3. Steve and the socs.
As we ran Two Bit panted out what he knew: "Steve was on his way round to your place, and then these socs stopped their car and they all called out to him. 'Hey Greaser, looks like you could do with a shower!' And Steve- being Steve- told them where to go. And so they got out of the car, and they surrounded him, and if I hadn't been walking by.....well I thought about stopping there and helping, but there were about five of them, and we would have been pretty outnumbered. Darry, do you remember James King?"
Darry nodded. He wasn't speaking, clearly saving his energy for the fight which might lie ahead.
"Well it was him and his mates, probably on vacation from College." Two Bit said.
The name James rang a bell, and I wondered whether he was the same one who Darry used to knock round with before he went off to college, and before Darry started working full time. I think he was the third of the group, Paul Holden had made up the other member. I glanced at Soda, realising he hadn't spoken. Normally when there was the prospect of a rumble my brother was all hyped up and excited. I remembered the last time we had a rumble, and I had asked him why he liked fights, and he had replied "It's action. It's a contest. Like a drag race or something." I figured he was still worrying about Sandy.
We rounded the corner, and there was Steve. The socs' had obviously left, and we were too late. Soda was the first to his friend's side, and he knelt on the ground next to him. I looked at him, and I'm no doctor, but he didn't look well. He was pale, almost to the point of being grey, and his eyes were closed. His face was swollen, and there was a cut somewhere above his hairline which was bleeding. But the worst thing was the way his arm stuck out at a funny angle- it was clearly broken.
"Steve?" Soda asked. "Hey buddy, wake up."
Steve opened his eyes, and he managed a weak smile. "Bunch of socs." He said. And then he clutched at his bad arm with his good one. "I think they've broken it. God help me if they have, how on earth can I work with only one hand?"
Nobody answered that, instead Darry said "We better get you to the emergency room. Pony, do you want to go home-"
"I'm coming with you Darry!" I insisted. I didn't even know what he was going to say, but I wanted to go with them. Soda might need me.
Darry frowned at me. "I was going to say, go and call Steve's parents!" He said.
"Can't I do that from the hospital?" I demanded.
Darry shook his head. "Pony just do it, they need to know so they can go to the hospital to be with him!" I grumbled about it, but left, and ran home. I didn't realise it at the time, but Darry clearly had other plans, and had I known there is no way I would have left and gone home. And when I did find out later that night I went off at him!
I was sitting on the couch waiting when they returned home. "Did Steve's parents get to the hospital?" I asked, not turning around. I was reading a book, and I was still annoyed at Darry for sending me home when I could just as easily have rang Steve's parents from the hospital. I don't know his parents very well, his Dad is a truck driver and not home very often, and his Mum is out most nights partying. Sometimes I wonder whether us Curtis' are better off without parents and with each other than Steve is with parents who don't really have the time for him?
"I don't know." Darry replied tiredly. "But when we left they were fixing his arm and they gave him something for the pain. He'll probably be in the hospital a few days, and the doc says he might be off work for awhile.."
"You don't know?" I asked, surprised, not really paying attention to the second part of the comment, and now I turned around, and my mouth dropped open. "Darry? Where have you been?"
"We went after the Socs!" Darry replied, and he dropped tiredly into a chair. Apart from the fact that his clothes were roughed up, and he was slightly bruised on the face he didn't look like he had been doing anything out of the ordinary. Soda looked a little worse off, but not that bad really. At least not as bad as Steve had looked!
"You what?"
"Don't look at me like that Pony." Darry said, running a hand through his hair, as he did when he was tired, or stressed.
"Darry, how could you have done that without me?" I asked.
"They are all a lot bigger than you Pony, you could have gotten hurt, and I'm responsible for you.." Darry replied.
"I could have gotten hurt, but so could you!" I snapped. I didn't usually speak to Darry like that; it usually wasn't worth it, but I was furious at him, and at Soda. Now I turned to Soda. "And you! You could have been hurt. And then I where would I be?"
"Pony, leave it." Soda said tiredly, but there was no chance of that, not in my current mood.
"Just because you have problems with Sandy there is no reason to go do something so stupid!" I yelled.
Soda dropped his head, and didn't reply, but Darry glared at me. "Pony, just go to bed!" He said. "Leave Soda alone."
"Leave Soda alone?" I repeated. "Fine. But don't think I am going to forget this!" I stormed off to bed, but I didn't fall asleep. Darry had been worried about me in the last rumble, the one against the socs, but I had done all right hadn't I? Sure afterwards I hadn't been so good, but that had nothing to do with the fight; it was because of Johnny's death.
I pretended to be asleep when Soda came to bed.
"Pony? You awake?"
I didn't reply.
"I know you are Pony. I can tell by your breathing!" He said.
I didn't reply.
"Darry just did what he thought was right. After all the things you've been through lately and all.It affects you Pony, even if you want to act all tough and pretend it doesn't! It's like.I don't know...but if I see one more person hurt so badly....it tears at me Pony......sometimes I think I should just get away from here, not come back!"
Now I rolled over to face him. "Don't leave us." I said.
"Oh I won't Pony, I just think about it sometimes." Soda said.
"Good..Soda?" I asked.
"Mmm?" He replied.
"What are you going to do about Sandy?" I asked.
Soda was quiet for a long time. Then he said "I don't know Pony. I'll think about it in the morning..."
Soon his breathing told me he was asleep, but I had a harder time falling asleep. It wasn't that I was still so angry about not being included in the rumble, part of me could actually understand Darry's reasoning, no matter how adamantly I disagreed with it! I was worried about Soda, and Sandy. Could this be the thing to finally break the Curtis'? After all we had been through in the last few months didn't we deserve some peace now?
As we ran Two Bit panted out what he knew: "Steve was on his way round to your place, and then these socs stopped their car and they all called out to him. 'Hey Greaser, looks like you could do with a shower!' And Steve- being Steve- told them where to go. And so they got out of the car, and they surrounded him, and if I hadn't been walking by.....well I thought about stopping there and helping, but there were about five of them, and we would have been pretty outnumbered. Darry, do you remember James King?"
Darry nodded. He wasn't speaking, clearly saving his energy for the fight which might lie ahead.
"Well it was him and his mates, probably on vacation from College." Two Bit said.
The name James rang a bell, and I wondered whether he was the same one who Darry used to knock round with before he went off to college, and before Darry started working full time. I think he was the third of the group, Paul Holden had made up the other member. I glanced at Soda, realising he hadn't spoken. Normally when there was the prospect of a rumble my brother was all hyped up and excited. I remembered the last time we had a rumble, and I had asked him why he liked fights, and he had replied "It's action. It's a contest. Like a drag race or something." I figured he was still worrying about Sandy.
We rounded the corner, and there was Steve. The socs' had obviously left, and we were too late. Soda was the first to his friend's side, and he knelt on the ground next to him. I looked at him, and I'm no doctor, but he didn't look well. He was pale, almost to the point of being grey, and his eyes were closed. His face was swollen, and there was a cut somewhere above his hairline which was bleeding. But the worst thing was the way his arm stuck out at a funny angle- it was clearly broken.
"Steve?" Soda asked. "Hey buddy, wake up."
Steve opened his eyes, and he managed a weak smile. "Bunch of socs." He said. And then he clutched at his bad arm with his good one. "I think they've broken it. God help me if they have, how on earth can I work with only one hand?"
Nobody answered that, instead Darry said "We better get you to the emergency room. Pony, do you want to go home-"
"I'm coming with you Darry!" I insisted. I didn't even know what he was going to say, but I wanted to go with them. Soda might need me.
Darry frowned at me. "I was going to say, go and call Steve's parents!" He said.
"Can't I do that from the hospital?" I demanded.
Darry shook his head. "Pony just do it, they need to know so they can go to the hospital to be with him!" I grumbled about it, but left, and ran home. I didn't realise it at the time, but Darry clearly had other plans, and had I known there is no way I would have left and gone home. And when I did find out later that night I went off at him!
I was sitting on the couch waiting when they returned home. "Did Steve's parents get to the hospital?" I asked, not turning around. I was reading a book, and I was still annoyed at Darry for sending me home when I could just as easily have rang Steve's parents from the hospital. I don't know his parents very well, his Dad is a truck driver and not home very often, and his Mum is out most nights partying. Sometimes I wonder whether us Curtis' are better off without parents and with each other than Steve is with parents who don't really have the time for him?
"I don't know." Darry replied tiredly. "But when we left they were fixing his arm and they gave him something for the pain. He'll probably be in the hospital a few days, and the doc says he might be off work for awhile.."
"You don't know?" I asked, surprised, not really paying attention to the second part of the comment, and now I turned around, and my mouth dropped open. "Darry? Where have you been?"
"We went after the Socs!" Darry replied, and he dropped tiredly into a chair. Apart from the fact that his clothes were roughed up, and he was slightly bruised on the face he didn't look like he had been doing anything out of the ordinary. Soda looked a little worse off, but not that bad really. At least not as bad as Steve had looked!
"You what?"
"Don't look at me like that Pony." Darry said, running a hand through his hair, as he did when he was tired, or stressed.
"Darry, how could you have done that without me?" I asked.
"They are all a lot bigger than you Pony, you could have gotten hurt, and I'm responsible for you.." Darry replied.
"I could have gotten hurt, but so could you!" I snapped. I didn't usually speak to Darry like that; it usually wasn't worth it, but I was furious at him, and at Soda. Now I turned to Soda. "And you! You could have been hurt. And then I where would I be?"
"Pony, leave it." Soda said tiredly, but there was no chance of that, not in my current mood.
"Just because you have problems with Sandy there is no reason to go do something so stupid!" I yelled.
Soda dropped his head, and didn't reply, but Darry glared at me. "Pony, just go to bed!" He said. "Leave Soda alone."
"Leave Soda alone?" I repeated. "Fine. But don't think I am going to forget this!" I stormed off to bed, but I didn't fall asleep. Darry had been worried about me in the last rumble, the one against the socs, but I had done all right hadn't I? Sure afterwards I hadn't been so good, but that had nothing to do with the fight; it was because of Johnny's death.
I pretended to be asleep when Soda came to bed.
"Pony? You awake?"
I didn't reply.
"I know you are Pony. I can tell by your breathing!" He said.
I didn't reply.
"Darry just did what he thought was right. After all the things you've been through lately and all.It affects you Pony, even if you want to act all tough and pretend it doesn't! It's like.I don't know...but if I see one more person hurt so badly....it tears at me Pony......sometimes I think I should just get away from here, not come back!"
Now I rolled over to face him. "Don't leave us." I said.
"Oh I won't Pony, I just think about it sometimes." Soda said.
"Good..Soda?" I asked.
"Mmm?" He replied.
"What are you going to do about Sandy?" I asked.
Soda was quiet for a long time. Then he said "I don't know Pony. I'll think about it in the morning..."
Soon his breathing told me he was asleep, but I had a harder time falling asleep. It wasn't that I was still so angry about not being included in the rumble, part of me could actually understand Darry's reasoning, no matter how adamantly I disagreed with it! I was worried about Soda, and Sandy. Could this be the thing to finally break the Curtis'? After all we had been through in the last few months didn't we deserve some peace now?
