Two-Bit

Dawn Parker was unlike any girl I'd ever met.

It was the middle of my sophomore year of high school that she came into my life.

When she stepped into Buck's that late Saturday night, nearly every person turned their attention on her. She kept her head raised high as she walked to the bar and ordered herself a drink.

She had the longest hair I've ever seen. It hung down beyond her shoulder blades. Straight, dark brown hair, that looked so smooth and silky, I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through it.

She wore bell-bottom jeans that fringed at the end, with floral patterned patches going up and down the sides. You could just barely see her sandaled feet peeking out. Her toenails were painted a dark brown color, which looked good against her tanned skin.

The shirt she was wearing was a light blue blouse. It was short in length so you could see where her jeans hugged her hips. She looked so out of place among the sea of greasers and filthy cowboys. But she acted as if she belonged.

I knew what she was. A "flower child," they called her. I'd heard about hippies on the news, but it'd always seemed like a foreign concept to me. Not many hippies showed up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At least, not in my part of town. They had no reason to.

Hippie or no hippie, she was still the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I nudged Steve who was focusing hard on our game of billiards and hadn't noticed her walk in.

"What, Two-Bit?" he growled, as the cue ball completely missed the 8-ball he was trying to hit.

"Look." I nodded in her direction.

Steve straightened up as he took in the sight of her. "Damn," he breathed.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Somebody has a crush," Sodapop singsonged, as I continued to stare over at the hippie girl. She'd been joined by two other girls that I recognized from school, but all I knew about them were their names: Helen and Dolly. "Go ask her out, Two-Bit."

Sodapop and Dally had finished their game of darts and had joined Steve and I at the pool table.

"We ain't gettin' any younger, man," Steve said.

"He's not gonna do it." That was Dally. "He's too chicken."

I puffed out my chest. I was nervous as all get-out, but when someone calls you 'chicken,' you have to do what he says, or he's right. "You don't think I'll do it?" I challenged. "Watch me. Take notes, gentlemen."

I marched over to the bar, hoping I looked more confident than I felt.

Amazingly, there was an open seat next to her. I slid into it. Her back was turned to me because she was in a heated discussion with the girls she'd come with. I waited for it to die down before I leaned in closer to her.

"What's a pretty girl like you doin' at a rotten place like this?" I asked.

She spun around on her stool to face me. "Who's askin'?" she wondered, grinning at me. She was even more beautiful when she was smiling, if that's possible.

One of the girls she was with, Dolly, the one with black hair, grabbed her arm. "That's Two-Bit Mathews!" she said. "Be careful with that one." She winked at me.

I smiled devilishly back at her. "Just throwin' me under the bus, eh Dolly?"

Dolly raised her hands up in defense. "Hey, I didn't say nothin' you can't come back from, soldier."

"Naw, Two-Bit's a sweet guy, Dawn," Helen chimed in. "He's in my history class. He's a hoot - keeps it entertaining."

"So you're a funny guy, huh?" Dawn asked me.

I raised my eyebrows. "I can be any guy you want me to be." That was such a line, and I knew it, but it made her laugh all the same. "What brings you to Tulsa?" I asked.

Dawn thumbed over her shoulder at Helen. "Just visiting. Helen's my cousin. I'm here till next Saturday."

"I hardly ever get to see her," Helen said, wrapping her arm around Dawn's neck. "She and her parents refuse to settle down. They're always traveling across the country."

"So you're only here a week?" I asked, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Yup. Getting a feel for the civilized life," Dawn said.

I snorted. "We ain't that civilized in Tulsa." Dolly and Helen laughed in agreement.

"We've just been showin' her around," Dolly told me, smacking her gum. "It's hard keepin' a girl entertained in Tulsa when she's seen just about everything else."

"I like it," Dawn insisted. "Time slows down here. It's relaxing."

"That's her nice way of saying 'it's boring,'" Dolly translated.

"She's coming to school with me next week," Helen said. "She wants to know what a public school is like."

"I've been homeschooled all my life," Dawn explained. "I think I'm most excited for the dance on Friday night. I've never been to a dance before."

"You got a date?" I asked before I could stop myself. I'd never had a desire to go to a school dance. Until now. Greasers weren't seen at dances too often.

Dawn blushed. "No," she said shyly.

Helen raised her eyebrows at me. "You offerin'?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Dolly giggled excitedly. "What do you say, Dawn?"

"I think I'd really like that," Dawn said, smiling in spite of herself. She leaned in closer to me. "I hope you know how to dance, Two-Bit Mathews, because I can go all night."

"You, Two-Bit Mathews, are going to a dance?" Ponyboy asked, disbelief evident in his voice, when he heard the news.

That had been the reaction of just about everybody I told.

"Do you even know how to dance?" Darry had asked me.

The gang was all over at the Curtises' house and I was getting slammed.

"Look, it just sort of happened," I said, trying to defend myself. "I didn't know what I was sayin'."

"Sounds like a classic 'love-at-first-sight' story to me," Mr. Curtis said, coming out of the kitchen. "Stand up, kid. Let's see what you've got. Show us your moves."

"Yeah, let's see it, Mathews," the guys agreed, laughing at my suspense.

I rolled my eyes, but I'm a good sport. "I ain't got much," I said, reluctantly getting to my feet. "I've never really had any reason to dance before."

"Well, don't you worry, hon," Mrs. Curtis said, standing at the doorway of the kitchen. "Darrel can show you everything you need to know. His dancing skills are what made me fall in love with him."

"Is that so?" Mr. Curtis asked, taking his wife by the hand and twirling her around. The Curtis boys all hid their faces out of embarrassment, but the rest of us looked on with admiration. Mr. Curtis was one smooth dude. "Now you try," Mr. Curtis said, handing his wife over to me. "Sodapop, go turn on the record player."

And so began an evening of learning how to dance. All of us got in on it - even Dally. I thought that was a pretty funny sight to see - Dallas Winston, the toughest greaser in all of Tulsa, learning how dance.

After the dance lessons died down a bit, Mr. Curtis took me by the arm and pulled me outside. "Have a seat, kid," he said, motioning to the stoop.

I did as I was told and Mr. Curtis joined me.

He cleared his throat gruffly. "I want you to be careful, Two-Bit," he said softly. "I can see it in your eyes how much you care about this girl. But you've only got a week with her, son."

I swallowed hard and nodded. I didn't like thinking about that.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have fun with her. You should do that. You deserve that." Mr. Curtis sighed heavily. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

I nodded. "I-I'll be careful, sir," I said. But I knew it'd be hard not to fall hopelessly in love with Dawn.

"You're a smart boy, Two-Bit. I just know the heart sometimes overrides the brain." He gave me a slight smile. "And that's not always a bad thing."

I nodded again.

Mr. Curtis let out a deep breath. "You know what you're wearing to the dance?" he asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

I shook my head. "I haven't got a clue. It's a formal dance and I don't really have anything…"

Mr. Curtis thought for a minute. "Tell you what," he said. "You come by our place before the dance, and I'll fix you up with something real good."

The next week was the best week of my life. I spent every waking moment with Dawn. We didn't get much alone time, because Helen was set on spending as much time with her cousin as she could, but when we did, it was like magic.

Dawn was the easiest person to talk to. And she had so many great stories to tell. She'd been just about everywhere in the United States, traveling in her family's motor home. When I was around her, for the first time in my life, I listened more than I talked.

I tried really hard to listen to Mr. Curtis's advice. I tried not to fall in love. But how can you not fall in love with someone who speaks so passionately about life? It's near impossible, especially when she has the prettiest smile you've ever seen.

The night of the dance, I clambered up The Curtises' steps, an array of emotions swirling around my gut. I was so excited to spend the evening dancing the night away with Dawn, but at the same time, I was devastated that I only had a few short hours left to spend with her.

"You couldn't do it, could you, kid?" Mr. Curtis asked me, leading me into his bedroom. "You're completely head-over-heels in love."

I grimaced. "Is it that obvious?" I asked, unable to hide the smile on my face.

"Only because you've got that silly grin on your face."

"Well, I think she's worth the heartbreak," I said confidently.

"I hope you're right," was his reply. He went to his closet and pulled out the sharpest suit I'd ever seen. "What do you think?"

I felt my jaw drop. "You're letting me wear that?" I asked.

"'Course I am," he said. "I wore this to a wedding a while back, and haven't had any use for it since. Someone ought to wear it, don't you think? It might be a little big on you, but not by much. I think it should do just fine."

"Wow, thanks Mr. Curtis," I said softly, taking the hanger from him. "I'll go put it on!"

Once dressed, I stepped out into the Curtises' living room and was greeted with some oohs and aahs, and even a whistle from Sodapop.

"Oh, Two-Bit dear, you look so handsome," Mrs. Curtis said happily. "Dawn is one lucky girl." She went on to mumble how she wished her boys would have gone to the dance too.

"Have a good time, Two-Bit!" Ponyboy said, lifting his head up from the book he was reading.

"Two-Bit come with me, son," Mr. Curtis said, taking me out to the porch once again. He reached into his pocket and held his hand out to give me whatever was in there.

I nearly choked when I realized what he'd given me. He'd given me a couple of rubbers. I felt my ears turn red from embarrassment. "What's this?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what they were.

Mr. Curtis laughed. "Don't tell me I need to have that talk with you," he said lightly. "C'mon, kid, I was a teenage boy once, too, you know. I know what goes on in that head."

I laughed nervously, looking down at my shoes.

"Two-Bit, if you do decide to…" he trailed off. "I just want you to—"

"Be careful," I finished for him, looking him right in the eye. "I know." I cleared my throat gruffly. "Thanks, Mr. Curtis. For everything."

"Don't mention it, kid." He nodded in the direction of the street. "Go get your girl."

I grinned at him one last time before I leaped off the porch in one bound, prepared to have the best night of my life.