While Dally slept, Two-Bit was able to get a lot accomplished. First, he ate breakfast. Granted, it was 1:30 in the afternoon, but he wanted pancakes so that's what he made. He hoped getting some food in his system would help the headache from his hangover go away.
Then he cleaned the bathroom and straightened up the rest of the house the best he could. His mom sure was disorganized, but Two-Bit gave her props. Raising two children as a single mother, especially two goofballs like Two-Bit and Liz, was no easy task. He wanted the house to look nice so his mom would be in high spirits when she came home. If he played it right, he'd be able to convince her to let Dally stay.
He was just finishing up dusting the TV when the phone rang. He ran and got it, duster still in hand. "Hello?"
"Two-Bit, you still up for the drag races?" Sodapop's voice came over the line. "We're leavin' soon. I think Pony and Johnny are gonna come too."
Drag races. Two-Bit had completely forgotten he told Soda and Steve that he'd go with them.
"Shoot, Soda, I forgot all about that," he confessed. "Listen, Dally crashed at my place last night and—"
"Wait, Dal's out of the cooler?" Soda interrupted excitedly, and Two-Bit heard some whoops and hollers in the background. It sounded like Steve and Johnny were already over at the Curtis's. "That's great! You both should come!"
"We can't," Two-Bit told him dolefully. "Winston's sicker than a dog."
"He's sick?" Soda repeated, disbelief evident in his voice. Two-Bit wasn't the only one who thought Dally was indestructible.
"Yeah. I think he's got a fever and he can't keep anything down."
"That can't be pretty," Soda remarked softly.
Two-Bit laughed. "You're tellin' me."
"Well, we don't have to go if you need help or somethin'," Soda offered.
"Nah, I don't want to hold you guys back. I got it covered," Two-Bit assured him. "Besides, y'all need to get outta that house and have some fun. Ponyboy especially."
"Boy, you ain't a'woofin'," Sodapop agreed lowly. "I'd give anything to see Pony crack a smile again." He cleared his throat gruffly. "Anyway, tell Dally to feel better for us, okay Two-Bit?"
"Yeah, sure thing," Two-Bit said, his heart heavy as he hung up the phone.
Two-Bit knew Sodapop was worried about Ponyboy. They'd talked about it last night at Buck's while they shot some pool. Apparently the kid was having nightmares. That didn't surprise Two-Bit at all. Even he'd dreamed about Mr. and Mrs. Curtis's car going up in flames a couple of times. But Soda said Pony's nightmares had gotten so bad that they had to share a bed now.
Two-Bit really admired Soda. He was the glue that was holding his brothers together. He had this miraculous ability to put everyone before himself. And he was able to take life by stride, without questioning whether it was fair or not. He was grieving of course, but he'd remained true to himself throughout the whole ordeal. Darry and Pony had changed. It wasn't really their fault. Darry had to change. He was the man in charge now; he had to be responsible. And Ponyboy, he couldn't help it. He thought about things too much. And he loved too much. His parents' deaths were nothing but a big question mark to him, and unfortunately, no one in the gang had an answer that would bring him back to earth.
"He just needs time," Johnny had said wisely. "Time fixes everything."
Two-Bit hoped Johnny was right. Ponyboy still had his whole life ahead of him. That kid was going places, he was sure of it.
Two-Bit finished dusting the house and then, satisfied, he kicked his feet up on the coffee table and watched a couple reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It wasn't like him to be cooped up in the house on a Saturday afternoon, and it was starting to drive him crazy. He wished Dally wasn't sick, because then they all could've gone to the drag races. He couldn't wait to have the gang back together again. It might just be the dose of normalcy that they were looking for.
