Disclaimer: The Outsiders belong to S. E. Hinton, I just borrow them every so often lol. Any other characters belong to me. Almost finished now, I've really enjoyed writing the last chapter, in my other story you never had anyone speaking as it was from Tia's journal, It was really fun giving Luce and the others voices. Any who I hope you like this last chapter. Please review!
Chapter 10
Ponyboy Michael Curtis Vs Tiadora Angeletta Laborotzie Vs Angela Louise Shepherd
Two days had passed since Tia had arrived back in Tulsa with her two friends Sam and KC. Tia had assimilated back into Tulsa life as if she had never been away. KC and Sam were taking it in their stride, within the first day both girls had found spare rooms in neighbouring houses to stay in and had even found part time jobs in Artie's Café down the high street across from the church. Tia had laughed that they would be serving old lady Soc's and that was why she wouldn't be getting a job there. But on the other hand the girls other part time job at Bucks a few evenings a week had been a very good idea in Tia's books so much so that she had tagged along and told Buck that if he didn't hire all three of them to run his bar then she would chase off all this customers.
The blackmailing worked and Buck gave them the jobs, Tia had laughed and told Buck after; as all four sat down for a drink that she had only been kidding with him, but she and the girls would be the best thing he'd ever done for the bar. Of course Darry and Luce weren't happy with the arrangement the girls had made but were left looking like goldfish when Dally, KC and Sam told the two heads of the house just what Tia and the girls had been doing in New York.
On their second day back in Tulsa, Sam and KC and Tia were walking down to the Dingo for a burger and drinks and to meet Pony, Dally and Johnny before they decided what they wanted to do for the rest of the day.
"I'm telling you, if you asking him what he wants to do, I swear he will answer 'nuffin' legal man, let's get outta here'" Tia mimicked Dally. Sam and KC fell about laughing at her impression.
"That's really odd just how much you sound like ol' Dally, I had to look twice when I heard that voice" Another gravelly voice added. Tia stopped walking and looked round, Sam and KC stepped behind her not knowing what was going on. Tia stayed quiet as she looked Tim Sheppard over wondering what he wanted.
"S'up Tim?" she asked deciding to hit the situation directly.
"I heard you were back, thought I should come see it myself" Tim drawled watching her. Tia frowned at him slightly then tilted her head to one side and back again as though she was thinking, when she brought it back up she raised an eyebrow at him.
"What's your game Sheppard, why would you care if I was back, I hardly ever rolled with you or your gang?" she questioned. Tim's face sharpened as his eyes hooded, Tia sighed mentally now she'd pissed him off.
"What's happening with you and Curtis?" Tim said finally cutting to the chase.
Tia forced every muscle in her body not to react until she finally smirked "That's helpful Tim, there are three of them" she told him slyly. When Tim stepped forward menacingly, Sam made a small squeaking sound of shock. Tim looked back at her and glared making her gulp.
"Well Sheppard you gunna answer or continue to intimidate my friends" Tia said sharply conveying she was annoyed and bored of the conversation she was having with him.
"Ponyboy" Tim said looking back at her his eyes flashing dangerously.
"What's it to do with you?" KC asked from behind Tia. Tia's eyes flashed as Tim's head shot back to KC, his lips curling into a nasty sneer.
"It's got everything to do with me, when my sister is involved" When Tim said the words Tia raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, touching Tim's arm she glared him in the eye.
"You better explain what you mean by that" she said menacingly never taking her eyes from his. Tim leaned back slightly and took in Tia's pose and the tone of her voice.
"Dally wasn't having me on, you really have changed" Tim said moving away from Tia's grasp.
"Tim." Tia asked pointedly. Tim looked back at her and held her icy gaze. "Year after you left Angela decides she wants to go with Pony. He turns her down, he starts going out with this Cathy girl. It didn't last long, about a week. Far as I know she broke it off with him 'cos he didn't seem interested in her"
Tia's eyes sharpened at the information "What's that have to do with Angela and Pony now?" she asked her fists balling. Tim looked her over not picking up on the fact she was ready to blow at him. KC and Sam stood a little behind watching not sure what they were going to have to do if she did lose it. This Tim Sheppard guy was rough looking and looked like he wouldn't think twice about hitting a girl.
"She decided to give him another chance, got herself convinced he'll say yes this time" Tim spat out at her. Tia stepped forward into his personal space, levelling herself with him; she looked up a little into his eyes and snarled.
"You do realise that if I see her doing it I will beat the tar outta her" Tim's eyes widened slightly and he stepped back looking her up and down then nodded.
"If I see her before you do I'll tell her to steer clear of him… and you" Tim said before getting back in his car and driving off. After watching him go KC and Sam stepped closer to Tia asking if she was okay. Tia looked over her shoulder and nodded, un-tensing her shoulders and shaking her hands she turned round to them.
"Dally lied." She said simply her face stony. Sam and KC frowned and stepped closer hooking their arms through Tia's as they began their walk to the Dingo again.
"What-cha mean Dally lied?" KC asked concerned. Tia looked ahead at the Dingo a little way off and gritted her teeth thinking about what Tim had just told her.
"Dal said Pony hadn't dated anyone since I left. Apparently he dated some girl called Cathy" Tia told them. Sam and KC winced in tandem and looked at each other past Tia.
"What you gunna do?" Sam asked worriedly. Tia looked sideways at her and then looked up holding her head high.
"Find out the truth" she told them finally breaking free of their arms and set off sprinting down the road to the Dingo. Sam and KC looked to each other in shock.
"Quick we gotta get there before she goes nuts and kills someone" KC said grabbing Sam's arm dragging her along after Tia.
The Dingo as usual was full of greasers hanging around in car, on bikes or in groups talking, arguing while drinking coke and eating burgers. Tia ran round the corner as fast as she could; skidding to a halt and hopping on one foot to keep her balance. Regaining her balance she flicked her hair out of her eyes and looked around, spotting a few faces she recognised before she spotted Dally talking to Two-Bit over by the main door, looking round again she couldn't stop Pony or Johnny anywhere. Deciding her best bet was to ask Dally she marched over, balling her fists.
Before she made it to him, Dally looked up and spotted her storming over to him; standing up straight he threw away his smoke and waited.
"Where's Pony?" Tia demanded as soon as she was in front of him. Dally looked down at her then heard KC and Sam shouting her name as they ran into the car-park. Tia ignored their presence and continued to glare at her friend.
"He's inside with Johnny, what's wrong Tia-baby?" Two-Bit asked in his usual humorous mood. Tia shot him a glare that would have frozen hell and looked back at Dally.
"You're a lying piece of shit you know that Dallas Winston" she told him. Dally's face remained impassive, but he grabbed her arm tightly as if demanding to know why she'd said it.
"Who's this Cathy girl I hear Pony dated after Tia left? You said he hadn't dated anyone" KC asked coming up behind Tia. Dally's eyes flashed slightly while Two-Bit sucked in air quickly making a whistling sound. Tia looked to him again and watched as he held up his hands.
"So you all knew but weren't going to tell me?" Tia snapped clenching her fists together.
"Hey Tia" Johnny's voice called. Tia looked up and saw Pony pushing Johnny out of the Dingo with Angela Sheppard tailing them looking like a lion about to make it's kill. Tia's eyes narrowed as she locked eyes with Pony as he moved Johnny next to Two-Bit and stood next to her, as he began to speak Tia launched past him and smashed her fist into Angela's face.
"Aw shoot!" Two-Bit shouted reaching to grab Tia as she continued to pour hits onto Angela's face and chest in fast succession. KC and Sam rushed forward, KC pushing Pony out of the way and glaring at him while Sam grabbed hold of Tia's right arm while Two-Bit grabbed her left dragging her away from Angela.
"Let me go, let me at the slut!" Tia raged "I'll kill her, I'll fucking kill the bitch!" she continued to scream as KC sat Angela up with a look of disgust on her face.
"Tia! What the hell is going on?" Pony shouted as he watched Tia struggling in Sam and Two-Bit's arms.
"We met some guy called Tim on the way here, he told her that his sister was gunna make a pass at you" KC informed him her face stony. Pony's eyes widened at the information, looking round at Angela he rolled his eyes, stepping forward he stood in front of where Two-bit and Sam were trying to pin Tia down. Kneeing down he motioned to Two-bit to move out of the way, and grabbed hold of Tia's jacket making her looks at him.
"Tia! You really think I'd go with Angela?" he asked her his voice calm and passive pleading. Tia looked up and him and shook her head.
"It wasn't you I jumped Pony, it was her for even thinking of asking you" she told him her eyes still glaring past him at brief intervals at Angela. Pony rolled his eyes and sat back pulling Tia with him. Looking round Pony noticed the crowd that had gathered watching to see what was happening and if anything else would kick off.
"Well we've pulled in an audience again" Sam said from beside them. Tia's face broke into a grin then and looked up and round to Sam.
"No change there then Sammy, we always cause a scene" Sam looked back unimpressed.
"Tia you cause the scene, everybody else gets dragged into it" she countered back.
Pony, Two-Bit and Johnny laughed while Tia tilted her head to the side again and shrugged and sighed comically.
"No matter if I run, hide or do nothing…" Tia said in a solemn voice.
"…Trouble always finds me" Pony, Johnny, KC and Sam interrupted in unison.
Tia looked around at them afterwards and laughed when they realised they'd all said it at the same time. "And still you don't help me, you just let it happen, so called friends you are" she teased standing up.
Leant against the door of the Dingo, Angela watched the small group in anger. Holding her broken nose so no more of the blood ran onto her new dress she glared at Tia. When Tia stood up and looked around she spotted Angela's eyes and looked over, giving a grin she waved at the beaten girl.
"You know better than to cross me Sheppard" Tia called to her grinning as the others shook their heads and started to walk off.
"I didn't know you were back…how come you haven't gone and jumped Cathy?…she went out with Pony!" Angela hissed when Tia started to walk away. Pony stopped dead in his tracks when the words reached his ears; looking round quickly at Tia he was very confused when he saw her smiling.
Tia then turned back and grinned at Angela.
"You didn't know I was back? Dally was round at yours last night, he told Tim I was back. I haven't and won't be jumping this Cathy girl because she went with Ponyboy a year after I left for New York. I jumped you because you're trying to get with him now. You dumbass" Tia laughed at her. The whole Dingo was listening now to the shouting match with eager ears. When Tia had said her piece and turned away, while Angela was looking for a comeback to say, the diner burst out in a thunderous roar of laughter from its patrons at the Sheppard girl.
Tia turned back to the others and gave a contented sigh. "I think we've done enough here" she said smiling at them. "Let go find somewhere else to cause some havoc" she decided, hooking arms with Two-Bit who was the closest to her.
"If only you were blond" Two-bit joked. Tia and the others laughed.
"It never stopped you before, and isn't Kathy a brunette?" Tia asked her eyebrow rose expertly at Two-bit. Two-bit turned his head in her direction and gave her a wink to which she laughed at.
"You're too good for me Two-bit, I'd be the worst thing to ever happen to you" she joked and let him ruff her hair as he laughed in reply. The group headed to the other side of the Dingo's car park and stopped for a moment to decide where they wanted to head next.
"Its way to light to do anything" KC complained. Two-bit snorted in reply.
"What you thinking of doing that needs darkness baby" KC laughed and winked at him saucily, Two-bit grinned back until he saw Dally giving him a death glare.
"How about we go to swimming hole?" Pony suggested with a shrug. Sam and KC looked to him and then to Tia with looks of slight disgust on their faces.
"You have a swimming hole?" KC asked her face wrinkled
"A hole full of stagnant water? That you swim in?" Sam asked more directly. Tia shook her head and laughed patting Pony on the shoulder.
"Glory no…it's a pond, fed fresh water by the river" Tia laughed reassuring them "We know you don't go swimming in stagnant water. Why'd we want to swim in dirty water anyway?" she continued laughing.
"So…to the pond then?" Two-bit asked. Tia, Pony and Johnny nodded enthusiastically while Dally shrugged and the girls remained quiet. Looking to each other they shrugged in agreement at each other and then said okay.
"Okay then let's go" Tia said happily taking hold of Johnny's wheelchair and started to push it out of the car park and onto the sidewalk.
"Wait, aren't we going to get swimming clothes?" Sam called down the street to Tia.
Two-bit walked beside her and laughed "Don't need spare clothes, we swim in our pants and let the sun dry us" he told her holding back a laugh at her shocked face.
"He isn't serious is he Ponyboy?" Sam panicked. Ponyboy smiled and nodded his head in agreement with what Two-bit had said.
"But…but…" Sam spluttered. KC laughed and put her arm round Sam "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure they don't peek on you" Sam sighed "That fills me with confidence" she said sarcastically. KC mocked being hurt by her words and pretended to fall backwards, but fell into Dally and ended up standing on his feet.
"Oh sorry Dally" she giggled at him standing up straight. Dally looked down at her his mouth pulled back in a grimace.
"You might wanna get off his foot then KC if you're really sorry" Sam laughed pointing down at KC's feet, one of her slight heels was digging into one of Dally's boots near the centre of his right foot. KC looked down and gasped, stepping back she looked back at Dally and laughed nervously raising her hands up "I'm really sorry Dally, I didn't know…ARH!" she tried to apologise but screeched when he jumped at her, missing her as she darted sideways and then set off down the street after Tia and Johnny.
Dally took chase afterwards with Pony, Two-bit and Sam laughing and running after them. When the last three reached Tia and Johnny they stopped and laughed with the two of them as they watched Dally chasing KC down the road.
"What did she do?" Johnny asked laughing.
"Fell on him and then stood on his feet" Pony told his friend.
"Ouch!" Tia laughed at her friend's pain. Further down the road Dally had caught KC and had her thrown over his shoulders waiting for them while she thrashed around on his shoulder, swinging her legs and repeatedly hitting his back with her fists.
"Hey you wanna show these slow coaches how it's done?" Tia said out of the blue. Johnny looked up at her and frowned slightly. "Huh?" he asked.
"Race" Tia replied with a grin. Johnny laughed and nodded.
"Tia what are you talking about?" Pony asked as Tia stopped walking and changed her grip on the handles of the wheelchair. Tia grinned at him like a manic and laughed "Run Ponyboy! Run!" she shouted at him and lurched forward with Johnny pushing him along as fast as she could run leaving the others to holler after her and start running.
"So what is this Cathy girl like? Is she the mirror image of me?" Tia teased Ponyboy later that afternoon as the sun was setting. The two of them were sat on the front porch of the Curtis house like they used to. Tia slouched over the beaten bench while Pony sat in old tree next to the house, leaning back on the trunk. Taking lazy drags from their smokes, they watched the sun setting slowly over the tops of the neighbouring houses.
Pony winced in the tree and moved his head a little to look at her. Noticing she was still looking out over the roofs, he sighed and sat up.
"She was totally different to you…glory can you imagine a world where there were two of you Tia?" Pony gave a loving laugh as he turned to face her, manoeuvring himself in the tree. Tia huffed her shoulders shrugging in answer.
"Why'd you go with her then?" Tia asked flicking her smoke away after a final drag. Pony smiled down at her, dressed in skinny jeans and a dark green top and her hair like a bird's nest she looked just like her remembered.
"You can blame Soda and your sister for that" Pony told her his voice holding annoyance. Tia turned her head cocking it and her eyebrow asking him to explain.
"Luce and Soda decided I needed to stop moping around the house…apparently I was making it look untidy" Tia sniggered at the statement, which she needed no explanation for…it was all Luce.
"So you went out…and?"
Pony sighed and got out of the tree and walked to the railings, turned his back to the sunset he faced her. "I went out and she was flirting with me, so I asked her out"
Tia nodded and then laughed at him when a thought crossed her mind. Pony looked confused while she cackled to herself.
"What? What's so funny?" he asked. Tia looked up at him and laughed more when she looked into his confused face. "You…you…you spoke to a girl….hahahahahaha…on your own….asked her out….Glory I would never have thought…Pony?...NO PONY NO!" Tia cackled. Jumping up when Pony stepped forward towards her his arms out and a twisted grin on his face.
Chasing her round the garden, Pony jumped at her waist knocking her to the ground with a dull thud.
"What have you been eating Pony? You weight a tonne?" Tia coughed out, rolling under him so she was on her back with him leaning over her. Pony rolled his eyes and leant down planting his lips on hers. Tia grinned under his lips before kissing back.
"HEY! Lovebirds! Luce wants you inside now!" Steve's voice came from the backdoor. Pony looked over at his brothers best friend stood behind the screen door grinning at them, Soda stood next to him giving him a thumbs up. Shaking his head with a grin he looked down at Tia.
"Wonder what you sis wants?" Tia shrugged sitting up when Pony moved back out of her way. Pulling her to her feet the two dashed up to the backdoor and headed inside.
Well that's the end of the story. Hope you enjoyed. Please review. xxxx