That night in jail was one of the worst days of my life. Darry was furious, and Soda was yelling at him through the bars.
"Darry what we did was good. The Socs aren't gonna jump us anymore, they'll stay on their side of the city!" Yelled Soda, his face up against the bars.
"I don't care! I thought you would have the sense NOT to go there! They'll throw Pony and you in some boys home!" Screamed Dally, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Don't you yell at him!" I screamed at Darry, shaking the bars of the prison, "We did this together, so you can yell at ALL of us!"
Dally walked over to the bars so he could talk to Darry, "Hey man, it was my idea. Don't give 'em too hard of a time."
"DALLAS!" Screamed Darry, looking ready to pound all of us, "You shouldn't have even thought of this! You're gonna get my kid brothers taken away!"
A policeman came up and put a hand on Darry's shoulder, "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Darry looked like he might shatter the guy's jaw, but he walked out of the jail without a backward glance at us. I sank onto the cold floor with a groan.
We're dead. I thought, the police were gonna ship us off to a boys' home and I'd never get to see the gang again. I was aware of tears sliding down my cheeks, but I made no sound. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and saw Soda's face.
"Easy Pony," he said, pulling me into a hug, "We'll be okay." He let go as another policeman came up to the bars.
"Theresa Lane," he said, looking at Tera.
"What," she snarled, an angry look in her eye.
"You're in for a lot of trouble missy," he said with a gleeful look on his face.
"What'd you do?" Asked Dally, giving her a surprised look.
"Oh you'll find out soon enough," she said, sinking down on to the floor.
"Wanted, Theresa Lane, for theft, breaking and entering, vandalism…" The list of crimes went on and on, until even Dally was looking shocked.
"Wait wait, Tera? This Tera? Our Tera?" Said Dally with a shocked look on his face, "Wow, your record is worse then mine."
"Speaking of you," said the policeman, turning to Dally, "You're wanted for breaking and entering too. The Elliot family only wanted to press charges on the ones who broke their son's nose."
Tera groaned along with Dally.
"The rest of you are just going to be held here overnight," he said, and walked out towards his office.
"Great," said Steve, lighting a cigarette, "We're stuck here overnight."
"What'll they do to you two?" Asked Johnny, sounding worried.
"Hey don't worry Johnnycake," said Dally, "What's the worst they can do?"
My mind was racing, and I was thinking of a million and one things that they could do to greasers like us. They could use instruments of torture; or they could hang us upside down by our toes and feed us Steve's cooking.
"Hey Pony, you okay? You look kinda pale," said Johnny, passing me a cigarette. I took a deep drag and gave him a shaky smile. "See Pony, it'll be okay."
"Okay, I don't plan on spending the rest of my life in jail," said Tera, "After tonight I'll find a way to get out with the rest of you."
"How ya gonna do that?" Asked Dally, "They're watchin the freaking building!"
"Trust me," she said with a smile, "Give me your switchblade."
Dallas shrugged and passed her his blade. She gave us a smile and made a quick swipe down her wrist, watching the blood flow. "Help!" She yelled, trying to sound innocent, "I'm bleeding."
Well this was an understatement, seeing as how all of us were bleeding somehow, but she was bleeding good. The shirt I lent her was now stained with the blood running from her wrist. "Here," she tossed the blade back to Dally. "See you tomorrow." The policeman ran over to our cell.
"What's going on?"
"Help!" Yelled Tera, letting her eyes roll back into her head.
"Call an ambulance!" Yelled the cop, opening the door and grabbing Tera.
She gave us a wink before the cop shut the door and carried her out to the car.
"That's one crazy broad," said Dally. "I wouldn't even have thought of that."
"Ya Dally, but how are you gonna get out?" He shrugged and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
"I'll think of something."
I looked at my watch, three in the morning. Oh crap, I was in for it. Getting jailed, breaking and entering, getting into a fight. I bet that they would throw me and Soda into a boys home. I sat against the wall and sank into a fitful sleep.
I woke up the next morning to Two-Bit's grinning face. "Hey kid, wake up. We're getting' out." I jumped up and almost knocked him over, man did I want out! I practically ran out of the jail until we got to our house. I flung open the door and immediately sank onto the couch.
Darry was at work, and for that I was very thankful. Steve had gone home, and Johnny had gone to stay with Two-Bit. I could tell that no one wanted to be at our house when Darry got home. Soda came in, looking vaguely dejected.
"Dally's still in the cooler. They took Tera to the hospital," he sank into the armchair across from me.
"Well let's go see her!" I said, "Just let me get changed." I ran into our room and changed into a black shirt, tossing my dirty one in the pile on the floor. I stopped before we left to look at myself in the mirror. Okay, maybe I did look a little bit like Soda. Everyone said that the older I got the more I looked like him. Maybe if I was lucky I would end up looking like him when I was older.
I followed Soda towards the hospital where Tera was staying. We walked up the stairs and walked onto the third floor where she was staying. The doctor was standing outside of the room going over some papers. "Boys she has another visitor now so if you'd like to wait…"
Soda ignored him and opened the door to Tera's room. Tera was propped up in bed, clad in a black tee shirt and a pair of cut off jeans. Sitting in a chair beside her bed was Dallas Winston.
"Dally!" I yelled, running over to where he sat, "How'd you get out?"
"I have my ways," he said, putting out his cigarette, "Is Darry home?"
Soda shook his head, "Thankfully he's at work." He walked over to Tera and held up her wrist. It was wrapped in a white cloth, but it was stained with red.
"I think I cut a vein," said Tera, putting her arm down. "At least that's what the doctor said."
"But won't they come and get you?" I asked her, pulling up a chair and sitting down in it.
"Not today they won't," she said with a grin. "It'll take more then a slit wrist to get me back in jail."
"Wait, back?" Said Dally, giving her a piercing look.
"Ya," she rubbed her wrist, "I didn't really want you guys to know that. It's not something I'm proud of."
"Well Tera, what'd you do?" Asked Dally, his eyes becoming cold.
"Okay." She said with a scowl, "Here's what happened. I was caught in the middle of shoplifting."
"That's it?" Asked Dally with a mile, "That's not so bad."
"That's not all," she said, "This was while I was drunk, and then I…sorta broke outta the jail."
"Still Ter, it could be worse," said Dally, sitting down on the edge of her bed and wrapping his arms around her.
The doctor opened the door and began to talk to us, "Ms. Lane, you have a visitor…" But he was cut off by a woman walking in the door with a scowl.
"Tera darling," she said, giving us dirty looks. "What are you doing with these people?"
Tera's eyes hardened, "These people are more trustworthy then you. These people wouldn't try to sell my virginity for money. These people are more family then you are!" Her eyes were blazing now.
"Honey that was a long time ago. We want you back. You still won't open up to me, your own mother!"
"You're NOT my mother you fucking bitch! Get out of my room!" She stood up, yanking out a switchblade. "Get out. NOW," she said in a deathly cold voice.
Her mother looked shocked and made a move towards her, "Honey."
Dallas stepped in front of her, "I think you better leave," he said, pulling out his blade.
Her mother looked shocked, but walked out of the room and shut the door with a snap. Tera sank onto the bed, putting away her blade.
"Wow," I said, "Your mother did that?"
"I don't like talking about it," she said in a quiet voice. I nodded, I didn't like to talk about Mom and Dad's deaths either.
Soda walked over to her bed and put his hand on her shoulder, "Hey. If you ever want to talk about it we're here."
Tera nodded and smiled, "Thanks guys."
I wondered what it was like hating your mother like that. Sure Darry and I fought, but we didn't hate each other. I felt bad for her; she and Dallas were so alike. They were both hardened by jail and living on the wrong side of the tracks.
"That was the first time I'd seen my mother in seven years," she said in a voice so quiet we barely heard her.
"Are you sure you don't want us to leave?" Asked Dally, sitting down on her bed corner.
She nodded, "I'll need help getting out of here in the morning."
"Hey Pony, we need to be getting home, otherwise Darry's gonna have an even bigger fit." Said Soda, standing up and putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Hey Soda, can I stay here? I really don't wanna hear Darry tonight."
Sodapop shrugged, "Whatever Pony. Just don't come home in the middle of the night or Darry'll kill both of us." He gave Tera a smiled and grinned at Dally then walked out the door.
I put two of the chairs together and laid down on them, putting Soda's DX hat over my eyes. Within moments I was asleep on the chairs.
I woke up screaming. I had just had one of those dreams, the same on that I'd been having since Mom and Dad died. I sat up, shivering and hugging my knees. Dally woke up from my scream and came over to me, and put his hand on my shoulder.
"Pony, it's okay. It's okay. You'll be fine." He spoke in a low soothing voice, trying to calm me down. I was shaking and crying, fear bubbling inside of me.
Tera woke up with a moan and sat up, then saw me crying. She came over to me and gave me a hug. "It's okay Ponyboy, you'll be fine." I must have fallen asleep, because crying always makes me tired. I remember Dally and Tera talking to me in low voices, but that was all I remembered.
"Hey kid, wake up."
I moaned and rolled over, but seeing as I slept on chairs I rolled onto the cold floor with a 'thunk'.
I was really awake by then, and my morning wasn't going too hot.
"Hey Pony, we gotta go," said Tera with a nervous look at the door. "The police guy is outside, so we've gotta find another way out."
I groaned, "Dally what time is it?"
"It's seven Pony, and we better get you home before Darry clubs all of us." I stood up, rubbing what promised to be a large lump on my head. "How're we getting out?" Asked Dally, pulling a cigarette from his pocket.
Tera looked around the room, and her eyes landed on the window. "So, you boys ever jumped out a window before?" I walked over to the window to see how far a jump it was. It couldn't have been more then eight feet, but I didn't want to jump either way.
"Come on," she said, opening the window only to be met by a mesh screen. "Knife," she said, holding out her hand for Dallas's blade. He passed it to her, and she began cutting a hole in it. About three minutes later she passed back the knife and climbed through the hole. She gave us a grin before she jumped out the window, rolling once she hit the ground.
"Ponyboy, if you ever get a girl like this, I'll kill you," said Dally, putting out his cigarette and following her. I looked down through the window, groaned and jumped. The landing shocked my legs, causing them to buckle and roll. Dally pulled me up by my jacket and grinned at me.
"Well Pony, what have you learned from hanging out with us?" He asked as the sun began to rise as we walked towards our house.
"I've learned that even girls carry heaters, I'm never going to date, I'm never going to lie cheat or steal, and another thing. I'll never become a parent because with my luck my kid'll end up just like you."
They laughed as we opened the door to find Two-Bit sitting on the floor, drinking beer and watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Steve was sitting next to him, eating a piece of chocolate cake. Soda was sitting in his boxers on the couch looking half asleep, and Johnny was reading a book.
"Hey," said Steve as we walked in, "I thought you guys were in the cooler."
"Na, nothing keeps Dallas Winston down," said Dally with a smile.
"Nice hickey," said Two-Bit to Tera. Her hand immediately flew to her neck and a flush crept up both her and Dally's faces.
"Umm," said Two-Bit with a laugh, "That was a joke. I didn't think you two had matching hickeys…."
I couldn't help myself, I began to laugh along with Soda and Steve.
"Haha, very funny," said Tera with an angry look at all of them. "Nice boxers by the way Soda."
Soda looked down and immediately blushed a crimson red, "What is it with you seeing me in my boxers huh?" He yelled as he ran into our room to change into actual clothes.
I followed him; after all, I was tired. The past day's events had worn me out so that the moment I hit the mattress I was out like a light.