Chapter 21: Can't have you touching my things, bitch

A/N: Sylvia makes a comeback finally! Missed that beeyotch. Also another old friend. ;) Just returning the gift, Mars.

Another random line from the book is buried in here. I dunno, I think I used to really love Where's Waldo books as a kid or something.

Disclaimer: These ladies are technically S.E. Hinton's although they may not be at all what she had in mind.

xxxx

"Not that I don't enjoy seeing my own brother playing tonsil hockey or nothing …"

I jumped, and caught Two-Bit staring back at me with sleepy-looking eyes. I whirled around and Ginny was standing there, her arms folded in front of her and an expression of half-amusement, half-disgust on her face.

"Ginny!" I flushed and tried to jump away from Two-Bit, but he grabbed me and held me close to him. "We was just, um, just …"

She smirked. "Yeah, I can see that."

"We're doing inventory," Two-Bit said. "Get lost, kid, you're messing up the counting."

"You can count?" Ginny said wonderingly.

"I'd knock you one, but I'm in a good mood for some reason," Two-Bit said mildly. "Gotta say, you being here is kinda ruining that mood."

Ginny made a horrified face and clamped her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear about your mood, Keith Mathews!"

I shot him a look, but he only grinned. "Ginny, I'll be right out."

She shook her head. "No, you won't. I have bad news. The ladies have arrived and Sylvia's been hollering a blue streak about wanting to kick your ass for some reason, Susie. Any ideas?"

I looked at Two-Bit, and he looked back at me.

"Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs?" he suggested.

Ginny snorted. "This is serious, Two-Bit. She could really mess Susie up."

Two-Bit rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Mess up her lipstick, I'm sure."

"This is bad." I tried to pull away from him, but he pulled me back close again. "Two-Bit! I have to go talk to her."

"Just a sec," he mumbled against me. "Need me a shield. That's my baby sister, you know."

"I'm pretending you don't exist, you pervert," Ginny said loudly, holding up a hand in front of her eyes to cover Two-Bit. "And you don't want to talk, believe me, Susie. You want to beat it out of here. I don't figure you for the fighting type, and Sandy and Evie can only hold Sylvia back so long. Come on, I'll distract 'em, you slip out the back."

She hurried out before I could say anything.

"Whew," Two-Bit said, letting me go finally. "Good thing I've got a car, or I'd never get any what with that nosey half-pint running around."

I pulled my apron off anxiously. I hadn't been in a fight since before I'd left Tulsa, and even then, only the kind of dirt-throwing grade school scuffles, where the worst that could happen was a bruise or two. I had no idea how rough a girl like Sylvia would play. "I've got to get out of here – does Sylvia do like Dallas and carry weapons?"

Two-Bit laughed. "No! Good grief. She's a girl!"

"So am I," I shot back. "And I ain't the fighting type, Two-Bit."

"I'll protect you," he said gallantly. "But if you want to make a run for it, my car's in the lot behind the Dairy Queen across the street. Lot of people hanging out there, too, maybe she won't want to cause a scene."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Are we still talking about Sylvia?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Okay. You might get hollered at a little."

We hurried out the back door and through the alleyway that led to the street. The Dairy Queen had a big gravel lot that was half-empty at this time of day, and I could see Two-Bit's junker parked along the side of it.

We'd hardly made it two steps across the gravel when I heard her shriek my name.

"Susie Shipman, I oughtta pull every boy-thieving hair from your head!"

She was standing outside Gina's, her hands balled into fists, her eyes narrow with fury. Sandy and Evie were hurrying from the diner, casting nervous glances at Sylvia, who, I noticed, had perfect curls in spite of her anger.

"Whoops, guess we got caught," Two-Bit said good-naturedly, slowing down.

"Keep going!" I urged, feeling terror overtake me as Sylvia crossed the street.

He shrugged. "Why don't you just have it out? She'll follow you to the ends of the earth, now she knows you kissed her whipping post."

I looked at him. "Don't tell me you want to see us fight?"

He looked a little guilty. "Don't worry, I won't let her touch you. But it's been a mighty slow summer, Susie."

"I can't believe you!"

He put an arm around me. "Don't worry! It's only a chick-fight. Like I said, I promise I won't let her lay a hand on your pretty face. But anyway, Susie, it's better to face her and hear all she's got to say than have her running around town talking trash and letting people say you're a coward."

I sighed, hearing the sense in his words. And anyway, Sylvia was too close by now to do anything about it.

"Sylvia, I'm sorry," I started quickly, as soon as she was within earshot. "I didn't mean it."

She ignored me, walked right up to where we were standing and slapped me hard across the face.

"Shit!" Two-Bit said, scrambling to pull me back. "Didn't see that coming."

"Bitch!" Sylvia snapped. "'You didn't mean it?' You been trying to get in his pants since the beginning of the summer!"

She was trying to get in another slap, but I was prepared this time, dodging back and forth. Two-Bit was standing so close he kept tripping the two of us up.

"Easy there, tiger," Two-Bit said laughing, slipping between Sylvia and me. He stood in front of me with his arms and legs splayed to shield me. "Act like a lady, Sylvia. Why don't you try using your words-"

"Out of my way," Sylvia snarled, grabbed him by the shoulders and kneed him hard between the legs.

Two-Bit dropped like a ton of bricks, swearing worse than I'd ever heard a person swear before. I wasn't even sure half of what he said were real words, but I wasn't real concerned with trying to figure it out, seeing Sylvia come at me like a demon possessed.

"Bitch, he is mine!"

I tried to explain to her that it hadn't been my idea, but she was on me before I could get the words out, her fingers tangling in my hair.

I screamed and pulled back but it only made her hang on tighter, swinging me from side to side. Watching the world spin upside down, I could just make out the words she was yelling between angry gasps.

"He ain't yours to kiss, you slut!"

Well, that made me mad. I grabbed wildly at her skirt and heard a loud tear and a shriek and she let go of my hair.

"I didn't start it, he kissed me!" I yelled over my shoulder, scrambling across the parking lot. I caught a quick look of a crowd of amused looking boys and anxious girls forming around us before I felt her kick at my legs. I tripped and ended up on my knees, feeling the gravel bite into my knees.

"Don't you lie to me, whore!" she hollered, tripping on her skirts as she tried to grab me. "I seen you making eyes at him this whole time!"

I kicked back at her, spraying gravel. "Well, maybe you shoulda been nicer to him!"

"You told me he would leave me! You broke us up!" she screamed, throwing a handful of gravel at me as I pushed myself to my feet. "You liar!"

"I was telling the truth," I bellowed and she leapt to her feet, slapping at me wildly.

"Like hell you were!"

"I was!"

She shoved me hard and I went flying, skidding across the gravel on my elbows and back. I braced myself for her to kick me, or jump on me, but when nothing happened I rolled over and pushed myself quickly to my knees. Sylvia was struggling out of Timothy Shepard's grip, her wild eyes still on me.

"Come on, now, Sylvia, I heard you a mile away. Quit making a scene." Shepard was having trouble holding her back but I could hear the laughter in his voice. It was the same tone Two-Bit had used on her a second before she'd downed him, and I knew he was doomed.

"Let me go!" Sylvia dodged through his arms and Shepard rolled his eyes, reaching out lazily and catching her arm.

"Good Christ, if Dally caught you acting like this," Shepard drawled, and Sylvia whirled around and straight socked him one right in the nose.

Shepard stumbled back cursing, putting a hand up to his face. It came away bloody, and he stared at it in disbelief. "Are you kidding me with this shit?"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sylvia screamed. "Run right on back to Dallas and tell him I up and hit you like a good dog!"

Shepard growled something I couldn't make out but I was sure it was foul. He charged at Sylvia, side-stepped another wild punch from her without blinking, and grabbed her around the waist. He swung her over his shoulder easily, the muscles stretching under his tight t-shirt.

She shrieked loud enough to deafen an army and kicked at his midsection, but Shepard didn't seem to notice. He marched over to the edge of the parking lot with her slung over his shoulder like a sack of nicely dressed potatoes. I could hear her swear at him the whole way.

I hurried over to where Two-Bit was curled up in the foetal position. "Are you okay?"

He groaned. "I think I saw Jesus."

"I'm so sorry she hit you," I said, putting a hand on his back. "Can you stand?"

"I wish she'd hit me," he said mournfully, but managed to sit up, one hand clutching his groin. "Well, that's put a stop to the romantics between us for awhile, that's for damn sure. Some protector I am, huh?"

"I told you," I said. "She even got your King Shepard."

Two-Bit perked up. "No shit?"

I glanced over to where Shepard had taken Sylvia. He was standing with his head tipped back, holding his nose and ignoring Sylvia. Sylvia was sitting on the ground with her arms and legs crossed, Evie and Sandy talking to her quietly, their hands on her arms.

"Tim!" Two-Bit hollered, staggering upright. "You get her down?"

Sylvia, Sandy and Evie shot Two-Bit a look that could have melted iron and he winced.

"I'm down because I want to be," Sylvia called angrily.

Shepard glanced contemptuously at Sylvia and started over towards us, shaking his head. He kept the fingers of one hand pinching the bridge of his nose, which was still leaking blood. He stood next to Two-Bit, who was wincing, a hand on his lower gut. The pair of them exchanged a dark look.

"Dally must be some kind of masochist," Tim muttered. "Always knew he was a twisted little shit."

"I'd never let that chick near my dick, I tell you," Two-Bit added wearily. "She'd bite it off."

I knew he was hurting, but I shot him a dirty look. His eyes widened and he waved jerkily at his crotch in response.

"Susie!"

I looked over at the sound of my name, and saw Evie and Sandy waving me over. Sylvia was staring at the ground, still fuming.

I took two steps and both Shepard and Two-Bit reached out a hand to stop me.

"Listen little Curtis, I wouldn't go over there," Shepard warned me, his deep voice rumbling. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

"She'll shred you with them claws," Two-Bit added. He looked at Tim. "Even if she did already use up her lucky punch today."

I thought I could see Shepard redden slightly, but it could have been just a trick of the light. I didn't miss the look he gave Two-Bit though, and Two-Bit shut up real quick.

"I can handle it, thank you, Mister Shepard," I said, as politely as I could. Even with blood trickling down his face, just standing next to him was making me short of breath.

His eyes widened, and I saw they were a deep, dark blue, not black as I'd thought before. He pressed his lips together tightly, the corners twitching, but let go of my arm.

"Mister Shepard?" I heard him say incredulously to Two-Bit as I crossed the gravel. "You tell that little chick I'm fucking forty or something you wise-ass?"

Two-Bit was howling with laughter and didn't respond.

I heard Shepard mutter darkly: "Your whole damn gang acts like a bunch of six-year-olds. Batshit crazy, all a y'all. Ain't no wonder you're the only bunch that'll deal with that shit-for-brains towhead."

His words trailed off, but I could hear him cursing under his breath and Two-Bit cackling all the way across the parking lot.

I crouched down in the gravel next to Sylvia, Sandy and Evie. Sylvia was calm now, looking at me with the same shrewd gaze that I'd seen on Dallas plenty of times before.

"I didn't mean it," I said dumbly.

"Like hell, you didn't."

"Susie, I never would have expected this from you," Evie marvelled.

"I saw the way Dallas was looking at her," Sandy said grimly.

"Not that he could see much past you," Evie added quickly, when Sylvia turned her glare on Sandy.

Sandy shook her head. "Every boy wants what he ain't got, and innocence is one thing you'll never have, Sylvia."

"Good riddance," Sylvia snapped. "Dallas or innocence, I don't need neither."

Evie was still looking at me, wonderingly. "I thought you was all good girl all the time."

"Ain't none of us are all good girl all the time," Sandy said defensively.

"That's the truth," Sylvia said, almost triumphantly.

I looked at Sylvia carefully. I'd torn her skirt in our fight and she had a long scratch down her arm, from the gravel or me I couldn't say. Her curls were wild and mussed, but if anything it just suited her more.

She looked back just as hard and then patted the ground next to her. "Sit."

I did, and she reached for my face. I flinched, but she only touched the bruise around my eye gently with a finger. "I do that?"

I shook my head. "My daddy."

"Pfft. Asshole," she said carelessly, then poked at my skinned knees and elbows, the bruises blossoming around them like daisies in the spring. "Now I know I did all that."

I nodded, hesitating. "But I suppose I deserved it."

"You bet your ass you did, and I ain't sorry," she said matter-of-factly. "I can't have you touching my things, bitch."

I picked the gravel from my knees, not looking at her. "You was broken up already and he made the first pass at me, I swear it, Sylvia."

She took my chin firmly in her hand and forced me to look at her. "Don't think that lets you off the hook. It was a stupid, stupid thing to do. Boys like Dallas are gonna take what they can get, and maybe it ain't fair, but you the one that's gonna have to stop 'em. I know my Dally, and once he get an idea in his head, he ain't gonna stop himself come hell or high water, even if he changes his mind half way through. Dumb as mud sometimes, cuz he'll know it ain't gonna get him what he wants in the end, but he'll do it anyway just cuz. That's a boy's logic for you."

I started at her lecturing tone. It reminded me too much of Momma, and I couldn't help feeling ashamed.

She let go of me but didn't look away and after a second I felt the need to make it up to her.

"He did stop himself, you know."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really."

"He did. We didn't … you know. Do that. I reckon I would have stopped it, too, but he stopped first. Said it felt wrong."

She digested this. "Well. Okay. Want a cigarette, bitch?"

I shook my head, and she pulled out a pack, motioning to Evie and Sandy. Everyone sat down to have a smoke and relax.

"Y'all fight and then smoke together, just like the boys?" I asked, marvelling at the way the tension seemed to have disappeared like the smoke.

"We are just like the boys, ain't you figured that out?" Evie said irritably. "They like to tell us different, and sure, we smell better, and look better, and fight a little less on account of our bigger brains, but we ain't so different as they'd like to think. Jesus Christ, ain't you never heard of women's lib?"

I looked at her quickly. "No man wants a woman's libber."

"Fuck that, Dallas loves it," Sylvia said, exhaling smoke. She thought a minute. "Only don't tell him that."

"He what?"

She looked at me and grinned. "Bet you never thought of that, eh? He'd hate a good girl, a soft, useless thing he had to watch out for all the time. I can take care of myself and I could take care of him too, and he knows it."

I kept my mouth shut, but somehow I didn't think Dallas would agree with her.

She glanced at Evie and winked. "He likes that I could take care of It, too. Don't reckon you'd know the first thing about that, Lil' Miss Boyfriend-Kisser."

Evie snorted. "It's not rocket science. A little kissing and a hand where he's warmest. Take you less than five minutes."

"Maybe you," Sylvia said, annoyed. "I can make it last."

"I'll bet Dally just loves that," Sandy said dryly. "He seems like he's got ample patience." We all looked at her in surprise, and then Evie and Sylvia about died laughing.

"Oh, pooh on the both of you," Sandy said over their howling, her face red as a tomato. "I'm just glad you ain't fighting no more."

Sylvia tossed her hair. "Well, now the bitch knows not to mess with my shit, there ain't no reason to mess up my nails, is there?"

I didn't much like the way she was referring to me, but I was glad at least that she wasn't throwing any more punches.

"So, are we okay?" I asked timidly.

She was silent for a minute considering. "If you touch him again, I will destroy you."

"He's all yours," I promised.

She gave me a funny look. "No, he ain't. I dumped him remember?"

I stared at her, and Evie gave a short barking laugh.

"One second he's all yours, the next he ain't, make up your mind, Sylvia," she teased.

Sylvia shrugged. "When he's mine, he's mine, when he's not mine, he's nobody's. Savvy?"

I glanced at Sandy and she shot me a grin, but neither of us said anything. Somehow, after this summer, I was brave enough to yell at Dally Winston, brave enough to visit my father by my lonesome and brave enough to kiss Two-Bit Mathews and mean it. But I wasn't brave enough to tell Sylvia she was crazy.

Sylvia stretched her arms above her head, and arched her back in a pose that made her look like a pinup girl. "Y'all think what you want, but you don't know him like I do."

Sandy shuddered. "Thank God."

I heard hollering and glanced across the parking lot. Tim Shepard had Two-Bit in a headlock and they were horsing around like a couple of eight-year-olds. Two-Bit waved at me, upside down, and Shepard let go of him quickly. He pointed at Two-Bit and gave me a serious look that I could read even as far away as I was: it's his fault.

It made me smile and I tried one of Two-Bit's lines on Sylvia. "I guess you're the only person in the world who knows that Dallas puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like anybody else."

She looked at me quizzically. "No, he doesn't."

Evie, Sandy and I exchanged a confused look, and Sylvia stared into space. She smiled suddenly, her beauty coming out in full force for no one at all. Her grin widened until she was laughing out loud.

"He don't put them on one leg at a time. He sits on the bed and shoves both feet in at the same time, and then stands up and jumps around until they're on. He doesn't really care if they're on properly, same as his shoes, same as his shirt. He once jammed his hand into his shirt so hard, he put a hole through it."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Go figure. He can't even do that properly."

Sylvia wrapped her arms around her knees, looking wistful. "He's too loud and too stupid and too mean and he cares too much and not enough. But I love that dumb kid. And he needs me. He'd walk out the door with his shirt sticking out of his zipper nine times outta ten without me around."

Sandy rolled her eyes. "Oh, here we go."

Evie stubbed her cigarette out in the gravel. "One of these times, Sylvia, you're going to call him back and he's not going to come running."

"I think you could get him, this time, though," I said slowly, trying to bite back the urge to somehow keep them apart just in case. "I think he's still hooked."

Sylvia straightened, tossing her hair, her eyes gleaming with that all too familiar look of girlish deviousness.

"Oh, I know I still got Dally hooked," she said confidently. "Y'all want proof – you'll come to Buck's tonight."