"Can I crash here tonight?"
"Sure, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Darry hit me and I just can't go back tonight."
"Come on in." I moved aside to let him in.
"Hi, Ponyboy." Becky said when Pony came into the room.
"Hey Becky."
I went to get a few blankets and pillows for Pony. When I came back Pony was sittin' in a chair near the closet, he looked a little pale and was shaking a little.
"Hey Pony, calm down man." I told him.
"Darry's never hit me before." Pony said.
"Why did he hit you in the first place?" I asked, a little curious to why Darry had hit him.
"I came in late. Johnny and me were at the lot and we fell asleep. When I came in, he just started yellin' at me to start with then Soda tried to get him to leave me alone and he yelled at Soda. I told Darry not to yell at Soda and he hit me." Pony said getting more upset.
"Here's some blankets and pillows." I said handing the items to Ponyboy.
"Thanks, Dal." Pony said setting up a place to sleep on the floor.
"Sure. Get some sleep. I'll go call Darry so he don't worry much." I said walking out of the room and down stairs to call Darry. When I got down stairs I picked up the phone, trying to remember the number.
"Hello?" Came the voice on the other end of the line.
"Darry, it's Dally." I said.
"Hey Dally, what's up?" Darry said over the phone.
"Ponyboy is staying here tonight." I told him.
"Why didn't he just come home?" Darry asked sounding a little upset.
"He told me the story of what happened and he's pretty upset so I told him he could stay here tonight. I figured if I made him leave and go home, then he would probably run away or something."
"All right. Can you make sure he gets home in the morning? Soda has the day off tomorrow so he can stay with Sodapop." Darry told me.
"Sure thing Darry."
"Thanks Dallas."
I hung up the phone and went back up to the room. Becky was sitting on the bed and Pony was asleep on his 'bed' he made on the floor.
"Cute kid." Becky said.
I just looked at her.
"What?" Becky asked.
"Why are you talking about Pony like that?"
"I just said he was cute, my goodness don't have a heart-a-tack." Becky said.
"Becky, the kid is 14 and you're, what 16 now, he's too young for you."
"Dallas, I didn't say anything about going out with him, I only said he was cute. If I went out with anyone from your gang it would probably Steve, what's his name Randle?"
"Why would you want to go out with Steve?" I asked her.
"I don't know, maybe because I like him?" She said being sarcastic.
"Go to sleep Rebecca." I told her as I laid down and closed my eyes.
"Well, you don't have to get so touchy about it." She said as she laid down.
The next morning when I woke up Becky was gone and so was Pony. The blankets were neatly folded and placed on the chair near the closet, with the pillows stacked on top. I looked around for a note or something to tell me where the two of them had gone off to, but there was nothing.
After I was dressed, I went over to the Curtis' house. The whole gang was there, including Pony and Becky.
"Beck, thanks for leaving a note." I said to her.
"I didn't leave a note." She looked over to Pony but he shook his head.
"Yeah, I know." I told her as I sat down on the couch.
Soda and Steve started a card game and Two-Bit turned the TV onto Mickey Mouse.
I noticed Becky was watching Steve a lot. Steve seemed to be watching Becky too. Just not as much as Becky was watching him. I didn't stay long. I went over to Shepard's house after I left the Curtis' house.
"Anyone home?" I asked as I stuck my head in the door.
"In the kitchen." I heard Tim yell back. I walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Tim was cooking something.
"Tim Shepard, cooking. What a sight."
"Hey, watch it Winston." Tim said looking over at me and he stirred what ever he was cooking. "What was up with Curly last night?" Tim asked.
"I don't know, I was almost asleep when he was standing at the side of the bed with a gun to my head." I told Tim.
"Weird sometimes." He said waving the spoon around.
"Yeah, I guess." I said, lighting up a cigarette.
"So, what's the deal with your sister?"
"What do you mean?"
"She's been hanging around down at the DX with the Randle kid." Tim said.
"Who knows?" I said, putting my ashes in the ashtray.
"Sure, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Darry hit me and I just can't go back tonight."
"Come on in." I moved aside to let him in.
"Hi, Ponyboy." Becky said when Pony came into the room.
"Hey Becky."
I went to get a few blankets and pillows for Pony. When I came back Pony was sittin' in a chair near the closet, he looked a little pale and was shaking a little.
"Hey Pony, calm down man." I told him.
"Darry's never hit me before." Pony said.
"Why did he hit you in the first place?" I asked, a little curious to why Darry had hit him.
"I came in late. Johnny and me were at the lot and we fell asleep. When I came in, he just started yellin' at me to start with then Soda tried to get him to leave me alone and he yelled at Soda. I told Darry not to yell at Soda and he hit me." Pony said getting more upset.
"Here's some blankets and pillows." I said handing the items to Ponyboy.
"Thanks, Dal." Pony said setting up a place to sleep on the floor.
"Sure. Get some sleep. I'll go call Darry so he don't worry much." I said walking out of the room and down stairs to call Darry. When I got down stairs I picked up the phone, trying to remember the number.
"Hello?" Came the voice on the other end of the line.
"Darry, it's Dally." I said.
"Hey Dally, what's up?" Darry said over the phone.
"Ponyboy is staying here tonight." I told him.
"Why didn't he just come home?" Darry asked sounding a little upset.
"He told me the story of what happened and he's pretty upset so I told him he could stay here tonight. I figured if I made him leave and go home, then he would probably run away or something."
"All right. Can you make sure he gets home in the morning? Soda has the day off tomorrow so he can stay with Sodapop." Darry told me.
"Sure thing Darry."
"Thanks Dallas."
I hung up the phone and went back up to the room. Becky was sitting on the bed and Pony was asleep on his 'bed' he made on the floor.
"Cute kid." Becky said.
I just looked at her.
"What?" Becky asked.
"Why are you talking about Pony like that?"
"I just said he was cute, my goodness don't have a heart-a-tack." Becky said.
"Becky, the kid is 14 and you're, what 16 now, he's too young for you."
"Dallas, I didn't say anything about going out with him, I only said he was cute. If I went out with anyone from your gang it would probably Steve, what's his name Randle?"
"Why would you want to go out with Steve?" I asked her.
"I don't know, maybe because I like him?" She said being sarcastic.
"Go to sleep Rebecca." I told her as I laid down and closed my eyes.
"Well, you don't have to get so touchy about it." She said as she laid down.
The next morning when I woke up Becky was gone and so was Pony. The blankets were neatly folded and placed on the chair near the closet, with the pillows stacked on top. I looked around for a note or something to tell me where the two of them had gone off to, but there was nothing.
After I was dressed, I went over to the Curtis' house. The whole gang was there, including Pony and Becky.
"Beck, thanks for leaving a note." I said to her.
"I didn't leave a note." She looked over to Pony but he shook his head.
"Yeah, I know." I told her as I sat down on the couch.
Soda and Steve started a card game and Two-Bit turned the TV onto Mickey Mouse.
I noticed Becky was watching Steve a lot. Steve seemed to be watching Becky too. Just not as much as Becky was watching him. I didn't stay long. I went over to Shepard's house after I left the Curtis' house.
"Anyone home?" I asked as I stuck my head in the door.
"In the kitchen." I heard Tim yell back. I walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Tim was cooking something.
"Tim Shepard, cooking. What a sight."
"Hey, watch it Winston." Tim said looking over at me and he stirred what ever he was cooking. "What was up with Curly last night?" Tim asked.
"I don't know, I was almost asleep when he was standing at the side of the bed with a gun to my head." I told Tim.
"Weird sometimes." He said waving the spoon around.
"Yeah, I guess." I said, lighting up a cigarette.
"So, what's the deal with your sister?"
"What do you mean?"
"She's been hanging around down at the DX with the Randle kid." Tim said.
"Who knows?" I said, putting my ashes in the ashtray.