Pony stared out the front window holding back any comments that crossed his mind, he knew Dally wouldn't hesitate to knock the daylights out of him if he mouthed off again without thinking. He wondered where they were going because he still had no idea where they were. Pony knew Darry wouldn't be home for several more hours so no questions would be asked about where he was but he definitely could count on having to explain the bumps and bruises. Pony reached over and took a harder hold on the broken seatbelt as he noticed Dally coming up on a curve. Dally took the bend extremely tight and swung the car up into a parking spot, at which point he hopped out and headed into the diner he had parked in front of.
Pony leaned over and tried to push the door open, but when he found it jammed he had to climb out the window and make a mad dash to catch Dally. The bell clinked when Dally opened the door. Pony followed closely behind with no words. Now he knew his location, this was Moe's. No doubt Dally was here for a free meal from Mrs. Mathews who waited tables in the evenings when Two-bit was home and could watch his little sister. Ponyboy laughed at the thought, Two-bit and home didn't go together; Two-bit and the Curtis house now that was more like it. The irresponsible teen had lost his little sister twice and Mrs. Mathews still, after much internal debate, let Two-bit look after her.
Dally plopped down at the counter table, Pony quickly took the seat next to him. Seconds later Mrs. Mathews appeared from the back, which she smiled quickly at the two boys. "Well if it ain't my two favorite greasers in the whole world," she said.
Pony applied a grin but wondered in the back of his mind what in the world he had in common with Dallas Winston that would top the list of Mrs. Mathews most liked persons. For some reason Mrs. Mathews really did like Dally, but none of the gang could put their finger on it.
"Can I get you boys somethin'?" She asked with a polite smile, whipping out her ordering pad.
Dally nodded, "You bet, I'm starved. Can I have one of them burgers?"
She nodded as she scrawled on the pad, "Pony?"
"None for me today, I gotta get home," Pony said, "it's getting' late. Where's Two-bit?" Pony questioned hoping he could catch a real ride home.
"Who knows," she laughed.
Pony stared at her, she could be quite scatterbrained at times. 'It's not far', he told himself, 'I can walk it and still be home before Darry.' "Well, I'm gonna go. I'll see ya later Dally, bye Mrs. Mathews."
Dally didn't say anything he just waved Pony off and Mrs. Mathews nodded, "Bye-bye Ponyboy, come back soon."
Pony frowned stepping outside in the rain. He'd have been better off walking from school. He simply rolled his eyes and headed down the road. He didn't stop and he cut across a couple yards and several back allies and he was home within a half hour. He stopped on the porch giving his clothes a minute to drip off and himself a second to gloat over his accomplishment of making it home in the rain so quickly.
Finally, he swung the door open, and to his horrified dismay found his favorite brother on the couch with his girlfriend Sandy; both parties completely butt naked.
What Ponyboy really wanted to do was run as fast as his legs could carry him out the door and down to the FBI headquarters so they could erase his memory. As it was, he gave vent to a scream of surprise. Sandy's eyes flew open and Sodapop whipped around. Both of them stared in shock.
"Ponyboy?" Soda asked stupidly. Meanwhile, Sandy, who had by then figured out that it was indeed Ponyboy, snatched up her discarded clothing and was desperately trying to put them on behind Sodapop.
Ponyboy's ears began to burn. He looked away quickly, but the flush kept spreading along the back of his neck and up across his cheeks until his entire body was one flaming red mass of embarrassment.
Soda grabbed at his jeans. "Jeez Pony, I didn't think you'd be...Goddamned Dallas...said he'd keep ya awhile..." Soda's face was tinged pink and he gave Ponyboy a sheepish smile.
"Whatever," Ponyboy mumbled and hurried for the door. He didn't want to be in there when Sandy decided to cuss his brother out for letting them get caught. He slid through the kitchen and out the door. Outside, the rain had stopped and a slight breeze had picked up. Ponyboy sighed in relief. He hadn't realised he'd gotten so hot. He shuddered remembering the two of them curled up on the couch, wrapped up in each other's arms, totally preoccupied with what they were doing...
"No!" Ponyboy yelped, shaking his head violently. He couldn't stand thinking of that a minute longer. He might be sick. He might never be able to talk to Sodapop again. Or he might discover that he really actually maybe might by chance at some distant later date wanna do that himself...
"PONYBOY!"
Ponyboy leapt nearly three feet in the air. When he'd landed he found Two-Bit's grinning face looming above him. "Hey there, scaredy cat! Ma said you was lookin' for me before?"
Ponyboy shook his head. "I wanted a ride home from the diner where your mom works."
"Tough."
"You're never around when someone needs ya."
"But always there when they don't," Two-Bit added cheerfully. "And don't you smart-ass your elders."
"Yessir. You got a smoke?" Ponyboy asked hastily, noticing Two-Bit make a move toward the door.
Two-Bit hunched his shoulders, rubbing his bare arms. "Jeez Ponyboy, it's cold outside. Why not go in and smoke? Darry's still at work ain't he? I won't tell."
Ponyboy glanced back at the door. Sodapop would be in there. SANDY would be in there for God's sake.
"Hey man, I think your ears is getting cold. They're getting mighty red. Either that or you're embarrassed about something..." Ponyboy could feel himself blush even more - a dead give-away.
"Alright what's going on?" Two-Bit finally handed Ponyboy the cigarette.
Ponyboy shrugged lighting his smoke. "Nothing. I just like it outside."
Two-Bit lit up his own cigarette. "Naw, it ain't 'nothing'. Your face doesn't get red at 'nothing'. Almost nothing, it does, but not absolute nothing. So what is it?"
"It's-"
"If you say 'nothing' again I'll tell Darry about that fight y'all had with the Socs today," Two-Bit warned.
Ponyboy's jaw dropped. "Wha...who told you that!"
"It's written all over your face," Two-Bit said pointing at Ponyboy's bruises. Then he doubled over laughing. When he'd stopped he said: "No, Dallas told me. He was at the diner. Hey how come ya didn't hitch a ride home with him?"
Ponyboy took a long drag off his weed, counting down backwards in his head. He could either tell about Dally or about Sodapop. Two-Bit was bound to talk, and Darry was bound to hear something about broken rules. "No fighting with Socs, going near Buck's and careening madly through the streets in Dally's beat up car with a maniac at the wheel" definitely seemed like a bigger rule than "No fooling around on the couch". Soda always got off easy anyway.
"I caught Soda and Sandy on the couch."
Two-Bit looked at him. "And?"
Ponyboy cringed. "And they were...you know...doing...stuff...without clothes..."
Two-Bit laughed for about a century.
"You poor kid," he managed to gasp out finally. "Oh man...score one for Sodapop huh? Him and Sandy...right there on the couch?"
BANG. The gate swung shut. "What exactly were Sodapop and Sandy doing on the couch Two-Bit." Impenetrable silence.
Slowly Ponyboy and Two-Bit turned around.
"Er...hello Darry."
Pony leaned over and tried to push the door open, but when he found it jammed he had to climb out the window and make a mad dash to catch Dally. The bell clinked when Dally opened the door. Pony followed closely behind with no words. Now he knew his location, this was Moe's. No doubt Dally was here for a free meal from Mrs. Mathews who waited tables in the evenings when Two-bit was home and could watch his little sister. Ponyboy laughed at the thought, Two-bit and home didn't go together; Two-bit and the Curtis house now that was more like it. The irresponsible teen had lost his little sister twice and Mrs. Mathews still, after much internal debate, let Two-bit look after her.
Dally plopped down at the counter table, Pony quickly took the seat next to him. Seconds later Mrs. Mathews appeared from the back, which she smiled quickly at the two boys. "Well if it ain't my two favorite greasers in the whole world," she said.
Pony applied a grin but wondered in the back of his mind what in the world he had in common with Dallas Winston that would top the list of Mrs. Mathews most liked persons. For some reason Mrs. Mathews really did like Dally, but none of the gang could put their finger on it.
"Can I get you boys somethin'?" She asked with a polite smile, whipping out her ordering pad.
Dally nodded, "You bet, I'm starved. Can I have one of them burgers?"
She nodded as she scrawled on the pad, "Pony?"
"None for me today, I gotta get home," Pony said, "it's getting' late. Where's Two-bit?" Pony questioned hoping he could catch a real ride home.
"Who knows," she laughed.
Pony stared at her, she could be quite scatterbrained at times. 'It's not far', he told himself, 'I can walk it and still be home before Darry.' "Well, I'm gonna go. I'll see ya later Dally, bye Mrs. Mathews."
Dally didn't say anything he just waved Pony off and Mrs. Mathews nodded, "Bye-bye Ponyboy, come back soon."
Pony frowned stepping outside in the rain. He'd have been better off walking from school. He simply rolled his eyes and headed down the road. He didn't stop and he cut across a couple yards and several back allies and he was home within a half hour. He stopped on the porch giving his clothes a minute to drip off and himself a second to gloat over his accomplishment of making it home in the rain so quickly.
Finally, he swung the door open, and to his horrified dismay found his favorite brother on the couch with his girlfriend Sandy; both parties completely butt naked.
What Ponyboy really wanted to do was run as fast as his legs could carry him out the door and down to the FBI headquarters so they could erase his memory. As it was, he gave vent to a scream of surprise. Sandy's eyes flew open and Sodapop whipped around. Both of them stared in shock.
"Ponyboy?" Soda asked stupidly. Meanwhile, Sandy, who had by then figured out that it was indeed Ponyboy, snatched up her discarded clothing and was desperately trying to put them on behind Sodapop.
Ponyboy's ears began to burn. He looked away quickly, but the flush kept spreading along the back of his neck and up across his cheeks until his entire body was one flaming red mass of embarrassment.
Soda grabbed at his jeans. "Jeez Pony, I didn't think you'd be...Goddamned Dallas...said he'd keep ya awhile..." Soda's face was tinged pink and he gave Ponyboy a sheepish smile.
"Whatever," Ponyboy mumbled and hurried for the door. He didn't want to be in there when Sandy decided to cuss his brother out for letting them get caught. He slid through the kitchen and out the door. Outside, the rain had stopped and a slight breeze had picked up. Ponyboy sighed in relief. He hadn't realised he'd gotten so hot. He shuddered remembering the two of them curled up on the couch, wrapped up in each other's arms, totally preoccupied with what they were doing...
"No!" Ponyboy yelped, shaking his head violently. He couldn't stand thinking of that a minute longer. He might be sick. He might never be able to talk to Sodapop again. Or he might discover that he really actually maybe might by chance at some distant later date wanna do that himself...
"PONYBOY!"
Ponyboy leapt nearly three feet in the air. When he'd landed he found Two-Bit's grinning face looming above him. "Hey there, scaredy cat! Ma said you was lookin' for me before?"
Ponyboy shook his head. "I wanted a ride home from the diner where your mom works."
"Tough."
"You're never around when someone needs ya."
"But always there when they don't," Two-Bit added cheerfully. "And don't you smart-ass your elders."
"Yessir. You got a smoke?" Ponyboy asked hastily, noticing Two-Bit make a move toward the door.
Two-Bit hunched his shoulders, rubbing his bare arms. "Jeez Ponyboy, it's cold outside. Why not go in and smoke? Darry's still at work ain't he? I won't tell."
Ponyboy glanced back at the door. Sodapop would be in there. SANDY would be in there for God's sake.
"Hey man, I think your ears is getting cold. They're getting mighty red. Either that or you're embarrassed about something..." Ponyboy could feel himself blush even more - a dead give-away.
"Alright what's going on?" Two-Bit finally handed Ponyboy the cigarette.
Ponyboy shrugged lighting his smoke. "Nothing. I just like it outside."
Two-Bit lit up his own cigarette. "Naw, it ain't 'nothing'. Your face doesn't get red at 'nothing'. Almost nothing, it does, but not absolute nothing. So what is it?"
"It's-"
"If you say 'nothing' again I'll tell Darry about that fight y'all had with the Socs today," Two-Bit warned.
Ponyboy's jaw dropped. "Wha...who told you that!"
"It's written all over your face," Two-Bit said pointing at Ponyboy's bruises. Then he doubled over laughing. When he'd stopped he said: "No, Dallas told me. He was at the diner. Hey how come ya didn't hitch a ride home with him?"
Ponyboy took a long drag off his weed, counting down backwards in his head. He could either tell about Dally or about Sodapop. Two-Bit was bound to talk, and Darry was bound to hear something about broken rules. "No fighting with Socs, going near Buck's and careening madly through the streets in Dally's beat up car with a maniac at the wheel" definitely seemed like a bigger rule than "No fooling around on the couch". Soda always got off easy anyway.
"I caught Soda and Sandy on the couch."
Two-Bit looked at him. "And?"
Ponyboy cringed. "And they were...you know...doing...stuff...without clothes..."
Two-Bit laughed for about a century.
"You poor kid," he managed to gasp out finally. "Oh man...score one for Sodapop huh? Him and Sandy...right there on the couch?"
BANG. The gate swung shut. "What exactly were Sodapop and Sandy doing on the couch Two-Bit." Impenetrable silence.
Slowly Ponyboy and Two-Bit turned around.
"Er...hello Darry."