PONYGIRL CURTIS-
I stood in front of my mirror, studying myself carefully. I was meeting Steve for dinner and I had to be perfect. Just as I was getting done with my hair, Buddy walked in.
"Where are you going?" he asked, looking me over.
"Just meeting some friends at the Dingo. I'll be home on time." I said.
"I was just wanting to know if you wanted to go to Virginia for Christmas and visit my family." he said carefully. "I've already talked to the boys."
I didn't know what I wanted to do. Me and Steve had made plans to be together on Christmas.
"We would be back by New Year's. we would leave the day after you get off for winter break and stay for about a week."
"What did the boys say?" I asked.
"They seem to like the idea. But, I want to know what you want. It's your Christmas too."
I thought carefully for a minute. Me and Steve would be together for New Year's and we could still give each other presents. I had already gotten him a watch at the store and had his name engraved in it. I nodded.
"Yeah. That sounds fun." I said and started for the door.
"Great." Buddy beamed. "Do you need a ride or anything?" he asked.
"No thanks. I'll walk." I said and smiled. He nodded and left without another word.
I met Steve at the Dingo and sat down at our table across from him. We ordered our food and talked for a few minutes. He told me about his day at work and I told him about Christmas.
"So, what are we going to do?" he asked.
"I thought we could be together on New Year's and then exchange presents before I left."
He nodded. "Great. I already got yours." He smiled.
"Me too."
We walked home that night. It was cold and I felt icy mist hit my face and arms. I forgot my jacket. Steve gave me his and lit up a cigarette.
"So, when do y'all leave?"
"The morning after we get out for Winter break."
"We'll have to make the night before special then. Our first Christmas."
"Great. We can give each other our presents and do something special." I said and kissed him on the cheek. We walked up the front steps and I went inside the house. I was met by Darry.
"Where were you tonight?" he asked, looking up from his paper.
"Just out with some friends at the Dingo." I said.
"You've been hanging out with friends a lot lately. Anything wrong?" he asked. I shook my head. "No. I'm fine" I said firmly, wanting the conversation to be over. He nodded, satisfied with my answer and I went to bed.
DARRY CURTIS-
I talked to Buddy that night before I went to bed myself.
"All three of them like the idea." He said.
"that's great." I said. I was happy that Buddy could see his family on Christmas after being with us for so many months.
"I figured we could take both cars. With our luggage and the five of us. And we'll have to stop somewhere to spend the night on the way. There's no way we can make the trip in a day." I nodded. It all sounded expensive. We had been making a little extra money lately with Buddy's job. But we still had hills and we have to give Soda and the twins Christmas somehow. Now we had to pay for gas the whole way to Virginia, presents, our bills, and two rooms in a motel along the way. Not to mention all the other little things we would need.
I made a list of everything we would need before we left. It was about a mile long. I just sat at the desk in the living room for a few minutes, observing the list. I would have to talk to Buddy about it. I went to bed trying not to worry about Christmas or how we would get to Virginia. I never slept very good anymore but this night was especially rough. My mind was full of different thoughts and worries. I didn't want to think about it. It was times like this that I missed mom and dad even more.
I sat up until late that night, thinking. Thinking about if mom ever wondered about buddy or if dad ever knew about him, if she ever seen him after she gave him up, or if she ever thought of trying to see him. They were all mysteries I would never know the answer to. My parents were dead and buried and all that was left was the five of us. We would make it. I guess. We had to. There was too much to lose if we didn't.
SODAPOP CURTIS-
I stayed up late too, though I don't think Darry or Buddy knew. I sat up in bed thinking about what I would do in Virginia. I didn't know much about Buddy's other family. Just that they were pretty well off. I wondered if they would treat us like Sarah's family. Or maybe, where they live, there weren't socs or greasers. Maybe there, people were just people. It was a stupid thought. Everywhere we went, it would be the same. We were poor and Buddy's family was rich. I hoped it would be different, but that was like hoping the socs wouldn't be so mean and entitled, a lost cause. I fell asleep after that.
The next few weeks past fast and uneventfully. Before we knew it, our semester exams were over and we were out for winter break. I sat in my room with Ponyboy packing our suitcases. The next morning, we would be on our way to Virginia. It would be our first Christmas without mom and dad and the first Christmas we went away.
PONYGIRL CURTIS-
I met Steve in the park like we agreed. He sat on a bench next to the swings. I sat next to him and under the cover of darkness and dark clouds, he kissed me. His hands found their way to my waist and my hands went to his hair as we sat in the cold, the soft, white snowflakes melting and running down our faces and backs. I shivered and he pulled back.
"Here." He said and gave me a small box, wrapped in red paper with a gold ribbon tied across to top. I smiled and handed him the black box his watch had come in at the jewelry store. He kissed my cheek gingerly and held it in his hands.
"Open yours first." He said. I tore the paper off and found a black velvet box and opened it. It was a silver, heart shaped locket. He opened it for me. It had a picture of him in one side and a picture of me in the other. I looked at him for a moment.
"Thank you." I said and kissed his cheek.
"Here, let me put it on for you." He said and clasped the small chain behind me. I had always wanted a boy to do that for me. He took the box I had given him and opened it. He looked at the watch and smiled.
"Thank you. It's just what I wanted. I had been needing a watch to replace the old one I got from my old man." He hugged me tightly and we both shivered in the night. He put his watch on and walked me home. It was too cold for us to stay out any longer.
I Climbed through my window like usual. Steve kissed me goodbye and thanked me again or his watch and left me alone to pack y suitcase. I packed clothes, a few books and the picture of Steve and me the night of the Halloween dance. I was a little excited and I knew Buddy wanted to see his family, but I wanted to stay home. Chances were, Steve would be alone on Christmas while I was miles away. It would only be him, Two-Bit, Debbie and Mrs. Mathews. I would have to make it up to him somehow. Maybe we could go somewhere for New Year's eve. I wondered what Buddy's family was like. Maybe they would be like mom and dad, I thought to myself. Maybe they would laugh and talk like we used to and not be mean or rude like Sarah's family.
BUDDY CAMPBELL-
I packed my bags in my room that night. I was excited for my families to meet each other. I was hoping to make it a good Christmas, maybe the best one they had. My mom said that Soda and the twins would need lots of love and encouragement after their parents died. I was trying to do that and I was working hard on Christmas. I had been shopping already and Sarah helped me think of stuff to do with both my families to help them bond. I hoped by the end of the trip we would all be one family. maybe then, things would be perfect. I didn't know how far from perfect our Christmas would really be.
