Chapters 17 (thanks for the reviews and please, keep sending, good or bad!)
Oh, yeah, I guess I should say that the drug-dealers in this one are all my
characters and so is Kayla. Everyone you know is Hinton's.
Walking home, I realize that I really am the one to blame for all this. I should've stayed away from Kayla like Sodapop warned me, but I didn't and now look where I'm at.
"Hey, you Ponyboy Curtis?" some guy I don't know asks.
I think about the possibilities that this is someone I want to find me. All signs point to no.
"No, but I think I know the one you're talkin' about. He lives about 5 or 6 blocks down, just him and his brothers. Why?"
"Well, ya see, I'm supposed to find this guy and kill him and his brothers, and the rest of my gang is already down at their house. But I was.uh.kinda runnin' late. Yeah, that's it. Just a misunderstanding."
I nod. "Well, like I said, I think they live about 5 or 6 blocks down that way." I say, pointing the direction I came from. "Thanks, kid. Oh, and if a certain guy-with-a-red-mustache-and-big-muscles asks about me, this conversation NEVER happened, got it?"
I nod again. He runs off in the direction I pointed him in.
Oh, no, Oh, God! They're already THERE! I'm running as fast as my legs can carry me, and I thank God I was on the track team. But when I do get home, there's an old heaped-up pickup truck and a whole lot of guys inside. I note that one of them is putting bullets in a small, hand-held gun.
I go around back to get in without them noticing. "Ponyboy? That You? Ponyboy, I think that if we go to the adoption center right now, maybe we can talk to someone who can help us. Maybe we can avoid getting split if."
I don't give Darry a chance to finish. "Guys, we have to get out of here now! There's a big gang of drug-dealers outside, and let me assure you, they don't want to play house. They have guns."
Sodapop's eyes get real big. "Ponyboy, why, exactly, are they here? What did you do while you were out?"
No time to explain. No time to think. The image that keeps running through my head is of that guy loading the gun. "I'll explain later. Hurry up, we have to go NOW!"
Remarkably, they listen to me. They all get up and head out the back way, when I'd thought they'd probably try and fight these guys. For once, I am glad Dally isn't here. He'd put the whole gang in jeopardy, 'cause he would have wanted to stay and fight. Everyone else understands that that only works if there are no guns involved. As it is, we are outnumbered and out powered.
We all make it outside ok, and Twobit suggests we all get in Darry's car. That way, at least we'll have wheels. But getting into that car quietly isn't even a possibility. The doors squeak when you open them, and you have to slam them hard to close them.
No, there's no way to get into the car quietly, so we all decide to try getting in quickly, instead. We make a whole lot of noise, and the dealers notice us pretty quick. Darry gets the car started pretty fast, though, and we pull out of the drive-way before the dealers have a chance to even start their car.
"Now, Ponyboy, why exactly are there a whole gang of drug-dealers after us? 'Cause really, I think this could be interesting information."
Darry doesn't sound too happy, but he's trying real hard to keep his cool.
Steve adds, "Yeh, Ponyboy, why do you always have to cause trouble? We'll all be a lot better off if you DO get sent to that children's home."
Out of everything that Steve has ever said to me that hurt the worst. Mainly because he's right. It always seems to be me who gets us into trouble. But it doesn't make you feel real great to hear someone you've grown-up with say that about you.
"No, Steve, you're wrong. And were do you get off saying that anyways? Huh? Pony's not doin' real good right now, I admit, but to say we'd be better off without him, that's just not true and how dare you say it is!"
I swear I thought that Sodapop had said that. That's just a Soda thing to say. But when I look to see who the voice is coming from, it really isn't Soda.
And I finally understand, after everything that's happened, how much Darry's given up for me. He could've made a life for himself, a real nice life with a wife, two kids and a white picket fence if he wanted. But he'd given it all up for me and Soda. And this is how I thanked him.
I look at Darry's eyes; the ones I used to think were so cold. But now, I see that they're not cold, just worn out. Out of all three of us Curtis boys, Darry got hit the hardest when mom and dad died, because he not only had to deal with the death of mom and dad.
He'd had to stand by and watch his dreams die, too.
Walking home, I realize that I really am the one to blame for all this. I should've stayed away from Kayla like Sodapop warned me, but I didn't and now look where I'm at.
"Hey, you Ponyboy Curtis?" some guy I don't know asks.
I think about the possibilities that this is someone I want to find me. All signs point to no.
"No, but I think I know the one you're talkin' about. He lives about 5 or 6 blocks down, just him and his brothers. Why?"
"Well, ya see, I'm supposed to find this guy and kill him and his brothers, and the rest of my gang is already down at their house. But I was.uh.kinda runnin' late. Yeah, that's it. Just a misunderstanding."
I nod. "Well, like I said, I think they live about 5 or 6 blocks down that way." I say, pointing the direction I came from. "Thanks, kid. Oh, and if a certain guy-with-a-red-mustache-and-big-muscles asks about me, this conversation NEVER happened, got it?"
I nod again. He runs off in the direction I pointed him in.
Oh, no, Oh, God! They're already THERE! I'm running as fast as my legs can carry me, and I thank God I was on the track team. But when I do get home, there's an old heaped-up pickup truck and a whole lot of guys inside. I note that one of them is putting bullets in a small, hand-held gun.
I go around back to get in without them noticing. "Ponyboy? That You? Ponyboy, I think that if we go to the adoption center right now, maybe we can talk to someone who can help us. Maybe we can avoid getting split if."
I don't give Darry a chance to finish. "Guys, we have to get out of here now! There's a big gang of drug-dealers outside, and let me assure you, they don't want to play house. They have guns."
Sodapop's eyes get real big. "Ponyboy, why, exactly, are they here? What did you do while you were out?"
No time to explain. No time to think. The image that keeps running through my head is of that guy loading the gun. "I'll explain later. Hurry up, we have to go NOW!"
Remarkably, they listen to me. They all get up and head out the back way, when I'd thought they'd probably try and fight these guys. For once, I am glad Dally isn't here. He'd put the whole gang in jeopardy, 'cause he would have wanted to stay and fight. Everyone else understands that that only works if there are no guns involved. As it is, we are outnumbered and out powered.
We all make it outside ok, and Twobit suggests we all get in Darry's car. That way, at least we'll have wheels. But getting into that car quietly isn't even a possibility. The doors squeak when you open them, and you have to slam them hard to close them.
No, there's no way to get into the car quietly, so we all decide to try getting in quickly, instead. We make a whole lot of noise, and the dealers notice us pretty quick. Darry gets the car started pretty fast, though, and we pull out of the drive-way before the dealers have a chance to even start their car.
"Now, Ponyboy, why exactly are there a whole gang of drug-dealers after us? 'Cause really, I think this could be interesting information."
Darry doesn't sound too happy, but he's trying real hard to keep his cool.
Steve adds, "Yeh, Ponyboy, why do you always have to cause trouble? We'll all be a lot better off if you DO get sent to that children's home."
Out of everything that Steve has ever said to me that hurt the worst. Mainly because he's right. It always seems to be me who gets us into trouble. But it doesn't make you feel real great to hear someone you've grown-up with say that about you.
"No, Steve, you're wrong. And were do you get off saying that anyways? Huh? Pony's not doin' real good right now, I admit, but to say we'd be better off without him, that's just not true and how dare you say it is!"
I swear I thought that Sodapop had said that. That's just a Soda thing to say. But when I look to see who the voice is coming from, it really isn't Soda.
And I finally understand, after everything that's happened, how much Darry's given up for me. He could've made a life for himself, a real nice life with a wife, two kids and a white picket fence if he wanted. But he'd given it all up for me and Soda. And this is how I thanked him.
I look at Darry's eyes; the ones I used to think were so cold. But now, I see that they're not cold, just worn out. Out of all three of us Curtis boys, Darry got hit the hardest when mom and dad died, because he not only had to deal with the death of mom and dad.
He'd had to stand by and watch his dreams die, too.