Rolling with the Punches

Lily was annoyed.

Annoyed with herself, annoyed with Sodapop, annoyed with his kid brother too. Okay, maybe not the kid brother really, but she couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if Ponyboy hadn't walked in on them.

Soda hadn't seemed that interested before their moment in the kitchen but then the air had seemed electric. He'd had every opportunity to act on it or at least say something about it since, but nope-not a word.

She didn't know what was up with his friend, Steve either, but Soda had had to practically yell at him to keep him from coming with them. He'd been bordering on pushy. What did Steve think she was going to do to him?

She stole a look at Soda from the other side of the truck. He was facing front, his expression impossible to read. And Glory, he was handsome. She guessed she'd always known he was, but now she realised she'd never even looked at someone so good looking, let alone kissed them. Helen was right, he did have a face like heaven. You are still wasted, Parker, she told herself. Face like heaven my ass...

But he could kiss too. Boy, could he kiss. Which probably proved that he'd kissed more girls than he could count but she sure wasn't complaining. She didn't usually go for guys like Curtis. She had always told herself she wouldn't go near someone better looking than she was, but one drunken kiss later and she was standing in his kitchen praying he'd kiss her again. Which of course, he hadn't.

"You okay?" He looked over at uneasily.

"Sure." She shrugged. The clock on the dash read 23.12. Only forty eight minutes left of the world's crummiest birthday.

"You reckon your brothers will be up?"

Again, she shrugged.

"What about your Mom?"

"Naw, she'll be in bed. Early shift tomorrow. It's okay though, Curtis. You don't gotta walk me to the door."

He glanced over at her again but he didn't say anything else. They only spoke for her to direct him to her street and point out her house. Soda pulled the truck up outside of her place. She could see her Mom's car in the drive and Ronnie's mustang behind it. But parked up on the other side of the street, she saw another familiar car.

"Oh, shit," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Soda looked at her in concern but she just shook her head.

"Don't worry. Listen, I have to go. Just take off fast, okay?" She slid out of the truck and slammed it shut but he was still staring after her like an idiot. Or a sitting duck, she realised.

"Just get out of here, Curtis!"

"I don't get it-" He started, but he was cut off by Clive Harrison yanking open the truck door.

"You again!" Clive fumed. "I thought I already told you she's taken!"

Clive grabbed him roughly by the shirt and attempted to haul him out of the truck. Lily watched as Soda fumbled with his seatbelt and allowed Clive to pull him onto the sidewalk. Her view was obscured but she heard an unmistakable bang as Clive slammed Soda into the truck. Hurrying around to their side, she tried to pull Clive away.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled at him.

"Me? What am I doing? I just came over to give you your birthday present." Clive gave Soda another shake. Soda looked like he was trying to keep his cool but it was obvious he was aggravated. "Are you banging her? Are you?"

Lily gasped. Clive knew she'd been a virgin before him and knew she didn't sleep around. Why would she suddenly start just because they'd split?

"No." Soda wriggled beneath Clive's grip and Lily realised with dismay that Clive was both taller and heavier. Soda was outmatched from every angle.

"I told you to leave her alone. I told you that she's my girl. You need me to put that through your thick skull?"

"I am not your girl, Clive Harrison. You need to get that through your thick skull!" And it was then that she balled up a fist and delivered a sucker punch. Surprise was her advantage. Clive had hold of both of Soda's arms but he hadn't been expecting Lily. He groaned and doubled over and Soda pushed him clear away.

"You didn't have to do that." Soda tugged at the collar of his shirt and she wanted to hit him too. Guys and their stupid egos.

"I didn't do it for you," she lied. "That was for me. Now just go home, will you?"

Soda looked from her to Clive who was still grimacing but not looking like he was about to turn tail and run.

"I can't leave you-"

Lily ignored him and yanked open the truck door.

"Just go."

Soda looked at her uncertainly. But before he could even react, Clive slammed the door closed again.

"He's not going anywhere."

"Listen, Buddy-"

"No, you listen." Clive jabbed a meaty finger into Soda's chest. "It ain't decent to muscle in on someone's shit just because they're having a bad week. In fact, it's slimy. And it looks like that's exactly what you are. Some slimy pretty boy clawing for somebody else's leftovers."

Lily didn't know what she objected to most. Being called 'somebody else's shit' or 'somebody else's leftovers' but she was suddenly immensely glad she'd hit Clive.

Soda, too, was starting to lose his temper.

"Any other time I'd pop you one for that," he snapped. "But lucky for you, I can't afford to get into it with anyone. So just get back in your car and get over the fact that you fucked up. You've lost her. Live with it."

Clive socked him in the jaw, sending him careering into the truck. Lily let out an involuntary scream but Soda was up and tackling Clive almost a millisecond after. It was almost like he bounced off of the truck and onto Clive. The two of them went down onto the sidewalk, tumbling and cursing as they grappled.

And then her brothers were there, both of them, separating Soda and Clive and dragging them apart.

Clive struggled so much that he accidentally elbowed Ronnie in the throat, and Ronnie, who had never been fond of Clive, used this as an excuse to deliver a kidney blow in his back. Clive went down like a sack of potatoes.

Soda was bucking and cursing too but when he realised his captor was Frankie, he stopped protesting and let himself be pulled away.

"What in God's name is going on?" Ronnie yelled at Lily. He was looking between Soda and Clive like he wanted to bury them both and Lily realised she better start talking and fast.

"Clive was waiting outside the house when Soda dropped me home. When he saw us, he just went crazy."

"Is this true, you dipshit?" Ronnie kicked out at Clive who was crouched in front of him on the sidewalk. "You went crazy 'cause someone gave your girl a ride home?"

"When you came by, I told you to leave her alone," Frankie said to Clive.

Ronnie darted a look between them. Lily was betting anything that Soda wished he'd got in the truck when he'd had the chance, but he was standing his ground bravely.

"Why would you tell him to leave her alone?" Ronnie asked his little brother.

Frankie threw Lily a warning glance and she sighed.

"'Cause he cheated on me." She knew what was to come now but she was glad the heat was on Clive and off of Soda at least.

Ronnie narrowed his eyes in fury. Lily was suddenly reminded why Ronnie was in the Brumly gang even though he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He had a long but terrible temper and he had absolutely no fear of anyone or anything.

He started kicking out at Clive, hard and deliberately and then he began to rain down blows on his cowering body. In a few seconds he was only a blur of arms and legs and it took both Frankie and Soda to drag him off.

Lights had begun to flicker on in the surrounding houses and despite herself, the vision of a groaning Clive instilled a deep rooted guilt inside of Lily. She tugged on Soda's arm.

"Get out of here, okay?"

He looked over at the battered Clive and her two brothers who were arguing about whether or not to finish Clive off. But then he heard the police sirens. And with a quick nod, he was in the truck and gunning the engine.

Lily wrapped her arms about herself as she stood on the edge of the sidewalk and watched him peel away. She wished with all her might that she was going with him.

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Soda was looking in his rear view mirror as he pulled away from the Parker's house. He could see Lily watching him drive away, her arms wrapped about herself, her face tormented. All he wanted to do was pull the truck around.

But the social worker's words were ringing in his ears as though she were sitting in the seat beside him.

'Wrong time, wrong place excuses are not going to keep you together if we have any more problems.'

He couldn't risk Pony being sent away, not for anyone. But damn, did he wish it wasn't a choice.

Soda liked Lily a whole lot, and he liked Frankie too. But that brother of theirs-Ronnie- there was something about him that made Soda uneasy. He recognised him from a few rumbles. He'd seen the guy fight like a mad man and he wasn't even big like Darry was. He wasn't hot tempered like Dallas, or smart like Tim Shepard. Ronnie's weapon was a lack of fear or maybe it was beyond that- maybe it was a lack of caution, because even people like Dallas and Tim Shepard knew when to fold. From what Soda had seen, today and previously, Ronnie didn't have that kind of restraint.

But he loved his sister at least. He'd protected her honour by pounding on that shithead ex of hers, and he'd given her his old car, no matter how banged up it was. The thought made Soda feel a little better but not much.

No more trouble, no more trouble.

Steve was sitting on the porch this time when he arrived home. At least he remembered Dallas was dead this time. That was a hell of a thing to forget.

"How'd it go?" Steve looked pissed but despite that, he asked how Soda was. Soda loved him for it.

"Messy," he told Steve, realising he probably needed the distraction. "I got to meet big bad Ronnie."

Steve's eyes widened.

"No shit."

Soda threw himself on the porch beside his friend, realising he ached all over.

"Did he do that?" Steve nodded at Soda's red cheek and Soda touched it gingerly. "Naw, that was Clive."

"Who in the world is Clive?"

"You remember Lily's ex? From Bucks?"

Steve squinted as he cast his mind back and then nodded.

"Oh yeah, the jolly green giant."

"That's the one." He offered Steve a cigarette and dug around for his lighter. Before he could announce that he didn't have one, Steve pulled one from his jeans. The boys lit up consecutively and leaned back on the porch steps.

"So he didn't like you taking her home?"

"Not one bit. But Ronnie liked it less that he'd been cheating on Lily. Beat the tar out of him, in fact."

"Nice," Steve inhaled and exhaled, looking slightly troubled still. Soda wondered if this was the right moment to ask what was wrong. Steve had sharing moments and he had mind-your-fucking-business moments, but Soda could usually tell which one was which. Not today though. Steve wasn't saying much but he wasn't cursing either. His reaction to his Dad was usually one or the other.

"You staying over?" It was a safe question but Steve didn't even seem to hear him."Hey, Randle, you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Listen, Soda. I don't wanna bring you down or nothing, but I was just wondering...you heard from Sandy at all?"

The question threw him off guard. He gave his best friend a strange look.

"No, course not. I woulda told ya if I had." Soda started to feel paranoid. "Why, have you?"

Steve glanced up like he was crazy.

"No way. She's not that stupid. I was just wondering, that's all." Steve took a long drag on his cigarette. "So that Parker chick...you like her, right?"

Soda thought back to the mess he'd left behind at Lily's place and his stomach lurched unexpectedly.

"Yeah, I guess I do. She's not really my type though, ya know?"

"Maybe that's a good thing," Steve said glumly. "It's not like going for your type usually works out."

Soda was totally confused now. Was he still talking about him and Sandy? Or not?

"You have a fight with Evie?"

Steve met his eyes and his lips actually formed a smile.

"Nothing gets by you, does it, Curtis? So what are you gonna do about this chick?"

Soda sighed and leant back, his eyes searching the night sky. He didn't know what the hell he was going to do. If anything, he'd be quite happy to sit back and do nothing.

"I dunno, Stevie. I do like her but I'm not sure I'll ever like anyone enough to put myself through all that again."

Steve punched him in the arm.

"Yeah, right. At seventeen, Sodapop Curtis is a self declared monk."

"Sounds alright. A lot less complicated. I guess I'd just like me and Lily to be friends."

Steve snorted and threw him a look of disbelief.

"You keep telling yourself that, Buddy. But I've seen you with her twice. Once, dancing her across the floor like the two of you were prom king and queen, and tonight, you playing her knight in shining armour. Is that what friends adds up to?"

Soda didn't have an answer to that. He didn't know how Lily had prompted a dance, a kiss, a promise to fix up her car. He kept telling himself that he wasn't ready for a relationship but in reality it felt like he was doing all the chasing. Even now, all he could think about was whether she was tucked up safe in bed.

"And one more question," Steve went on. "How in the world are you gonna find time to fix up that heap of tin she drives when you work seven days a week?"

Soda scratched his head. Again, it was another thing he hadn't thought through.

"Evenings, I guess. And on my lunch break."

"Glory, Soda, you are such a sucker."

Soda put out his smoke on the porch steps and threw it out into the yard.

"That's the general consensus, yeah."

Steve went slack beside him and Soda felt bad. He shouldn't have said that. Steve didn't think he was a sucker in that way.

"I didn't mean it, like-you know." Steve sounded awkward. "It's a good thing you're looking at other girls. I'll even give you a hand with the old jalopy, okay?"

Soda laughed.

"I dunno, Randle. After what you did to Two-Bit, I want danger money first."

Steve grinned as he remembered the incident with the door and pretty soon, the two of them were snickering.

"You reckon Two-Bit's Mom saw us?" Soda asked.

"Don't matter either way. She knew it was us that brought him back. No-one else would have. I'm pretty glad we did anyhow. That frees up your couch, don't it?"

"Sure does," Soda hopped up and offered his hand to his friend. Steve allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"This is all too much for a Wednesday night," he groaned. "I'll be a dead man walking for school tomorrow."

"Well, as long as you wake yourself up before you come by the DX. We got a Chevy to fix up, remember?"

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