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Chapter 12: Girls, Bottles and Beer

School had started a while ago. I was keeping my grades up, but I was failing English. Pony had been helping me with that. He was keeping his grades up pretty good. Another thing was that Mark and Bryon stopped calling Ponyboy by his first name. They just called him Curtis. I asked him why he calls him that, because we both had the same last name. He just shrugged. I guess I never will know. Mark was one crazy guy. One night I was sitting in the den. I decided that I would try to read Pony's theme. I stuck my head into his room. He was knocked out sleep. I slid over to his desk and got the paper. I went to my room and cut on the lamp. I began to read.

The Outsiders

'When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness'- tap, tap.

I looked up at my window and saw Mark smiling.

"Just a minute."

I put the theme back into Pony's room. I would read it later. I went outside to see Mark.

"Hey," I greeted him.

"Hey. You or Curtis got a date for the dance tomorrow?"

"No. You must be crazy if I would ask any dumb broad to the dance. And you saw how my brother blew off Angela."

He smiled.

"Good. I'm hanging out with some guys that night. We might drop by the dance though. You and your brother wanna come."

"I'll come. I'm pretty sure Pony would too. He's sleeping right now. Is Bryon coming?"

"Nah. He's got a date."

"Oh! Mr. Playboy has one. I thought he would have given up on girls after Shepard."

"Me too. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

The next morning, I asked Ponyboy. He looked at me.

"It's not a party. The closest we'll be getting to a party is the dance. And a cop will be there."

"Okay. I'm not drinking anything though."

"Did you drink anything at the last party."

"Almost."

"Then don't worry."

That night, I was waiting for Mark to pick me and Pony up. I heard a honk outside, so that means they were here. Pony and I walked outside. Mark wasn't driving this time. It was Terry. We got into the car.

"Where are we going first?" I asked. Terry spoke up.

"I already got the drinks. Let's go to the dance and see if we can get anyone drunk."

"You must be crazy," Mark jumped in.

"A cop will be there. If he sees us walking in with beer and pouring the stuff into the drinks, we'll get arrested. Let's leave it in the back. We'll walk in and try to bring someone to the back."

We all agreed, but Pony didn't say anything. That was smart. I know he didn't want any part of this. The dance had a nice turnout. Terry had to get at least one beer, but ended up drinking more than I did at the party. He passed out in his car after we got to the dance. Mark and the other guys had some, but Pony and I didn't touch a drop. I was about to, but he reminded me about Darry.

As we walked through the crowd. We saw Bryon with his date. Man, she was hot. I had never seen here around here before. But Mark knew her. He walked up to her and said

"Hi, Cathy."

I thought for a moment about Two-Bit's girlfriend.

"Haven't seen you for a long time."

"Haven't been here to see," she answered.

She must have been gone some where. No wonder I didn't recognize her. Mark continued.

"I don't think you know these two. This is Trix and Ponyboy Curtis," he said extending his hand toward us when he said our names.

"Hi," we both said. Pony didn't look too happy though. I guess it was because Bryon was around him. When Bryon's date was out of earshot, he asked us.

"Where's the booze?"

Mark smiled and told him.

Later on we walked back outside. Terry was still dead to the world so we sat on the trunk of his car talking. Then someone walked up to us and started some stuff with my brother. Lately, Ponyboy had been able to handle himself, so I let him get back at him. He knew I had his back though. Then the guy swung on him, and Pony started throwing punches. He was kicking his butt. This guy didn't stand a chance. He must have known that, because he picked up an empty beer bottle and walked towards Pony. I was about to get up and punch him for trying to crack open Ponyboy, but Mark stepped in between them and said.

"Hey, fight fair!"

The guy looked at him and cracked the bottle on the side of Mark's head. Mark dropped right down along with the glass from the bottle. He fell on the ground unconscious. A girl screamed and everyone from the dance came outside. Mark was bleeding real bad on one side. I didn't see it because that side was on the ground. I got up and gave the guy and nice hook and he fell back. Then the cop came out and arrested him. Pony had disappeared. I guess he had gone to find Bryon. I was right because both of them came out and knelt beside him.

"What happened!" he asked wiping Mark's face with his shirttail.

We told him and Bryon looked at the guy.

"Is that him?"

We nodded and Bryon told him something that I know left the kid feeling nervous. I looked over and Angela talking to the guy. She must have set him up. Bryon must have known this too, because he asked Pony,

"Do you know Angela Shepard?"

Pony shook his head.

"No. I know her brothers pretty well. Why?"

"It's not important."

I think from then on, Bryon was okay with Ponyboy. Pretty soon, the ambulance showed up. Bryon rode in the back to look after Mark. Right after they left, Cathy approached us.

"Is Mark okay?" she asked. I could tell she was concerned.

"Not sure," I answered.

"Wait a minute. How's he gonna get from the hospital. He left the car here," she pointed out.

"We can take it there," said Pony. "Wait a second."

He came later with the car. He must have hot-wired it, but I didn't say anything.

We drove to the hospital and found Bryon and Mark.

"Is he going home?" I asked.

"Yeah."

We helped him out to the car and let him stretch out in the back. All four of us got into the front seat.

"Wait a minute," said Bryon. "How'd you start the car with no keys?"

"Yeah, how did you?" said Cathy looking at Pony. He blushed.

"I hot-wired it."

We laughed and Bryon said, "Don't make it a habit."

He dropped us off at our neighborhood. We walked up to the porch and sat down.

"You like Cathy don't you," I teased.

"What?"

I smiled.

"I saw the way you smiled when she sat next to you. Give her a call. She's MM's brother. I have the number."

"Shut-up!" he yelled while running in the house.

"Pony's in love, Pony's in love!" I repeated while chasing him inside.