NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, this is chapter one! *claps* I became inspired to write this after reading some fanfiction here and I wanted a piece of the action so.here goes! This is set post novel, and I did this because I didn't want to go back and change The Outsiders and I wanted a challenge. Sorry if it's so long, I sort of got carried away. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to suggest them in the review (hint hint). Especially for names, I have a hard time coming up with ones I like. So here goes.
CHAPTER ONE
June 1965
PONYBOY CURTIS' POINT OF VIEW
I'd love to start things off by saying "it was an ordinary day", but hardly anything's been ordinary since Dally and Johnny died. It affected every one of us. And besides, even if they weren't.you know, dead, then it still wouldn't be ordinary. But it'd be better then the alternative.
You see, I'm a greaser, a JD, a hood. I grease my hair and drive fast cars and smoke and drink and all that good shit. Not that my brother, Darry, is too proud of that. He don't like the fact I stay out too late and coast through high school. I understand what he's trying to say, just I don't bother to listen. It was one of those school nights where I'm supposed to be gettin' a good night's sleep, but since Soda and Steve were going to some hotshot dance at high school, the semi annual, semi formal, semi important Prom or somethin'. I figured mine as well stay for as long as I could. Soda's my other brother. My folks died back when I was young in a car crash, so Soda and Darry take care of me. Soda dropped out of high school 'cuz he claimed he was too dumb. I don't believe that though. I think some of the wisest things you learn from some of the most uneducated people. Like Sodapop. He lives life everyday like it was his last, even though he's a poor-as-dirt greaser who works at a gas station.
Speaking of which, we were at that very gas station Sodapop and his best friend Steve Randle worked at. Steve don't like me much, and it's mutual 'cuz I don't like him either, though we've gotten better since Johnny and Dally.died and all. He's only seventeen but he moved out of his folks' house after one helluva fight they had. He supports himself and his cousin from Kansas, Anya. She's Soda's girlfriend, sweet as all get out but not the brightest girl around.
So it was just the five of us, me, Soda, Steve, Anya and Steve's girl Evie. Anya was sucking on a cherry lollipop and waiting for closing time. She was only sixteen but wore heavy eye make-up and lipstick that made her look like she was seventeen. Evie and Anya are the type of girls we greasers run around with; they swear, wear heavy make-up and wait nervously for their boys to come home from the latest rumble between the Socs, the upper-class snobs that like to gang up on us. We all carry blades now, even the girls.
Evie lit a cigarette and passed her lighter to Anya, "Hey, Stevie, when you closing up? We ain't got all night."
"Yeah, hold on, dollface," Steve said as he walked outside to attend a customer. Soda was helping out at the cashier register, although he can't do math. I was sitting outside drinking a Pepsi. That's when Two-Bit Mathews popped in. He's another one of our little gang, always boozed up but always got a wisecrack up his sleeve. Pretty cool guy, even though he's a junior at eighteen and a half. He ruffled my hair, "Hey, kid, gotta smoke?"
"Yeah, don't call me kid," I said grudgingly as I handed him a Camel. I really meant it, but he don't care.
"Hey, what's goin' on here, Presbyterian Church Meetin' or somethin'?" asked Two-Bit sarcastically. I was shocked he knew such a big word as Presbyterian. Evie and Anya giggled at his comment, finding humor where I didn't.
"Yeah, Two-Bit, we're headin' to a dance," Soda told him. "Down at the high school. We can give ya a ride if ya need one."
Two-Bit shook his head, "Nah, I'm just gonna wander around downtown. Wanna come, Ponyboy?"
"Sure," I said nonchalantly. I threw my cigarette butt out into the busy streets. I had been sitting on the steps of the gas station's refreshment store, just starin' out at the sunset. I dig sunsets more then anyone else in our gang. 'cept Johnny, Johnny used to at least try to 'stand them. Till he died. And Cherry Valance, a Socy girl, real nice. Pretty as all get out too.
I stood up and left with Two-Bit by the time Soda and Steve closed shop. We began to wander aimlessly around downtown. We passed by Tim Shepard and his gang who were slashing the tires on some tuff lookin' Mustang. It would be tough to tell if any of them were actually sober.
"Heya, Tim," shouted Two-Bit. "Haven't seen you around since you robbed that Winn Dixie, hey?" Darry would've killed me if he knew I was runnin' around with Tim Shepard and his gang. Then again, Darry didn't have to know. Tim looked up to see Two-Bit. In one arm was a greasy lookin' broad, and in the other was a bottle of vodka.
"Hey, if it ain't Two-Bit and Ponyboy. Give 'em a warm welcome, boys!" The gang clapped.
Two-Bit grinned and held out his arms, "Thank you, thank you, I'll be back tomorrow."
"So what's a kid grease like you doin' out so late?" Tim asked before taking a swig of alcohol. Two-Bit grabbed the bottle and downed nearly half of it. He wiped the excess off on his leather jacket and passed the bottle to me. I took a quick drink before passing it to Tim's girl of the week. She nearly downed the whole bottle.
"Eh, leave him alone, Shepard. Didn't wanna go to that high school dance with Soda and Steve and their girls," defended Two-Bit. He stumbled and nearly fell face first into the concrete. I hated watching them get drunk.
"Hey, Timmy, let's go to the Prom afterwards," said Tim's girlfriend. I could smell her breath from the five feet I was standing away from her. Vodka can smell really nasty after a while.
"Good idea, Kathy. After we hold up that supermarket we'll need a place to hide out," Tim replied. He kissed his girl for what seemed like an eternity before turning to me and Two-Bit, "Well, see ya hoods around."
"See ya, Tim," Two-Bit said as Tim and his gang left. He shook his head chuckling, "That Tim Shepard sure is nice. C'mon, I'll buy you a Pepsi at 7-11." So we started walking off to the 7-11. Little did I know I would meet the girl of my dreams there.
SODAPOP CURTIS' POINT OF VIEW
On a Thursday night, everyone in Tulsa, Oklahoma drove like a maniac. I was no exception. Me best friend, Steve, and his girl, Evie, was in the back of the truck while Anya Randle sat in the front. I looked to Anya and was just purely amazed. Her soft dark blonde hair was lifted in the mad rush of air while her brown eyes gazed out the window. She had that small town charm, coming from a farm on Kansas. She's been the only girl that's brought a smile to my face since the day Sandy left.
I parked Darry's beat-up truck on the sidewalk as he, Steve, Anya and Evie hopped out of the car. Darry was out for the weekend skiing with a group of friends he went to high school with, so I don't think he would mind too much. As we walk into the Prom I drape an arm over Anya's shoulders. They seem to be shaking from the cold.
A live garage band was playing there. They don't have much talent, hell, they didn't have any talent but they played some kickin' tunes. Y'see, normally there's strict places for the Socs and the greasers. Us greasers have The Dingo and The Way Out, while the Socs (I'm not sure how to spell it, it's the abbreviation of socials) have their own fancy hang-outs. I dropped out of high school since I was too dumb, but Evie and Anya were still enrolled so they could sneak us in.
"C'mon, Anya," I said. Something was wrong, I could see it in her eyes. They weren't the lively brown eyes I first gazed into when she first came up to visit. They were clouded over and dark. "What's wrong, babydoll?"
"Nothing," she murmured. I thought I saw a tear roll down her face but I couldn't swear to it. I tried to lift her chin with my finger to see what was wrong, but she only looked away.
"Hold on for a moment," she said, and then she hurried off to the direction of the bathroom. She was clutching her purse or somethin' on the way there. I shrugged. I frankly wanted to send Evie in there to see what was wrong but she was too busy dancing with Steve.
It was just then somebody bumped into me. I turned around and saw it was another teenager, a dirt blonde haired Soc from the looks of it. He was tall, with dark, unrelenting eyes, with a bowl cut and a cigarette dangling from his thin lips. Next to him was a pretty blonde girl, another Soc, though she seemed to look a little friendlier.
"Hey, get outta my way, grease," spat the Soc.
His girlfriend tried to calm him down, "Leave him alone, Spike, he wasn't bothering anybody."
"Shuddup, Sarah, and stay back with Gloria," snapped the Soc, Spike. His buddy moved to the front, while the girl, Sarah, stood next to the other girl, a classy looking brunette. Spike took out his cigarette and threw it at me. The burning butt burned my skin briefly but was dowsed as it fell to the ground.
"I don't even know why the allow trash like you in here," Spike said. He sounded drunk but with some people you can never tell if that's how they normally talk or they're drunk off their rocker. Like Two-Bit. He's always drunk, so that's his usual voice.
The bandleader was trying in vain to calm the audience, shouting, "We're taking requests now! Anyone? A little Beatles.Elvis.anybody?" The dance crowd was beginning to move closer and closer. Steve and Evie had now moved to the forefront to counter Spike and his friend.
"Hey, leave us alone, we were just partyin'," I said. Spike wasn't listening, he looked to his friend and snickered before turning back to us, "Is that so? Hey, Chris, is that the way it looked to you?"
"Nope," said Spike's friend Chris.
"Same here," said Spike. I had my hand on my blade just in case he tried to pull something.
"Spike, it's getting dark," said Spike's girlfriend Sarah. "Take me home."
"I told you to shut up," barked Spike.
"Hey, looks like the big time Socs here need a woman to nag at them all day," Steve catcalled. Spike's face flushed with anger.
The cute brunette, Gloria, began to say something, "Chris, Sarah's right, let's just head home."
"We're not finished with them grease-" began Chris. He never got the chance to finish.
"Now!" ordered Gloria. Chris and Spike looked to one another and sighed. The Soc turned back just one last time, gloating, "Don't think this is finished."
"Yeah, don't think it is either," snarled Steve as the four Socs left. He took out a cigarette and began to smoke. It was then that Anya had come back. She seemed a bit better now, so we started to pick up the pace and dance.
PONYBOY'S POINT OF VIEW
I can still 'member it. Night had already begun to settle, even though it was just ten with the last view strands of sunlight desperately trying to survive. Two-Bit and I had started walking to the local 7-11 just to buy some cigarettes and a Pepsi or two. We weren't in too hot of a neighborhood; Soda and Steve had got jumped here by greasers themselves. Two-Bit was stumbling nearly the entire way, and he started to slur his words together. I could smell the vodka on his breath.
I breathed in the scent of a barbecue not too far away. I liked June a lot. School was wrapping up, so Darry gave me and Soda a bit more leisurely time to spend. Me and Darry have actually begun getting along lately, ever since Johnny and Dally.well, died.
Two-Bit and I walked into the store and said hi to the cashier, Larry. He's a black guy about Darry's age, richer then us but not by much. I walked over to the cigarettes aisle in the back while Two-Bit began looking for something to shoplift. Even in his best buddy's own store he has to shoplift.
It was then that all hell broke loose. I remember it clearly. A tuff lookin' Thunderbird pulled up in the parking lot. Two guys, a blonde with a bowl cut and a black haired Soc wearing a madras, and two girls, a blonde and a brunette, hopped out of the car. The brunette was not bad, a bit skinny but cute nonetheless. It was the blonde that made me stare. She had legs of an actual woman, with soft, icy blonde hair and beautiful olive green eyes. She was a head turner.
However, I noticed that the two guys were in a bad mood, and that's one thing you don't wanna cross; two Socs in a bad mood. I whispered to Two-Bit, "Socs, hide." He seemed perfectly content to, and made himself comfortable but sitting down and smelling the Coke he had swiped.
The blonde guy with the bowl cut kicked open the door. Larry was startled, and I saw him cower. The two girls, both who seemed like perfectly proper young ladies, immediately went off to find bubble gum. I always liked the way Socy girls looked. They didn't wear too much make-up and wore their dresses at a decent length. These two were no exception, although they were wearing the latest fad, a miniskirt created by some London woman. The blonde though was really good looking, and the burgundy red skirt with the proper white top made her stunning.
Out of the blue, the male, blonde Soc took out a pistol and pointed it at Larry, "Give me all the money, n*****." (Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the racial slurs. I just wanted to show how amoral Spi-er, the blonde haired Soc was so please forgive me thanks)
"Spike, what the heck do you think you're doing?" demanded the good looking blonde girl. Just then, the other male, the one with the black hair, took out a pistol as well. He fired at Larry's telephone, "We mean business."
"Christopher!" shouted the brunette Soc. The black haired Soc, Chris, grabbed Larry and held him up against the wall with the gun at his throat while Spike went shuffling through the cash register. The two girls stood there, the blonde especially appalled, while the brunette looked slightly fearful.
"This all you got?" asked the blonde Soc, Spike as he held up a wad of dollars. Larry nodded, beads of sweat dripping down his face. I could only peer over the aisle, watching the looks of horror cross the blonde girl's face.
Spike shrugged, "We'll take it." He crammed the money into his bag and began to throw open boxes, taking anything of value.
"Spike, when I meant that we should leave from the Prom I didn't mean to rob a 7-11!" shouted the blonde girl. "This is illegal."
"Look, don't even get started on your smart shit 'cuz I ain't got time for it," shouted Spike, pointing with his gun at the girl. He waltzed over to the gum rack and tossed bubble gum to the girls. The blonde girl let it fall to the ground, while the brunette caught it. She opened it up and popped a piece of bubble gum into her mouth.
"Gloria!" shouted the blonde.
"What?" she said. "We've already caused the crime, mine as well get something out of it." The brunette happily settled back to chewing the bubble gum. The blonde haired girl crossed her arms. I couldn't believe what was happening. Sure, Dally used to rob stores, that's how he ended up dead. But never had I been apart of one.
"Well, that looks about it," said Spike. "Don't worry, we'll be back next week. Let's go, Chris." Spike's partner-in-crime, Chris, lowered the gun from Larry's throat. But to make the score even, he walloped him across the face. I heard a crack, like the sound of someone chewing rocks, and Larry tumbled to the ground. Chris then kicked Larry in the stomach and hit him over the head with the gun. Chris and Spike, followed by Gloria and then the blonde, hurried outside. I watched from the window, and saw the two male Socs get in the Thunderbird.
"What are you two broads doin', c'mon, the fuzz'll be here any minute," Spike said. The blonde stood her ground, arms crossed, refusing to budge. Gloria, the brunette, looked nervously back between her friend and her boyfriend.
"Ah, c'mon, Sarah, I'll split the money with us four ways," said Spike.
"This is wrong!" the blonde said. "This is a federal crime, Spike. You can get charged, put on trial, even put in jail!"
"No we won't," said Spike, lighting his cigarette with his car lighter. "We're Socs. We never get blamed for anything. Remember last week, the Winn Dixie? All I had to do was say it was one of those greaser idiots and the fuzz believed me. Now get in the car."
"No!"
"Get in the fucking car, Sarah!"
"That's not the way you talk to a lady," shouted the girl. Their voices were getting really loud now. I could see the apparent horror in the blonde's eyes, and the cruel gaze of her boyfriend Spike.
"Gloria, we'll give you a ride home," Chris said. Gloria sighed, looked to her best friend and then her boyfriend, and slowly walked over to the Thunderbird and got into the car seat. By the look on her face, she didn't seem too happy with her decision.
"Gloria!" shouted the blonde girl. The Thunderbird began to peel out of the driveway, "Hey, wait, I want a ride." The Thunderbird then burned rubber as they skidded off, with the blonde girl shouting, "Fine! I don't need you! I can walk home!" I saw her rub her arms and sit down on the sidewalk, slightly shaking.
I had to tell Two-Bit, "Wake up, Two-Bit, wake up, we've been robbed?"
"Wha.?" he asked. He had already passed out from alcohol overdose. I sighed, but I heard some voices coming from outside. I stood up and saw a gang of greasers edge forward to the abandoned girl. I saw glimmers of knives and chains, and I began to get worried. These weren't average greasers; they were the Brumly boys, bums through and through. Steve had told me a story about them that made me nearly vomit. He said he'd never let Anya or Evie out of his sight ever again.
"Hey little girl." The Soc turned to see who had spoken, "Who's there?"
"Just us bad boys of the night," the Brumly gangster said. He had a scar and a broken nose. His fingers looked like they had been horribly cut as well. The leader seemed to look more like Frankenstein's monster then an actual teenager hood.
"Greasers," The Soc said. The Brumly boys laughed, "You could call us that."
"Look, I don't have any money." the girl began to explain.
The Brumly ringleader laughed, "Oh well. Guess we'll have to settle for something else. How long do you think she'll struggle, boys?"
"I'd say about half an hour," said one of the other Brumly boys.
"Good," said the Brumly ringleader, "I love it when they fight back."
"Wait, I don't quite understand." began the Soc. It finally dawned upon her, and her face grew queasy. "Oh my word.somebody, HELP ME!" The 7-11 was in a lonely neighborhood, where everyone ignored the panic screams in fear of mugged and then knifed.
"Two-Bit, wake up!" I said urgently, shaking him. I couldn't let that girl get thrown to that pack of wolves like that. No one deserved that. I frantically shook Two-Bit and watched in horror as the ringleader grabbed the Soc. She started to punch him, but she was no match for even the weakest one of them. Figuring out that I couldn't wake up Two-Bit, I slung him over my shoulders and hurried out, "Get away from her!" The Brumly boys and the Soc turned to see me. I couldn't believe it. There had to have been at least seven of them, and not a single one unarmed in the least.
"Look at what we got here, boys," the ringleader said. "A kid grease standing up for the Socy broad. Well whatcha gonna do, kid grease? Whatcha gonna do for the girl, huh?"
I frankly had no idea of what I was going to do. I only had Two-Bit's and my blade, and that wouldn't help much to hold off against seven hoods. The leader threw the blonde Soc to another of his friends, who grabbed her purse, her only fighting weapon before chucking the girl to the concrete ground. The girl, beaten and abused, gladly fell to the ground, sobbing like a little child.
It was just then that Two-Bit woke up. He clutched his skull and shook his head violently, "Man, I think I'm gonna puke."
Immediately the Brumly boys dropped their weapons. The leader looked apologetic, saying, "Two-Bit, hey, we're sorry for messing with your woman. We didn't know.yeah, yeah, that's it. Let's go, boys." The Brumly boys immediately scampered off. I had no idea why Two-Bit's presence had an effect over them, but I wasn't disappointed that's for sure. I then hurried over to the girl while Two-Bit sat on the sidewalk, shaking his head and muttering to himself.
"It's alright," I soothed. "They're gone now. I'm not gonna hurt you." The blonde girl looked up at me, her cheeks tear-stained. God, she was beautiful even then. Her face was a mix between confusion and a yearning to trust. Her white blouse was torn, and she looked like a wreck.
"H-h-how can I trust you?" she asked.
"Do you think the Brumly boys back there would give you a ride home?" I asked. I held out my hand, "Ponyboy Curtis."
She skeptically looked at it before shaking it, "I'm Sarah, Sarah Van Pelt." She tried to stand up, but tripped over her shoes. I caught her in my arms.
"Thank you," she said. She brushed her tousled blonde hair out of her face. "Thank you for saving me, I've never been out at night without someone with me, usually Spike." Her voice drifted off as I helped her to Larry's truck. His car door was open, making it all the easier to sneak into.
"Isn't this that cashier's car?" asked Sarah. I nodded as I threw Two- Bit in the back. He was beginning to wake up, but still hadn't grasped the concept of what had happened. I hadn't driven a truck before, I was only fifteen but I'd seen Soda and Darry do it plenty of times before. Sarah seemed to have calmed down a bit, but her eyes still had a bewildered look to them.
"So, Ponyboy, how old are you?" she asked. I guess she was trying to make conversation, so I figured I mine as well talk to the girl.
"Fifteen," I replied.
Sarah looked a bit startled, "Wait, you're not old enough to drive."
"Ah, I've seen Darry and Soda do it. Can't be too hard," I said. I lied. I was trying to make it look easier then it really was. No such luck.
After I got the car out on the road, Sarah continued talking to me, "I think I've seen you around school. Cherry talked about you--"
"You know Cherry?" I asked. Cherry Valance was a Soc and the first person that made me confirm I wasn't going insane. What could I say about Cherry? Cherry was Cherry, and I was glad that it was that way.
Sarah nodded, "Yeah. I go to her 4th of July barbecues all the time. It's just you're in your sophomore year and you had to be fourteen when you started high school."
"Yeah, I got put up a year in grade school. Darry, my brother, he says I'm smart and all."
"Well, you seem well educated," she said brightly. "You could grow up and do good things for this world, because we sure need it."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She shrugged, "Well, nowadays people are saying you can't trust anyone over thirty. Our parents lived in a different time and they don't understand what's going on. Time's are changing, Ponyboy. Black folks getting respect, we've got Russians in space, our own president was assassinated." I could tell Sarah was real passionate about what she was saying. She sighed and continued. "High school isn't going to last forever. It just seems like there's no one out there that realizes that."
"I do." She looked up at me and nodded slightly. I couldn't tell if she was smiling or not. There was an awkward silence between us, as if we had an idea of what to say but not the right words. And then, for some reason to this day I have no idea why, I started telling her everything. About Dally and Johnny and the church fire. Through this she did nothing but listen, ingesting all of what I was telling her.
When I was finished, she paused for a moment before speaking, "I know what you mean, Ponyboy. It should've changed, with Johnny and Dallas Winston's deaths. We're little better then we were back then. I just don't understand. There's a lot of people these days who don't care about anything these days--"
"Like Spike and Chris?" I asked randomly.
Sarah nodded painfully, "Yes, like Spike and Chris. They've done this before, it's disgusting. They don't have any aspirations or hopes other then to get drunk and sleep with as many girls as possible. I wish I could say what you saw today wasn't how they always act, but.it is." I glanced over to see Sarah. She looked on the verge of tears, as if her relationship with her boyfriend was too painful to talk about. The mixed emotions on her face were near impossible to read. I would've given anything at that moment to make her feel better.
"I don't want to go home tonight," she said softly as I somehow managed to park Larry's car in front of her house. It was incredible. It was three stories tall, an old Victorian house painted white. The lawn was perfect, amongst everything else. "Face my parents, or Spike or anyone."
"Well, if you want," I said, blushing like a bashful schoolboy, "you can stay at my place. I don't think my brothers will mind."
Sarah looked over at me. I could only see this through peripheral vision, since I suddenly found the steering wheel to Larry's car quite fascinating. I could've sworn she gave me a small smile, "You're a good man, Ponyboy. I'll see you around." And then she stepped out of the truck, shut the door and strolled up the stairs to her front door. I waited to make sure she was in safely, then tried to figure out how I was going to drive back to my place.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, this is chapter one! *claps* I became inspired to write this after reading some fanfiction here and I wanted a piece of the action so.here goes! This is set post novel, and I did this because I didn't want to go back and change The Outsiders and I wanted a challenge. Sorry if it's so long, I sort of got carried away. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to suggest them in the review (hint hint). Especially for names, I have a hard time coming up with ones I like. So here goes.
CHAPTER ONE
June 1965
PONYBOY CURTIS' POINT OF VIEW
I'd love to start things off by saying "it was an ordinary day", but hardly anything's been ordinary since Dally and Johnny died. It affected every one of us. And besides, even if they weren't.you know, dead, then it still wouldn't be ordinary. But it'd be better then the alternative.
You see, I'm a greaser, a JD, a hood. I grease my hair and drive fast cars and smoke and drink and all that good shit. Not that my brother, Darry, is too proud of that. He don't like the fact I stay out too late and coast through high school. I understand what he's trying to say, just I don't bother to listen. It was one of those school nights where I'm supposed to be gettin' a good night's sleep, but since Soda and Steve were going to some hotshot dance at high school, the semi annual, semi formal, semi important Prom or somethin'. I figured mine as well stay for as long as I could. Soda's my other brother. My folks died back when I was young in a car crash, so Soda and Darry take care of me. Soda dropped out of high school 'cuz he claimed he was too dumb. I don't believe that though. I think some of the wisest things you learn from some of the most uneducated people. Like Sodapop. He lives life everyday like it was his last, even though he's a poor-as-dirt greaser who works at a gas station.
Speaking of which, we were at that very gas station Sodapop and his best friend Steve Randle worked at. Steve don't like me much, and it's mutual 'cuz I don't like him either, though we've gotten better since Johnny and Dally.died and all. He's only seventeen but he moved out of his folks' house after one helluva fight they had. He supports himself and his cousin from Kansas, Anya. She's Soda's girlfriend, sweet as all get out but not the brightest girl around.
So it was just the five of us, me, Soda, Steve, Anya and Steve's girl Evie. Anya was sucking on a cherry lollipop and waiting for closing time. She was only sixteen but wore heavy eye make-up and lipstick that made her look like she was seventeen. Evie and Anya are the type of girls we greasers run around with; they swear, wear heavy make-up and wait nervously for their boys to come home from the latest rumble between the Socs, the upper-class snobs that like to gang up on us. We all carry blades now, even the girls.
Evie lit a cigarette and passed her lighter to Anya, "Hey, Stevie, when you closing up? We ain't got all night."
"Yeah, hold on, dollface," Steve said as he walked outside to attend a customer. Soda was helping out at the cashier register, although he can't do math. I was sitting outside drinking a Pepsi. That's when Two-Bit Mathews popped in. He's another one of our little gang, always boozed up but always got a wisecrack up his sleeve. Pretty cool guy, even though he's a junior at eighteen and a half. He ruffled my hair, "Hey, kid, gotta smoke?"
"Yeah, don't call me kid," I said grudgingly as I handed him a Camel. I really meant it, but he don't care.
"Hey, what's goin' on here, Presbyterian Church Meetin' or somethin'?" asked Two-Bit sarcastically. I was shocked he knew such a big word as Presbyterian. Evie and Anya giggled at his comment, finding humor where I didn't.
"Yeah, Two-Bit, we're headin' to a dance," Soda told him. "Down at the high school. We can give ya a ride if ya need one."
Two-Bit shook his head, "Nah, I'm just gonna wander around downtown. Wanna come, Ponyboy?"
"Sure," I said nonchalantly. I threw my cigarette butt out into the busy streets. I had been sitting on the steps of the gas station's refreshment store, just starin' out at the sunset. I dig sunsets more then anyone else in our gang. 'cept Johnny, Johnny used to at least try to 'stand them. Till he died. And Cherry Valance, a Socy girl, real nice. Pretty as all get out too.
I stood up and left with Two-Bit by the time Soda and Steve closed shop. We began to wander aimlessly around downtown. We passed by Tim Shepard and his gang who were slashing the tires on some tuff lookin' Mustang. It would be tough to tell if any of them were actually sober.
"Heya, Tim," shouted Two-Bit. "Haven't seen you around since you robbed that Winn Dixie, hey?" Darry would've killed me if he knew I was runnin' around with Tim Shepard and his gang. Then again, Darry didn't have to know. Tim looked up to see Two-Bit. In one arm was a greasy lookin' broad, and in the other was a bottle of vodka.
"Hey, if it ain't Two-Bit and Ponyboy. Give 'em a warm welcome, boys!" The gang clapped.
Two-Bit grinned and held out his arms, "Thank you, thank you, I'll be back tomorrow."
"So what's a kid grease like you doin' out so late?" Tim asked before taking a swig of alcohol. Two-Bit grabbed the bottle and downed nearly half of it. He wiped the excess off on his leather jacket and passed the bottle to me. I took a quick drink before passing it to Tim's girl of the week. She nearly downed the whole bottle.
"Eh, leave him alone, Shepard. Didn't wanna go to that high school dance with Soda and Steve and their girls," defended Two-Bit. He stumbled and nearly fell face first into the concrete. I hated watching them get drunk.
"Hey, Timmy, let's go to the Prom afterwards," said Tim's girlfriend. I could smell her breath from the five feet I was standing away from her. Vodka can smell really nasty after a while.
"Good idea, Kathy. After we hold up that supermarket we'll need a place to hide out," Tim replied. He kissed his girl for what seemed like an eternity before turning to me and Two-Bit, "Well, see ya hoods around."
"See ya, Tim," Two-Bit said as Tim and his gang left. He shook his head chuckling, "That Tim Shepard sure is nice. C'mon, I'll buy you a Pepsi at 7-11." So we started walking off to the 7-11. Little did I know I would meet the girl of my dreams there.
SODAPOP CURTIS' POINT OF VIEW
On a Thursday night, everyone in Tulsa, Oklahoma drove like a maniac. I was no exception. Me best friend, Steve, and his girl, Evie, was in the back of the truck while Anya Randle sat in the front. I looked to Anya and was just purely amazed. Her soft dark blonde hair was lifted in the mad rush of air while her brown eyes gazed out the window. She had that small town charm, coming from a farm on Kansas. She's been the only girl that's brought a smile to my face since the day Sandy left.
I parked Darry's beat-up truck on the sidewalk as he, Steve, Anya and Evie hopped out of the car. Darry was out for the weekend skiing with a group of friends he went to high school with, so I don't think he would mind too much. As we walk into the Prom I drape an arm over Anya's shoulders. They seem to be shaking from the cold.
A live garage band was playing there. They don't have much talent, hell, they didn't have any talent but they played some kickin' tunes. Y'see, normally there's strict places for the Socs and the greasers. Us greasers have The Dingo and The Way Out, while the Socs (I'm not sure how to spell it, it's the abbreviation of socials) have their own fancy hang-outs. I dropped out of high school since I was too dumb, but Evie and Anya were still enrolled so they could sneak us in.
"C'mon, Anya," I said. Something was wrong, I could see it in her eyes. They weren't the lively brown eyes I first gazed into when she first came up to visit. They were clouded over and dark. "What's wrong, babydoll?"
"Nothing," she murmured. I thought I saw a tear roll down her face but I couldn't swear to it. I tried to lift her chin with my finger to see what was wrong, but she only looked away.
"Hold on for a moment," she said, and then she hurried off to the direction of the bathroom. She was clutching her purse or somethin' on the way there. I shrugged. I frankly wanted to send Evie in there to see what was wrong but she was too busy dancing with Steve.
It was just then somebody bumped into me. I turned around and saw it was another teenager, a dirt blonde haired Soc from the looks of it. He was tall, with dark, unrelenting eyes, with a bowl cut and a cigarette dangling from his thin lips. Next to him was a pretty blonde girl, another Soc, though she seemed to look a little friendlier.
"Hey, get outta my way, grease," spat the Soc.
His girlfriend tried to calm him down, "Leave him alone, Spike, he wasn't bothering anybody."
"Shuddup, Sarah, and stay back with Gloria," snapped the Soc, Spike. His buddy moved to the front, while the girl, Sarah, stood next to the other girl, a classy looking brunette. Spike took out his cigarette and threw it at me. The burning butt burned my skin briefly but was dowsed as it fell to the ground.
"I don't even know why the allow trash like you in here," Spike said. He sounded drunk but with some people you can never tell if that's how they normally talk or they're drunk off their rocker. Like Two-Bit. He's always drunk, so that's his usual voice.
The bandleader was trying in vain to calm the audience, shouting, "We're taking requests now! Anyone? A little Beatles.Elvis.anybody?" The dance crowd was beginning to move closer and closer. Steve and Evie had now moved to the forefront to counter Spike and his friend.
"Hey, leave us alone, we were just partyin'," I said. Spike wasn't listening, he looked to his friend and snickered before turning back to us, "Is that so? Hey, Chris, is that the way it looked to you?"
"Nope," said Spike's friend Chris.
"Same here," said Spike. I had my hand on my blade just in case he tried to pull something.
"Spike, it's getting dark," said Spike's girlfriend Sarah. "Take me home."
"I told you to shut up," barked Spike.
"Hey, looks like the big time Socs here need a woman to nag at them all day," Steve catcalled. Spike's face flushed with anger.
The cute brunette, Gloria, began to say something, "Chris, Sarah's right, let's just head home."
"We're not finished with them grease-" began Chris. He never got the chance to finish.
"Now!" ordered Gloria. Chris and Spike looked to one another and sighed. The Soc turned back just one last time, gloating, "Don't think this is finished."
"Yeah, don't think it is either," snarled Steve as the four Socs left. He took out a cigarette and began to smoke. It was then that Anya had come back. She seemed a bit better now, so we started to pick up the pace and dance.
PONYBOY'S POINT OF VIEW
I can still 'member it. Night had already begun to settle, even though it was just ten with the last view strands of sunlight desperately trying to survive. Two-Bit and I had started walking to the local 7-11 just to buy some cigarettes and a Pepsi or two. We weren't in too hot of a neighborhood; Soda and Steve had got jumped here by greasers themselves. Two-Bit was stumbling nearly the entire way, and he started to slur his words together. I could smell the vodka on his breath.
I breathed in the scent of a barbecue not too far away. I liked June a lot. School was wrapping up, so Darry gave me and Soda a bit more leisurely time to spend. Me and Darry have actually begun getting along lately, ever since Johnny and Dally.well, died.
Two-Bit and I walked into the store and said hi to the cashier, Larry. He's a black guy about Darry's age, richer then us but not by much. I walked over to the cigarettes aisle in the back while Two-Bit began looking for something to shoplift. Even in his best buddy's own store he has to shoplift.
It was then that all hell broke loose. I remember it clearly. A tuff lookin' Thunderbird pulled up in the parking lot. Two guys, a blonde with a bowl cut and a black haired Soc wearing a madras, and two girls, a blonde and a brunette, hopped out of the car. The brunette was not bad, a bit skinny but cute nonetheless. It was the blonde that made me stare. She had legs of an actual woman, with soft, icy blonde hair and beautiful olive green eyes. She was a head turner.
However, I noticed that the two guys were in a bad mood, and that's one thing you don't wanna cross; two Socs in a bad mood. I whispered to Two-Bit, "Socs, hide." He seemed perfectly content to, and made himself comfortable but sitting down and smelling the Coke he had swiped.
The blonde guy with the bowl cut kicked open the door. Larry was startled, and I saw him cower. The two girls, both who seemed like perfectly proper young ladies, immediately went off to find bubble gum. I always liked the way Socy girls looked. They didn't wear too much make-up and wore their dresses at a decent length. These two were no exception, although they were wearing the latest fad, a miniskirt created by some London woman. The blonde though was really good looking, and the burgundy red skirt with the proper white top made her stunning.
Out of the blue, the male, blonde Soc took out a pistol and pointed it at Larry, "Give me all the money, n*****." (Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the racial slurs. I just wanted to show how amoral Spi-er, the blonde haired Soc was so please forgive me thanks)
"Spike, what the heck do you think you're doing?" demanded the good looking blonde girl. Just then, the other male, the one with the black hair, took out a pistol as well. He fired at Larry's telephone, "We mean business."
"Christopher!" shouted the brunette Soc. The black haired Soc, Chris, grabbed Larry and held him up against the wall with the gun at his throat while Spike went shuffling through the cash register. The two girls stood there, the blonde especially appalled, while the brunette looked slightly fearful.
"This all you got?" asked the blonde Soc, Spike as he held up a wad of dollars. Larry nodded, beads of sweat dripping down his face. I could only peer over the aisle, watching the looks of horror cross the blonde girl's face.
Spike shrugged, "We'll take it." He crammed the money into his bag and began to throw open boxes, taking anything of value.
"Spike, when I meant that we should leave from the Prom I didn't mean to rob a 7-11!" shouted the blonde girl. "This is illegal."
"Look, don't even get started on your smart shit 'cuz I ain't got time for it," shouted Spike, pointing with his gun at the girl. He waltzed over to the gum rack and tossed bubble gum to the girls. The blonde girl let it fall to the ground, while the brunette caught it. She opened it up and popped a piece of bubble gum into her mouth.
"Gloria!" shouted the blonde.
"What?" she said. "We've already caused the crime, mine as well get something out of it." The brunette happily settled back to chewing the bubble gum. The blonde haired girl crossed her arms. I couldn't believe what was happening. Sure, Dally used to rob stores, that's how he ended up dead. But never had I been apart of one.
"Well, that looks about it," said Spike. "Don't worry, we'll be back next week. Let's go, Chris." Spike's partner-in-crime, Chris, lowered the gun from Larry's throat. But to make the score even, he walloped him across the face. I heard a crack, like the sound of someone chewing rocks, and Larry tumbled to the ground. Chris then kicked Larry in the stomach and hit him over the head with the gun. Chris and Spike, followed by Gloria and then the blonde, hurried outside. I watched from the window, and saw the two male Socs get in the Thunderbird.
"What are you two broads doin', c'mon, the fuzz'll be here any minute," Spike said. The blonde stood her ground, arms crossed, refusing to budge. Gloria, the brunette, looked nervously back between her friend and her boyfriend.
"Ah, c'mon, Sarah, I'll split the money with us four ways," said Spike.
"This is wrong!" the blonde said. "This is a federal crime, Spike. You can get charged, put on trial, even put in jail!"
"No we won't," said Spike, lighting his cigarette with his car lighter. "We're Socs. We never get blamed for anything. Remember last week, the Winn Dixie? All I had to do was say it was one of those greaser idiots and the fuzz believed me. Now get in the car."
"No!"
"Get in the fucking car, Sarah!"
"That's not the way you talk to a lady," shouted the girl. Their voices were getting really loud now. I could see the apparent horror in the blonde's eyes, and the cruel gaze of her boyfriend Spike.
"Gloria, we'll give you a ride home," Chris said. Gloria sighed, looked to her best friend and then her boyfriend, and slowly walked over to the Thunderbird and got into the car seat. By the look on her face, she didn't seem too happy with her decision.
"Gloria!" shouted the blonde girl. The Thunderbird began to peel out of the driveway, "Hey, wait, I want a ride." The Thunderbird then burned rubber as they skidded off, with the blonde girl shouting, "Fine! I don't need you! I can walk home!" I saw her rub her arms and sit down on the sidewalk, slightly shaking.
I had to tell Two-Bit, "Wake up, Two-Bit, wake up, we've been robbed?"
"Wha.?" he asked. He had already passed out from alcohol overdose. I sighed, but I heard some voices coming from outside. I stood up and saw a gang of greasers edge forward to the abandoned girl. I saw glimmers of knives and chains, and I began to get worried. These weren't average greasers; they were the Brumly boys, bums through and through. Steve had told me a story about them that made me nearly vomit. He said he'd never let Anya or Evie out of his sight ever again.
"Hey little girl." The Soc turned to see who had spoken, "Who's there?"
"Just us bad boys of the night," the Brumly gangster said. He had a scar and a broken nose. His fingers looked like they had been horribly cut as well. The leader seemed to look more like Frankenstein's monster then an actual teenager hood.
"Greasers," The Soc said. The Brumly boys laughed, "You could call us that."
"Look, I don't have any money." the girl began to explain.
The Brumly ringleader laughed, "Oh well. Guess we'll have to settle for something else. How long do you think she'll struggle, boys?"
"I'd say about half an hour," said one of the other Brumly boys.
"Good," said the Brumly ringleader, "I love it when they fight back."
"Wait, I don't quite understand." began the Soc. It finally dawned upon her, and her face grew queasy. "Oh my word.somebody, HELP ME!" The 7-11 was in a lonely neighborhood, where everyone ignored the panic screams in fear of mugged and then knifed.
"Two-Bit, wake up!" I said urgently, shaking him. I couldn't let that girl get thrown to that pack of wolves like that. No one deserved that. I frantically shook Two-Bit and watched in horror as the ringleader grabbed the Soc. She started to punch him, but she was no match for even the weakest one of them. Figuring out that I couldn't wake up Two-Bit, I slung him over my shoulders and hurried out, "Get away from her!" The Brumly boys and the Soc turned to see me. I couldn't believe it. There had to have been at least seven of them, and not a single one unarmed in the least.
"Look at what we got here, boys," the ringleader said. "A kid grease standing up for the Socy broad. Well whatcha gonna do, kid grease? Whatcha gonna do for the girl, huh?"
I frankly had no idea of what I was going to do. I only had Two-Bit's and my blade, and that wouldn't help much to hold off against seven hoods. The leader threw the blonde Soc to another of his friends, who grabbed her purse, her only fighting weapon before chucking the girl to the concrete ground. The girl, beaten and abused, gladly fell to the ground, sobbing like a little child.
It was just then that Two-Bit woke up. He clutched his skull and shook his head violently, "Man, I think I'm gonna puke."
Immediately the Brumly boys dropped their weapons. The leader looked apologetic, saying, "Two-Bit, hey, we're sorry for messing with your woman. We didn't know.yeah, yeah, that's it. Let's go, boys." The Brumly boys immediately scampered off. I had no idea why Two-Bit's presence had an effect over them, but I wasn't disappointed that's for sure. I then hurried over to the girl while Two-Bit sat on the sidewalk, shaking his head and muttering to himself.
"It's alright," I soothed. "They're gone now. I'm not gonna hurt you." The blonde girl looked up at me, her cheeks tear-stained. God, she was beautiful even then. Her face was a mix between confusion and a yearning to trust. Her white blouse was torn, and she looked like a wreck.
"H-h-how can I trust you?" she asked.
"Do you think the Brumly boys back there would give you a ride home?" I asked. I held out my hand, "Ponyboy Curtis."
She skeptically looked at it before shaking it, "I'm Sarah, Sarah Van Pelt." She tried to stand up, but tripped over her shoes. I caught her in my arms.
"Thank you," she said. She brushed her tousled blonde hair out of her face. "Thank you for saving me, I've never been out at night without someone with me, usually Spike." Her voice drifted off as I helped her to Larry's truck. His car door was open, making it all the easier to sneak into.
"Isn't this that cashier's car?" asked Sarah. I nodded as I threw Two- Bit in the back. He was beginning to wake up, but still hadn't grasped the concept of what had happened. I hadn't driven a truck before, I was only fifteen but I'd seen Soda and Darry do it plenty of times before. Sarah seemed to have calmed down a bit, but her eyes still had a bewildered look to them.
"So, Ponyboy, how old are you?" she asked. I guess she was trying to make conversation, so I figured I mine as well talk to the girl.
"Fifteen," I replied.
Sarah looked a bit startled, "Wait, you're not old enough to drive."
"Ah, I've seen Darry and Soda do it. Can't be too hard," I said. I lied. I was trying to make it look easier then it really was. No such luck.
After I got the car out on the road, Sarah continued talking to me, "I think I've seen you around school. Cherry talked about you--"
"You know Cherry?" I asked. Cherry Valance was a Soc and the first person that made me confirm I wasn't going insane. What could I say about Cherry? Cherry was Cherry, and I was glad that it was that way.
Sarah nodded, "Yeah. I go to her 4th of July barbecues all the time. It's just you're in your sophomore year and you had to be fourteen when you started high school."
"Yeah, I got put up a year in grade school. Darry, my brother, he says I'm smart and all."
"Well, you seem well educated," she said brightly. "You could grow up and do good things for this world, because we sure need it."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She shrugged, "Well, nowadays people are saying you can't trust anyone over thirty. Our parents lived in a different time and they don't understand what's going on. Time's are changing, Ponyboy. Black folks getting respect, we've got Russians in space, our own president was assassinated." I could tell Sarah was real passionate about what she was saying. She sighed and continued. "High school isn't going to last forever. It just seems like there's no one out there that realizes that."
"I do." She looked up at me and nodded slightly. I couldn't tell if she was smiling or not. There was an awkward silence between us, as if we had an idea of what to say but not the right words. And then, for some reason to this day I have no idea why, I started telling her everything. About Dally and Johnny and the church fire. Through this she did nothing but listen, ingesting all of what I was telling her.
When I was finished, she paused for a moment before speaking, "I know what you mean, Ponyboy. It should've changed, with Johnny and Dallas Winston's deaths. We're little better then we were back then. I just don't understand. There's a lot of people these days who don't care about anything these days--"
"Like Spike and Chris?" I asked randomly.
Sarah nodded painfully, "Yes, like Spike and Chris. They've done this before, it's disgusting. They don't have any aspirations or hopes other then to get drunk and sleep with as many girls as possible. I wish I could say what you saw today wasn't how they always act, but.it is." I glanced over to see Sarah. She looked on the verge of tears, as if her relationship with her boyfriend was too painful to talk about. The mixed emotions on her face were near impossible to read. I would've given anything at that moment to make her feel better.
"I don't want to go home tonight," she said softly as I somehow managed to park Larry's car in front of her house. It was incredible. It was three stories tall, an old Victorian house painted white. The lawn was perfect, amongst everything else. "Face my parents, or Spike or anyone."
"Well, if you want," I said, blushing like a bashful schoolboy, "you can stay at my place. I don't think my brothers will mind."
Sarah looked over at me. I could only see this through peripheral vision, since I suddenly found the steering wheel to Larry's car quite fascinating. I could've sworn she gave me a small smile, "You're a good man, Ponyboy. I'll see you around." And then she stepped out of the truck, shut the door and strolled up the stairs to her front door. I waited to make sure she was in safely, then tried to figure out how I was going to drive back to my place.