Chapter Four
What A Day
"Aw, look they look so cute together." "Aw, Soda shut it." I had my eyes firmly shut, I wasn't entirely awake yet. I could never get up fast. When my brain finally adjusted to being awake, I realized that the buzz of noise from around me was actually voices. "Come on Pony, it's late you should really go to bed," I figured this was said by Darry, sounded like a total big brother thing to say. "I can't get up, I don't-" Pony started to say but Soda cut him off. "He doesn't want to disturb his little girlfriend," Soda said in a tone of voice that stated the he thought is was obvious. "She's not my girlfriend, she just….." Pony fell silent. I had been wondering who they were talking about, then it dawned on my slow tired brain that it must have been me since, I was probably the only she in the room. "Pony, just go on and get up, she's such a sound sleeper that she probably won't even notice, she slept right through Soda's and Steve's fighting match." Dally said. That's when I remembered where I had fallen asleep the night before. On the couch next to Ponyboy, I must have fidgeted around in my sleep till I ended up … "I'm guessing someone needs me to move?" I asked. Yepp my suspicions were right, the thing I had my head on that I had taken for the couch, Jumped as I talked. I opened my eyes and lifted up my head. I looked at Pony, who I guess I had been sleeping on for the last, I looked at my watch it was 3 in the morning, the last 7 hours. His face was in shock; obviously he had thought I had been fast asleep. "Man, Pony, you look like you saw a ghost," I laughed, his face was hilarious. "oh… your up, I thought…you were…were," Pony stuttered. He was more than a little red. "Yeah….Pony, sorry about you know, falling….asleep …on…you." I stuttered getting more and more embarrassed as I went. I was sure by the end of my little, speech my face was probably as red as a tomato. "Ah…. no… no problem," Pony said. I still wasn't sure how red my face was but I was pretty sure Pony just broke a world blushing record. Suddenly a chorus of awes came from the other side of the room, I looked over and there was Soda and Two-Bit awing at us. I was quite embarrassed but that didn't stop me from picking up the pillow from beside me and throwing it across the room. "Hey, ow!" Two-Bit yelled at me. Dally was laughing at us. "A pillow hurt?" He asked Two-Bit. "Ok well since, Phoebe has moved, Pony, gets to bed." Darry said walking in from the kitchen. Pony looked like he was about to argue, when I said, "Hey Two-Bit give me the pillow back," I said waving my hands around. "Why, so you can throw it at me again?" he asked acting like he was insulted. "No" I said "So I can go back to sleep." He cocked and eyebrow at me. Great I thought. "Why don't you just use Pony as a pillow." he asked "didn't seem have a problem with it earlier." I felt my face heat up. I was probably the colour of a cooked lobster. I dived at Two-Bit in attempt to hide my blush plus it seemed like it was going to be the only why I would get the pillow back. I wrestle him for a few minutes till I go the pillow out of his hand. Then I hit him a few times with it before flopped back down on the couch. I curled up on the couch getting like I was going to sleep, since Ponyboy left to go get ready for bed when I went to tackle Two-Bit. "Hey aren't you going to change in to pyjamas?" Soda asked as him and Pony came out of their room. I lifted my head off of the pillow "Oh yeah, "I said, Looking around for my suitcase "Hey Pony!" "Yeah?" Pony said looking at me. "Where's my suitcase?" I asked him. "Oh I think by the kitchen," Ponyboy said looking around. "Yeah here it is," Two-Bit said holding my suitcase in one hand and a beer in the other. "Yeah, is there a problem with that?" Two-Bit asked. I just shook my head again and went back to my suit case. Mumbling as I went along I pulled out my favourite pair of blue Pyjamas. I looked around at the room full of guys. "Yeah you know I think I'll go to the bathroom to get changed." I said as I slipped in to the bathroom to get changed. When I came back out Two-Bit, Steve and Dally had left. Johnny was about to leave. "You better not be going to go sleep outside because I'm here I'm not going to let you," I stated. I knew that Johnny didn't go home a lot. I also know that he probably slept out side often but I didn't want it on my conscience that he did so well I slept inside at a home he probably had more right to be in. "It's…it's ok," Johnny said slowly. "Please stay," I said using another tactic, "I need someone brave like you to protect me," I lowered my voice so only he could here me," I'm scared of the dark." That wasn't a complete lie. I am still nerves in the dark even if I grew out of the complete out right fear quite a while ago. "Well… Ok," Johnny said slowly, "You stay on the couch thought." "Deal thank you," I smiled. I settled down on the couch Darry came in and gave Johnny some pillows. After a few minutes of lying there in the silence I said, "Life can be so unfair" Johnny looked up at me on the couch "How so?" He was warming up to me; I could tell he wasn't always so talkative. "Well I mean, I guess like how, I don't know things end up." Johnny was looking at me funny. So I took another go at it. "I guess how, some people end up with children and there the worst parent in the world, apparently they didn't want the kid. But do they suffer no they go on living like there is no problem like they aren't even there and never were. So who ends up suffering? The kid! The kid who didn't do anything, anything at all but be born to the wrong people……" I trailed off; I heard some shuffling and shhhing from down the hall. I guess I didn't realize how loud my voice had gotten by the end of that speech. So when I asked my next thing I lowered it again "Yeah Know?" Johnny was silent for a few seconds then said, "Yeah….. So I'm guessing your parents weren't so great…" I thought for a moment "Well my mom was great… But my dad I don't know if you've heard from Dallas but he, he wasn't so… so great," I thought back to the time I actually spent with my father. It always made me sad to think about it. "Johnny…thanks for listening," I said after a little bit. "Oh….that's no problem at all." Johnny said he seemed a little taken off guard. "I'm glad I could help" "Well,' I said, "Good night." The next morning I was woken up by the bright sun. It was glaring right in my eyes so I held them tightly shut. As I started to fully wake up. I could hear the voices coming from the kitchen. "Come on Pony, you now you like her." "Yeah, so what she's nice, everyone likes her." "Come on, man you know I what I mean." "Ah, Johnny, Why can't you just drop it?"Who are they talking about, I Ok well it was me "Ok fine, maybe a little." 'Hah I knew it "Man keep your voice down she's in the next room." "Sorry man." So…I thought Ponyboy Curtis likes me……..he is kind of cute. But he did say maybe. He could have just been saying that to make Johnny be quite… a loud crash and a yell of Soda's name interrupted my thoughts. I slowly got up and walked in to the kitchen. Johnny, Ponyboy, and Sodapop were all sitting around the table eating cake. "Hey boys," I said slipping in to the seat. I yawned. "You want a piece of cake?" Ponyboy offered. Cake for breakfast, hey why not. "Sure," I told him, he went to the counter to get some. I turned to Soda "Thanks for the wonderful wake up call. What did you knock over?" Soda laughed. "Oh I knocked over the chair… oh and a cup of chocolate milk." Soda answered. I laughed again. "So," I said as Pony passed me a piece of cake, "What we doing today?" "I don't know," Pony shrugged. "We could go swimming, "Soda suggested "Oh boy swimming," Two-Bit yelled as he came through the door. I guessed just waltzing in to the house happened a lot here. I just rolled my eyes and finished my cake, and then Dallas walked in "Hey Phoebe, you should talk to the school today," he suggested. uggg. "Fine," I got up and dropped my plate in to the sink "Does the school have a phone number?" "Yeah, look in the phone book, it's by the phone," Pony said pointing back in to the living room. "Thanks," I said and walked over to the Phone book. I flipped through the book till I found the number. I found it hard to believe that someone would be there on a Sunday but, if my brother told me to get registered for school, then I got to get registered for school. So I dialled the number in to the Phone. It rung a couple of times then to my surprised a women's voice answered, "Hello," "Oh umm Hi," I said I never had great phone skills, "I was wondering if it would be at all possible to umm get registered for school, umm as soon as possible would be appreciated." "Oh yes dear. Would come in today so we can talk today around three and get a few things signed," the receptionist, well that's who I thought it was said. "Oh that would be great, umm, I don't need to bring an umm, parent or guardian with me cause there umm err busy." "Oh that's find my dear, you can just bring home the sheets they need to sign, oh and what's your name?" She asked "Phoebe Winston," I told her. "Ok see you later dear. Bye" "Bye" I said hanging up the phone and walking to the kitchen. "Hey," I said sitting on top of my brother who stole my seat. "Phoebe off," he said shoving me off him and on to the floor "Ow, that hurt, ok so what are we doing to day and any plans you better decided them fast because I only got till three. That's when I got to go see a lady about some schooling," I told them getting of the floor. "Well we were thinking we would go down to the pool. Do you have your swim suit," Dallas said. I smiled and grabbed my suitcase which was still by the door of the kitchen and looked through it "Yep," I told them as I pulled it out of my suitcase. I changes in to it and threw on an orange mesh shirt I had from an old costume over top of it and a pair of beige shorts. Then we left. When we got there the boys just jumped in. I slowly dipped my toe in the water, "Aw, that's cold." "Aw, it's not that bad once you're in." Dally told me. He was smiling I didn't trust them. I decided to do a head count. Let's see, Two-Bit and Dally are right there, Johnny and Pony, wait- "hey, Where's Sod-" I started to ask when I felt a sudden push from behind and next thing I knew I was in the pool and everyone was laughing especially Soda who was standing by the edge of the Pool. "SODAPOP CURTIS YOU ARE A DIED MAN!" I yelled and got out of the pool to chase him. The rest of the day went on like this. I got out of the pool a little before three and assured them I could get to the school by my self. Which I did, I went in the front door and found the office quickly. There was lady sitting at the desk. Who works on Sundays? I thought, and then out loud I said "Hello, I'm Phoebe Winston I have meeting now, "I looked at my watch it was 3:10 so I was a little late but I still had a meeting. "Oh, yes come right this way," the lady said and we walked in to another room. This room just had plain walls and a desk with chairs in the middle of it. It wasn't a very big room. She sat down behind the desk and motioned for me to do the same on the other side so I did. "Ok let's get down to work so we can both leave, I'm sure you don't want to spend too much time in here and I Know I don't. Ok so do you have your old school files?" "Oh no. The move was kind of sudden so the school doesn't actually know I left," I admitted sheepishly. "Oh that's ok just give me your old school and the town and well get your files and let them know that you did indeed move." I nodded and told her my old schools name and that it was in New York. After that I had to fill in a bunch of sheets about what classes I wish to take and other things like that. She said I was good to go for tomorrow. I was surprised I thought these things usually take more time. "Ok well just take these forms with you to fill out and get your parent to sign, and bring them back as soon as possible. I will see you tomorrow," She said when I was finished. I said my goodbye and left. When I got back to the empty Curtis house I took a look at the papers. There were a whole lot of questions about where I live, phone numbers and all that stuff which I wasn't sure about. I decided to ask my brother when I see him. Darry got back before everyone else. "Hey why aren't you with everyone else?" he asked as he came in and found me reading on the couch. "Oh I had a meeting at the school to get me registered so I just came back here." "Oh yeah I'm starting tomorrow," I told him then asked," Hey I got these sheets and I'm not sure what to fill in." I handed him the sheets. After studying them over he told me that I was living here and that would be my phone number too. "Thanks," I told him going back to my reading thinking that things here may just go alright.
"Your having a beer at 3 the morning?" I shook my head as I stared looking through my stuff trying to find a pair of Pyjamas.
"Ah come on I saw you last night I saw the way you looked at Phoebe."
"Oh, and did you get registered?"