Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. Lorde owns "A World Alone."
Raise a glass, 'cause I'm not done saying it
They all wanna get rough, get away with it
January 13, 1966
Thursday came quicker than what Ella would have liked. Following Ponyboy Curtis around and trying to talk to him alone proved harder than what it sounded like, and Ella was beginning to grow more anxious and concerned. She'd been getting along fine with Craig for the sake of it, but she knew that he was keeping things from her, and that upset her.
Since trailing the younger boy around in school, Ella had a pretty solid layout of his schedule, and she planned to speak to him one way or another that afternoon. She was going to prove Dallas wrong, too; she just had to get the kid alone and pry the information regarding George Clayton and her boyfriend from him.
"Hey, baby," Craig greeted, kissing her once on the lips. He smiled, then. "You feel like going out this evening?"
The girl was surprised. Her brows raised, lips parting a bit, as her eyes met his. Craig hadn't asked her out all week. The two had only spent their time together during the school day, so it was a shock that he was suddenly interested in taking her out again. Something about it made her feel off, but it wasn't enough to alarm her. Besides, she had to play it cool, or else Craig would suspect something was up, and Ella didn't want to deal with that on top of everything else.
She feigned a smile of her own. "Sure. I'm not working anyway."
"Yeah?" he said, fingering the stray pieces of her hair. "How about we do something together, just you and me?"
"I'd like that."
He took the seat next to her, leaning one arm against the lab table. "We haven't been spending much time together, huh?" A sigh. "You know, I miss you, El."
The brown-haired girl's eyes widened for a split second as she considered his words. She felt her cheeks heating up at the underlying insinuation, but she forced herself to remain collected. Craig was still her boyfriend, and she still liked him . . . a lot. Glory, when had she become such a love-struck girl?
A thought crossed her mind, then, one that could potentially help further her plan involving George and Ponyboy. Being with Craig alone would lend her the time she needed to speak with him, which was the second part of what she wanted to do. She just needed to get to Ponyboy first before she could move on to Craig.
The thought caused her to inwardly shudder, but she brushed it off, offering her boyfriend a light peck on the cheek. "I miss you, too."
Dallas had better weeks. He was becoming more rigid, well, ever since he put his trust into his dopey tutor a few days back. Thing was, he was ultimately waiting for her to fail, waiting for her to come back to him and tell him that she hadn't been able to get through to the kid. Ponyboy was getting awfully hard to talk to, but the hood had backed off when he agreed to let Ella do her thing.
He hadn't seen the girl since Monday, since he had served a detention with Mrs. Girdlé Wednesday afternoon, which would have been their usual tutoring day. On the other hand, Dallas was slightly glad that he didn't have to spend his time with the air-headed broad, having found more pleasure in scrubbing off paintbrushes.
Yeah, right. Who the hell was he kidding?
The blond wasn't sure why he'd ever agreed to let Ella work on talking to Ponyboy to begin with. He was the one who had discovered the note, he was the one who buddied around with the kid, he was the one who fucking looked out for him . . . Why hadn't he just gone to Darry in the beginning? Dallas normally didn't care about anyone else, let alone their feelings, so why in the fuck had he let himself be convinced that Ella fucking Mitchell had more of a shot than he did?
"Mr. Winston?" his English teacher called. "Are you with us?"
The teen scowled in response. "Sure."
"Then, perhaps, you wouldn't mind answering the question."
"Depends on the question."
There were a few snickers around the room, but Mr. Gregory was having none of it. Dallas knew that the man didn't like him, and that was just fine with him because he didn't like him, either. Usually, the two ignored each other, but there were those sporadic moments when the man would enjoy trying to get a rise out of the teen.
Mr. Gregory shot him a look. "Don't get wise, Mr. Winston, or you'll find yourself taking a trip to Mr. Davis's office, is that clear?" He shook his head, before calling on another student.
Dally sunk a bit in his seat, propping his boots up on the chair in front of him, which earned him a sharp glare from the girl who was sitting there. He merely smirked at her, silently encouraging her to say something to him. After all, he hadn't been in a good argument since his last encounter with Ella; he was almost looking forward to starting one with her the next time he saw her.
Glory, but he was getting soft, he thought with a cringe. He'd let a dumb broad, one he didn't even like, do his work, he'd let Ponyboy get the upper hand, well, at least think he did, he was pussying out of talking to Darry because of the dumb broad, and to top it all off, he hadn't done anything worthwhile with himself since he and Shepard crashed Clayton's party.
Speaking of Clayton, it was Thursday, and Dallas was eagerly awaiting Ella's news, all but waiting for her failure. Well, that was fine with him, too, because he had his own plans for George Clayton just as soon as he was finished talking to Superman.
Ponyboy was glad that nobody had been harping on him that week. He had hardly spoken to Dally since their last encounter, and he was actually content with the fact that he hadn't been around the hood; he finally felt like he was able to breathe again, without the constant glares and remarks from the blond teen. Ever since he'd snatched that note from him, Dally had become an utter thorn in his side, and Pony was getting mighty sick of it.
He was actually all too happy that Steve Randle was now spending his lunch back at the school, as it distracted the boys' attention from him. He'd even gone as far as to ask Two-Bit if he wanted to spend more time studying, but the older teen merely brushed it off. Apparently, he was content enough where his grades were, so he'd backed out of the tutoring a bit. Deep down, Pony was more than happy with that, too, because it allowed him more freedom.
Unfortunately, with that freedom came Dallas, and the red-headed teen had spent a great deal of time avoiding him as much as he could during the school day. He was a bit surprised when Dally stopped following him around, even ignored him at lunch, and the younger boy figured that he'd just given up.
Still, the fact that he still had that note unsettled him. Well, there wasn't much he could do with it, except go to Darry, or even Soda, but what could they really do? Everyone knew that George Clayton was giving him trouble a few months back, but as far as they were concerned, the issue had stopped after Two-Bit and Steve had dealt with it, well, more like threatened George through Cherry Valance.
When the bell rang, Ponyboy gathered up his books and exited the classroom, eagerly heading to his locker. He was ready to meet up with the guys for lunch and get out of class for a while, even if that involved hanging around Dallas. Unfortunately, for him, life had other plans, and he was forced to stop when he heard a voice calling out his name.
Cherry Valance came to a halt beside him, clutching her books to her chest and frantically looking around the hall as if she were nervous to be talking to him.
"Hi, Cherry," he greeted, lowering his chin as the two fell in step. "How've you been?"
The older girl seemed to be in a hurry, not that he could blame her. Glory, but it sure made him feel awfully lousy. He liked Cherry well enough, but the fact that she was still nervous to speak to him in public because of their social statuses upset him.
"I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to check in on you," she replied, eyes meeting his for a split second. "It's nothing personal, you know."
"Sure," he said, and sighed. "I'm fine."
Cherry nodded, tilting her head down so her hair blocked her face a little. "So, I know a while ago we spoke about this, and you said nothing was going on, but I wanted to make sure." The pair came to a stop at the younger teen's locker. "George Clayton isn't bothering you still, is he?"
Ponyboy's eyes widened at the question, but he remained cool. "No. Why?"
The red-headed girl bit down on her bottom lip. Ponyboy could tell that something was eating at her, and that made him uneasy. Cherry was usually calm and collected, cool to the point that it seemed as though nothing could get to her, although he knew that wasn't true. Cherry was a strong girl, one who didn't always let on how she felt about things, but deep down, the two were alike in many ways.
"Well, I'm sure you know by now that your friends, Two-Bit and the other boy—"
"Steve?" he assumed, placing a textbook inside his locker. He turned back to face her after a second, eyes sincere. "I heard about what happened. I'm sorry about it, too." Dropping his shoulders, the teen released a deep sigh. "Gee, I guess I should've said something sooner. I am sorry."
Cherry smiled. "It's alright, Ponyboy. I'm sorry, too." She gazed around the hall. "About what I said, I mean. I say one thing and still do the other." At his expression of bafflement, she continued with a shake of her head. "About the social cliques. I am sick of it, Ponyboy, really I am. Sometimes, though, I just . . . simply forget and go on and on with this version of myself, then I often forget who I really am. Does that make sense?"
He nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah."
Before the two could continue their conversation, Ella Mitchell rounded the corner, her eyes downcast as she approached them. She and Cherry exchanged smiles, before her attention turned to Ponyboy, who seemed just as surprised to see her. There was a glimmer of something else reflecting in his gaze, something that Ella was unable to decipher.
Cherry forced away her look of disappointment. It wasn't that she was upset that Ella had shown up, but she had wanted to talk to Ponyboy about something—something which actually involved George Clayton and Craig Bryant. Unfortunately, she'd lost that opportunity when Ella arrived, so she decided that she would politely take her leave.
If anything, Ella had probably spoken to Dallas Winston about the matter, but Cherry could only hope that the girl hadn't mentioned her name to the hood. It's not that she didn't trust him, although she was still wary of him, but she didn't want to get involved with him, even if it was just to look out for Ponyboy.
"Well, I'd better go," she said, nodding once to the other two. "I'll see you around, Ponyboy."
"Sure," he replied, his gaze trailing after her. Closing his locker, he faced Ella. Golly, he was popular that day, wasn't he? "Hey, Ella."
Before he could walk, she side-stepped in front of him. "I was . . . I was wondering if you had some time to talk. It's rather important."
The younger teen gave her an odd look. "What about?"
Ella felt her eyes widening, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't tell Ponyboy that she was there to discuss his problem with George Clayton or her boyfriend—that would most likely cause him to stalk off without letting her get a word in, and then she wouldn't have anything to relay to Dallas.
Instead, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Dallas."
The younger teen's brows pulled together in sheer confusion as he wondered what on earth Dally's tutor could want to discuss with him. He thought that they were back to their regular schedule, or at least, that was what Dallas had told him the other day. Still, he imagined that his buddy was either giving her a hard time again, or she was going to ask him about helping her out, which didn't exactly make a whole lot of sense.
He agreed, though, against his better judgment. "Alright, sure."
And then she grinned, almost appearing relieved. "You mind spending your lunch period in the library?"
Ella felt a little uncomfortable, unsure of where to start. She hadn't wanted to discuss Dallas Winston at all, not really anyway. She wondered how in the world she was going to start a conversation with the younger boy in front of her about her boyfriend. Perhaps she could just start with George Clayton? No, that would anger him and cause her entire plan to fail.
Licking her lips, she turned her attention to him. "I . . . actually didn't want to talk about Dallas." She felt odd, then, her cheeks heating up a bit.
Ponyboy looked perplexed, and she couldn't blame him. "What did you want to talk about?"
"You know my boyfriend, right?" she said quickly, wishing that she had enough courage to just spit out what she needed to say. "Craig Bryant?"
She didn't miss the flicker of resentment that shadowed his face for a second. "Yeah. Why?"
He stared at her intently, as if he was attempting to figure out what she could want to discuss. Ponyboy was feeling awfully weird. Of course, he liked Ella as a person, thought she was a decent girl, but she was certainly a bit strange—Dally had been right about that. He couldn't imagine why she would ever want to talk about her boyfriend, especially with him of all people. Something didn't feel right about talking to her, then.
"There's no easy way to say this, I guess, but—" She paused, eyes meeting his. "I know what's been going on with him and George Clayton . . . and you." Before he could even utter a response, she beat him to it, holding a hand up. "I don't want to pressure you into talking to me, Ponyboy, but if Craig is, or has been, bothering you along with George, I need you to tell me."
The younger teen was indignant. "Did Dally put you up to this?"
"What? No, of course not!" she countered, voice even. "No, he didn't." A sigh. "Look, Ponyboy, I was told some things about Craig, well, him and George, and I know that it wasn't you who started that fight back in November. I just need you to be honest with me, please." Her eyes were becoming glassy by then. "I just need to know the truth."
Ponyboy didn't like it when girls got upset like that, but he didn't want to admit the truth to Ella about her boyfriend. He wondered how she could possibly know anything, although the fact that she believed he wasn't the one who had started that fight with George did make him feel rather relieved.
"I'm not covering for anyone," he said after a minute. "And if this is about Dallas—"
"It's not," she interrupted, forcing herself to remain calm. Well, that wasn't the complete truth, but it was close enough. "It's about Craig." She pursed her lips for a second. "Look, I know you've been having problems with George Clayton, that's no secret, but I need to know if Craig Bryant was involved with it."
Ponyboy leaned forward in his seat, eyes fixed on the table. "What difference will it make?"
"A lot."
The two were quiet for a second, before Ponyboy spoke up again. He wasn't afraid of George Clayton, and he wasn't afraid of Craig Bryant or Kevin Rogers, either. In his mind, he knew that there really wasn't a reason to be withholding any information from his friends—the gang and his brothers mostly. It occurred to him that Ella had either been tipped off about George Clayton and her boyfriend, or she was suspicious of them, but he went with the former.
She seemed more upset than anything, and he couldn't sit there and lie to her face about her boyfriend, could he?
"How did you find out about it?" he asked. "George and Craig?"
And that's when Ella opened the can of beans and spilled them to the younger teen who was sitting across from her. Well, she was one step ahead from where she started; Ponyboy had indirectly told her that Craig was involved, which she already knew. The verification of Cherry's words made her heart sink in her chest; all this time she had been nothing short of a fool. Craig was playing her after all, and now she knew everything.
After her explanation, Ponyboy remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. She wondered if he would just get up and leave her there, not bothering to address the situation further, but she had to let him know that she could help him, well, help put an end to Craig's and George's persecution.
"So," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck, "Cherry told you, huh?"
She nodded in affirmation. "She did. If I knew that Craig was involved, Ponyboy, I would have done something sooner." A sigh. "I know we're more acquainted through Dallas, but I'd like to think that we're friends, or that we could be." Their eyes met. "I think you're awfully nice, Ponyboy, and I would like to be friends."
"Yeah," he agreed, and offered her a vague smile. "Listen, I didn't mean to come off like that earlier, you know—"
Ella shook her head. "I get it."
"So what are you going to do?"
In truth, Ponyboy felt off with the entire situation. Ella knew about the note from George through Dally, not that he could actually prove that it was from him. He wondered about his friend's tutor, then, considering what was up her sleeve when it came to her boyfriend. It suddenly made him feel lousy that he hadn't been honest with her, that he had concealed this information from her—that Craig wasn't really a nice guy.
All those months he had seen the two of them together, and all those months Craig had been involved with George and Kevin, who had been trying to get over on him because of the issue back in September with Johnny Cade and Bob Sheldon. It wasn't right, he told himself, but he felt much better that the truth was finally free, and that Ella knew about Craig. A part of him felt almost guilty that he was one of the causes of her finding out, but there was nothing either of them could do now.
Ella feigned a smile. "Well, for one, you could be honest with Dallas." Pushing her hair away from her face, her eyes rose to the clock over the entrance of the library. "Don't mention anything about Craig to him. Just let me handle him, please."
The younger teen looked mildly upset, but he didn't comment on it. "Yeah, alright, Ella." He followed her gaze, realizing that there wasn't much time left. "Does Craig know you're here?"
She shook her head. "Told him I was retaking a quiz for English."
The two paused at the door just as the bell rang. "Well, nothing's been happening with George recently, well, except the note, but he hasn't acted on it."
The girl shrugged. "Well, let me take care of Craig first."
Ponyboy deadpanned. "Fine. Just . . . be careful, alright?"
"Of course," she replied as they stepped out into the crowding hallway. "I'm real glad that we had this talk, Ponyboy. Don't worry about George or anything. I'll deal with Craig tonight."
"Tonight?" he questioned, octave rising a little. He looked almost shocked. "You aren't—"
"No," she breathed. "No. Just trust me."
Before the younger teen could respond, the sight of white-blond hair entered his view from across the hallway, and he quickly bit back what he was going to say. He knew now that he would have to come forward to Dallas, but he wondered what would happen with Ella and Craig. He just hoped that this wasn't some kind of setup, and that Ella was being truthful.
"Dallas," Ella greeted, tone firm. The towhead merely stared, one small movement of his jaw letting him know that he had acknowledged the girl. "Are we still on for tomorrow?"
Dallas didn't miss the almost triumphant sound in her voice. "Yeah, whatever, sweets."
Before taking her leave, the brown-haired girl offered one last grin to Ponyboy before she disappeared around the corner, leaving him and Dally off to the side of the hall surrounded by a swarm of other students who were headed to their afternoon classes.
"You spent your lunch with that dope?" Dallas asked, bewilderment laced in his voice. "We were wondering what happened to you, kid."
Ponyboy brushed him off. "Yeah, well, you didn't need to."
The older teen watched the boy stalk off, and judging from his souring mood and Ella's expression, one which strongly reflected victory, he knew the broad had kept her end of the bargain. She had gotten through to the kid. The only thing left to do now was get Ponyboy to confess to him and the boys, and there was only one way he was going to do that, one which started with Ella Mitchell.
Craig was hoping for a good time with his girlfriend that evening, but she seemed completely off about something, and he was growing irritated with her behavior. He was usually up to spending time with her, especially if that time involved making-out or dancing, or other upbeat activities, but the girl wasn't up for any of it.
He sighed, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, eyes drifting to the cup of soda that was secured in Ella's grasp and the open bag of food that sat between them untouched. He wondered what could possibly be bothering her, but he normally didn't inquire. Whenever Ella had a beef, she was never shy about sharing it, no matter what.
The boy became impatient. "What's wrong with you tonight?"
That got her attention. "What?"
"You're awfully quiet, you know," he replied, pursing his lips. "If I knew you weren't up to talking or anything, I wouldn't have suggested taking you out earlier."
Ella shot him a look. "Am I not allowed to keep quiet, Craig?"
And there it was—the beginning of an argument. Even though the couple had made up, something, no matter how insignificant it seemed, somehow would stir up some minor dispute. Ella had been awfully cranky that week, and he just wasn't in the mood to deal with it. He had his own problems to deal with, and he didn't need her crap added to the pile, girlfriend or not.
He ground his teeth. "You could've suggested we see a movie or something instead. At least I wouldn't be sitting here bored out of my mind in dead silence."
"Well, excuse me," she returned, crossing her arms, the sound of the ice moving around in the cup being the only other noise. "I didn't mean to bore you so much."
Craig leaned back in the seat, biting back the remark on his tongue. He didn't want to fight, he didn't want to . . . well, he didn't want to do anything now. Ella had spoiled his mood, again, but he was curious to know what could possibly be distressing her this much.
"I'm sorry," he said after a minute. "You're not boring me. I just want to know what's going on with you, and you're not talking to me."
She raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking about Ponyboy Curtis."
"Curtis? Why?"
Ella could tell that the statement alone unnerved him. Sure he had agreed to not give her any grief about befriending the kid, but she knew that mentioning him always got under his skin, and not only him, but Dallas Winston, too. She had gotten the truth from Cherry Valance, she had gotten a confession from Ponyboy, and now she just needed to hear one from Craig, whatever that took.
"I know what's been going on," she divulged, turning her head a little to face him. "With George."
Her boyfriend did his best to appear innocent, but the shock was ever present in his eyes. "What are you talking about?" he snapped. "Did Curtis say something? Or is this about that fight that happened between him and George back in November?"
Ella's face scrunched in anger, eyes narrowing. "No. I hardly talk to Ponyboy, Craig. I have other sources who told me about you and George, and what you've been doing. I just can't believe you've been harassing Ponyboy because of Bob Sheldon's death all those months ago." She shook her head, her disgust surfacing. "You've made me look like a complete fool."
Craig was speechless. He wondered who could have possibly said anything to Ella about George, or him, or anything, but he only came to a blank. He wasn't sure what to say or do, hell, he couldn't even lie to her because she knew, and she knew everything. He remembered George's words to him a week ago . . .
But here's what I want you to do for me. See if you can find out if Curtis had anything to do with those greasers crashing my party. Let your girlfriend get cozy with the kid, and see if he slips up. I have a feeling his buddies were the ones who did it . . .
"Well?" Ella said, snapping him from his thoughts. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
"I don't know," he answered, not bothering to look at her. How could he? "I mean, hell, Ella, what do you want me to say?"
"The truth for starters."
"Well, you seem to have it, don't you?" he bit out, arms flailing. "Are you happy with yourself? Let me guess . . . Curtis cried to his greaser pals about it, and that's why they crashed George's party."
Now Ella looked dumbstruck. "What?"
Craig was staring at her, his eyes hard. "Oh, don't play stupid, El. Whose side are you on here?"
The girl was livid. "I'm clearly not on anyone's side." She jerked around in the seat. "And you know what, Craig? You're going to fix this. I don't give a damn what you have to do, but if you don't, I will go to Mr. Davis myself and tell him everything."
"I don't think that would be in either of our best interests, El."
She glared at him. "I think it would be, unless George doesn't value that scholarship."
Ella knew she had him, then. She had been doing a great deal of digging quietly in the background, planning her way to trap her boyfriend, no matter how cruel it sounded. Truthfully, she didn't want to hurt anyone, but getting Craig to stop George was the only thing she could think to do, because Mr. Davis surely wouldn't believe that one of the star students of Will Rogers High School could honestly be doing anything that George was.
Craig's hands had balled into fists. "I don't believe you."
"I think George's note would go a long way," she bluffed, raising her chin a little. "Besides, I have plenty of people who would be willing to back me up."
"Anyone could have written that note," he responded. "George has plenty of friends, too, Ella, including me, or did you forget that?"
"Just stay away from Ponyboy, Craig," she warned, trying to make her voice sound firm. "Make sure that George does, too."
He merely sighed. "I can't do that."
"Then I will."
All the double-edged people and schemes
They make a mess then go home and get clean
Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated! :3
If y'all haven't already, be sure to check out "God Help the Girls" by Bratpack 2.0, a multi-chapter collaborative effort by AndThatWasEnough, lulusgardenfli, and I, which focuses on and centers around the girls from the book, featuring some of our own characters from "Don't Think Twice"/"Sins of the Saints", "Green Light", and "The Visit" :)