Chapter Two
Kat POV
"You wanna work on this project during lunch?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"I don't eat in the cafeteria."
"Neither do I. I go out to the front of the school."
"Why? Don't you have friends?"
"Um... Yeah, but... That's... That's when I do my best reading."
"Yeah, sure. I just won't go with Two-bit today."
"Isn't he a little too old to be in High School?"
He laughed.
"He's finally a Senior. They said if he didn't graduate, he was done."
"How old is he?"
"19."
The bell rang, and I went to my next two classes just waiting for lunch. When it was finally that time, I was ready.
"Hey."
"Hey. Where do you wanna go?"
"I read over there."
I pointed to a tree. He nodded and we went and sat down.
"Okay, so according to the packet, we have to pick a poem and explain what we think the author was meaning... I'm not into poetry that much."
"Me neither, but..."
He sat there for a minute.
"But, what?"
"I, uh... Do know this one poem by Robert Frost. We read it in middle school."
"You wanna do that one?"
"I guess..."
He looked upset.
"Are you..."
The question died on my lips.
"Pony!"
He rolled his eyes as his friend approached us.
"What're you doing?"
"Can't go with you guys today. I'm working on a project."
I stuck my hand out.
"Hi, I'm Kat."
He took my hand and shot Ponyboy a grin.
"I'm Hank McGee, at your service, my lady! I'm this one here's role model. The perfect specimen."
He did a dramatic bow. Ponyboy covered his face with his hands.
"I'm surprised you know that word..."
Pony looked at me and I winked at him.
"Oh, well that's really nice to know... Two-bit..."
He gawked and Ponyboy started laughing. He hit him upside the head.
"Why you gotta tell people my name?"
He gave him a look, then shifted his eyes to me.
"That's not his name. His name is..."
"Two-bit. My name's Two-bit. Anyways, I'm heading out. You sure you ain't coming, Pony?"
"I'm sure."
He nodded and started walking away.
"His real name is Keith."
"I heard that!"
We busted out laughing. We decided to pick it back up the next day in class. When I got home from the library, my brother was waiting on me on the porch.
"What's this I hear about you hanging out with a greaser?"
I rolled my eyes.
"We're doing a project together."
I walked passed him into the house. He followed me.
"That's the kid who killed Bob last year!"
"I thought the other kid's the one that did it. The one that died."
He growled.
"Same difference."
I glared.
"Oh, and it was okay for Bob to almost drown him?!"
"That's different! He was teaching him a lesson."
"What lesson? Don't be a nice guy and walk my girlfriend home when I abandon her at the drive in? I know what happened, I'm not an idiot!"
"She abandoned him!"
"Doesn't matter! It's all wrong, everything's wrong! I'll talk to whoever I want, and you sure as hell ain't gonna stop me!"
He looked taken aback. I sighed.
"What you do is wrong, Adam. I'm not saying greasers are saints, but you're not either. You jump defenseless kids. Tell me, what have they specifically done to you to make you do it?"
He scowled, I had him. He didn't have a reason.
"Just be careful. I don't like it."
"You don't have to, cause I definitely don't like what you do."
Pony POV
I'd gotten away with not telling my brothers about her, until Two-bit opened his big mouth...
"Kid's palling around with a girl."
I felt my ears go hot. I'd just walked in the room when Soda turned to me, a smile forming.
"He is, huh?"
Steve snorted.
"You sure it's a girl? Maybe the beer's messing with your head."
I rolled my eyes.
"Maybe Evie's not a girl. Do you even know what she look likes under all that makeup?"
Soda started laughing and Steve smirked.
"Keep talkin', you little shit."
Two-bit kept talking.
"Not just any girl. A Soc. Not a blonde, but still a looker."
"A Soc?"
Darry'd just walked in and looked concerned.
"We're partners on a project, guys. No big deal."
Later that night, Soda cornered me.
"A Soc, huh? You're just partners?"
"Yeah... Why?"
He shrugged.
"No reason. Just... Just be careful, Pone. You know what can happen..."
The next few days went by, and we just met at lunch, but the project was due the next day, and we didn't have enough done.
"We're gonna have to work on this today after school, Ponyboy. There's no other way around it."
Though unsaid, we'd both been trying to avoid working outside of school. It's not that we didn't want to, but we just knew that's how it had to be. Until that day.
"Well... I mean, I guess Two-bit can give a ride to my house, then we can take you to the bus stop because..."
She looked down.
"Yeah, I know. You can go to the Southside of town. I know that..."
"You really shouldn't go to the Northside if I'm being honest..."
"I've got to... We have to finish this today..."
I didn't like it, but she was right. After school, we met in the front and then met up with Two-bit at his car.
"Well, howdy Kat!"
She laughed.
"Hey, Two-bit."
"She's coming home with me. We've gotta finish this project."
He raised an eyebrow, but nodded. When we got to the house, Two-bit pulled me to the side.
"How're you planning to get her home?"
"I told her we'd take her to the bus stop... What? Don't give me that look! I had no choice.."
"Okay, kid. Okay. I'll be back at 5:00."
We spent about thirty minutes holed up in my room, when I heard the door slam.
"Oh, no..."
"What?"
I'd forgotten it was Thursday. Soda only worked until 3:30.
"Ponyboy, you here?"
I didn't have a chance to answer before the door opened.
"Hey, you wanna..."
I don't think I'd ever seen my brother look so shocked. Kat looked amused.
"Um..."
She smiled and got up off the bed.
"I'm Kat."
Soda shook her hand and gave her his signature grin.
"Sodapop."
She smiled and sat back down.
"We're um... Just working on this project. It's due tomorrow..."
He laughed.
"It's fine, Pone. Y'all just caught me off guard. I'll leave you guys alone."
He left the door open when he left. I got up and shut it.
"Sorry about that."
She giggled.
"It's fine. He's a sweetheart."
We dove back into the project. We were both silently working, when she spoke.
"Are we friends?"
"Huh?"
I looked up at her.
"Are we friends? Like, after this project, will we still talk?"
I sighed.
"I don't know if we should, Kat..."
She laid across the bed and huffed.
"We should..."
"I know, but... It can cause trouble... It'd probably be best if we hung out with our own friends..."
She looked upset, but nodded. We finished, and walked to the living room to wait for Two-bit.
"Can I call my mom and tell her I'll be home soon?"
"Yeah, sure."
While she was on the phone, Darry walked in. The look on his face was priceless.
"Ponyboy?"
"This is my partner for that project. She's about to leave."
They introduced themselves, and then Two-bit came and we took her to the bus stop. He stayed in the truck, while I got out and waited with her.
"You don't have to do this, you know."
"It's fine..."
When the bus came, she turned to me.
"I've never had as much fun working on an assignment."
"Same."
She hugged me. A real hug.
"Bye, Ponyboy..."
She got on the bus and left. When I got home, Darry grilled me.
"You shouldn't have brought her here. If the Soc's find out..."
"They'll what? Beat me up? It's not like that doesn't happen half the time already."
Soda shook his head.
"Kiddo, listen. You don't understand."
I stood, fed up with everyone. After the conversation I'd had with her, I felt like shit.
"You're right. I don't understand. I didn't understand this when Johnny got beat up, I didn't understand it when they tried to drown me, I didn't understand it when Johnny and Dally died, and I don't understand it now. Nothing about this is right, and you both know that."
I sulked to my room. I didn't yell at them, just told them the facts. Soda popped his head in.
"Kiddo, can we talk?"
"No..."
He sighed and came in and sat in the desk chair. I knew that Darry'd sent him in.
"You're right. It's wrong, it's all wrong. But, there's nothing I can do to change it... It's a shit life sometimes..."
"All the time..."
"Don't think that way. You still got us, right?"
He put his hand on my knee, and he looked so desperate, I had to make him happy.
"You're right, Sodapop."
That grin could rival the sun...
Kat POV
When I got home, my mom looked worried.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"You're dad was early... He wondered where you were... When you called..."
"Oh, you didn't..."
I heard the heavy footsteps coming down the hall.
"Katherine Marie Fuller!"
My dad came around the corner, looking more pissed than I'd seen him in a while. I knew what was coming...
"You're in deep shit!"
He backhanded me...
