*Thanks to all of you that reviewed! I already have the plot of this story
laid out, but is there any little things you want me to add in? Please,
read on!*
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"Where are you going?" Darry asked.
"On a walk," I replied.
"Only if someone goes with you. It'll be getting dark soon."
Pony was next to me in a second and we made our way slowly to the park. We didn't say anything, which was odd. Normally around each other we couldn't stop talking. I was always talking about books, movies didn't interest me as much as they did Pony. Also, I liked fiction books, especially fantasy. Pony was really into non-fiction stories, real stories about real people. I couldn't understand why. Darry hated when I talked about magic of any kind, I always argued with him about it, magic was real. Somewhere, at sometime, and I was going to prove it somehow.
The park was almost abandoned, so Pony and I sat on the swings and watched the sunset. That was the second time that day I wished that I could read minds. I'd miss him, but would he miss me, too? What was I thinking? Of course he would miss me, I'm his best friend, right? Then why wasn't he saying that? Why didn't he look upset? He swung slightly on the swing, smoking a cigarette. I wish he wouldn't smoke, it's so unhealthy. The last rays of the sun illuminated his face. I didn't care what he said, he was good looking. He was even as handsome as Soda, just not movie star handsome, something different.
"This can't be happening Pony, I'm dreaming, I have to be." That was I could say, all I could think about. This was the last sunset in my home, with the best friend I'd ever had. True, it wasn't as if I was dying, I was only moving to North Carolina. Just the same, I might as well have been moving to the moon, I'd never see him. I'd never even thought about a life without the gang. Even when I was little, my mom and Mrs. Curtis were good friends and they got together often. That's how I got to know Ponyboy Curtis and who were then known to me as his evil older brothers. They always teased me about the flowery dresses I wore every Sunday at church. I couldn't stand being around them. It was amusing to me how things had changed; I could no longer stand to be without them.
"Everything's going to be okay, Mattie, it's just gotta be." He spoke at last.
Once again, it seemed that tears were welling up in my eyes, ready to spill down my cheeks. I was so sick of crying that I could've screamed. It was like a stubborn disease that couldn't be cured no matter how hard I fought it. I had to give in, "What the hell, let the waterfall loose. Better now than later," I thought. And cry is what I did. I stood up and faced the sun so that Pony wouldn't see me. "Where does all of this water come from?" Once I had started, I couldn't stop. "Control the water works, Mattie, please don't let Pony see you like this."
"Mattie..." I guess he couldn't find anything to say. He moved to stand in front of me, but I couldn't look at him. His hands shook as he raised my head up and to push my tears away from my cheeks with his thumbs. I was forced to meet his gaze, he was crying, too. "Mattie, please don't leave, please." He pulled me into a hug. His warm cheek was against the side of my forehead; his arms were wrapped around my waist. He failed miserably at trying to contain his sobs, just as I had. I cried into his shoulder for a long time. I don't know it could have been any period of time from then minutes to an hour. As far as I could remember, Ponyboy Curtis had never held on to me like he did right then, no one had. I knew I'd never hugged anyone like that. My arms were around his neck, with my head nestled into his shoulder.
I must have let go of him sometime because there we were sitting on the edge of the fountain. Or a least I was.
"Not cool, Mattie, not cool!" I didn't mean to shove Pony into the fountain. I don't think he believed me when I apologized. Maybe it was because I wouldn't stop laughing at him. I reached out my hand to help him up and as soon as I had gripped his arm, he pulled me in with him.
"Geez, how the hell did I fall for that?" I asked out loud. Pony didn't say anything back, he was hysterical.
"Shut up, Curtis!" We both just sat there in the middle of the fountain, even when Pony had stopped laughing. I was partially afraid to get out. Part of it was that the sun was gone and there was a chill in the night breeze. Also, for the second time that week, I was sure Darry was gonna skin us.
"Mattie. Look!" I shouldn't have looked; he splashed me right in the face.
"Ha, Ha. Real funny. Maybe you should take that transfer back to the third grade." I said sarcastically. I guess it didn't help prove my point because I splashed him right back. Our fight didn't last long.
"Don't you dare!" I could see the look in his eyes, he was gonna pounce. Surprise, I was right. (What else is new?) He had me down in a heartbeat. I managed to wriggle free of his grasp before he could pull me under and I pushed him back.
"You're no match for me, Mattie." He acted tough.
"Maybe not in the strength department but..." I was challenging him and he fell for it.
"I dare you to race me, I dare you!" That's a major problem with me, I can't say "no" to a dare. Never have, never will. Ponyboy knows that, and so does the rest of the gang.
It didn't take a second for me to take off. Pony was right behind me the whole time. I knew where I was headed, to the park gate, that's always our finish line. Suddenly, I took a sharp turn left trying to get him off my tail. I had taken the short cut through the field where the kids normally come out to play soccer in the summer and where the Easter egg hunt is held each April. I could see the chain fences opening; the exit. I must've been a hundred meters away from victory, but Pony was desperate. He tackled me without any trouble, pulling me down to the ground. I couldn't even attempt to wrestle with him; the wind was knocked out of me. I couldn't move a muscle, he had me pinned.
"Holler uncle!" he yelled, laughing, He was out of breath, too.
"Heck no!" I said calmly, he would have to give up sometime.
Five minutes later I sighed dramatically, and hummed to myself as if bored.
"If you just said it, we can go home." Pony tried to convince me.
"I'm not going to say it, Pony."
"Fine, fine." We were still in the same position. The cold was beginning to make goose bumps rise up on my skin.
"I've got nothing to do; I can sit here all week." Pony stated simply. With his word reality struck me again.
"I can't." I looked into up his eyes. We couldn't just sit there all night and pretend like everything was normal, if you can call life in Tulsa normal. No, everything was changing. I finally knew what Darry meant when he said that some things would happen so fast that my head would spin, because my head sure was spinning. I couldn't even finish a fragment of a thought before another one entered my head.
"Uncle." I whispered. Pony rolled off me and lay on his back in the grass. "Pony, can we just say goodbye now." I interrupted the silence.
"What? Why?"
"Lets just get it over with." I sighed, "Unless you have some brilliant plan to find a way for me to stay. But I've been thinking all afternoon and I haven't got a thing." I knew saying goodbye then wouldn't help me; the next day would still be one of the hardest days of my life.
"Let's head home, Mattie, It's freezing out here." He gave me a hand and pulled me to my feet.
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You read, will you review? PLEASE!
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"Where are you going?" Darry asked.
"On a walk," I replied.
"Only if someone goes with you. It'll be getting dark soon."
Pony was next to me in a second and we made our way slowly to the park. We didn't say anything, which was odd. Normally around each other we couldn't stop talking. I was always talking about books, movies didn't interest me as much as they did Pony. Also, I liked fiction books, especially fantasy. Pony was really into non-fiction stories, real stories about real people. I couldn't understand why. Darry hated when I talked about magic of any kind, I always argued with him about it, magic was real. Somewhere, at sometime, and I was going to prove it somehow.
The park was almost abandoned, so Pony and I sat on the swings and watched the sunset. That was the second time that day I wished that I could read minds. I'd miss him, but would he miss me, too? What was I thinking? Of course he would miss me, I'm his best friend, right? Then why wasn't he saying that? Why didn't he look upset? He swung slightly on the swing, smoking a cigarette. I wish he wouldn't smoke, it's so unhealthy. The last rays of the sun illuminated his face. I didn't care what he said, he was good looking. He was even as handsome as Soda, just not movie star handsome, something different.
"This can't be happening Pony, I'm dreaming, I have to be." That was I could say, all I could think about. This was the last sunset in my home, with the best friend I'd ever had. True, it wasn't as if I was dying, I was only moving to North Carolina. Just the same, I might as well have been moving to the moon, I'd never see him. I'd never even thought about a life without the gang. Even when I was little, my mom and Mrs. Curtis were good friends and they got together often. That's how I got to know Ponyboy Curtis and who were then known to me as his evil older brothers. They always teased me about the flowery dresses I wore every Sunday at church. I couldn't stand being around them. It was amusing to me how things had changed; I could no longer stand to be without them.
"Everything's going to be okay, Mattie, it's just gotta be." He spoke at last.
Once again, it seemed that tears were welling up in my eyes, ready to spill down my cheeks. I was so sick of crying that I could've screamed. It was like a stubborn disease that couldn't be cured no matter how hard I fought it. I had to give in, "What the hell, let the waterfall loose. Better now than later," I thought. And cry is what I did. I stood up and faced the sun so that Pony wouldn't see me. "Where does all of this water come from?" Once I had started, I couldn't stop. "Control the water works, Mattie, please don't let Pony see you like this."
"Mattie..." I guess he couldn't find anything to say. He moved to stand in front of me, but I couldn't look at him. His hands shook as he raised my head up and to push my tears away from my cheeks with his thumbs. I was forced to meet his gaze, he was crying, too. "Mattie, please don't leave, please." He pulled me into a hug. His warm cheek was against the side of my forehead; his arms were wrapped around my waist. He failed miserably at trying to contain his sobs, just as I had. I cried into his shoulder for a long time. I don't know it could have been any period of time from then minutes to an hour. As far as I could remember, Ponyboy Curtis had never held on to me like he did right then, no one had. I knew I'd never hugged anyone like that. My arms were around his neck, with my head nestled into his shoulder.
I must have let go of him sometime because there we were sitting on the edge of the fountain. Or a least I was.
"Not cool, Mattie, not cool!" I didn't mean to shove Pony into the fountain. I don't think he believed me when I apologized. Maybe it was because I wouldn't stop laughing at him. I reached out my hand to help him up and as soon as I had gripped his arm, he pulled me in with him.
"Geez, how the hell did I fall for that?" I asked out loud. Pony didn't say anything back, he was hysterical.
"Shut up, Curtis!" We both just sat there in the middle of the fountain, even when Pony had stopped laughing. I was partially afraid to get out. Part of it was that the sun was gone and there was a chill in the night breeze. Also, for the second time that week, I was sure Darry was gonna skin us.
"Mattie. Look!" I shouldn't have looked; he splashed me right in the face.
"Ha, Ha. Real funny. Maybe you should take that transfer back to the third grade." I said sarcastically. I guess it didn't help prove my point because I splashed him right back. Our fight didn't last long.
"Don't you dare!" I could see the look in his eyes, he was gonna pounce. Surprise, I was right. (What else is new?) He had me down in a heartbeat. I managed to wriggle free of his grasp before he could pull me under and I pushed him back.
"You're no match for me, Mattie." He acted tough.
"Maybe not in the strength department but..." I was challenging him and he fell for it.
"I dare you to race me, I dare you!" That's a major problem with me, I can't say "no" to a dare. Never have, never will. Ponyboy knows that, and so does the rest of the gang.
It didn't take a second for me to take off. Pony was right behind me the whole time. I knew where I was headed, to the park gate, that's always our finish line. Suddenly, I took a sharp turn left trying to get him off my tail. I had taken the short cut through the field where the kids normally come out to play soccer in the summer and where the Easter egg hunt is held each April. I could see the chain fences opening; the exit. I must've been a hundred meters away from victory, but Pony was desperate. He tackled me without any trouble, pulling me down to the ground. I couldn't even attempt to wrestle with him; the wind was knocked out of me. I couldn't move a muscle, he had me pinned.
"Holler uncle!" he yelled, laughing, He was out of breath, too.
"Heck no!" I said calmly, he would have to give up sometime.
Five minutes later I sighed dramatically, and hummed to myself as if bored.
"If you just said it, we can go home." Pony tried to convince me.
"I'm not going to say it, Pony."
"Fine, fine." We were still in the same position. The cold was beginning to make goose bumps rise up on my skin.
"I've got nothing to do; I can sit here all week." Pony stated simply. With his word reality struck me again.
"I can't." I looked into up his eyes. We couldn't just sit there all night and pretend like everything was normal, if you can call life in Tulsa normal. No, everything was changing. I finally knew what Darry meant when he said that some things would happen so fast that my head would spin, because my head sure was spinning. I couldn't even finish a fragment of a thought before another one entered my head.
"Uncle." I whispered. Pony rolled off me and lay on his back in the grass. "Pony, can we just say goodbye now." I interrupted the silence.
"What? Why?"
"Lets just get it over with." I sighed, "Unless you have some brilliant plan to find a way for me to stay. But I've been thinking all afternoon and I haven't got a thing." I knew saying goodbye then wouldn't help me; the next day would still be one of the hardest days of my life.
"Let's head home, Mattie, It's freezing out here." He gave me a hand and pulled me to my feet.
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You read, will you review? PLEASE!