[A/N I'm writing this chapter whilst I try and decide whether or not the
Curtis' will take the trip, or sell it for something...I really am kind of
stuck on that bit, but will see what happens.]
FOUR:
"Good morning Ponyboy!" Soda said, grinning happily at me a few mornings later.
"I don't see what's so good about it." I muttered, and Soda laughed.
"Thought you liked school Pony?" He asked, handing me a mug of coffee, which I took gratefully.
"I do, just not the first day back after holidays." I admitted. I lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag, remembering that I wouldn't be able to smoke at school.
Two-Bit arrived then. "Are we all ready?" He asked excitedly, and Soda shook his head.
"You amaze me Two-Bit!" He said. "I couldn't wait to get out of the place, and you're the complete opposite."
Two-Bit just grinned, and Soda sighed. "Well I better get going or I'll be late. Have fun at school kids and behave."
"Yes Darry." Two-Bit said cheekily.
Soda laughed, and leant over to punch Two-Bit on the arm. "Don't be cheeky. You know nobody likes a cheeky greaser." He told him.
Two-Bit put his nose in the air. "Who are you calling greaser, greaser?" He demanded. "I am a Soc. I drive an expensive car, I wear preppy clothes, and I am a million times superior to you!"
"Sorry oh master, oh lord." Soda said, bowing before Two-Bit. "I didn't mean to offend you."
"Kiss my feet!" Two-Bit declared haughtily.
"Yuck! No thanks." Soda said, jumping up. "If there's anything worse than a Soc's feet it's yours Two-Bit!"
Two-Bit glanced down at his old sneakers, and grinned wryly. "I do need a new pair, don't I? I'll have to go shopping after school one night this week." We all knew he meant he would go and steal some. But when his parents couldn't afford to get him the sort of shoes he wanted he had no choice did he?
"I thought you were going to work." I said to my older brother. "Instead of playing around like a kid!"
"I'm a kid at heart Pony. Don't knock it. I'll see y'all later!" Soda said, and he left for work, leaving Two-Bit and I in the kitchen. Two-Bit leant over to pinch a smoke from my crumpled packet.
"I can't believe schools back in, can you?" He asked.
"Nup." I admitted. "It feels like only yesterday that I was worrying about my English grade, and handing in the world's largest theme to Mr. Syme."
"I don't think school will be the same without Johnny." Two-Bit said sadly.
I bit my lip. I didn't really like to talk about Johnny, despite the fact that I had managed to get over what had happened. "Yeah, it won't be. We better get goin' if we don't want to miss the bus."
Two-Bit and I left the house, and went to the bus stop where we would catch the school bus from. On nice afternoons I sometimes preferred to walk home from school even though it was fairly far. However in the mornings I was never up early enough!
*****
As we were walking through the school gates later that morning Two-Bit nudged me sharply.
"Ouch Two-Bit what the hell was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my arm.
"Look." He said simply.
I turned to look where he was pointing, and stared in shock.
"It's her isn't it? The one from the city?" Two-Bit asked.
I nodded silently. There was no way I'd forget that face and that golden hair. As if she sensed us looking at her she turned our way. It took her a moment to recognise us, and then she looked at us cooly before turning away.
"Glory Two-Bit, she musta' just started." I said.
"Yeah." He said. "I wonder if her friend will be here too."
*****
I was putting books in my locker later that day and getting out the roll I'd made for my lunch the night before when I saw her again. Her locker was just up from mine. Shutting my locker I went over to her.
"Hi, I didn't know you went here." I said to her.
She jumped and then smiled a little. "I just started. And I didn't know you went here."
I nodded. "Sure, all my family have. My older brother's Darry and Soda have left now and-"
"Sorry, did you say Soda?" The girl seemed surprised.
I nodded my face a little red. "My brother's name is Sodapop." I explained. "But we call him Soda."
"Naturally." She replied, with a grin. "And how about you? What's your name?"
I was sure my face was even redder now. "Ponyboy, but people call me Pony."
"Well, it's certainly unique." She said, with a grin.
"What about you? Do you have a name?" I asked.
She sighed. "Amanda." She said. "People call me Mandy."
"Mandy." I said, liking the way it sounded.
"That's right. If you'll excuse me I want to get some lunch. I was speaking to two girls in my class and we're having lunch together. Cherry and Marcia." She said.
My face dropped. Cherry and Marcia were Socs. In fact not just any Socs, but they had been there when Johnny and I had been jumped and Johnny had killed Bob in the process by mistake.
"What Pony?" Mandy asked, a little surprised by my reaction. "Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing." I muttered. "Have a nice lunch. I'll see you round."
I'd really wanted to tell her that they were Soc's and that she didn't seem to fit in to the group. Socials were the jet set group, the West-Side rich kids. But then she didn't really seem to fit into the greaser group either. I wondered whether or not there was a middle group we hadn't realised, as I went to meet Two-Bit outside for a quick, sneaked smoke.
"You know that girl?" I asked him. "Her name's Mandy."
His eyes widened. "You spoke to her?"
"Briefly, her locker was near mine. But you can forget it Two-Bit, she was eating lunch with the Socs." I told him.
He frowned. "She's not a Soc though!"
"I know that." I replied. "Maybe she could be though. I mean, she's more like a Soc than a greaser, isn't she?"
Two-Bit mumbled something which sounded like "Socs and Greasers, Greasers and Socs."
We were silent for a bit. "Hey, did I tell ya' we're going to London?" I asked, with a grin.
Two-Bit stared at me confused. "Huh? You been drinkin' or something Pony?"
"No." I said. And then I relented and told him about the raffle tickets and how I'd entered. Not surprisingly his response was similar to Darry's: "Good luck kid. People like us don't win things like that!"
"Sure we can Two-Bit. Glory, you and Darry have to have a little hope!" I told him.
He cocked his eyebrow and said nothing.
*****
I was seated at the kitchen table when Darry came in. I hadn't seen him the night before since he'd gotten home later than I had, and he'd gone out this morning before I got up.
"Good news Pony!" He told me, ruffling my hair.
I frowned and pushed his hand away. "Don't mess it all up Darry."
Darry grinned. "Sorry Pony, don't want to mess up your tuff hair."
I ignored that comment. "So, what's the good news?" I asked.
"I got another job. Pretty much the same thing, but I'm getting paid even better!" Darry said, and I grinned.
"That's great news Dar!" I said. "Wait till Soda hears?"
"Soda hears what?" Soda asked coming into the kitchen. Neither of us had heard him get home.
"I got another job!" Darry said.
Soda grinned too. "Great. I knew there was nothing to worry about!" He said.
"Nothing at all!" Darry replied, and silently I knocked against wood. I knew that sometimes bad things had a way of sneaking up on our family and ruining things.
FOUR:
"Good morning Ponyboy!" Soda said, grinning happily at me a few mornings later.
"I don't see what's so good about it." I muttered, and Soda laughed.
"Thought you liked school Pony?" He asked, handing me a mug of coffee, which I took gratefully.
"I do, just not the first day back after holidays." I admitted. I lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag, remembering that I wouldn't be able to smoke at school.
Two-Bit arrived then. "Are we all ready?" He asked excitedly, and Soda shook his head.
"You amaze me Two-Bit!" He said. "I couldn't wait to get out of the place, and you're the complete opposite."
Two-Bit just grinned, and Soda sighed. "Well I better get going or I'll be late. Have fun at school kids and behave."
"Yes Darry." Two-Bit said cheekily.
Soda laughed, and leant over to punch Two-Bit on the arm. "Don't be cheeky. You know nobody likes a cheeky greaser." He told him.
Two-Bit put his nose in the air. "Who are you calling greaser, greaser?" He demanded. "I am a Soc. I drive an expensive car, I wear preppy clothes, and I am a million times superior to you!"
"Sorry oh master, oh lord." Soda said, bowing before Two-Bit. "I didn't mean to offend you."
"Kiss my feet!" Two-Bit declared haughtily.
"Yuck! No thanks." Soda said, jumping up. "If there's anything worse than a Soc's feet it's yours Two-Bit!"
Two-Bit glanced down at his old sneakers, and grinned wryly. "I do need a new pair, don't I? I'll have to go shopping after school one night this week." We all knew he meant he would go and steal some. But when his parents couldn't afford to get him the sort of shoes he wanted he had no choice did he?
"I thought you were going to work." I said to my older brother. "Instead of playing around like a kid!"
"I'm a kid at heart Pony. Don't knock it. I'll see y'all later!" Soda said, and he left for work, leaving Two-Bit and I in the kitchen. Two-Bit leant over to pinch a smoke from my crumpled packet.
"I can't believe schools back in, can you?" He asked.
"Nup." I admitted. "It feels like only yesterday that I was worrying about my English grade, and handing in the world's largest theme to Mr. Syme."
"I don't think school will be the same without Johnny." Two-Bit said sadly.
I bit my lip. I didn't really like to talk about Johnny, despite the fact that I had managed to get over what had happened. "Yeah, it won't be. We better get goin' if we don't want to miss the bus."
Two-Bit and I left the house, and went to the bus stop where we would catch the school bus from. On nice afternoons I sometimes preferred to walk home from school even though it was fairly far. However in the mornings I was never up early enough!
*****
As we were walking through the school gates later that morning Two-Bit nudged me sharply.
"Ouch Two-Bit what the hell was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my arm.
"Look." He said simply.
I turned to look where he was pointing, and stared in shock.
"It's her isn't it? The one from the city?" Two-Bit asked.
I nodded silently. There was no way I'd forget that face and that golden hair. As if she sensed us looking at her she turned our way. It took her a moment to recognise us, and then she looked at us cooly before turning away.
"Glory Two-Bit, she musta' just started." I said.
"Yeah." He said. "I wonder if her friend will be here too."
*****
I was putting books in my locker later that day and getting out the roll I'd made for my lunch the night before when I saw her again. Her locker was just up from mine. Shutting my locker I went over to her.
"Hi, I didn't know you went here." I said to her.
She jumped and then smiled a little. "I just started. And I didn't know you went here."
I nodded. "Sure, all my family have. My older brother's Darry and Soda have left now and-"
"Sorry, did you say Soda?" The girl seemed surprised.
I nodded my face a little red. "My brother's name is Sodapop." I explained. "But we call him Soda."
"Naturally." She replied, with a grin. "And how about you? What's your name?"
I was sure my face was even redder now. "Ponyboy, but people call me Pony."
"Well, it's certainly unique." She said, with a grin.
"What about you? Do you have a name?" I asked.
She sighed. "Amanda." She said. "People call me Mandy."
"Mandy." I said, liking the way it sounded.
"That's right. If you'll excuse me I want to get some lunch. I was speaking to two girls in my class and we're having lunch together. Cherry and Marcia." She said.
My face dropped. Cherry and Marcia were Socs. In fact not just any Socs, but they had been there when Johnny and I had been jumped and Johnny had killed Bob in the process by mistake.
"What Pony?" Mandy asked, a little surprised by my reaction. "Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing." I muttered. "Have a nice lunch. I'll see you round."
I'd really wanted to tell her that they were Soc's and that she didn't seem to fit in to the group. Socials were the jet set group, the West-Side rich kids. But then she didn't really seem to fit into the greaser group either. I wondered whether or not there was a middle group we hadn't realised, as I went to meet Two-Bit outside for a quick, sneaked smoke.
"You know that girl?" I asked him. "Her name's Mandy."
His eyes widened. "You spoke to her?"
"Briefly, her locker was near mine. But you can forget it Two-Bit, she was eating lunch with the Socs." I told him.
He frowned. "She's not a Soc though!"
"I know that." I replied. "Maybe she could be though. I mean, she's more like a Soc than a greaser, isn't she?"
Two-Bit mumbled something which sounded like "Socs and Greasers, Greasers and Socs."
We were silent for a bit. "Hey, did I tell ya' we're going to London?" I asked, with a grin.
Two-Bit stared at me confused. "Huh? You been drinkin' or something Pony?"
"No." I said. And then I relented and told him about the raffle tickets and how I'd entered. Not surprisingly his response was similar to Darry's: "Good luck kid. People like us don't win things like that!"
"Sure we can Two-Bit. Glory, you and Darry have to have a little hope!" I told him.
He cocked his eyebrow and said nothing.
*****
I was seated at the kitchen table when Darry came in. I hadn't seen him the night before since he'd gotten home later than I had, and he'd gone out this morning before I got up.
"Good news Pony!" He told me, ruffling my hair.
I frowned and pushed his hand away. "Don't mess it all up Darry."
Darry grinned. "Sorry Pony, don't want to mess up your tuff hair."
I ignored that comment. "So, what's the good news?" I asked.
"I got another job. Pretty much the same thing, but I'm getting paid even better!" Darry said, and I grinned.
"That's great news Dar!" I said. "Wait till Soda hears?"
"Soda hears what?" Soda asked coming into the kitchen. Neither of us had heard him get home.
"I got another job!" Darry said.
Soda grinned too. "Great. I knew there was nothing to worry about!" He said.
"Nothing at all!" Darry replied, and silently I knocked against wood. I knew that sometimes bad things had a way of sneaking up on our family and ruining things.