Chapter Seven

Angela has an urge to tell her heart to shut the hell up. Why is it so loud? She watches, wide-eyed, as Pony wrenches his shoulder out of the Brumly kid's grasp. It's a show of bravery she didn't expect from him, and it almost makes her want to smile. Almost.

"We're looking for whichever one of you pulled a blade on Curly Shepard," Pony says.

I hope he knows what he's doing.

The Brumly kid licks his lips. "You ain't gonna find him."

"And why the hell not?"

"He don't wanna talk to you."

"'He don't wanna,'" Ponyboy mimics in a voice that's really too dangerous for comfort. "That's too bad for him, isn't it? 'Cause we've got to talk to him. Sooner rather than later would be nice."

"You look at me, kid." The Brumly grabs Ponyboy's chin, a sharp movement that makes all of Angela's alarms go off. "If he don't wanna see you, you ain't gonna see him. That clear?" Without waiting for an answer, the Brumly goes on. "And don't you mouth off to me. It would sure be nice to punch your face in sooner rather than later. So you'd better sit tight if you like that pretty-boy face as it is."

Ponyboy opens his mouth and then closes it again. Angela breathes a sigh of relief that he did. He's supposed to be smart. Right?

He'll get them out of this. Hopefully.

The Brumly's grin is a bit too annoying, though.

"We've come on behalf of Tim Shepard," Ponyboy blurts.

Angela would like to sock him herself. She yanks on his arm, pulls him aside. Then she leans into him, whispering, "Don't you fucking pull my brother into this. He hears every single word anyone says about him. He'll know!"

He blanches. "How else do you want me to get out of this?"

"I don't know. Fight! Isn't that what you boys do?"

"You want me to fight him?"

As in Mr. Crazy Frightening Muscles over there.

"On second thought..."

"I'll figure something out, okay? Let me handle it."

Grumbling, Angela complies.

"Like hell you're going to see him if you're coming for Shepard," the Brumly announces finally when he sees they're done arguing. "He's got enough shit going on with Shepard as is."

Ponyboy starts to say something, but Angela pushes him aside, taking the spotlight for her own. "Look, we lied. We just really gotta get through to him. It's important stuff. We don't want trouble." She bites her lip. "Fact of it is, we're trying to make it so that you don't have any whatsoever."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means Tim Shepard is my brother, and if you don't let me see that damn man who cut Curly this instant, I'm going to tell Tim you tried to lay a hand on me!"

Pony stares at her incredulously. For a moment, she thinks the Brumly looks scared. But then he shakes his head.

"Yeah, you're Shepard's sister, and I'm the president."

"I got proof. Tim taught me how to punch. You want a demonstration?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Get me the hell to that person who cut Curly, or so help me I will bring Tim here this instant!"

"Look, kid-"

"Tim's taller'n you, stronger'n you, and madder'n you. He'll beat you to a pulp in a second. If you so much as touch me or my friend, it'll be half a second."

"Fuck." The Brumly is glaring daggers at her. "All right. Fine. But if either of you make any more trouble for us, you'll be dead before you can scream proper."

xxxxxx

"If it ain't Curly Shepard's sister."

It's the Brumly who cut her brother. The leader of the pack Curly and Pony fought. Angela looks at him with hatred. He's resting too easy on that stupid, falling-apart couch.

"And his friend," the Brumly adds in a condescending way. "Mike tells me you let the lady do all the talking."

Ponyboy's ears are redder than anything in the real world should be, but he's maintaining a good death stare.

"You got something to say to me, or are you wasting my time? 'Cause I don't take too kindly to that."

"Tim is getting everyone he can at the moment to help him whip your gang," Ponyboy announces.

"He is, now, is he?" The leader looks amused. "Look, kid, no matter if he's got a hundred of you, he can't whip us. We've got numbers. We've got height. We've got strength." He takes a drag off of a smoldering cigarette, blowing the smoke into their faces with a grin. "There ain't a chance in the world you could win."

"We could give your gang a run for your money, I bet."

"We ain't got no money, kid. There's no point in saying that."

"It's an expression!" Ponyboy looks frustrated as hell. "Point is, we can put up a fight. No matter whether we win or not, you know sure as hell Tim Shepard will try his damnedest to kill you, or at least, beat you to a pulp. I wouldn't want him even half succeeding in doing that to me." He pauses. "You may be tough, but you aren't tough enough to stand against Tim Shepard."

"And my brother especially don't like anyone picking on me or Curly," Angela pipes up. "Think Tim angry, times a hundred."

For a moment, the Brumly almost looks like he's considering what they've said. "I don't know why you're telling me this. You're on their side. Why give them the advantage?"

"We don't want a fight," Pony says.

"You're doing all of this to avoid a fight?" The Brumly laughs. "Damn, you're a bunch of pansies."

"Now you listen here," Pony says angrily. "We ain't pansies." Angela notices that he slips back into improper grammar when the real anger comes forth. "But Tim doesn't know we're here. He'll be mighty pissed if he finds out. We're doing you a favor out of guilt."

"Guilt from...?"

Pony sighs and looks at the floor for a moment; then his eyes flick back up to the Brumly's determined. "We lied about why Curly got cut. We said we were just crossing through and you jumped him."

What the fuck? Is he meaning to get them killed? Why is he telling the truth?

"You little shit." The Brumly stamps out his cigarette angrily.

"Please," Angela says, before they get chopped into mincemeat. "You're afraid of Tim when he's mad. I'm his sister. I'm downright terrified him when he's pissed. I saved my own ass and Pony's. Now this is me tryin' to save yours. Tell him you don't want a fight when he comes. He's not mean enough to jump you when you won't give him a fair fight. Nobody'll get hurt, and once he's calmed down enough, we'll deal with him."

What?

What did she just say?

She had no intention of dealing with Tim until she said it.

But she realizes she's got no other choice.

Tim won't believe the Brumlys, of all people, backed down from a fight for no particular reason. There has to be a damn good one, and Angela will have to give it to him. She doesn't want to face her brother's wrath, but this is her fault and he'll go easier on her than on a Brumly.

Said Brumly leans forward. "You breathe a word of what I'm gonna say to you now, and I'll kill you, understand?"

Pony and Angela nod vigorously.

"But I got a little pity annoying the hell out of me somewhere. And I ain't lookin' forward to fighting Tim Shepard. So I'm gonna take you up on this. All right?"

Again, a nod. Thank God.

"If Shepard or any one of his boys so much as throws a punch at one of mine on account of this, you're dead, though. You better make damn sure that Tim isn't pissed at us anymore. Savvy?"

"Savvy," Pony and Angela say as one.

"All right. Now thank me and get your sorry asses outta here."

They try and leave as quick as they can, but just as they're out the door, they hear the Brumly call something more to them.

"Good luck facing Shepard!"