Ok this took me a LONG time to write. Sorry. And it's strange because this
is the chapter that made me want to write this story. Well I hope you enjoy
and keep those reviews coming. I mark this chapter as the unofficial half
way mark.and afterwards I am starting a story that's stuck in my head
called Scout's Honor.so watch for that in the near future. And sorry
MissLKid I lied to you.I do have another story coming along right after
this and due to my strange undiagnosed ADD I will have that on my agenda
for awhile. And thank you Johnny-luv for explaining mary-suism for me.I
know what to avoid now. :o)
Enjoy.
Johnny's POV
I went straight to Ponyboy's house because I knew Two-Bit would be there. The gash in my back had just about dried up but I was sure the blood had stained my grey shirt. I didn't have many clothes. All I had to wear were 3 shirts, white, grey, and black, 2 pairs of jeans, both as equally torn up as the other, and my jean jacket. Even if I could afford a fancy date, I wouldn't be able to dress well for it.
When I reached Pony's house Soda and Steve were sitting on the porch playing cards. Soda said Ponyboy was inside doing his weekend homework early and that's why they had to play on the porch.
I walked in the front door and called for Ponyboy. He called back from the kitchen. He was doing the same math homework I had for the weekend. Two-Bit was also in the kitchen drinking a beer and reading the newspaper. Actually it was yesterday's newspaper but it didn't look like Two-Bit noticed or cared.
"Excited, Johnnycakes?" Ponyboy asked looking up from his homework.
"No, now I'm more nervous." I replied glancing to see if Two-Bit got the hint. He didn't, of course.
"Well that's probably normal." Pony said reassuringly.
"Actually I think Two-Bit here had something to do with it." This caught Two-Bit's attention.
"What did I do?" he asked defensively.
"You went and promised Beverly-Reigh the best date ever when I don't have anything planned at all." I explained, surprising both him and Ponyboy. That was quite a speech for me.
"Oh sorry, buddy. I was just joking and I thought she'd realize that." Two-Bit apologized. That made me feel dumb, that maybe she had realized it was a joke and I was the only one who hadn't. You know that saying, "He who laughs last, thinks slowest"? Well they were talking about me.
"Don't worry, Johnny, I have got a perfect date planned out for you already. Kind of like a Plan B. But now it's been promoted to Plan A." Ponyboy stated with a huge grin.
"Well? What is it?" I asked with restored hope.
"Well, it will take the help of all the guys to pull it off. But what I was thinking was."
Saturday, September 6, 1966
Beverly-Reigh's POV
I woke up early on Saturday morning. I was so excited I could hardly breathe. I knew I was going to make a fool of myself in some way. I took a quick shower (in order to save shower tokens) and went down to breakfast. Lynnie was again sitting at the table reading. This was becoming a morning ritual for her.
I kissed the top of her head and sat down beside her.
"What are you reading, Lynnie?" I asked sweetly.
"Tom Sawyer." She answered, still engrossed in the pages of the book. I decided not to bother her at the moment because Sarge walked in and sat the food in front of Embree, Aiden, Lynnie, Jessie, Peyton, and myself. Shannon was nowhere to be seen. But I would need her later for helping me get ready for my date. Then, just as I thought this, I realized I still need to ask Aunt Elaine if I could go. I wasn't about to risk getting grounded again.
"Ms. Treue?" I asked as politely as I could.
"Yes, child?" She answered in a phony motherly voice.
"Well, you see, my friend from school wants to hang out tonight and." I began explaining but was cut off by Aunt Elaine.
"Who is your friend?"
"Ummm.well his name is Johnny Cade. And he is very responsible, I promise." I answered nervously. I kept thinking, 'What if she doesn't let me go?'
"A boy?!" Aunt Elaine exclaimed, her eyes becoming wide.
"Well yes but"
"Absolutely not! Beverly-Reigh, boys are nothing but bad news and you are too young to be dating!" Sarge explained in a screechy voice she had when something irked her. Most of the time, I irked her.
"Ms. Treue, please just think about it? I will be home by curfew and it's only one date. Please?" I begged. She sat there with an expressionless face for a long time and I thought, for a moment, I saw a bit of my mother flash in her eyes.
"Fine." She finally stated. I jumped out of my seat and ran over and hugged her tightly. She shooed me away and ordered me to act like a civil human being, but I could tell she was pleased with herself.
"Beverly-Reigh, you know, as your brothers, Aiden and I want to meet this Johnny kid before we let him take you anywhere." Embree demanded.
"That's a good idea, Embree. Beverly-Reigh, I want you to call you date and tell him to come early." Aunt Elaine stated.
"Yes'm." I nodded. I went to the kitchen to call the Curtis's, but not before sticking my tongue out at Embree. He did the same back at me and grinned wildly. I couldn't really be mad at him, not on a perfect day that Saturday was turning out to be.
Anyway, I called up the Curtis's by looking in the phone book. I dialed the digits carefully and then listened to the phone ring twice before Ponyboy answered.
"Hello?" He asked. He had a nice telephone voice.
"Hey, Ponyboy, it's Beverly-Reigh. Is Johnny there?"
"Oh hey! Yes he is. Just one moment please."
"Hello?" came the edgy voice of Johnny.
"Hi, Johnny. It's Beverly-Reigh!" I greeted happily.
"Oh hey, what's up?" he asked kind of worriedly. Maybe he thought I was calling to cancel or something.
"Well my Aunt Elaine agreed to let me come tonight, but she wants to meet you beforehand. Can you come by a few minutes early?"
I could hear Johnny breathe a sigh of relief. He agreed and said he had to go then. After I hung up I went to Shannon's room for some counseling.
Shannon was still in bed when I walked in. I woke her up quickly and told her about breakfast and Aunt Elaine surprising me. Shannon seemed pretty amazed by her decision, too. Then Shannon picked out my outfit and everything I would never be able to do on my own. I didn't wear any make-up because it never seemed to make a difference on me. I still would look like an all too average person trying to look spectacular.
I paced around nervously all day while waiting until 7. Well actually more like 6:45. I tried reading but I couldn't concentrate. So finally Shannon settled me down enough to play cards.
Finally, at 6:40, the doorbell rang. I had Shannon let Johnny in while I finished my lecture to the twins (actually just to Embree) not to embarrass me.
Shannon led Johnny into the living room where Embree, Aiden, Lynnie, and Aunt Elaine were waiting patiently. I greeted Johnny and then introduced him to Ms. Treue. I could tell he was very tense and doing his best to answer her questions sincerely. Finally, Aunt Elaine finished firing off questions and nodded indicating we could leave. And we were so close to leaving when Embree decided to speak up.
"Wait just a gosh darn second there, bub." He proclaimed. I made a mental note to ground him from television.
Johnny turned around and Embree walked around him, sizing him up. Finally, he stopped in front of Johnny and declared, "If you get fresh with my sister I'll rip out your esophagus."
"Embree Eugene!" I scolded. He smiled evilly and sat back on the couch. I kissed Lynnie and Aiden goodbye and rapped Embree on the head with my knuckles. And then Johnny and I finally got out the front door.
Johnny led me to a red truck parked in front of the house. Two-Bit was in the driver's seat. Johnny opened the door for me and helped me into the truck. I sat between the two boys and Johnny reminded Two-Bit to drive carefully.
Two-Bit kept me laughing the whole ride to where we were going by speaking with a British accent and calling me ma'am.
After a 20 minute drive consisting of us driving in circles we stopped in front of the Curtis house. A makeshift sign in the front yard said "Café de Curtis". Johnny took my hand and led me up to the front porch where Steve was playing the doorman. He bowed at us and opened the door. All the lights in the house were out but there were tons of candles lit so you could at least see. Ponyboy was at a kind of desk by the front door and when we walked in he stood up and led us to a table set for two in what used to be the Curtis's living room. Johnny looked as amazed by all this as I was.
Johnny pulled out my seat for me and Ponyboy handed us "menus" with "Café de Curtis" printed on the front, and the strangest menu on the inside. The menu read:
Breakfast_________1 kiss for Johnny
Lunch___________2 kisses for Johnny
Dinner___________3 kisses for Johnny
"Wow this place is kind of expensive isn't it?" I commented jokingly.
"Well we need to keep the business going, don't we?" Ponyboy replied giving me a wink. "Now can I take your orders?"
"Hmmmm." I joked, "Maybe I'll try the dinner?"
"Great choice." Ponyboy commented, scribbling on a notepad.
"Two dinners then, waiter." Johnny spoke up.
A few seconds later Ponyboy came back with two plates with mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, peas, and two glasses of chocolate milk.
"Do you take checks or credit cards here?" I asked Ponyboy.
"No, ma'am, but we do have a very strict payment plan. You don't have to pay tonight, but each day the amount due increases by one. It's called interest." Ponyboy replied.
I noticed Johnny giving Ponyboy a 'thumbs up' sign. I thought Two-Bit was joking when he said Johnny had the best date ever planned.
After eating the delicious dinner, Ponyboy brought us "The Curtis Specialty" chocolate cake.
"Give my compliments to the chef." I requested taking a bite of the desert. Soda stuck his head into the room and thanked me for my compliment.
At about 7:30 we were finished eating and Two-Bit the chauffer drove Johnny and me down to the vacant lot where I first met the guys. There was a blanket and a picnic basket set up in the middle of the lot. It was already getting dark and the stars were visible in the clear night sky.
Inside the basket we found two cokes, a pack of gum, and a book called Constellations In the Autumn Sky.
We laid down on the blanket and looked up at the stars. It was freezing out already even though it was only the first week of September. We didn't use the book because neither of us we in the mood for learning something. We talked for an hour though, until we had nothing else to talk about. He even told me how he got the scar on his cheek. But the whole time, I noticed, he didn't say a word about his home life, even when I hinted at wanting to hear about his parents. I just figured either he was horrible at taking hints, or else he didn't have much to say about them. Later I would learn the former was more accurate, seeing as he really did have a lot to say about them later on. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
When we had run out of things to talk about, Johnny started up a conversation about that night.
"You know you don't really have to pay the dinner bill if you don't want to."
"I know I don't have to. But it's the least I could do." I answered leaning in and stealing my first real kiss. Shannon was going to die when I told her this.
I didn't want to go back to the house that night. I had paid the "dinner bill" by the end of the date and thanked the Lord I hadn't made a fool of myself. Well not a complete fool at least. I had tripped over my own feet while Johnny was walking me to the door. I turned red but he was kind enough not to laugh.
I gave him a swift kiss and said it was because we forgot to leave a tip. He laughed at this and we said our goodbyes. I knew I was well on my way to finding out why he perplexed me like he did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok how was it? A little rushed and a little mary-sue-ish. But I tried and now I can FINALLY get to the real good interesting stuff. Please review. Thanks. Bye now.
~E~
Enjoy.
Johnny's POV
I went straight to Ponyboy's house because I knew Two-Bit would be there. The gash in my back had just about dried up but I was sure the blood had stained my grey shirt. I didn't have many clothes. All I had to wear were 3 shirts, white, grey, and black, 2 pairs of jeans, both as equally torn up as the other, and my jean jacket. Even if I could afford a fancy date, I wouldn't be able to dress well for it.
When I reached Pony's house Soda and Steve were sitting on the porch playing cards. Soda said Ponyboy was inside doing his weekend homework early and that's why they had to play on the porch.
I walked in the front door and called for Ponyboy. He called back from the kitchen. He was doing the same math homework I had for the weekend. Two-Bit was also in the kitchen drinking a beer and reading the newspaper. Actually it was yesterday's newspaper but it didn't look like Two-Bit noticed or cared.
"Excited, Johnnycakes?" Ponyboy asked looking up from his homework.
"No, now I'm more nervous." I replied glancing to see if Two-Bit got the hint. He didn't, of course.
"Well that's probably normal." Pony said reassuringly.
"Actually I think Two-Bit here had something to do with it." This caught Two-Bit's attention.
"What did I do?" he asked defensively.
"You went and promised Beverly-Reigh the best date ever when I don't have anything planned at all." I explained, surprising both him and Ponyboy. That was quite a speech for me.
"Oh sorry, buddy. I was just joking and I thought she'd realize that." Two-Bit apologized. That made me feel dumb, that maybe she had realized it was a joke and I was the only one who hadn't. You know that saying, "He who laughs last, thinks slowest"? Well they were talking about me.
"Don't worry, Johnny, I have got a perfect date planned out for you already. Kind of like a Plan B. But now it's been promoted to Plan A." Ponyboy stated with a huge grin.
"Well? What is it?" I asked with restored hope.
"Well, it will take the help of all the guys to pull it off. But what I was thinking was."
Saturday, September 6, 1966
Beverly-Reigh's POV
I woke up early on Saturday morning. I was so excited I could hardly breathe. I knew I was going to make a fool of myself in some way. I took a quick shower (in order to save shower tokens) and went down to breakfast. Lynnie was again sitting at the table reading. This was becoming a morning ritual for her.
I kissed the top of her head and sat down beside her.
"What are you reading, Lynnie?" I asked sweetly.
"Tom Sawyer." She answered, still engrossed in the pages of the book. I decided not to bother her at the moment because Sarge walked in and sat the food in front of Embree, Aiden, Lynnie, Jessie, Peyton, and myself. Shannon was nowhere to be seen. But I would need her later for helping me get ready for my date. Then, just as I thought this, I realized I still need to ask Aunt Elaine if I could go. I wasn't about to risk getting grounded again.
"Ms. Treue?" I asked as politely as I could.
"Yes, child?" She answered in a phony motherly voice.
"Well, you see, my friend from school wants to hang out tonight and." I began explaining but was cut off by Aunt Elaine.
"Who is your friend?"
"Ummm.well his name is Johnny Cade. And he is very responsible, I promise." I answered nervously. I kept thinking, 'What if she doesn't let me go?'
"A boy?!" Aunt Elaine exclaimed, her eyes becoming wide.
"Well yes but"
"Absolutely not! Beverly-Reigh, boys are nothing but bad news and you are too young to be dating!" Sarge explained in a screechy voice she had when something irked her. Most of the time, I irked her.
"Ms. Treue, please just think about it? I will be home by curfew and it's only one date. Please?" I begged. She sat there with an expressionless face for a long time and I thought, for a moment, I saw a bit of my mother flash in her eyes.
"Fine." She finally stated. I jumped out of my seat and ran over and hugged her tightly. She shooed me away and ordered me to act like a civil human being, but I could tell she was pleased with herself.
"Beverly-Reigh, you know, as your brothers, Aiden and I want to meet this Johnny kid before we let him take you anywhere." Embree demanded.
"That's a good idea, Embree. Beverly-Reigh, I want you to call you date and tell him to come early." Aunt Elaine stated.
"Yes'm." I nodded. I went to the kitchen to call the Curtis's, but not before sticking my tongue out at Embree. He did the same back at me and grinned wildly. I couldn't really be mad at him, not on a perfect day that Saturday was turning out to be.
Anyway, I called up the Curtis's by looking in the phone book. I dialed the digits carefully and then listened to the phone ring twice before Ponyboy answered.
"Hello?" He asked. He had a nice telephone voice.
"Hey, Ponyboy, it's Beverly-Reigh. Is Johnny there?"
"Oh hey! Yes he is. Just one moment please."
"Hello?" came the edgy voice of Johnny.
"Hi, Johnny. It's Beverly-Reigh!" I greeted happily.
"Oh hey, what's up?" he asked kind of worriedly. Maybe he thought I was calling to cancel or something.
"Well my Aunt Elaine agreed to let me come tonight, but she wants to meet you beforehand. Can you come by a few minutes early?"
I could hear Johnny breathe a sigh of relief. He agreed and said he had to go then. After I hung up I went to Shannon's room for some counseling.
Shannon was still in bed when I walked in. I woke her up quickly and told her about breakfast and Aunt Elaine surprising me. Shannon seemed pretty amazed by her decision, too. Then Shannon picked out my outfit and everything I would never be able to do on my own. I didn't wear any make-up because it never seemed to make a difference on me. I still would look like an all too average person trying to look spectacular.
I paced around nervously all day while waiting until 7. Well actually more like 6:45. I tried reading but I couldn't concentrate. So finally Shannon settled me down enough to play cards.
Finally, at 6:40, the doorbell rang. I had Shannon let Johnny in while I finished my lecture to the twins (actually just to Embree) not to embarrass me.
Shannon led Johnny into the living room where Embree, Aiden, Lynnie, and Aunt Elaine were waiting patiently. I greeted Johnny and then introduced him to Ms. Treue. I could tell he was very tense and doing his best to answer her questions sincerely. Finally, Aunt Elaine finished firing off questions and nodded indicating we could leave. And we were so close to leaving when Embree decided to speak up.
"Wait just a gosh darn second there, bub." He proclaimed. I made a mental note to ground him from television.
Johnny turned around and Embree walked around him, sizing him up. Finally, he stopped in front of Johnny and declared, "If you get fresh with my sister I'll rip out your esophagus."
"Embree Eugene!" I scolded. He smiled evilly and sat back on the couch. I kissed Lynnie and Aiden goodbye and rapped Embree on the head with my knuckles. And then Johnny and I finally got out the front door.
Johnny led me to a red truck parked in front of the house. Two-Bit was in the driver's seat. Johnny opened the door for me and helped me into the truck. I sat between the two boys and Johnny reminded Two-Bit to drive carefully.
Two-Bit kept me laughing the whole ride to where we were going by speaking with a British accent and calling me ma'am.
After a 20 minute drive consisting of us driving in circles we stopped in front of the Curtis house. A makeshift sign in the front yard said "Café de Curtis". Johnny took my hand and led me up to the front porch where Steve was playing the doorman. He bowed at us and opened the door. All the lights in the house were out but there were tons of candles lit so you could at least see. Ponyboy was at a kind of desk by the front door and when we walked in he stood up and led us to a table set for two in what used to be the Curtis's living room. Johnny looked as amazed by all this as I was.
Johnny pulled out my seat for me and Ponyboy handed us "menus" with "Café de Curtis" printed on the front, and the strangest menu on the inside. The menu read:
Breakfast_________1 kiss for Johnny
Lunch___________2 kisses for Johnny
Dinner___________3 kisses for Johnny
"Wow this place is kind of expensive isn't it?" I commented jokingly.
"Well we need to keep the business going, don't we?" Ponyboy replied giving me a wink. "Now can I take your orders?"
"Hmmmm." I joked, "Maybe I'll try the dinner?"
"Great choice." Ponyboy commented, scribbling on a notepad.
"Two dinners then, waiter." Johnny spoke up.
A few seconds later Ponyboy came back with two plates with mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, peas, and two glasses of chocolate milk.
"Do you take checks or credit cards here?" I asked Ponyboy.
"No, ma'am, but we do have a very strict payment plan. You don't have to pay tonight, but each day the amount due increases by one. It's called interest." Ponyboy replied.
I noticed Johnny giving Ponyboy a 'thumbs up' sign. I thought Two-Bit was joking when he said Johnny had the best date ever planned.
After eating the delicious dinner, Ponyboy brought us "The Curtis Specialty" chocolate cake.
"Give my compliments to the chef." I requested taking a bite of the desert. Soda stuck his head into the room and thanked me for my compliment.
At about 7:30 we were finished eating and Two-Bit the chauffer drove Johnny and me down to the vacant lot where I first met the guys. There was a blanket and a picnic basket set up in the middle of the lot. It was already getting dark and the stars were visible in the clear night sky.
Inside the basket we found two cokes, a pack of gum, and a book called Constellations In the Autumn Sky.
We laid down on the blanket and looked up at the stars. It was freezing out already even though it was only the first week of September. We didn't use the book because neither of us we in the mood for learning something. We talked for an hour though, until we had nothing else to talk about. He even told me how he got the scar on his cheek. But the whole time, I noticed, he didn't say a word about his home life, even when I hinted at wanting to hear about his parents. I just figured either he was horrible at taking hints, or else he didn't have much to say about them. Later I would learn the former was more accurate, seeing as he really did have a lot to say about them later on. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
When we had run out of things to talk about, Johnny started up a conversation about that night.
"You know you don't really have to pay the dinner bill if you don't want to."
"I know I don't have to. But it's the least I could do." I answered leaning in and stealing my first real kiss. Shannon was going to die when I told her this.
I didn't want to go back to the house that night. I had paid the "dinner bill" by the end of the date and thanked the Lord I hadn't made a fool of myself. Well not a complete fool at least. I had tripped over my own feet while Johnny was walking me to the door. I turned red but he was kind enough not to laugh.
I gave him a swift kiss and said it was because we forgot to leave a tip. He laughed at this and we said our goodbyes. I knew I was well on my way to finding out why he perplexed me like he did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok how was it? A little rushed and a little mary-sue-ish. But I tried and now I can FINALLY get to the real good interesting stuff. Please review. Thanks. Bye now.
~E~