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Altercations

"Pony? Hey, Pony, you okay?" Someone was shaking my shoulder and I groaned, realizing suddenly how cold I was...and how stiff my torso felt. Whoever it was sounded upset. My hand went instinctively to my side, pressing to keep my ribs still. Whoever was shaking me stopped abruptly. "Kiddo, what are you doing out here?" I forced my eyes open and found Soda crouching in front of me, his hand on my shoulder, eyes wide and incredulous.

"I um…" I rubbed my eyes, blinking a few times and trying to remember why I was outside. "I had a nightmare and I came out here. I didn't mean to fall asleep." He didn't look any less incredulous. "What time is it?" I managed to ask around a yawn.

"Six-thirty. How long have you been out here?"

"Um…an hour. Hour and a half." I rubbed my eyes again, sitting up and using the arm of the bench to help. He gripped my arm, helping me stand and putting an arm around me. "Sorry." He shook his head.

"You're freezing. Come on." He led me inside, and I found Steve asleep on the sofa, mouth open as he snored, which explained why he hadn't woken me up or anything. I was just glad Darry wasn't up. He probably would have yelled at me for something like this. I could feel Soda itching to yell too. I was glad when he refrained.

"I'm sorry…I just meant to go out for a second." My brother nodded, jaw tight as he sat me down on the chair, grabbing a blanket off the back of the sofa that Steve hadn't been using and wrapping it around me. Then he sat down right beside me, putting his arm around me. "Soda..." I kept my voice quiet, trying not to wake Steve, but he cut me off, rubbing his hand over my arm, trying to warm me up.

"It's okay, Pony. It's fine." I shook my head, hating myself for worrying him again like this. I'd just meant to sit outside for a minute.

"No…I know I don't use my head…I didn't mean…"

"Kiddo…it's fine. Really. I ain't mad or nothing." He gave me a weak smile. "I'm worried about you, Pone. That's all. You just…you don't seem to be…all there sometimes these days. Your mind's somewhere else…you're always distracted. You get me?"

"Yeah…I know." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I'm sorry. I'm…I'm trying…"

"Honey…" He sighed, his head against mine. "I know you are." He stared at Steve for a minute, then turned to me. "I know all this…with those socs…I know it was hard on you. If you need to talk about it, I'm here. You know that right?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. I knew he would be there. I knew he would listen. But he wouldn't get it. He couldn't. No one could, not really.

"And you know what happened wasn't your fault, right?" I didn't say anything. He didn't know. He didn't know that I'd chosen this. This was my 'anything.' "Pony? You know that, right?" His voice was louder, more forceful now. On the sofa, Steve rolled over, almost falling off, and I smiled a bit.

"I killed someone, Soda." I reminded him quietly, closing my eyes, seeing it again. The decision. The knife. Johnny's cry for help.

"Pony…"

"I stabbed him. I walked up to him and stabbed him…in the back. I knew what I was doing. That's definitely my fault."

He turned to me, jaw tight as he grabbed my arm. "It was self-defense, Ponyboy. They would have killed Johnny, and probably you too. You know that, right? Those socs were gonna kill you and Johnny. They jumped you and you defended yourself. I don't regret it one bit. If I had to choose between you or Johnny and that soc, I'd pick you two every time." His voice was quiet and fierce as he held me. I knew he still hated Bob. Heck, so did I. I remembered again what had almost happened. The fire. The church. All Bob's fault.

"Me too," I told him softly, and he chuckled a little. Squished as I was beside him on the chair, I felt his laughter. I tried to focus on that and push the other images out. It almost worked. Despite the nightmares, the memories during the day were getting less and less vivid. I remembered it in flashes, though. I'd be in the middle of reading or a conversation and they'd come back…which is probably why Sodapop thought I was distracted.

"If you start to feel bad today, tell Two-Bit or Steve, and they'll bring you home, okay?"

I grinned over at him, squeezing him back. "I will…I promise." He hummed, looking like he didn't believe me, but I meant it. I hated seeing Sodapop worry…Darry too. "I didn't mean to fall asleep." He chuckled again, more amused now that he was sure I was alright.

"I know, kiddo. It's okay. Just...don't do it again. You'll freeze to death out here." He squeezed me around the shoulders one more time before standing. "Go get ready before Darry gets up and asks what's going on." I nodded, wholeheartedly on board with that. No need to tell Darry I'd fallen asleep outside. In the cold. Again. That conversation hadn't gone well last time.

I changed as quickly as I could, which wasn't all that quickly. My hair was no problem…I just greased it back. But changing into jeans and a t-shirt proved difficult still, and I reminded myself to take some aspirin. I hoped Darry followed through on that idea to get something stronger. Then again, I was a little wary about pain pills now. They made me fuzzy and when I was fuzzy, it seemed all I could think about was that fire and my best friend laying in a hospital bed…dying. Shaking that thought off, I grabbed my backpack and shoved my books and folders and the doctor's note Darry had given me inside. I didn't want to be late.

When I finally entered the kitchen, backpack in hand, I found Soda and Steve at the kitchen table, tiredly shoveling cereal into their mouths. "Where's Darry?"

"He doesn't go in until noon today. I thought we could let him sleep." I nodded, grabbing a bowl and the bottle of antibiotics, swallowing a pill as I poured the cereal. Letting Darry sleep sounded good to me. There was still time for him to change his mind about me going to school. Grabbing the bottle of aspirin I swallowed five with a glass of water before anyone could notice how many I was taking.

"Eat fast. We're leaving in ten minutes." Steve told me around a mouthful of cereal. "Don't think I won't leave you here." He warned, but there was no real threat in his voice.

"We ain't gonna leave you," Soda told me, nudging his friend hard, a warning in his tone, but I grinned, not bothered. I knew he wouldn't. I sat at the table across from my brother, leaving my backpack on the floor by the counter. "Pony, you sure about this?" I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm gonna fail if I don't go back soon."

"You could always do the work at home." He reminded me before taking another huge bite of cereal, milk dribbling down his chin. I handed him a paper towel and he grinned self-consciously, wiping it off.

"I thought you were okay with me going."

"I am…I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"Glory, he's fine Sodapop. We'll look out for him. I swear, the kid sneezes, I'll bring him home. Actually, I'll take him to the hospital, just to be safe." Soda was glaring at Steve, not even remotely amused, but I snorted into my cereal. Steve had stolen the words right out of my mouth. Surprised, my brother glanced at me, but before I could say anything the front door slammed and Two-Bit came in, grabbing a bowl and dumping some cereal into it, all at full speed, sloshing some of the milk onto the counter.

"Hey." He greeted us, a few pieces of cereal escaping from his mouth. I winced, looking away as I took another bite. "You guys ready?"

"Waiting on you two," Steve told him, pushing his empty bowl away. I shoved a few more bites in my mouth, swallowing as quickly as I could while Two-Bit all but stuck his face in his bowl. Soda rolled his eyes but grinned when Two-Bit brought his face back out of the bowl covered in milk. I tossed him a towel.

Putting my shoes on was a whole new problem, as it involved a lot of bending, but I managed, then found Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit at the door, my backpack in Two-Bit's hand. I reached for it, but he held it out of reach, shaking his head. "No no." He grinned. "I said I would carry your books, so carry your books I shall."

"Shall?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Pony…" Soda hesitated at the last minute as we stood by the door.

"I sneeze, I come home," I promised, raising my right hand, and my brother rolled his eyes.

"Pony." He was trying to look stern, but he never was any good at it. The smile on his face was winning and I grinned, waiting. He sighed, finally laughing and dropping an arm around my shoulder. "Alright. Fine. Let's go." He grumbled, leading me out to the truck.

I climbed into the back of Steve's car and sat beside Soda. Painfully. Climbed painfully. I was sick of everything being done painfully. My brother kept a close eye on me but didn't say anything on the drive to the gas station. When Steve pulled into the parking lot, Soda hesitated, then grinned as he opened his door. "Be careful." He warned as he stood, leaning against the top of the car to stare at me.

"It's school, Soda." I reminded him. He gave me a look and I rolled my eyes. "Okay. I'll be careful. Promise."

"Good. Go learn something." He ruffled my hair and I rolled my eyes, trying to push it back.

"You two about done?" Steve called from the front seat. "We're gonna be late." He griped. Soda tapped the roof of the car, then slammed the door shut, shooting Steve the finger before hurrying into the station. Steve grumbled under his breath, pulling away and speeding toward the school.

"How are the ribs, kiddo?" Two-Bit asked from the passenger seat.

"Same."

"Aspirin?"

"Took some."

"Some?" Steve put in, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. Everyone knew that I tended to swallow them by the handful. I ignored him, closing my eyes and leaning against the window. Apparently, the nap outside hadn't done me any good. Thankfully neither asked if I was okay, and there was blissful silence for the rest of the drive.

The parking lot was full, and Steve had to park in the back, grumbling the whole time. I thought about telling him that he'd be one of the first ones out once school was over, but I didn't bother. Johnny, who had apparently walked, came over as we were pulling in and waved to me. As soon as the car was shut off, I was climbing out. "Hey. Why didn't you come over? You could have ridden with us."

"Overslept." He told me simply, grinning at Two-Bit who was carrying my backpack cradled in his arms like a kid. "He gonna do that all day?" He asked.

"Probably." Then to Two-Bit, "I really can carry my own stuff, you know?"

"No way. Knowing you, you'll trip and fall down the stairs or something." He patted the back of my backpack. "I'll just hang on to this in between classes, save your brothers some anxiety."

"And some hospital bills." It seemed Steve was back to his old self. It sure hadn't taken long, but once again, I remembered that he'd stayed at my bedside for three days and I couldn't really get mad. Still, I scowled at him, turning and heading up toward the building with Johnny and Two-Bit trailing behind. Steve walked with Two-Bit, and knowing my back was covered, I glanced around, keeping an eye out for socs. The only people around the parking lot were as greasy as we were, and I figured some of them just congregated here, not bothering to even go to school. The first bell rang as we walked through the doors, and Johnny waved as he and Steve split off, leaving me with Two-Bit who, like any good boyfriend, walked me to my class. Math. But not just math; advanced algebra where the socs outnumbered the greaser 26 to 1. Somehow I'd been one of only two guys from my neighborhood to take this class, and the other had dropped out halfway through the first month, opting for regular algebra with the rest of his buddies. I was starting to wish I'd done the same, but Darry wouldn't have let me anyway.

"I'll skip out on class early and meet you here. Okay, kid?" Two-Bit asked, handing me the backpack. I nodded, taking my seat right by the door and the wall and dropping my bag on the floor. With a girl behind me, a quiet, mousy one that never said much, and a guy on the chess team on my side, I figured I was safe enough. Of course, ten minutes into the class a ball of paper hit me in the head, and I didn't bother unfolding it. I was sure it was some kind of threat, or maybe a drawing of me in a pool of red crayon blood…either way, I didn't want to know. I ignored the second one too, but when the third one hit me in the head, I turned in my seat, ignoring my protesting ribs, and glared at the group of football players huddled in the back that grinned back at me.

I lifted my middle finger, mouthing the word 'assholes,' then turned back around. The fourth wad of paper landed on my desk, and I gave in, smoothing it out to find the words 'your dead, greaser.' Rolling my eyes, I balled it up again and dropped it against the wall by my desk. My dead what, I was tempted to ask, but then I'd have to explain grammar to them and I wasn't really in the mood. Besides, Sodapop and Darry would kill me if I got in a fight at school because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Not to mention Steve would be pissed if he had to come and bail me out.

"Mr. Curtis? Is there a problem?"

"No, sir," I told the teacher, looking back down at my textbook. He nodded and continued talking, and the football players in the back left me alone. I could still hear them whispering, though. That bugged me more than anything...that I couldn't do anything about it. Kids were gonna talk about me, call me a murderer, and I couldn't exactly argue. Besides, I wasn't gonna be able to fight for a while, which was even worse than the talking.

As promised, a few minutes before class ended, Two-Bit was there in the doorway waiting for me. He came in as soon as we were dismissed, glancing down at the four pieces of paper balled up on the floor and lifting an eyebrow. Thankfully he didn't ask.

"How you feeling, kid?" He asked, reaching down and hauling me to my feet. I appreciated the help, using the desk when I was upright to keep myself there.

"Same," I grumbled as he grabbed my algebra book and stuffed it in my backpack.

"Your brother already talked to the school, right?"

"Yeah. Darry said he called. The teacher didn't say anything." I jerked my chin toward the teacher who was standing at the desk, gathering some papers and glancing up at us.

"Good. Those yours?" He asked, pointing toward the paper wads on the floor. I shook my head. "Alright." He headed out toward the door, and I followed him out into the hallway where, to my surprise, Steve and Johnny were also waiting.

"Time for lunch already?" I asked, and Steve rolled his eyes, pushing off of the lockers.

"Thought you guys could use some backup." He lifted an eyebrow, jerking his head toward the group of socs watching us from the end of the hall. They were huddled like they were on the field and threw us angry glances every once in a while. I heard the whispers of the people who passed, probably all saying the same thing. 'Murderer.'

"You heard something?" Two-Bit asked while Johnny kept an eye on the socs, his glare cold.

"Heard they want revenge on the guy that killed their buddy." I flinched a bit, but I was glad he was being honest at least. He nodded a bit toward me. "Don't worry about it, Ponyboy. We're gonna stick around when you're not in class." I nodded my thanks, trying not to feel embarrassed that I had to have my buddies babysit me in between classes. Made me feel like even more of a tag-along kid than I did already.

"Maybe I should just go home." I told Two-Bit quietly, crossing my arms. Steve shrugged before Two-Bit could answer.

"Do whatever you want, kid, but make up your mind."

"Come on, Pony." Two-Bit put a hand on the back of my neck, squeezing a little and giving Steve a look I didn't catch. I followed when he led me to my next class, hoping no one threw paper at me in biology. It was humiliating enough to have my friends following me around and protecting me like this, but what was worse was that it really was necessary. If one of those socs decided to come after me and my friends weren't around, I was screwed.

Two-Bit dropped my bag on the floor by my desk, once more right by the door, and waved, lingering in the doorway and giving the room another once over before leaving. I wondered if he'd even go to class. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't. I tried to focus on the lesson, but in this class, the two soc girls behind me whispered the whole time, and I know I caught the words 'killer' and 'hood' and 'Bob.' I figured at least they weren't gonna hit me…probably. Even if they did, I couldn't hit a girl, broken ribs or not. So everyone knew I was a killer. So what. I hadn't expected anything less. I tried to tell myself I didn't care. It sort of worked.

Lunchtime came around and once more, all three guys waited outside my classroom. A soc I sort of recognized, one who I'm pretty sure had been in my first class of the day, smirked at us, his arm around a girl I didn't know. "Got your boyfriend to walk you to class, Curtis?" He asked, and his girlfriend laughed, her smile nasty. I guess it was her laugh that made me say it…had she kept quiet, I wouldn't have brought her into it.

I turned to Two-Bit who was looking between me and the guy warily. "Ignore him. He's just mad that you're better looking than his girlfriend." I told him, loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear. Two-Bit looked torn between laughing and telling me off, while Steve shoved himself off the lockers, as did Johnny. They were moving a lot closer to me all of a sudden. I didn't quite get why until I turned to find the soc moving over toward me too, fists tight at his side, the girl looking angry and smug behind him as she waited for her boyfriend to avenge her.

"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl, kid," Two-Bit mumbled, turning to face the soc as well, keeping me behind him. Suddenly it was like an old west standoff, us on one side of the hall and them on the other. Other students were giving us a wide berth as they walked around, but I doubted anyone would tell a teacher.

"What did you say, you little shit?" The guy shouted, and I saw some more socs coming over. He was forced to stop when he came up against Two-Bit and Steve, with Johnny at their side. He glared at me over their shoulders, still shouting. "You think you're so tough 'cause you stabbed someone in the back! Let's see how tough you are without your friends." Sadly, I couldn't show him how tough I was, because even if I managed to get through all three of my friends, I'd never be able to fight him, not now. He'd have me down on the ground and hollering uncle before I could say boo.

I opened my mouth to answer him, but Steve shot me a look. "He didn't say nothing," Steve told him simply. "We don't want no trouble." Then he turned back to me. "Keep your trap shut, will ya?" I shrugged, doing as he'd asked. A few guys in black leather jackets with hair as greasy as mine were making their way over, as were some socs, and I wondered if there was going to be a rumble in the middle of the hall. There weren't any teachers around, so it seemed plausible. Two-Bit was tense, and he backed up a little, nudging me back. Steve and Johnny were watching the socs that were closing in, and the greasers were doing the same.

"Two-Bit?" I mumbled, tugging at the back of his shirt. He nodded, and I flinched when a soc threw the first punch, knocking the distracted greaser on the floor.

"Yeah, let's go." He told me, turning and putting a hand on my shoulder to steer me out of the way. I glanced back over my shoulder, sighing. I should be fighting too…defending myself and my friends, not running away like a coward. "Don't even think about it kid. You…" He stopped suddenly and was yanked back. He swore, then swung around to fight whatever soc had grabbed him. That's when I found myself face to face with one of the socs who'd been throwing paper wads at me and tensed.

I brought my fist up on instinct, but he blocked the punch easily, shoving me back against the lockers. I swore, trying to shove him back and gasp for breath at the same time. It didn't work too well. Johnny appeared then, jumping on his back, and I stepped forward, getting him good in the face and feeling his nose snap under my fist. It made my hand ache but it was a tag-team move Johnny and I had perfected since we were both so small. The soc hollered, bringing his hands up to his bloody nose, and another hood jumped in, popping him again in the eye and taking over.

"You alright?" Johnny asked above the din of the yelling brawlers and teachers that had suddenly appeared to break this up. He was wide-eyed, hand half outstretched as though he was gonna carry me off, even though he was smaller than me.

"I'm fine. Let's go," I called, and we hurried toward the nearest door, me ignoring the ache in my sides as we all but fled the building. Two-Bit still had my bag, but I figured he'd catch up with us. I was more of a liability in a fight than anything in this shape.

"Come on…let's wait by the car." I nodded, following him over. "You alright? You hit those lockers pretty hard." I shrugged. My ribs were killing me but I was sick of complaining about it. "It ain't your fault, you know? Maybe you should just stay home for a while. Lay low."

"What? Hide?"

"Naw, man. No one's saying you should hide. But until your ribs are better, you can't fight those guys. And they're gonna keep coming after you." I nodded, leaning against Steve's car but not responding. "They don't mind…Two-Bit and Steve, and I don't neither. We ain't gonna let 'em get to you."

"They ain't gonna let this go, you know?"

"Yeah, well, we'll be looking out for you until they do." I gave him a half smile.

"Thanks."

"Sure makes school more interesting." He knocked his shoulder against mine, then waved to Two-Bit who had a new bruise on his cheek and a cut above his eyebrow. Steve trailed behind him, glancing over his shoulder every once in a while.

"Man, your brother's gonna be mad he missed that!" Two-Bit called, laughing and hurrying over to us. "We'd better get out of here before one of our teachers. Darry'll hit the roof if you get in trouble for getting in a fight."

"I wasn't really in a fight." I reminded him, sitting in the back seat when Steve unlocked the car.

"He's gonna be mad anyway," Steve told us, peeling out of the parking lot, but he sounded sympathetic. "It wasn't your fault, though. You didn't start it, not really…those guys were after you from the start. You sure could have kept your trap shut, though." He glanced back at me in the rearview mirror. "You breathing okay? I know him throwing you into those lockers hurt." His tone dared me to argue.

I shrugged. "I'm alright." It was true. I wasn't any worse than before. I felt a rush of resentment for the teachers…they sure hadn't done anything about it. Not until it was too late. And if I'd stuck around, they surely would have hauled me to the principal for fighting. There wasn't really any winning for me.

I was surprised when we pulled into the DX rather than going all the way back to my house. Steve pulled in beside the garage, turning around in his seat to face me. "I've gotta get back to school. I'll tell your teacher you got sick or something, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks, Steve." I told him, climbing out of the car. Two-Bit stayed in the front seat, but Johnny climbed out with me.

"I'll get your homework, Johnnycakes," Two-Bit called, waving to us, and Johnny and I waved back, then, after a minute of deliberation, headed inside the gas station. It would be better for Soda to hear what had happened firsthand, I figured, than to hear an exaggerated version from Two-Bit later.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.