A/N: It's been a while, ne? Well, I'm back. I kind of died for a while, but I was so bored that I decided to pick up where I left off. Not to mention I wasn't sure what to do next with this story. But I think I know what's going on. Same rules apply. Review, I update. Sooner this time, I promise. Now that I have a week free of work or parents.
Warnings: Some swearing, but that's it
Disclaimer: Why must you hurt me so? I don't own them. I'd like to, but I can't.
Pairings: Dally/ Pony, Two-Bit/ Pony, maybe some Steve/Johnny…any pairing you want to show up, tell me. I'll see what I can do.
Summary: Pony and the gang are introduced to a boarder that Darry takes in to help pay the rent.
Chapter 3: Gym Class
Pony's P.O.V
My eyes scanned the gym as Two-Bit yammered on and on to Steve about some pretty blond he had in a class. I like the guy, but sometimes hearing him and Dally and the others talking about girls all the time makes me a bit uncomfortable. I never really liked girls like that. I thought I liked Cherry, but I don't know anymore. I don't really dig her like that.
I got a chill up my spine as I saw that Nel girl, looking odd in her red P.E. shirt and black shorts. Her hair was pulled back as she sat with the other girls in her class, wearing a smile that seemed so fake. Her cold eyes rested on me for a moment and I visibly shivered.
"Whatsa' matter, Pony? You cold? It's boiling in here!" Two-Bit exclaimed and Steve pulled me to him, grinning as Two-Bit noticeably slouched. I frowned at them both. What was going on?
"Nah, Two-Bit. It's just that girl over there. She gives me the creeps…." I said in a low whisper, hoping I wouldn't attract her attention. Two-Bit whistled.
"Now there's a foxy lady if I ever saw one. Now that's some ripe ol' soc, there." Two-Bit commented as he gave her a once over. She was pretty. But something about her wasn't right….
"I don't like her much. She seems so cold…." Steve clamped his hand over my mouth. "What are you doing?" I tried to yell but it came out a mumbled mess. Steve's eyes went to the soc girls and I saw immediately.
"You're Ponyboy Curtis?" She asked in a sweet voice that was entirely different from how I heard her speak earlier. Her eyes didn't look so cold. She didn't look so dead. Steve lowered his hands and let me talk.
"Yeah, I am." I said in a tuff voice, waiting for the typical questions. Is that your real name? Did you really kill that guy? All the questions I didn't want to answer. That I couldn't answer.
"I'm Nel. Nel Lowe. We're in English together. I wanted to say hello." She said simply, extending her hand.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Girls like her don't talk to guys like me. Hell, they don't talk to other girls like me. She's an uptown soc. Top of the ladder. Gets all the breaks. I wanted to hate her like I hated the other people in her group. I wanted to hate her for all that they did. But that'd be just like hating her because she had blond hair. I wanted to hate her. But as she gave me that sweet smile I immediately melted and accepted the hand. Nice hands. Soft hands.
"Nice to meet you Miss Lowe." I commented in my farm boy voice. She chuckled a little. She had a nice laugh.
"Nel will do. I look forward to having classes with you." She went back over to her little group. Two-Bit gave me a funny sort of smile. Steve patted my back.
"Nice catch. Real babe." He commented before the gym teacher joined us in the gym.
"Come on you pansies! Get your asses in line!" He barked and I grinned as everyone immediately jumped into order. I looked at Nel.
It was going to be a good day.
Two-Bit's P.O.V
The nerve of that bitch.
A new girl, a soc girl, just walked up to Pony and acted all nice to him. I don't see why Pony didn't like her, though, she was right gorgeous and quite kindly looking. The type of girl you don't want to make calls at. The type of girl you want to respect. It hurts to even think it but at least Pony's getting in with the right people. He doesn't deserve this crap ass life. He deserves a lot of good things. But that doesn't mean I can't hate that girl. Because I hate her. I couldn't even concentrate on Pony during gym. I could only watch her, running around enough to make it look like she was doing something while we did laps, but walking as the teacher turned around and laughing with all her soc friends. Friends that didn't seem to be to pleased with her.
She seemed familiar though. The name did, at least. Something Darry mentioned. But how Darry would now this broad is beyond me. He never dug girls much. Neither did Pony. At least, that's what I thought.
"Two-Bit, it's time to go." Damn. I missed him change again. Pony had his bag slung over his shoulder. "I have math last, and I'll meet you at the car. I need to get home early today, so no stops along the way. Dar says we're getting a visitor or somethin'." Pony said, looking down.
"Whatsa' matter, Ponyboy?" I asked, putting my shirt on and then slinging an arm around his shoulder.
"Well…what if it's someone from the foster homes or somethin?" He paused, "What if it's someone who wants to take me and Soda from Darry? I don't wanna leave him. Not now. We just started to get each other. I wanna be with him forever." He said a quivering voice. I smiled. Poor kid. He really was worried.
"Don't worry, Pony, I'm sure it's some one great. I'll get you home quick enough." I ruffled his hair and he gave me that grumpy pout that made me fall for him all over again. Damn kid. Doesn't know what he does to me….
"You ready to get out of here, Two-Bit?" It was Dally, who was shaking me awake as the bell rang and the class began to empty. Social Studies. I yawned.
"Aw'ready? Damn, I never thought a class by Miss Hall would go so quickly." I said, my voice still heavy with sleep. Dally snickered, punching my arm as I got up. I winced.
"'Cuz you slept through it, dumbass. Let's get going. Pony's meeting us by your car." He mentioned and I jumped up.
"Right, I have to get him home right away…." I said, totally forgetting.
"What now?" Dally said, quirking a brow in perfect imitation of myself.
"You're getting good at that, Dal….I guess I'm rubbing off on you, eh? But Darry wants Pony home real quick. Some sort of visitor or somethin'." I explained and Dally paled a little.
"Visitor? What if they're gonna try and take Pony and Soda away?" Dally started but I shook my head.
"I doubt it. I think Dar' woulda' told us." I quipped, "But I guess I best get him there on time anyways. Just in case. What kind of example would I be if I bring 'im home late?" I said and hurried out of the front doors, Pony leaning against my door with Steve keeping him company. I grew a little flustered but ignored it. They were friends. It was getting a bit ridiculous that I was getting jealous….
"Hey Two-Bit, enjoy your first day of school?" Pony asked, turning from Steve for a moment.
"Uh… yeah, I guess." I finally managed.
"And you Dal?" He asked, Dallas stepping forward.
"It was school." Dally answered simply and Pony chuckled a little bit.
"Let's get our asses out of here, before a teacher finds me and decides to assign me my detentions in advance. I caused a bit of a ruckus in science." I said, jumping in and waiting for the rest to pile in along with me.
"We headin' to Pony's?" Steve asked from the backseat. I was honestly a little surprised he gave up the front seat to Ponyboy.
"Yeah…Darry wants me home." Pony said. Steve nodded, leaning back into his seat as I drove off. It was a usual ride home, Steve and Dally wrestling in the back seat as Pony laughed and made his usual smart-ass remark and I tried to be the comic relief. Usual morning, usual weather, usual school day, usual ride home….
What was waiting for us on their front porch was far from usual.
Ponyboy's P.O.V
We pulled up in front of the house onto the dirt patch we called the driveway. I slithered out of the window, too lazy to try and pry open Two-Bit's crappy doors. Soda was still at work. But Darry was home, sitting on the front porch along with a very familiar person.
Darry was talking very animatedly until he caught my eye and paused with a very un-Darry like smile.
"Pony! I'm glad you're home, this is…this is Nel Lowe. She's going to be boarding with us for a little while." He said and my jaw dropped. And I'm pretty sure three others did too. That uptown soc girl was sitting on my porch, wearing a pair of jeans and the same shirt she wore to school, her hair was pulled into a nice braid and she looked like the nice girl I met in gym class. I closed my mouth before any flies flew into it.
"Miss…Miss Lowe?" I finally stammered and she chuckled.
"I told you Nel would be okay." She finally said. Darry beamed, realizing we already knew each other.
"I figured we could use the extra money…and it might be fun, you know? I ran into Nel by the DX(1) and she was asking someone for a place to stay for a while. Her parents are moving and she wanted to finish high school here…" Darry explained.
"It…It won't be long. Just till I graduate. You don't even need to feed me…I can just sleep on the couch or something…and I don't mind being around just boys. I grew up surrounded by them." She added. I smiled.
"You don't need to go defending yourself around me, Nel, I like you. You're real tuff and you're one of the decent ones." I finally managed. She laughed.
"I'd hope. I was going to tell you at school…but, I thought it'd be kind of awkward."
"I'm surprised you'd want to stay in a dump like this when half your friends live in mansions." Two-Bit spat. I winced. Leave it to Two-Bit. He was usually an amicable guy, but when it came to people intruding in on our little "family" he got a little cold.
"Hey, Two-Bit, that wasn't very…." I started but Nel shook her head.
"Just because I talk to them…doesn't mean we're friends." She said simply. "I knew Darry because he used to volunteer with my older brother….I felt more comfortable asking him."
"Right." Two-Bit scoffed. Steve rolled his eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Nel. I guess it'll be good to have a girl around this place. Maybe we'll be able to see the floor." He joked and Darry punched his shoulder playfully.
"I'll have you know the house is clean for once." I defended and everyone laughed. Steve ruffled my hair and then rested his elbow on top of my head.
"I'm Steve, by the way, Steve Randall (2)." He introduced and Nel smiled. She was almost a little too pretty. Dally bit his lip, obviously trying not to throw out something nasty. Even Dal had his limits.
"I'm Dally." He said simply.
"You're in my English class." She replied. He nodded.
"You seem sweet enough. Not many of your type associates yourself with our type. Especially publicly." Dally finished and everyone grinned. Dally's way of complimenting someone. She seemed to get it.
"Thanks."
"Well, the grumpy guy with the sideburns would be Two-Bit." I added, "But he's too stubborn to be a gentlemen. And Soda'll probably be home soon enough. You'll looooooove Soda." I chuckled and she did too. Miss Nel…what a funny sort of girl. She blew her bangs out of her face and gave a radiant sort of smile. Darry gave her a funny sort of look before retreating inside of the house.
"Who wants cake?" He hollered from the kitchen and the boys all ran inside, leaving a confused Nel on the porch.
"You must really like cake…." She commented. "My brother used to love cake too…made me bake for him all the time…." The girl said a little dreamily. I quirked a brow, but failed miserably.
"We all just love chocolate. But you bake? You'd best make me something for my birthday. It'll be my birthday soon enough and it's been a long while since I've had a homemade cake. Not since my mom passed away." I said and Nel just stared at me for a moment.
"My mom taught me how. When I was little. But she's been dead for a long while." She said simply. "But I'd love a piece of cake. Is it okay if I have some?" She asked politely and I couldn't help but laugh at her. This prim and proper thing amongst all us rough young men? How much fun could that be….
"'Course you can, girly, as long as you slouch a little."
"Slouch?"
"Mmm, we're gonna' grease you up some, Miss Lowe. You'll be a delinquent in no time." Those wide eyes blinked a few times before she broke out into that unfathomable smile. I opened the door for her and she began to step inside, turning back to me for a moment.
"I can't wait, I guess…." She finally said before joining the boys in the kitchen, an out of place doll amongst all us ruthless thugs. I stood there and wondered for a moment about this arrangement, staring at her amusement while the boys all devoured their cake and Darry peacefully offered her a slice. I looked at her eyes, those wide, pretty eyes, and saw it there too. I guess it's rough for them too.
Sighing, I joined them.
To be continued….
1) DX - Is it called that? I don't remember….
2) Randall - I'm pretty sure that's Steve's last name….
A/N: Sorry if this chapter kind of sucked. I just wanted to get Nel in there since her future role is very important. But yeah. Review, people. I need them. I thrive on them. I'll try to update sooner this time….;; soooorrrryyyy.
PS: Sorry if I have typos and such...I kind of rushed through this one.
