Lemme Up
I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at some point, because the next thing I remember, I was lying against Dally's chest, the smell of omelets filling the room. Ponyboy must be making dinner, I thought, considering he's the only one besides me who can cook eggs. I shifted carefully, causing Dally to wake up. He glanced around the room before realizing I was awake.
"Hey, Robs, you feelin' okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. When did you get here?"
"Soda called me. Said some bastards jumped you on the way home. Looks like they did a job on ya," he said, gently examining my forehead, where I felt a bandage taped on neatly. "They pull a blade on ya?"
"Yeah, I think," I responded. "I tried to run, Dal."
"I know, baby, I know." He kissed me lightly on the cheek before jumping up and stretching, grinning his usual devilish smile. "Hey, Pony, where's my omelet? I'm starved."
"Hold your horses, Dally, I'm comin'. Hey, is Robin awake yet?"
"Yeah, I'm awake," I called, sitting up and immediately getting light- headed. I tried to cover it up, but I could feel Dally's eyes on me.
Pony came over from the kitchen and felt my forehead. "How ya feeling, sis? Your head okay?"
"I'm fine, little bro. Can you help me up, though? I'm sick of lyin' down," I griped, smiling up at my fourteen-year-old brother. I was two years his senior, but he still seemed to take care of me like he was older. I guess I didn't mind, but I felt as though I had about a billion big brothers when the whole gang was around.
"You know Darry'll have me shot if I let you get up and walk around with your head all busted up like that," Ponyboy replied. "I'll bring you some dinner, though, if you're hungry."
"Nah, I'm okay." To tell you the truth, I felt more than a little nauseous. Being knocked around by three guys with blades doesn't help the digestive process. I should know.
"Hey, Rob, you're finally awake," Sodapop, my twin brother, greeted me. He's the most handsome one of the family, with a sculpted jaw and silky jet black hair. His eyes were deep and always full of concern. The two of us have always been indescribably close, I suppose because of the twin thing. It's like an odd connection we have. We feel each other out really well, and he always seems to know what I'm thinking almost before I even think it. He's also just about the easiest person in the world to get along with, so it makes it effortless for me to confide in him.
"Yeah. Hey, Soda, be a buddy, lemme get up," I requested, shifting uncomfortably. I never laid around this much, and I despised it.
"Can't help ya there, sis. You know Dar."
I rolled my eyes, thoroughly annoyed. Darry had a rule for everything. It wasn't his fault, I guess, since he was constantly worried that the state would randomly decide to take me, Ponyboy, and Soda and place us in foster care or something. Our parents died a couple years ago, in a freak auto accident, so Darry, at age twenty-one, became our mother/father figure. I feel for him, since he had been offered a football scholarship to the local college, which would have been a great opportunity for him to, in a way, change his stars. But he'd never be able to go now, since he has to work long hours at the construction company in order to keep the four of us with food in our bellies.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "Where is Darry, anyways?"
"Uh, I think he went somewhere with Two-Bit and Steve," Soda said, noticeably avoiding my eyes.
"Soda, don't tell me.they didn't go try to find those Socs, did they?" I asked, my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach.
"No."
"Sodapop, if you're lying to me, I swear."
Soda sighed and sat down next to me. "Okay, maybe they did. But they ain't gonna do nothin'. They ain't stupid. They don't go lookin' for trouble."
"They better not."
"Don't worry, they'll be fine."
Soda's Point of View
How could I lie to her like that? I knew perfectly well Darry was gonna come back busted up late that night. He always did whenever something happened to Robin. For Christ's sake, the whole gang would die for her without a second thought. All of us-Darry, Dallas, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny, me-would be able to go on without anyone but her. She's somethin' special, not just because she was a girl, and not just because she was my twin. She's like one of those blue moon things Pony told me about, one of those rare, special things you just don't find very often.
First of all, she's smart, quick as a whip. She's our family's only hope for a chance at a decent future. Me and Darry dropped out so we could work and support the family, knowing she was gonna go to college someday. She'd be the first. She was gonna go someplace, she'd graduate and get rich, and she'd probably go buy a home for all of us. That's the thing, she's also got a heart made of gold.
Second, despite our serious lack of money, she's also the classiest girl I've ever seen. She's got this gracefulness, like Audrey Hepburn even, that makes her seem so out of place in the craphole we grew up in. It was impossible not to like her. Everybody liked her, even some of the more decent Socs, like Pony's friend Cherry.
Third, she takes care of everybody, not really like a mom, but more like a really good friend. I don't know, she's got this way of caring about everybody so much that all of us want to take care of her even more. That's why everybody takes it so hard whenever one of the Socs jumps her, even though it ain't uncommon in our neighborhood.
I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at some point, because the next thing I remember, I was lying against Dally's chest, the smell of omelets filling the room. Ponyboy must be making dinner, I thought, considering he's the only one besides me who can cook eggs. I shifted carefully, causing Dally to wake up. He glanced around the room before realizing I was awake.
"Hey, Robs, you feelin' okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. When did you get here?"
"Soda called me. Said some bastards jumped you on the way home. Looks like they did a job on ya," he said, gently examining my forehead, where I felt a bandage taped on neatly. "They pull a blade on ya?"
"Yeah, I think," I responded. "I tried to run, Dal."
"I know, baby, I know." He kissed me lightly on the cheek before jumping up and stretching, grinning his usual devilish smile. "Hey, Pony, where's my omelet? I'm starved."
"Hold your horses, Dally, I'm comin'. Hey, is Robin awake yet?"
"Yeah, I'm awake," I called, sitting up and immediately getting light- headed. I tried to cover it up, but I could feel Dally's eyes on me.
Pony came over from the kitchen and felt my forehead. "How ya feeling, sis? Your head okay?"
"I'm fine, little bro. Can you help me up, though? I'm sick of lyin' down," I griped, smiling up at my fourteen-year-old brother. I was two years his senior, but he still seemed to take care of me like he was older. I guess I didn't mind, but I felt as though I had about a billion big brothers when the whole gang was around.
"You know Darry'll have me shot if I let you get up and walk around with your head all busted up like that," Ponyboy replied. "I'll bring you some dinner, though, if you're hungry."
"Nah, I'm okay." To tell you the truth, I felt more than a little nauseous. Being knocked around by three guys with blades doesn't help the digestive process. I should know.
"Hey, Rob, you're finally awake," Sodapop, my twin brother, greeted me. He's the most handsome one of the family, with a sculpted jaw and silky jet black hair. His eyes were deep and always full of concern. The two of us have always been indescribably close, I suppose because of the twin thing. It's like an odd connection we have. We feel each other out really well, and he always seems to know what I'm thinking almost before I even think it. He's also just about the easiest person in the world to get along with, so it makes it effortless for me to confide in him.
"Yeah. Hey, Soda, be a buddy, lemme get up," I requested, shifting uncomfortably. I never laid around this much, and I despised it.
"Can't help ya there, sis. You know Dar."
I rolled my eyes, thoroughly annoyed. Darry had a rule for everything. It wasn't his fault, I guess, since he was constantly worried that the state would randomly decide to take me, Ponyboy, and Soda and place us in foster care or something. Our parents died a couple years ago, in a freak auto accident, so Darry, at age twenty-one, became our mother/father figure. I feel for him, since he had been offered a football scholarship to the local college, which would have been a great opportunity for him to, in a way, change his stars. But he'd never be able to go now, since he has to work long hours at the construction company in order to keep the four of us with food in our bellies.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "Where is Darry, anyways?"
"Uh, I think he went somewhere with Two-Bit and Steve," Soda said, noticeably avoiding my eyes.
"Soda, don't tell me.they didn't go try to find those Socs, did they?" I asked, my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach.
"No."
"Sodapop, if you're lying to me, I swear."
Soda sighed and sat down next to me. "Okay, maybe they did. But they ain't gonna do nothin'. They ain't stupid. They don't go lookin' for trouble."
"They better not."
"Don't worry, they'll be fine."
Soda's Point of View
How could I lie to her like that? I knew perfectly well Darry was gonna come back busted up late that night. He always did whenever something happened to Robin. For Christ's sake, the whole gang would die for her without a second thought. All of us-Darry, Dallas, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny, me-would be able to go on without anyone but her. She's somethin' special, not just because she was a girl, and not just because she was my twin. She's like one of those blue moon things Pony told me about, one of those rare, special things you just don't find very often.
First of all, she's smart, quick as a whip. She's our family's only hope for a chance at a decent future. Me and Darry dropped out so we could work and support the family, knowing she was gonna go to college someday. She'd be the first. She was gonna go someplace, she'd graduate and get rich, and she'd probably go buy a home for all of us. That's the thing, she's also got a heart made of gold.
Second, despite our serious lack of money, she's also the classiest girl I've ever seen. She's got this gracefulness, like Audrey Hepburn even, that makes her seem so out of place in the craphole we grew up in. It was impossible not to like her. Everybody liked her, even some of the more decent Socs, like Pony's friend Cherry.
Third, she takes care of everybody, not really like a mom, but more like a really good friend. I don't know, she's got this way of caring about everybody so much that all of us want to take care of her even more. That's why everybody takes it so hard whenever one of the Socs jumps her, even though it ain't uncommon in our neighborhood.