Chapter 2:

Permission granted

"Time to get up!" hollered Darry. I lay still and pulled the covers right over my head, hoping he would just go away, but of course he didn't. "Come on Becky, it's 7.00, you'll be late for school if you don't get up now."

I groaned and grumbled out "Ok Darry, I'm awake." I pulled the covers down off my face "See?!"

Darry looked at me sternly and shook his head "Sorry Kiddo, I've heard that one before, I need to see you out of bed or you'll just turn over and go back to sleep."

I groaned again and threw the cover aside, putting my feet on the floor and sitting up. "Happy now?" I pouted.

"Yep, now go get in the bathroom before Soda and Pony take all the hot water." He grinned at me.

I nodded and went off to the bathroom taking my clothes with me to change into after my shower. I had learnt the hard way not to walk around in a towel - I had been teased, jeered at and insulted enough by my brother's friends to not want a repeat of that.

Once I was ready I wandered into the kitchen where Darry was flipping some pancakes to add to the pile already on the table. I grabbed one and smothered it with syrup adding some banana. I shared my brothers' sweet tooth, but thankfully not their appetite, managing only one pancake to their four or five, or else I would be 5 feet wide as well as tall!

"Darry, did you think any more about me going to the dance on Friday?" I had asked Darry at the weekend about going to a dance with Tara at the high school. Tara was still in Junior High and in my grade, so only a year older than me, but her sister had invited Tara and me along with her.

"I don't know Becky, I think you're a little young to be going to a dance with high school kids, you're only just 12." I huffed in annoyance and disappointment. "And don't huff at me, that ain't gonna make me change my mind."

"What is?" I asked hopefully.

"I'll talk to Pony and see if he'll go along with you. If he will then you can go, but you have to be home by 10.00 if you do."

"10.00?!" I said incredulously. Pony was allowed out till midnight and Soda seemed to be able to come and go as he pleased. Why did I have to be back so early?

"It's that or nothing Kiddo, so don't push it."

I pouted as I dug my fork into the sticky pancake.

"Morning Bex!" Soda breezed in dressed for work, except for his bare feet and ruffled my hair.

"Hey!" I complained smoothing it down again.

"What's got your goat this morning?" he grinned

"Nothing," I grunted back, not in the mood to explain Darry's unreasonable rules and risk Darry saying I couldn't go altogether.

"Hey Pony" Soda said cheerfully as Pony shuffled into the kitchen flopping down in a chair and helping himself to a stack of pancakes before smothering them with chocolate sauce and syrup.

"Pony, that's enough sauce, you'll give yourself Diabetes at this rate!" Darry admonished.

Pony rolled his eyes and tucked in.

"Pony are you thinking of going to the school dance on Friday?" Pony looked at Darry like he'd just asked if he had been to the moon.

"No" he said plainly

"Please will you go Pony?" I pleaded with him. He stared at me with a confused look on his face, wondering why it had anything to do with me. "Tara has invited me along but Darry will only let me go if you go along. I really want to go, you know how much I love to dance – Please Pony."

Ponyboy looked almost sick at the prospect. It was his idea of torture going to that kind of social event and he was not one for dancing either.

"No way Bex, I ain't going to the dance. Ask Soda, he might go with you."

"Are you allowed at a high school dance?" I turned to Soda

"Yeah, as long as I go with Two-Bit or some other high school student they'll let me in. I don't mind going with you Bex, but only if I can bring Sarah along."

I rolled my eyes. Sarah was Soda's latest obsession. She was the first girl he had dated since Sandy and he had not learnt from his past mistakes as he was falling head over heels for her. She seemed nice enough, but I couldn't help feeling protective of him after how much he got hurt by Sandy.

"Well that's the offer, take it or leave it." Soda retorted, annoyed by my eye-roll.

"Is that ok Darry?" I asked eagerly.

"I guess so," Darry reluctantly agreed "Same rules apply though, back by 10.00 – got that Soda?"

"Aye, aye Captain." Soda grinned crazily and saluted, bringing a smile to Darry's face.

"Thanks Soda." I grinned and jumped up to give him a kiss before rushing off to brush my teeth. I couldn't believe that Darry had actually agreed to let me go to the dance. I had expected a flat out 'no', but having Soda and Sarah along would be fine. Anyway, I wasn't planning on doing anything that I wasn't happy for Soda to see, just dancing the night away and Soda was used to my crazy dance moves.

"Becky!" Darry yelled "Tara and Two-Bit are here, get a move on if you don't want to walk to school."

"Coming!" I yelled back, quickly rinsing my mouth before grabbing my bag and racing to the door.

"Bye Darry, bye Soda!"

"Bye Honey, bye Pone" Soda replied

"Bye Becky, bye Pony, be good, work hard!" Darry had to add.

"Morning Bexster" Two-Bit grinned, "Why are you looking so pleased with yourself?" although he could guess since Soda had just asked if he could go along to the dance with him to keep an eye on Becky. We all clambered into his car, Pony in the front and me in the back with Tara.

"Darry said I can go to the dance on Friday!" I exclaimed bouncing in my seat.

"Hey watch the upholstery." Joked Two-Bit "It's very delicate you know, can't take too much of your bouncing like that!"

"Are you sure about that Two-Bit" sassed Tara "I hear it gets plenty of bouncing action on Friday and Saturday nights."

"Tara!" I groaned turning red

Tara and Two-Bit just grinned even wider. "You heard right darlin' "he said

"So Darry's letting you come!" Tara exclaimed "I can't believe old Grinch is letting you out for some fun."

I couldn't help smiling, but said "Don't be mean Tara, he ain't all bad, he just worries is all. Anyway there's a condition, which is that Soda has to come along with us and he's gonna bring Sarah too…"

"Well, that's all fine and dandy. They'll be too preoccupied to worry about what you're up to." Tara grinned.

Two-Bit's grin faded though "You ain't planning on being up to anything anyway are you Bexster?" he raised his eyebrows at me in the mirror and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Not that it's any of your business, Two-Bit, but all I plan to do is dance my butt off!"

"Ah, but it is my business what you're up to Becky, cos you're my honorary baby sister and I need to make sure you stay on the straight and narrow, see?"

"Don't you think I have enough real brothers to take care of that?" I sassed back, annoyed at the way he felt able to boss me around.

"Nope, never enough" he grinned back waggling his eyebrows. I had to return his grin. It was nearly impossible to stay mad at Two-Bit. He dropped us outside the Junior High and then sped off with Pony, beeping the horn.

"I swear he gets crazier every day. " I laughed to Tara.

"Yeah." She raised her eyebrows.