Chapter Seven

The four of us ate our dinner in silence till almost the end of the meal when Sodapop jerked his head up as if he had just remembered something important. "Sissy! You had court today. Was it as scary as you thought it was going to be?"

I smiled in relief. Good ole' Sodapop rarely missed a chance to care about someone in the family. "It wasn't too bad." I looked over at Darry. "I was pretty much petrified in the beginning. Duke was sitting there in a suit with no handcuffs. I mean, I know it isn't possible, but I kind of expected him to have a gun and plans to finish me off."

Sodapop smiled gently. "Naw, he couldn't ever do that."

"I know, but I couldn't convince my imagination of that. I was pretty scared and all, till Darry moved up front and sat right behind Duke. Then I knew I was safe to say whatever I needed to." I looked across the table at Darry and gave him a smile of gratitude.

The sound of the front door opening drew our attention and we waited for Steve or Two-Bit to walk in through the door. None of us could have expected the long legged, dark hair gal who appeared instead. "Cool, ya'll are home. I was so worried ya'll wouldn't be home and I'd have to wait outside on the porch en'all…."

I nearly choked on the milk I was trying to swallow. "Casey!" I jumped from my chair and ran to give my friend a welcoming hug. "Casey what are you doing here?"

Casey hugged me back then declared, "I wasn't gonna let ya go to court against Duke all by your lonesome." We hugged again then Casey made time to greet the boys. "Hi ya'll! Betcha weren't expecting me tonight."

"No, we recken not. How are you doing?" Sodapop said as he sauntered over to Casey and hugged her hello.

"I'm cool!" Casey said and looked towards Darry. "My mama didn't want me to come, but I couldn't let Scout go it alone… you don't mind if I stay here for awhile, do ya Darry?"

From his seat at the table Darry sighed, as I expected he would. "You can stay in Scout's room. I'm sure she'll welcome the company."

"Thanks Darry. You're great!" Casey's eye caught my last brother sitting quietly at the kitchen table. She had to look twice before questioning with a giggle, "Ponyboy? Why on earth did you bleach your hair blond?" Ponyboy's only response was to get up from the table, and walk away to the back of the house.

I winced and looked over at Casey. I easily understand the confused look on her face. "Oh girl," I said, "it's all such a long story. We've gotta talk."

"Okay," Casey said slowly and all of the enthusiasm from moments before had been drained from her words. "Why don't we go for a walk? After that long bus ride I can't stand the thought of sitting down again."

I cringed at the suggestion, and warily looked over to Darry. "Casey and I are gonna go for a walk and talk about everything."

Before Darry could get a word in, Sodapop said, "that's a good idea." Then he looked over to Darry, the same way my mother would look at my father when she had made a decision and she demanded he agree with her.

A frown came over Darry's face and he added a stipulation. "You two stay in our neighborhood, and away from trouble. You hear?"

"We hear you Darry." I told my brother, and quickly slipped on my shoes and coat before he could change his mind.

We hustled down the front steps and headed down the street towards Johnny's house. I stared at the small rundown dwelling, and my throat tightened with grief. In the past few weeks since his death I had been busy enough with everything in my life that his absence didn't hurt much. Now in the quiet darkness, with my best friend by my side, warm memories of my lost friend flooded my mind.

"So, what's up with Ponyboy?" Casey asked casually. She had no idea how much things had changed since she went away.

I drew in a shaky breath. "I don't… there's no easy way to tell you everything…" I wiped the first tears from my eyes and blurted out. "Johnny and Dallas are dead."

Casey gasped and came to a sudden halt. "What? Oh my gosh…" She shook her head and stumbled backwards a few steps. "I think I need to sit down." Casey walked over to the curb and sat. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with concern. "What happened?"

"It's a long story…" Then I told her every event, starting with Darry hitting Ponyboy. I explained everything in detail while we walked through the neighborhood to the vacant lot, the park, and then I finished up answering Casey's questions as we headed towards the DX station.

"I think I could use a drink." Casey said, and sounded as emotionally drained as I felt.

The two of us dried our eyes. Casey threw her arm around my shoulder. "Come on, I got some money. Let's go get a Pepsi at the DX station, and say hi to Steve if he is working."

I agreed and we started walking to the station, our footsteps a little less somber as we chatted about Casey's decision to come back to Tulsa. A half a block from our destination I strained my vision through the darkness and noticed a pick up truck parked at the station gas pumps. I read the side of the passenger door. Jasper Funeral Home. "There he is!"

"There who is?" Casey asked, looking around.

"This boy I like."

Casey stopped and grabbed my arm with a smile, "Wait! Scout likes a boy?"

"Yeah, and he likes me too. Come on let's hurry up." I gave a tug at Casey's shoulder encouraging her to walk a little faster, but Owen didn't see us coming. He sped away.

"Awe!" Casey whined. "I better get to meet him before I go."

I looked at my friend as we crossed the street. "How long are you staying?"

Casey shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I aint in school this semester cause Mom and I had a hard time when we first got back to New Mexico, so I guess I'll stay till Darry kicks me out." I laughed, and liked the idea of Casey sticking around for a while. "So what's this boy's name and how did you meet him."

I grinned. "That's kind of a long story too!" I held the door open for Casey and we went inside. My friend bought some sodas and candy bars from, Ronnie. Steve had the night off. We stepped outside and walked across the parking lot when a long black sedan pulled up along side of us. "Hey there!" The sweet girl's voice called out from the car. "What are you two girls doing out past dark?"

"Hi Kathryn," Casey and I both said in unison as we walked up to the car window.

Kathryn took a closer look at my friend. "Casey? What are you doing here?"

Casey grinned with pride. "I've got a job back home in New Mexico, so I bought a bus ticket and headed here to be sure they put my dad behind bars for a good long time. Plus, I really missed Scout."

"Wow!" Kathryn said sweetly, "what a nice surprise! Scout, you must be pretty happy."

I couldn't help but smile. "Sure am."

Kathryn flashed an inquisitive grin. "You know I just saw Owen Jasper leaving. Is that what brought you two girls over here tonight?"

I hadn't had time to tell Casey the name of the boy I liked, so she didn't hesitate to ask. "Owen Jasper? Whose that?"

"Scout's boyfriend! He is the sweetest thing… and very handsome!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" I tried to clarify.

"Oh come on, Scout." Kathryn teased as she rested her arms on the open car window.

"He's not," I grew a little agitated, "and he probably never will be."

A look of thoughtful disbelief fell across Kathryn's face. "Now that just doesn't sound right there, Miss Scout. Because I was at the country club this past Sunday, and I over heard him talking to the boys from the kitchen about how much he likes you."

"He did not!" I blushed.

"Yes he did…"

"Wait a second!" Casey interrupted. "Who is this boy? I wanna know more, and does he work at the country club or is he a 'rich boy' member? Not to mention, is he cute?"

"Hop in Casey," Kathryn said with a mischievous grin, "I'll tell you all about him!"

Casey ran around to the passenger's side of the car and slid onto the leather seat. I opened the rear door and sat in the back of the car to listen to Kathryn talk all about Owen as if he was the best thing next to sliced bread. When Kathryn had finished raving about him, and Casey had finished asking every descriptive question she could think of, I did my best to burst the girlish excitement in the front seat.

"None of that matters anyways! The boy hasn't called me in two days, and he wasn't in school Thursday, and I wasn't there today. Besides, Darry won't let him take me on a date, so I am sure nothing will ever come of the two of us. He's probably lost interest by now."

Kathryn turned and smiled at me, "Don't you worry about your brother. I'll take care of him." The older girl put the car in drive and pulled out onto the street.

"Where are we going?" I noticed she was headed away from my neighborhood.

Kathryn looked in her rearview mirror at me. "Owen is obviously working right now, so we'll head off to the cemetery so the two of you can say hi. Of course, you'll want to introduce him to Casey too." Then the two of them started oohing and ahhing about how sweet Owen was and how much Casey was going to like him. I have to admit the giddiness of seeing him was infectious, and by the time the three of us pulled into the cemetery we had a devised a little plan.

In the back acreage of the cemetery we noticed the shop building garage door open and the light from inside shining into the darkness. We pulled up, and Casey eagerly climbed out of the car. She slipped off her jacket and tucked her shirt tightly into her jeans to show off her figure. She said she wanted to go in alone, so she could test Owen to be sure he would be faithful to me. She strutted into the shop. Kathryn and I followed behind her, being sure to stay out of sight.

"Excuse me!" She called out and Owen jumped away from the engine he was working on. He looked at her, as she flaunted her body more than usual, and spoke in a fake thick drawl, like Scarlet O'Hara. "Hello there, perhaps you can help me. See, I was out in the cemetery and it's just too dark for a girl to be walking home alone. Perhaps you could give me a ride?"

From a dozen feet away, I noticed Owen hadn't paid much attention to Casey sticking her chest out and shaking her thin hips. Instead, he kept his head low and his eyes off of her. "Well, I don't really think I could, but I have a phone. You're welcome to call who ever you need to."

"A phone? Well, I just wouldn't know who to call." Casey responded and she liked that he was playing hard to get. "Besides, I hear you are a specialist at giving young gals a ride home, especially in the pouring rain." My friend was sure to accentuate the final words to get Owen's mind wondering who she was.

Her tactics worked, and he turned his head ever so slightly to look at her. "Who are you?"

Casey struck a sexy pose against the tractor Owen was working on. "Name's Casey… Casey Dobbins."

The young man's eyes about popped out of his head as he heard her name. "You're Casey Dobbins? You're Scout Curtis's friend, right? Does she even know you're in town?"

"She better!" Casey laughed, "she been hiding over there watching me try to pick you up without an ounce of success!" With that cue, Kathryn and I burst out laughing and came out from our hiding spot. Owen quickly looked in our direction. That was when the light struck his face and the three of us noticed the large black and blue bruise on the side of his cheek. Kathryn and Casey froze.

Concerned, I walked towards the boy and spoke gently, "Owen, are you okay?"

Immediately, Owen looked back to his engine and seemed nervous. He tried to hide the right side of his face, and he wouldn't look at me. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"Just a little bruise from playing football. It's no big deal." Owen barked, picked up a wrench, and began to tinker again with the engine. "Listen Scout, I'm real busy and I've gotta get this done. Maybe I'll see you in a few days?"

The smile dropped from my face as I realized things weren't going as my girlfriends and I had hoped. Something was wrong. I grew embarrassed that I had shone up and bothered him. "I… it was Kathryn's idea to stop by. She just thought maybe you would want to meet Casey. Obviously, you're busy, so I'll… I'll just see you another time."

I turned and noticed the frowns on the other girl's faces. I mumbled, "Let's just go." The three of us left the shop and stopped to talk by the side of the car.

Kathryn looked down at me with grave concern. "Scout, something in there just isn't right. We've been learning about different bruises in my social work class, and I can tell somebody hit that boy. You could practically see where each finger had landed." Kathryn looked me in the eye. "I think you need to go in and talk to him."

I shrugged and pulled my yellow sweater down over the waistband of my blue jeans. "I don't know about that. He clearly didn't want to see me. Besides, I've been gone from home a long time and Darry's gonna skin me for being this far away. Maybe we outta just go." I reached for the handle of the car door.

Casey leaned against the door, so I couldn't pull it open. She crossed her arms across her chest. "Scout, I think Kathryn is right. I think you need to go talk to him."

"But he doesn't want to talk to me!"

"He just doesn't realize yet that he needs to talk to you." Kathryn tried to rationalize with me. "Scout, Owen needs you. He needs a friend. "

I sighed, "What am I suppose to do? Just walk in there and ask him who hit him and why?"

Kathryn wrapped her arm around my shoulder, and pulled me towards the open garage door to the shop. "No, just ask him what's wrong and let him know you're there for him if he needs to talk. Don't forget how he has been there for you in the past few weeks?"

I looked up at her. "But? … I won't know what to say."

"Get going Sissy, that boy needs someone, and you're the one." Kathryn pushed me in the direction of the garage door.

I took a few steps forward, and straightened my hair a little before I entered the shop. I quietly walked inside, stopped close to where the boy was working, and softly spoke his name, "Owen?"

Owen jumped up in surprise from where he was sitting. "Jeez Scout! What are you doing back here! I thought I told you I was busy." He turned away from me.

I mentally stumbled trying to find the right words to say, "Kathryn thought … I mean, I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to. She said… she…that it looks like someone hit you. She thought you might want to talk about it."

Owen slammed a wrench down on the workbench. "I don't need to talk about it, all right! It's no big deal; it's just a bruise. I've had them before. I'll survive. Now would you just go home?"

I toughened up a bit. "Owen, I want the chance to help you the way you have been there to help me."

Owen kept his back turned on me, and fiddled with tools on the workbench. "I already told you, there's nothing to talk about. It's just a bruise from playing football with my friends."

I raised my voice a bit, "No, it's not a football bruise. Kathryn says it looked like someone hit you, hard. I want you to talk to me about it. That's why I came back." I took a few steps towards him. "I can tell something is bothering you. You aren't acting much like yourself right now."

The tall boy muttered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I pleaded with him, "Owen, you're not being fair to me! You know everything about me, even the bad stuff. I know so little about you. I don't know where you live, I've never met your family…"

"Well don't worry about it Scout, you aren't missing anything." Owen's tone was snide.

Angered, I yelled, "Owen! I've had a really long day, so you either tell me what happened or I'm leaving, and I don't just mean going home. I mean I'm not interested in ever talking to you again, or seeing you again!" I paused for a response to my ultimatum. When Owen held still with his back to me, and said nothing, my heart began to break. Slowly, I turned and walked out of the garage. With every step I hoped to hear Owen's footsteps behind me. There were none. Angry, I cursed Owen under my breath and then cursed myself for falling for him. I stepped out of the shop onto the gravel path that led to where Kathryn and Casey were waiting.

"So what did he say?" Casey asked as she walked up to meet me.

"Nothing, he said he was busy." I walked past Casey, and crawled into the backseat of Kathryn's car. I wanted to be alone and hoped Casey would ride up front. She did. On the ride home I told the girls how he had ignored me and that I don't plan on speaking to him any longer. Kathryn must have felt sorry for me because she stopped at the grocery store and bought two cases of Pepsi to take back to my house.