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Chapter 28

Darry's date and birthday plans

When we got back from the hospital I finally plucked up the courage to look at my face in the mirror. I was shocked at what I saw. My right eye was puffy and swollen. The skin around it was bruised and turning black. The left side of my mouth was swollen up too and there was a cut at the corner of my lip as well as a bruise on my cheekbone. I lifted my shirt to examine my stomach, which was the other place which was hurting me. There were bruises all along just below my ribs where Caro had knelt on me as well as a big bruise on my right arm where she had held me down. I wondered if I had actually managed to do her any damage at all. I doubted it, as I had been barely able to move let alone swing at her. I sighed thinking about what everyone was gonna say at school the next day. I hated lots of attention, but it was impossible to hide the fact that I had been in a fight. I wondered if I could persuade Darry to let me have a couple of days off, at least until the swelling on my face went down a bit.

As much as I hated being chaperoned everywhere by my brothers or the gang I was actually pretty grateful that I wouldn't be left on my own for a while. I was really scared that Caro would be out to get me again, maybe she hadn't finished with me yet. I hoped she had got it out of her system, but I couldn't be sure and it made me nervous to think about going anywhere without some kind of bodyguard. I knew she wouldn't dare to try anything if the boys were with me.

I decided to write to Matt that afternoon and tell him about all that had been going on. I always seemed to have some kind of drama to tell him about in every letter. He must be glad to be away from it all and leading a normal life out in California! I couldn't wait till the next day when I could finally call him now that I was ungrounded and could go to Tara's place after school.

All the gang were there for dinner that evening, as usual on the weekend. Darry had made 2 roast chickens with baked potatoes and salad, which was delicious. I took the opportunity to tell everyone about Darry's prospective date.

"So, did Darry tell you he got the nurse's phone number at the hospital today?" I said with a smile as Darry glared at me.

"You dark horse Darry, you never mentioned that. When are you seeing her?" asked Soda, looking very excited.

"Don't get too worked up, I may not even call her. It was Becky who got her number, not me. I don't have time for a girlfriend, I don't wanna start something I can't follow through on."

"Ah, come on Darry, you need a bit of fun in your life. You're not asking her to marry you, just going out on a date. It doesn't have to be a big deal." Soda said.

"Yeah, come on Darry, act your age for once and go out and have some fun. You need a bit of distraction from your boring life, right?" Steve added.

"My life's not boring, I'm too busy to be bored." Darry growled.

"Darry, you have to call, Rose seems just right for you and when do you ever get the chance to meet girls like her?" I pleaded.

"What's she like Bex?" Soda asked.

"She's real pretty, long brown hair and brown eyes. She's sweet too and funny, she wants Darry to call her, so I know she likes him too…"

"Give her a call Darry, go on…I can babysit Bex and Pony here if you wanna go out on a date." Two-Bit grinned.

Pony and I glared at him "I don't need no babysitter." Pony snapped.

"Nor do I!" I agreed. Two-Bit just laughed. He was only trying to get a reaction out of us anyway.

"Call her Darry, go on." Pony said sincerely. I think he was as pleased as I was at the thought of Darry being distracted by something else than our grades, homework and general behaviour and well-being.

Darry held his hands up in surrender and looked irritated "If you guys stop going on about it I will call okay? Just drop it now. I'll call her this evening and see if she wants to go out next week." He glared at me.

"Good." I said with a smile. Two-Bit gave a whoop, Steve and Soda gave each other a high-five and Pony and I just grinned. Darry rolled his eyes. "You guys need to get out more if my going on a date gives you all such a thrill!"

"That's just it Dar, you're the one that needs to get out more, that's why we're pleased you finally found yourself a girl." Soda punched him gently in the arm.

"Don't get carried away Sodapop, we haven't even been on a date. Don't start planning the engagement party just yet." Darry grumbled, but he couldn't help a small smile.

That evening Darry stretched the phone cord so that he could make the call in private in his room. I tried to listen in outside his door but couldn't hear anything but murmurs and some laughter. He came out and raised his eyebrows at me as I didn't move away from the door in time.

"It's rude to eavesdrop ya know?"

"Sorry, I couldn't hear anything anyway. So, what did she say?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "It's not really any of your business Rebecca."

I groaned "Ah come on Darry, are you going on a date or what?"

"We're going out for a pizza on Wednesday." He muttered.

I gave him a spontaneous hug round the waist "That's great Darry!" I enthused.

"Geez, anyone would think I'd never been on a date before."

"Well, it's been a while." Said Pony, joining us in the corridor.

"If this is how it's gonna be then it'll be a while before I do it again." Darry grumbled.

"Okay, we won't mention it again, will we Bex?" Pony prompted me.

"Not a word." I said pretending to zip my lip.

"Hey Pony, shouldn't you be doing some homework?" Darry asked, changing the subject.

"All done." He said.

"Show me your math and I'll check for mistakes."

Pony rolled his eyes and went off to his room to get his math. "You got any work to do?" he asked me.

"Nope, we get a week off after all the exams."

"When do you get the scores?"

"Next week, they should come in the mail on Friday." My stomach dropped at the thought of that. I had done my best, but would it be good enough for Darry? It was my turn to change the subject. "Hey Darry, do you think I could take a few days off from school to recover?" I pointed at my face. "I won't be missing much this week."

"No Rebecca. There's no reason you can't go to school." He said firmly.

"But, Darry, I look awful. Everyone is gonna be staring at me and asking what happened. It's all so embarrassing."

"You'll cope. The swelling is going down already in your face and as long as your head is feeling better you can carry on as normal, apart from gym of course."

I grunted, I knew it had been a long-shot that he would let me off school, but I had still hoped he would. "Darry, is it okay if I go to Tara's after school tomorrow now I'm not grounded anymore?"

"Sure."

"Can someone pick me up about 5.00? I don't really want to walk back on my own."

"I'll make sure someone is there to get you. Are you worried about bumping into Caro again?" he asked sounding concerned.

"A little bit."

Darry put his hand on my shoulder. "I reckon she's had her revenge now, but it's probably sensible to not be about without one of us for a few weeks. Once she realises you have a whole team of bodyguards she'll probably give up anyway!" he tried to lighten the mood. I smiled back tentatively. It wouldn't do much for my independence but I would feel happier to be protected for a few weeks until I knew Caro had moved on to another victim.

The next day at school was quite fun. Most of the teachers were not starting on the next semester's work yet and so we did fun quizzes or played games and a couple of the teachers even brought in party snacks for us. Last period was gym and I had to sit it out because of my wrist. I was bored senseless watching them all play volleyball and the time went even slower as I was so anxious to get to Tara's and finally call Matt. Eventually the final bell rang and we were picked up by Two-Bit and dropped off at Tara's house.

"Seeya later girls. Bex, I'll be back to pick you up at 5.00, Soda's working and Darry's picking Pony up from the library."

"Okay, thanks Two-Bit!"

Tara and I went into her living room. Her sister and boyfriend were there on the couch, but went off to Samantha's room now that we were there. Her Mom was still out at work. Tara gestured to the phone. "Go ahead, I know you're chomping at the bit to call."

"Thanks Tara. I won't talk too long or your Mom's bill will be huge. I hope he's there like he said he would be." Nervously I dialled Matt's number and it rang 3 times before he picked up.

"Becky?" he asked keenly.

"Matt! I'm so glad you're there."

"It's so good to hear your voice! How are you doing? What have you been up to?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, I've just sent you a long letter so I won't go into too much detail about that, but I had a bit of a run in with Caro. She beat me up when Tara and I were at the movies on Saturday evening."

"She beat you up?! Are you okay? Did she hurt you badly?"

"Well, she got me pretty good in the face a couple of times, and she managed to break my wrist."

"Oh Becky, you poor thing. I can't believe she would do that. She was meant to be your friend. I wish I was there, I'd go and give her a piece of my mind."

"I'm hoping that's an end to it now. My brothers and the gang are making sure I'm not alone anymore for the next few weeks, so I should be safe. Anyway what about you?"

"Well, I haven't been in any fights or been suspended or played any pranks on the teachers, so my life has been pretty dull in comparison."

I laughed "Well, lucky you!"

"Yeah, that's the kind of excitement we could all do without I guess."

"I'm so happy for you about the composers competition."

"Thanks, yeah, I'm pretty excited too. There's me and 2 others going from our school, we have to perform 2 pieces that we have composed and the top 3 people go on to the final in September."

"You're gonna win for sure!"

"Well, I'm not so sure, but it would be nice. My parents are pleased, but they still don't see it as a big deal, but maybe if I won…."

"Yeah, they'd have to admit it's more than a hobby then wouldn't they?"

"I hope so. I was planning on coming down there at Spring break, but I won't be able to now, not with the trip to Denver that weekend."

"Well, that's more important." I said trying not to sound too disappointed. "Maybe in the summer?"

"Yeah, definitely then, but hopefully before."

"So, you're making lots of friends at school and stuff?"

"Yeah, I have a few really good friends. I only keep in touch with a couple of the guys from Tulsa. The only thing I really miss is you Baby."

"I miss you too. I wish you weren't so far away and I wish I could call you more often. I've been grounded so much this is the first chance I've had to be at Tara's. I can't call from home cos there's always someone there."

"I understand. I daren't call you either in case one of them picks up. I don't want to get you into more trouble."

"Darry is still against you and so is Soda. I wish they would see you like I do. Darry caught me listening to your record and he has taken it away from me for a couple of months. I can't even listen to that anymore." I said despondently.

"I'm sorry Baby, that's so unfair."

"He's trying to help me get over you, but I don't want to get over you Matt."

"I know, I don't want us to end either."

"Look, I need to go. Tara's Mom is gonna flip if her bill is too huge. I'll call again next Monday okay?"

"That sounds like a good plan. I love you Becky, be careful, no more fights okay?"

"Love you too Matt. I'll try my best. Speak to you soon."

"Bye…"

"Bye…"

"You hang up first" I said.

"No, you hang up." He laughed.

"Okay, I'm hanging up…bye Matt." I reluctantly put the phone down. My heart was beating fast and I felt half elated, half sad. It was so nice to talk to him and he was as sweet as ever, but it just reminded me how much I missed him and how far away he was.

The next day at school we received a letter about a school trip for us 8th graders happening the second week of the Easter break. Those who went would be spending a week at a ranch just outside of Denver and at the end of the week would be performing in their own rodeo. It sounded really good fun and I really wanted to go, but wasn't sure if Darry would be able to afford it. It was $40 for the week, including all the travel and accommodation and food. All I could do was ask, but I had a feeling the answer would be no. Tara was the one who pointed out the obvious to me when we were discussing it at lunch break.

"Denver Bex, does that ring any bells with you?" she prompted as we sat in the cafeteria eating our sandwiches.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure what she was getting at.

"Well, isn't that where Matt's competition is the last weekend of Spring break?"

"Oh my gosh, you're right. We'll both be in Denver at the same time if Darry will let me go. Now, I really have to go, there's no way I'm going to miss out on the chance of seeing Matt!" I couldn't get the grin off my face. "I can't believe I didn't make that connection!"

"Me either. I'm not sure how you're actually going to meet up, but there must be a way."

"Oh, believe me if Darry lets me go, I will find a way, by hook or by crook!"

"I know you will." Tara grinned back at me. "First you need to work on him about your birthday though."

"I really don't want to make a big deal out of it Tara. I hate to be the centre of attention. It's been bad enough today with everyone whispering behind my back about my battered face and even worse those who actually asked me about it!"

"Yeah, but this would be positive attention, not negative. It'll do you good to have fun with your friends."

"I'll think about it. I want Darry to focus on him and Rose for a bit though first. I am so happy that he's got the chance to enjoy himself for once."

"Yeah, he deserves a break. You never know it might loosen him up a bit and he'll say yes to anything then." Tara said with a grin.

"Well, that did cross my mind, though maybe he's not so easily distracted!"

At dinner that evening Pony seemed nervous or excited, I couldn't tell which. Finally he revealed what was going on. He cleared his throat nervously and said.

"Here Darry, I got a letter from the coach." He handed it to Darry with a shy smile on his face.

Darry took the piece of paper and read it, a grin spreading over his face as he got through it.

"You got selected to represent the state, that's fantastic Pony, well done Kiddo. I knew you could do it!"

Pony blushed but I knew he was pleased at Darry's praise. He always wanted Darry's approval but mostly seemed to get his criticism, so this was a big thing.

Soda grabbed Pony in a head lock and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I told ya, didn't I? That's great Ponyboy. I'm so proud of you."

"Well done Pony." I added grinning, I was proud of him too.

"There's just one problem." He said. "The state meet is taking place in Oklahoma in 2 weeks' time. It's on Becky's birthday."

"That's okay Pony, I really don't care about celebrating my birthday, this is way more important."

Darry smiled at me, pleased that I wasn't being difficult about it. "We're not gonna forget your birthday Bex, don't worry, but we can celebrate it a couple of days late if that's okay?"

"Sure. I really don't mind." I reassured my brothers. Mom and Dad had always made sure we marked our birthdays and I could see my brothers were worried I would feel hurt or neglected if they didn't do the same, but I honestly felt completely ambivalent about my birthday. I was happy to let it slide and there was no way I was gonna let Ponyboy lose out on his opportunity just because it happened to fall on my birthday.

"Thanks Becky." Pony said quietly and squeezed my hand.

"I'll go with you then Pony and Soda can hold the fort here with Bex." Said Darry. "We can do it in a day; leave early Friday morning and be back around 1.00 or 2.00 on Saturday morning. We can't really afford a hotel anyway."

"Don't worry Darry, I'll keep her out of trouble." Soda winked at me.

"More like the other way around!" I complained.

My brothers all laughed at that. Soda was usually the one up to mischief, although just lately I had been giving him a run for his money.

Steve came round later that evening and I was lying on the couch watching Bonanza. I had no homework to do and I was making the most of it while Darry had dragged Pony off to the grocery store with him. Steve and Soda were heading out with Sarah and Evie. While Soda was getting ready Steve was raving to him about some big drag race planned in a couple of weeks on the strip. He was planning to try and soup up the engine on his car so that he and Soda could take part.

"I don't think I can come." Soda said, as he searched frantically for his shirt in the clean laundry pile.

"Why not man? You were all up for it the other day?"

"It's on Becky's birthday and Darry and Pony ain't gonna be here. I can't leave her here all alone on her birthday."

Steve looked mad. He always hated it when Ponyboy or I got in the way of his plans with Soda. He didn't get why Soda put us first. "So what if she's alone? She won't mind." He moaned, sounding like a whiney toddler.

"Soda, I really don't mind. I don't want you to miss out. I'll be fine. Tara will come round and we'll do something nice. I honestly don't mind if you go out."

Soda came over to me buttoning up his shirt. "I hate to abandon you on your birthday. You know Mom and Dad would have never let that happen." He looked concerned.

"Pony and Darry won't be here, so we won't all be together anyway. You heard what Darry said, we'll celebrate it another day. It doesn't matter and you've been looking forward to the drag race, I don't want you to miss out just cos of the date."

"Okay Bex, thank you." He grinned at me and leaned down and kissed me on the cheek.

I didn't think Darry would be particularly thrilled at Soda leaving me alone that evening though, so I added. "You may not want to mention it to Darry though. He'll just be worried about me being here alone. As long as you're back before he is, he'll never know, right?"

"She's talking sense for once." Steve said and I glared at him, talk about a back-handed compliment. "Darry wouldn't want you to leave her without a babysitter all evening. It's best he don't know about it."

"Okay. He and Pony will be back late, around 1.00 in the morning, so that shouldn't be a problem. You make sure you invite Tara though Bex. I'd rather you had company."

"I will. We'll get a pizza or something."

"Come on Man, stop messing with your hair. We can't keep these girls waiting any longer." Steve grabbed Soda round the neck and started dragging him out, which turned into a small tussle before they finally went out the door.

"Seeya later Bex!" Soda yelled as he jumped down the steps off the porch.

"Have fun!" I yelled back and laughed.

The next day at school I mentioned to Tara about her coming round on my birthday. It was a Friday so I was hoping she could sleepover and we would have a nice chilled out evening gossiping and painting our nails etc. When she heard that my brothers were all gonna be out she had other ideas.

"That's perfect! The ideal opportunity for a party Bex! Your brothers are all out the way, we can have some friends over and celebrate properly."

"I don't think Darry is gonna go for that idea or Soda either come to that, not if he's not gonna be around to keep an eye on things."

"Well that's the beauty of it, right? He's not gonna be around and he won't be back till midnight, so we have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. We can throw everyone out at 11.00 and your brothers will be none the wiser. You don't need to even mention it to Darry." She had a wicked grin on her face and I could see her brain working overtime planning the party before I had even given the go-ahead.

"I don't think it's such a great idea Tara. I don't want a big party and I don't want to risk being in more trouble at home. You know I'll be in deep if they find out about me doing this behind their backs right?"

"Okay, we'll keep it small. Just Susie, Trish and Melanie and a couple of other guys from our class. It'll be fun. Go on Bex, when do we ever get the chance to have the house to ourselves? and it is your birthday. You deserve a party!"

I felt myself getting caught up in her enthusiasm. Maybe it would be fun to have a party. I hadn't been dancing for ages and I did love to dance. "Well, just a few people Tara. Don't get carried away."

Tara whooped in excitement and gave me a hug. "Yay Bex! I knew you'd see sense. What time shall we tell people?"

"Well, I think Soda's going out about 7.00, so maybe 7.30 till 10.30. That gives us time to get cleared up before Soda gets back."

"Sure Bex, don't worry so much. Nothing is gonna go wrong and it will be fun. I can't wait!"

I still felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement at the thought. It would be nice, but I was worried that Tara was gonna get carried away and that my brothers would find out in the end. I didn't have a good track record at getting away with stuff after all. I would have to keep a tight rein on Tara and make sure she only invited a select few.

For the moment I tried to get my mind off the party. That night was Darry's date with Rose and I was really excited that he was actually going. He got home from work early that evening and spent an age in the bathroom. He came out in his newest pair of black jeans and a blue shirt, which he had obviously ironed, a rare thing in our house. His hair was combed to perfection and he smelt of Daddy's aftershave. It was a nice smell, which reminded me of happy times curled up reading books with my Dad and his safe, strong arms. He gave such good hugs. I shook my head trying to concentrate on Darry and not think too much about how much he reminded me of Daddy.

"You look good Darry." I said. He smiled at me and I could tell he was nervous. It was unusual to see him looking unsure of himself and I hoped that the guys would not give him too hard a time, as he needed reassurance not to be picked on.

"Well, looking good there Darry, we won't wait up. I can get the kids to school in the morning if you need to, ya know, stay somewhere else tonight…" Soda grinned and punched him on the shoulder. Darry actually blushed, which made me smile. It was quite sweet to see him all bashful and nervous like this.

"I'll be back by 11.00." he said gruffly, "Pony and Bex, I want you both in bed by 10.00. You've got school in the morning."

Pony rolled his eyes and I shook my head "Don't worry about us Darry, just go out and enjoy yourself. Say hi to Rose from me."

Darry nodded and headed for the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Soda yelled after him.

"That leaves him a lot of scope." Sassed Ponyboy and Soda wrestled him down to the floor,

"Get off!" Pony yelped as Soda held his arms behind his back. "Okay, Uncle!" he yelled as I heard Darry's truck drive off.

"Enough of your cheek young'un." Soda said pulling him back up, with a smile. Pony rolled his eyes and stalked off to his room to finish his homework.

"You shouldn't tease Darry about Rose." I admonished Soda. "I think he really likes her and he's nervous. I don't want him to back out cos you guys are all getting at him."

"Ah, it's just a bit of fun, he knows that."

"I hope he does have fun tonight. I think Rose could be good for him."

"Well, it's early days Becky, don't get your hopes up just yet. I hope it works out for him too." Soda ruffled my hair and went off to the kitchen to do the dishes.

I dutifully went to bed at 10.00 but I was only just drifting off when Darry came back at 11.00 and I could hear him and Soda chatting in the kitchen. I would have to wait till morning to ask how it went and I also needed to ask about the trip to Denver. I hadn't had the chance to mention it yet, but I was hoping with my birthday coming up that I could maybe ask them to pay for my trip instead of having any presents. If all the guys clubbed together it wouldn't be so much to ask. I drifted off to sleep finally with a smile on my face and had strange but pleasant dreams about riding horses with Matt while he sang to me.