So sorry about the length of time between updates! I'm working massive
overtime at my job and all kinds of other junk, and things are just
chaotic! Sorry!
Hope y'all enjoy the story. I'm kind of struggling with where to take it,
so if you have any ideas, please feel free to share!!!!
~Sam
* * *
"Darry, I'm worried about Johnny," I said, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
"Why, did something else happen?"
"No, but-Darry, it's been four days since he found out about his folks, and he ain't said a word to nobody since."
"Zeta, he's upset. Remember how you felt when you found out about Mom and Dad? Well, imagine feeling that way and then finding out that it was Dally's fault. It's gonna take some time for him to get over it, and we need to let him deal with it his own way. All we can do is be here for him and listen to him if he decides he wants to talk to us about it."
"Where's Dally?"
"I don't know, Zay. Nobody's heard from him."
"Do you think he's okay?"
"I'm sure he is. You need to go to bed now, it's almost 10 o'clock, and you have a math test tomorrow."
I rolled my eyes and went out to the living room, where Soda and Two-Bit were arguing over a sheet of paper.
"Zeta! I hope you're smarter than this greasy thug you call a brother," Two-Bit said, raising his eyebrow at Soda.
"Zeta is smarter than me, an' she's smarter than you too but that don't say much," Soda said, attempting to raise his eyebrow back at Two-Bit.
"What are you two doing?" I asked.
"Steve made a bet with us. We have one hour to name all 50 states and then he's gonna give us each $10," Soda said.
"We have to win, I need beer money," Two-Bit said.
"Like you'd pay for it anyhow," Steve called from across the house.
"So how many states do you have so far?"
"Two," Two-Bit said. "Drunk and delirious!"
Soda grinned at him and then turned to me. "We have Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Las Vegas-"
"Las Vegas is a city in Nevada," Ponyboy said, walking into the kitchen. Two-Bit tackled him onto the ground and then Steve ran into the room and dove on top of Two-Bit. "You can't use him," Steve said. "That ain't fair!"
"You can't use either one of them," Darry said, pulling Steve and Two-Bit off Pony. "They need to go to bed, they have school tomorrow."
"I mean it you two, in bed, right now, ya hear?"
The phone rang and Darry went to the kitchen to answer it
"I wonder if that's somebody calling from NEBRASKA," Ponyboy said. Soda jumped up and scribbled down Nebraska on the piece of paper.
"Or maybe it's somebody from CALIFORNIA," Pony said.
"Stop it!" Steve shouted.
"Or what? You'll send me to VERMONT?"
"I'm warning you, Ponyboy Curtis!" Steve shouted.
"But please don't send me to OHIO!"
Steve leapt on Ponyboy and started tickling him while Two-Bit, Soda and I watched and laughed.
Darry came back from the kitchen and pulled Steve off Pony.
"Dally's in jail."
"Huh?"
Darry sat down in his chair. "He just called from jail, he got hauled in for knocking off a liquor store."
~ ~ ~
The bell rang and I nearly jumped out of my chair. I had only answered about half the questions on my math test. I hadn't slept the night before and I spent most of class thinking about Dally. Dally sitting in jail. Again.
The bad feelings I had for Dally were nothing compared to the bad feelings I now had for myself. I had just failed my math test and Darry was going to kill me.
When we got home after school, Johnny actually suggested that we go outside and play football. Ponyboy and I looked at each other in excitement that Johnny was actually speaking to us.
We played football for a while and then Two-Bit came over and played with us, and then I went inside to start dinner.
A while later, Darry and Soda pulled into the driveway. Darry went to Johnny and they both came into the house but Soda stayed outside to play football. I listened as Darry and Johnny came inside.
"The principal said you skipped a few classes today," Darry said softly.
Johnny looked down at the ground. "I won't do it again, man."
"Johnny, why did you skip school?"
Johnny hesitated and kept staring at the ground. "I-I went to go see Dally."
Darry glanced up at him. "In jail?"
Johnny nodded slowly.
"Johnny, do you know how dangerous that was?"
"I'm sorry," he said.
"If you wanted to see him, you could have asked, I would have taken you up there."
Johnny was silent again staring at the ground.
"It's okay, Johnny, you ain't in trouble, but I expect you to be in school from now on. You dig?"
"Yeah, allright."
Darry popped into the kitchen. "Dinner ready yet?"
"Not yet," I said, stirring a pot of boiling water to make myself look like I haven't been listening to him.
"Hey Zeta?"
"Hm?"
"Can we have some green beans with that water?" He smiled at me and then sat down in his chair to read the paper.
* * *
"Darry, I'm worried about Johnny," I said, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
"Why, did something else happen?"
"No, but-Darry, it's been four days since he found out about his folks, and he ain't said a word to nobody since."
"Zeta, he's upset. Remember how you felt when you found out about Mom and Dad? Well, imagine feeling that way and then finding out that it was Dally's fault. It's gonna take some time for him to get over it, and we need to let him deal with it his own way. All we can do is be here for him and listen to him if he decides he wants to talk to us about it."
"Where's Dally?"
"I don't know, Zay. Nobody's heard from him."
"Do you think he's okay?"
"I'm sure he is. You need to go to bed now, it's almost 10 o'clock, and you have a math test tomorrow."
I rolled my eyes and went out to the living room, where Soda and Two-Bit were arguing over a sheet of paper.
"Zeta! I hope you're smarter than this greasy thug you call a brother," Two-Bit said, raising his eyebrow at Soda.
"Zeta is smarter than me, an' she's smarter than you too but that don't say much," Soda said, attempting to raise his eyebrow back at Two-Bit.
"What are you two doing?" I asked.
"Steve made a bet with us. We have one hour to name all 50 states and then he's gonna give us each $10," Soda said.
"We have to win, I need beer money," Two-Bit said.
"Like you'd pay for it anyhow," Steve called from across the house.
"So how many states do you have so far?"
"Two," Two-Bit said. "Drunk and delirious!"
Soda grinned at him and then turned to me. "We have Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Las Vegas-"
"Las Vegas is a city in Nevada," Ponyboy said, walking into the kitchen. Two-Bit tackled him onto the ground and then Steve ran into the room and dove on top of Two-Bit. "You can't use him," Steve said. "That ain't fair!"
"You can't use either one of them," Darry said, pulling Steve and Two-Bit off Pony. "They need to go to bed, they have school tomorrow."
"I mean it you two, in bed, right now, ya hear?"
The phone rang and Darry went to the kitchen to answer it
"I wonder if that's somebody calling from NEBRASKA," Ponyboy said. Soda jumped up and scribbled down Nebraska on the piece of paper.
"Or maybe it's somebody from CALIFORNIA," Pony said.
"Stop it!" Steve shouted.
"Or what? You'll send me to VERMONT?"
"I'm warning you, Ponyboy Curtis!" Steve shouted.
"But please don't send me to OHIO!"
Steve leapt on Ponyboy and started tickling him while Two-Bit, Soda and I watched and laughed.
Darry came back from the kitchen and pulled Steve off Pony.
"Dally's in jail."
"Huh?"
Darry sat down in his chair. "He just called from jail, he got hauled in for knocking off a liquor store."
~ ~ ~
The bell rang and I nearly jumped out of my chair. I had only answered about half the questions on my math test. I hadn't slept the night before and I spent most of class thinking about Dally. Dally sitting in jail. Again.
The bad feelings I had for Dally were nothing compared to the bad feelings I now had for myself. I had just failed my math test and Darry was going to kill me.
When we got home after school, Johnny actually suggested that we go outside and play football. Ponyboy and I looked at each other in excitement that Johnny was actually speaking to us.
We played football for a while and then Two-Bit came over and played with us, and then I went inside to start dinner.
A while later, Darry and Soda pulled into the driveway. Darry went to Johnny and they both came into the house but Soda stayed outside to play football. I listened as Darry and Johnny came inside.
"The principal said you skipped a few classes today," Darry said softly.
Johnny looked down at the ground. "I won't do it again, man."
"Johnny, why did you skip school?"
Johnny hesitated and kept staring at the ground. "I-I went to go see Dally."
Darry glanced up at him. "In jail?"
Johnny nodded slowly.
"Johnny, do you know how dangerous that was?"
"I'm sorry," he said.
"If you wanted to see him, you could have asked, I would have taken you up there."
Johnny was silent again staring at the ground.
"It's okay, Johnny, you ain't in trouble, but I expect you to be in school from now on. You dig?"
"Yeah, allright."
Darry popped into the kitchen. "Dinner ready yet?"
"Not yet," I said, stirring a pot of boiling water to make myself look like I haven't been listening to him.
"Hey Zeta?"
"Hm?"
"Can we have some green beans with that water?" He smiled at me and then sat down in his chair to read the paper.