Chapter 9
Ponyboy's POV
On the way to the rumble I couldn't help but think of Alex. She would have kissed me goodbye and tell me to look after Wyatt and to make sure Blade didn't get to cocky and take on five guys at once, again. She would make sure that we were wearing warm cloths and had our blades on us just in case. I made a promise to her that night, to look after Wyatt. I didn't fulfill that promise.
I made Wyatt stay by me as we walked to the old warehouse where we would have the rumble. The Assassins were known to jump people before a rumble so I wanted to make sure that Wyatt was safe.
Wyatt was shaking a little and his eyes were cold with hate and bitterness. He was breathing in shaky gasps and was shivering against the cold. It may be the middle of May, but it was still freezing. I put my arm around him and gave him a nod.
Isaac was smiling and jumping up and down. He was one of those guys who loved to fight. Isaac was like Soda and Steve; he used rumbles for burning off energy. He loved the suspense of fighting and the not knowing of what was going to happen.
Rich was walking next to Blade and just walking at a steady pace silently. Rich always prepared himself for rumbles by just focusing on his anger. Rich had alto to be angry with. His mom was a bitch who didn't care about him or his kid brother. His dad left them after his mom got pregnant with Jamie because it wasn't his kid. It was some guy she hooked up with one night after her and Rich's dad got in a fight. Rich always imagined his father when he knocked some guy's lights out. I know because he told me when we got drunk after the rumble with the Assassins for beating up Paulie.
Blade was talking to Paulie about who was fighting who. Blade might look like he was calm, but I knew that on the inside he was furious. He was ready to fight, this was his fight for his sister, the fight that really mattered to him. Oh sure he cared about the rumble called for Paulie and the one called for himself, but this rumble was for his sister's blood. They killed her, they are half the reason she is gone, and they need to pay.
Paulie was playing with his smiley chain and focusing by cracking crappy jokes and doing the gymnastics I showed the gang when I came here. He was our Two-bit he could always make the gang smile. He put his arm around Blade and started talking about this broad that he hooked up with last night. Then he whispered something in Blade's ear and Blade slapped him on the head and laughed.
I was trying to keep my cool until we got to the warehouse. I planned to lose it when we started fighting, I wanted to pound Tyler Simmons face in until he couldn't breathe, I wanted to feel his bones break under my fists, making him feel a fraction of the pain that he has caused me. He needed to know what real pain felt like, my pain.
"Ponyboy?" I look at Wyatt. He has a look of nervousness and slight fear.
"Yeah kid?"
"Were you ever scared when you went to your first rumble?" he asked clearly trying to not to look afraid.
"Hell yes. My first rumble was when I was thirteen. My brothers tried to look out for me but I ended up with a black eye. When my dad found out that my brothers let me go with them we all got grounded for two weeks." I laughed. I still remember dad yelling at us and even Darry, who was nineteen at the time, looked like a little kid.
Wyatt gave a nervous laugh and looked ahead. I rubbed his shoulder. "Hey come on. It's all going to work out." I tell him.
"Yeah, it'll work out fine." He says to himself.
When we get to the warehouse the entire gang, all twenty of us, ran into the abandoned building whooping and hollering like animals. I join in and throw Wyatt over to Isaac and then that starts a game of pass around the kid. I smile and remember when I was the one who got passed around in that game.
Blade comes over to me and pulls away from the others. He has his rumble face on. He and Alex had the same fight face, eyes cool and hard, forehead wrinkled from anger and fury, and mouth in a straight line not afraid of anything.
"You ready?" he asks me.
"Yeah, I'm ready. More ready than I've ever been." I tell him bouncing on my heels. My adrenalin was high and my heart was pounding. I was like a bomb just ready to be set off.
"I'm going to take Tomas Simmons. You and Isaac are going to take Tyler Simmons."
"No, I can take Simmons on my own. Let Isaac got crazy on whoever he wants, I want to take Tyler on my own." I say. This was just something I needed to do by myself.
"Alright, whatever you say. Just be careful, Alex wouldn't want…."
"Curtis!" we turn around and the once noisy warehouse became silent as the Assassins strode into the building, Tyler Simmons leading them. Our gang walked toward them meeting them in the middle of the floor. I looked over my shoulder and saw Wyatt standing next to Paulie and Rich. I looked to Blade and he nodded .
"Tyler." I say coolly.
"Curtis. Heard that your bitch was shoot at Tommy's bar the other day." He says just as calm as I did.
"You killed her, you son of a bitch!" I turn around to see Wyatt lunging toward Simmons and Paulie and Rich holding him back. Tyler laughs and shakes his head.
"Not my fault that she herself shot. Young Ponyboy should have been looking after her." He says smirking at me.
"You are the reason the cops came. You should have hid your Coke on your own turf." Blade spits at him.
"The little slut got what she deserved." Tyler said laughing. That's what set me off. I lunged at him and started to pound his face in. Everybody run to the nearest enemy and starting punching and kicking and even biting each other. Some people pulled out blades or chains and others just fought with their fists. The sounds of shouts of curses, groans, grunts, moans, and fists connecting with bodies filled the warehouse as we fought.
Tyler was stronger than I thought he was and threw me off of him. He pulled out his blade and I flicked out mine. We lunged at each other and we started cutting each other. He sliced my arm and I cut his cheek. We forgot our knifes and started hitting each other again. I struck his cheek and he landed his fist in my gut. I fell to my knees and he grabbed his blade he jumped on me and tried to press the tip of it to my throat. I grabbed his hands and attempted to try to get him off me, but to no avail. He would have killed me but Paulie kicked him in the head getting him off me. I jumped up and tackled him grabbing my blade pressing it to his jugular. I cut him a little and watched him bleed.
"This is for Alex you son of a bitch." I whisper to him. I cut him more and the I hear the only thing that would make me pull me away from ending the bastard's life that took away Alex's.
"Ponyboy help!" I looked over and saw Wyatt crumbling to the ground holding his side. I jumped off Tyler and sprinted over to Wyatt.
He was already losing his color and was breathing heavy. I pushed him onto his back and saw the blade stuck in the middle of his ribs. I carefully picked him up and carried Wyatt outside. Blade and Paulie and Rich and Isaac must have followed us out here because they were there next to Wyatt holding him still.
"Runner, we got to get him to a hospital." Isaac says his voice shaking. His eyes never left Wyatt's that night. Isaac had a soft spot in his heart for the kid just like Alex did.
"I know just hold on." I said calmly. I turned to Blade. "Hold him still."
Blade puts his hands on Wyatt's shoulders. Rich takes the hint and holds down Wyatt's legs. I get on my knees and take hold of the knife stuck in Wyatt's side. I swiftly but carefully pull out the blade and Wyatt screams. Isaac takes his hand and tries to comfort him. Paulie presses his hands over the wound which was pouring out blood. I turn to Blade.
"Call Benny at work. Get him to clear out a room so we can take care of the kid." I tell him calmly.
"Ponyboy he needs to go to a hospital." He says.
"And what the hell are we going to tell them at the hospital when we get there? They know our faces and they are going to call the cops." I shout at him. "So call your damn uncle!"
He sighs and runs down the street to the payphone. I go over to Wyatt and put his head in my lap. He looks at me trying very hard not to cry.
"P-Ponyboy?" he stutters. I run my hand thru his hair.
"Yeah?" I say gently.
"I'm scared." He says smiling a weak smile.
"You and me both." I say almost to myself. I look at Rich Paulie and Isaac.
"Paulie Rich, go back in there. Make sure no one else is hurt. Then take them back to Benny's place. Stay there until we get back." I tell them. Rich nods and pulls Paulie up and runs into the warehouse. Isaac looks at me and turns back to Wyatt. Blade runs back to us and nods. I pick Wyatt up and follow Blade.
"He cleared a room for us. The guys in it shouldn't be back for a while." Blade says. We walk down the alley for about ten minutes until we get to the back of the Alex hotel. Benny has worked her as a bellboy for years. I look down at Wyatt and he is breathing in gasps. Blade and Isaac go up the fire escape and into a room on the fourth floor.
"Kid I'm going to have to do something to you that's going to hurt like a bitch, but bare with me." I tell him. He nods his head knowing what I'm going to do. In one quick motion I sling him over my shoulder. He lets out a cry of pain and then passes out. I climb up the fire escape and into the room. Blade takes him from me. Blade carries him to the bed and turns to Isaac.
"Go grab some towels from the bathroom." He says I go over to the bed and tap Wyatt on the temple.
"Kid wake up." I say. He stirs and moans. He looks up at the ceiling, his eyes wide. I put my hands over the wound.
There are voices and banging on the door. The door opens and Benny and two other guys are in the doorway. One is handsome with blond hair and lean. The other is muscular with brown hair.
"Damn it Benny I told you to keep them out!" I yell at him. Blade and Isaac come back with towels and water.
"I couldn't keep them out. How's the kid doing?" he asks coming over to us.
"I don't know, I think he's in shock." I tell him calmly. The big guy comes over and takes Wyatt's wrist.
"What happened?" he asks calmly.
"He was stabbed." Blade tells him taking over applying pressure to the wound. I go over to Wyatt's head and push back his hair gently. I tell him comforting things even though I know he can't hear me.
"How old is he?" asks the thinner guy.
"He's twelve we were in a rumble." I tell him still looking at Wyatt. How could I let this happen?
"Runner, we need to take him to the hospital." Isaac says.
I nod and pick Wyatt up. I look at the strangers before me. "You guys got a car?" I ask them. I don't trust people normally, but now I had no choice.
"Follow me." The muscular one says. I follow them to the parking garage and put Wyatt in the car. We ride to the hospital in silence. When we get to the hospital I pick the kid up and run him into the emergency room.
"I need some help over here!" I yell. Nurses take away Wyatt from me and I collapse into the nearest chair. I want to cry but I don't, I can't cry now, I won't be able to stop if I did. Then I fell a gentle hand on my shoulder, for a second I think its Alex. Then I realize it's the blond guy, I don't even bother to look at him.
"You alright?" he asks me.
"Yeah, just worried. Thanks for taking us here." I say to him.
"No problem. My name's Sodapop." He says. I turn to him. Oh my god, Soda. He still has dad's eyes. Soda my happy-go-lucky brother.
"Soda?" I stutter.
"Ponyboy?" he says. He smiles and then starts to laugh.
"Oh god, Ponyboy!" he says laughing. He grabs me and pulls me into the biggest hug I have ever received from him. I hug him back I look over his shoulder and see Darry. He has tears in his eyes. Soda stops hugging me and turns to Darry.
"Hi Darry." I say quietly. He comes over to me and hugs me. Soda hugs us both and I don't know what the hell to do.
So there they finally meet! Tell me what you think!