Chapter 3:
The second day was more awkward then the first. No one was happy. When Soda had heard about his brother's current financial and other problems he insisted on giving them the house while he and his sons moved to a small attic space above the DX. It was perfect for three greasy guys. Soda claimed that he had been thinking about making the move anyway, and was sticking strongly to his story.
Generous as his attentions may have been, space was tight at the Curtis place with two families trying to share the tiny three bedrooms, one bath house. Baby Lucy shared Ponyboy and Sodapop's old room with her parents, Pony and Zili, while Darry and Asia took Darry's old room, or the one the originally had belonged to their mom and dad. Their four kids shared the third bedroom with much protest.
There was never a dual moment as the days progressed, always a complaint, always an argument. "You spend too much time in the bathroom," Shane yelled at Natalie as he pounded loudly on the door.
"Shane talked in his sleep and kept me awake all night," Simon pouted.
"Bella flushed my earrings down the toilet," Natalie sounded the alarm.
"Simon forgot to put the toilet seat down, and I fell in," said little Bella.
"Whoa, something really stinks in here. Nobody light a match or anything," Simon said when Lucy had a dirty diaper.
As the weeks and months wore on, things got even worse. Asia hated her job at the hospital because every patient she saw was a good for nothing hood. "We got a lot of those around here," Darry told her. "You should count your blessings. This neighborhood used to be a whole lot worse. It's been cleaned up a lot sense I last lived here."
Darry wasn't fairing much better himself. Sense his company got sued, he was back to where he had started when his parents had first passed and he had assumed the role of guardian for his two younger brothers.
Ponyboy on the other hand had managed to get a part time job teaching writing classes at the high school. His latest book had been rejected once again, but he was still holding out hope even though he hadn't been able to sell a book in quite a while.
Zili's case loads seemed to increase all the time as she was now required to work with several students at three separate schools each day.
The kids were being singled out by other students in school as they were new, different, and a little on the sheltered side compared to the other attendants.
One day Shane came home from school with a real shiner. "What happened, Shane!" Asia exclaimed with much concern when she saw the sight of her oldest son. "My poor baby. I know that hurts. Here, we'll put some ice of that, and Mommy will make it feel all better."
"Mom, it's not that big of a deal," Shane insisted. He didn't want to admit to his mother how much it had hurt when he was beat up and humiliated after school.
"Asia, our son is in high school now. It's time to stop treating him like a baby. He's growing up," Darry commented calmly.
He had come along way with his parenting skills after the struggles he had had raising Ponyboy. Darry was still strict and stern, but he had learned to listen and be patient.
Asia gave Darry a look which Darry dismissed. "Who were you fighting Shane?" Darry asked his first born.
"Are you in trouble at school?" asked his mother.
"It was after school, so no, I'm not in any trouble except with the guy that was picking on me."
"Oh my goodness! I can't believe this has happened!" Asia exclaimed in hysterics. "Now we have to invite his family over for tea, and then we…"
"Asia," Darry cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Things are not done that way here."
Shane's eyes grew wide with fear as he watched his parents talk. He had overheard them arguing a few weeks ago, and hope their discussion wouldn't lead to fighting once again.
He knew of his father's background, as did the rest of his family. Shane always thought what his father told him were glorious tales of the rising of the underdog. His father and uncles had grown up here. "Greasers' his father had said they were, the kids from the wrong side of the tracks, and yet through it all, they had managed to make something of themselves and their lives. Thinking about it made Shane very proud of his father.
His mother, on the other hand…what did he think of her? His only grandparents were fairly wealthy, but not filthy rich. They had always made sure to give their daughter the best of lives amenities. They loved and supported their daughter in all her life choices. Asia was their only child after all.
Nana and Papa were always happy to see him and his siblings, so what was the problem. Shane thought hard for a moment. Tension, that was it. There was always a lot of tension between them and his father. OMG! It was if a light bulb went off in his head. His mother was what his father called a 'SOC.'
"Shane," the deep disapproving voice of his father brought him back to reality. "Your uncle is speaking to you."
Shane hadn't even noticed when his uncle had come in. "I'm sorry, what was it that you said?"
"Who were you fighting?" Ponyboy repeated the question.
"A guy named Aaron Shepard, Shane replied.
Both Darry and Ponyboy raised their eye brows at the name. So the Shepard's outfits were still in operation. Maybe the neighborhood hadn't been cleaned up as good as the brothers had thought.
Seeing his father and uncle's reactions, Shane asked, "Do you know him?" Both Darry and Ponyboy assumed that Aaron was Tim's kid. They hadn't seen him or any of his boys in the few months they had been here. Surely they new that they were back in town. Ponyboy and Darry looked at each other. They had always been able to whip the Shepards in a fair fight of skin against skin. Maybe it was time to remind them were they stood.
AN: Thanks so much to this who are reading reviewing this story. Thanks also to those who voted on my poll. If you haven't yet, there is still time. Johnny's coming up in the next chapter. I can't wait!