"Ouch!" I exclaimed in spite of myself, tripping over one of Carolyn's bags. Out spilled little VHS's that each had different labels on them. I started putting them back into the bag, but my curiosity got the better of me. Picking up a random one, I walked into the living room, suddenly glad that the gang had taken Carolyn to the park for some fresh air and that I had chosen not to go. I clicked on the T.V. and slipped the movie into the box. Sitting back in Darry's chair, I relaxed a bit and watched. The movie started, but, to my surprise, it wasn't a movie at all. It was someone walking with the camera in his or her hands following Dally and having a conversation with him. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans and a cigarette in his mouth. I tensed up; I hadn't seen Dally alive and walking in…awhile. Listening to the conversation (about knives vs. switchblades in a fight), realized with a start that the cameraperson was Carolyn, and that she and Dally were on a date. After talking for a while, they started kicking a rock to each other, kind of like soccer. Watching her feet just below her, Carolyn didn't realize when Dally stuck out his foot ahead of her and tripped her. Dropping the camera and grabbing onto Dallas' shirt in a "If I'm going down, you're coming down with me," kind of way, they fell to the ground, laughing. Luckily, they were on grass, and so the camera fell down upright, still filming, and neither of them got hurt. On the ground, Carolyn was on top of Dally, and they were both still chuckling. Dally had a wide grin on his face; one we never saw on him when he was alive, and a gleam in his eyes, and I knew immediately that falling was part of his plan. And then, just before getting up, dusting herself off and picking up the camera again, Carolyn did something that shocked me, although it really shouldn't have. She kissed Dally. I know that, being boyfriend and girlfriend and all, they must've kissed a heck of a lot of times, but, well, it was the first kiss I'd ever seen. Breaking me away from my thoughts was Soda and 2 Bit's laughter coming from the front of the house. Jumping up, I quickly took the cassette out of the box and ran it back to Carolyn's bag where it had come from and threw it and the others that I hadn't put away back in. Then I sprinted to my and Soda's room to grab a book and had just enough time to run into the living room, sit down, and stick my nose in it just as the gang strolled into the house, led by Darry and Steve.
"Hey, guys!" I called. "How's the weather outside?"
Coming into the living room, 2 Bit gave me a noogie and slumped down beside me on the couch.
"Pretty darn good, Pony. Ya shoulda came with us!"
"Yeah, Pony!" Soda yelled to me, throwing off his shoes and bounced into the room. Steve stuck his head out of the fridge long enough to say, "You ain't got no chocolate milk left!" and stuck it right back in to look for something else to drink.
"On it!" Darry yelled, running out the door again and doing a no-hands cartwheel over the steps.
Coming into the living room, Steve had a bottle of beer cracked open and was drinking it like…like, I don't know what. Finally, Carolyn strolled in, wearing a grin I hadn't seen on her since the video, but no one was to know about that.
"Have a good time?" I asked her, but, instead, Soda answered, "Definitely!" with his usual crazy grin slapped on his face. I set my book down on the table, closing it, 'cause I wasn't really reading it.
"Thanks, guys. I really needed some excitement!" Carolyn said softly, but you could hear the difference in her voice from its usual sadness to now. She sounded almost like she had in the video, but something was still missing. Next to me, 2 Bit lit a cigarette, popped it in his mouth and offered me one.
"Sure," I said, taking the one he held out to me. Using his lighter and lighting it, I stuck it in my mouth. "Carolyn?"
"No thanks, I've already smoked a whole pack today!" She laughed, and it was a beautiful sound to hear, especially from her.
Trying to blow a smoke ring, I shrugged, 'cause it seemed like the thing to do.
"What did ya do while we were gone, Pony?" Soda asked, punching my shoulder playfully.
I tensed up, then said coolly, "This and that," hoping that he didn't ask any more questions and that he didn't notice my edginess. I couldn't think of anything to say as a lie, and thankfully, I didn't have to, 'cause, just then, Darry promenaded in, carrying a few grocery bags, no doubt filled with chocolate milk, chocolate cake mix, and the other ingredients for chocolate cake.
"Hey, Superdope!" Steve called, putting down his beer bottle on the table and going to help Darry with the bags, even though he clearly didn't need it. Before taking one of the bags out of Darry's arms, Steve whispered something in his ear. Setting one of the bags down, Darry smacked Steve across the head. Grinning, Steve picked up the bag Darry had put down and brought it to the kitchen where he started sorting through it.
"Chocolate me!" Soda called, and Steve threw a carton of the milky stuff at him, which he caught like a football.