanted to get out of here before we were stuck hearing about someone's sex life.
"What are you two planning?" Two-Bit asks, he always notices the looks Mindy and I give each other.
"Nothing, we're going to go inside," I explain and Mindy jumps to her feet. Steve smirks a bit and I'm pretty sure he knows about Mindy's crush on him, but I'm glad he doesn't tease her for it.
"Eleanor," Mark says before I'm almost inside, "Bryan and I are having a party tonight and it'd be cool if you stopped by."
I look at my brother who's now frowning at the golden eyed boy. I lick my lips and say, "You might see me there," my voice is coy and he lifts his brows up before nodding his head.
"Well wait a minute," Two-Bit says before standing in front of me. He's going to pull the protective older brother card. "Who else is going to be there?"
"I'll be there Two-Bit," Ponyboy says and I let out a breath. Two-Bit will let me go as long as he knows that one of the gang will be there as well. "I'll make sure she stays out of trouble."
"I don't need a babysitter," I say, shoving Two-Bit a little and then shooting Ponyboy a look.
"Sure you do, now go inside." Two-Bit says before pushing me back in and closing the front door afterwards.
"Golly," Mindy says to me as we walk down the hall. "That was real stupid of Mark to ask you to go to the party in front of your brother.
"Yeah, but lucky for me Ponyboy's going to be there," I say sarcastically and Mindy lifts a brow at me.
"I thought you thought he was cute," Mindy asks and I just stare at her.
"And I thought you didn't have a crush on Steve anymore," I counter and she just laughs.
"Okay, but I bet tonight something happens. I can feel it." Mindy warns me and I fall against my bed.
"Good or bad?" I ask and Mindy puts on the Beatles record before collapsing into my desk chair in front of the fan. My room is the hottest in the whole house.
"I don't so just be careful," Mindy says and I lift my head to look at her.
"Didn't you hear? I have a babysitter tonight. Everything's going to be fine," I say, but to be honest I can feel the same thing Mindy does. But my feeling is more excitement than anything.
A/N: This is kind of a filler chapter, let me know if you like it. Also, all my stories are tied together so the characters that are introduced in Miles Away and Blue Moon will be mentioned in here and vice versa.
