La Senorita

{Sitting in the corner with a coffee cup

Reading the newspaper not looking up

She smiles as she finds something funny there

The sunlight shining in her hair}

I looked around the coffeehouse and back down at the newspaper in front of me. I fingered through it, waiting patiently for Johnny and Steve to get here. They were supposed to meet me here at ten for some coffee, talking, and then go to the Cutis's.

I looked down at my watch and sighed. Ten 'o five. I hoped they hadn't gotten jumped or something. That seemed to happen a lot. And the more it happened, the more I got ticked off at Socs, any I came upon.

The door rang, and I looked up quickly. Johnny was leading Steve into the coffeehouse. I put down the paper and waved them over.

Johnny trotted over to me and jumped down on the booth beside me. "Sorry we're late."

I shrugged it off as Steve sat down on the other side of the table. "Ain't a big deal. I just thought you got jumped or something."

Steve rolled his eyes. "The car I was working on gave me some trouble."

I nodded. "Forget it. So, you gonna order something?"

They glanced at each other.

"What?" I asked with a smile on my lips.

"Don't have any…" Johnny whispered.

I laughed. "Just order something. It's on me. I got my paycheck yesterday."

Steve shook his head. "Not hungry, not thirsty."

I looked at Johnny. "Don't tell me you don't even want a milk? Water?"

He smiled. "You just love spending money on us, don't you?"

I shrugged it off. "Guess so. Now, you gonna have anything?"

He looked over the drink menu sitting on the table. "I guess I could get a hot cocoa…"

"Johnny!" I laughed. "It's like, a hundred degrees outside!"

He flustered. "Ninety."

"Whatever. Go ahead and order, I'll keep Steve busy."

"Oh boy," Steve mumbled as Johnny got up to order at the counter.

I smiled. "Oh, shut up Steve. It ain't gonna kill ya to talk to me."

He shrugged. "You never know…"

"Shut up or I'll tell Soda about you and my friend Natalie."

He turned beat red. "You wouldn't."

"I would, and I will if you don't stop dissing me like I'm deaf."

Steve had this thing for my best friend Natalie James, and she had something for him. That ended up in a long make-out session that I happened to run into.

He swallowed. "Blackmail."

"Just playing your game, grease."

He snorted. "Shut up."

I smiled wide. "Will do Stevie, will do."

"Shut up."

"Is that all you know how to say? 'Shut up'?"

"Shut yer trap."

I broke out laughing. "Pathetic, Randle! Pathetic…"

"You'll be pathetic lookin' if you don't shut your trap." He growled.

"That a threat?" I asked coolly, calming down.

"Maybe. Ask your lover boy Two-Bit."

I bared my teeth and snarled. "You leave Two-Bit out of this, bastard…"

{When she leaves you want to

Follow her anywhere

Her dress is too tight

But you can't let her see you stare}

Steve and I had this ongoing war that never ended. He'd blackmail me, I'd do it back at him, he'd start a fight and end up giving me a black eye or slashed lip, and Two-Bit would smash in his head.

"Do you like having a dent in your skull?" I growled.

He shrugged. "Two-Bit doesn't scare me."

"Damn well he should!" I snarled loudly, slamming my fists on the table, making everyone stare at me, and the silverware rattle. "I don't know why you like to beat the shit out of me and make fun of me, Randle. I don't think I ever will. And whatever James sees in you, I don't know! She must be blind to even remotely like someone like you!"

I jumped from the table and ran out of there before he could slug me one good for talking bad about his girl. He'd wash my mouth out with something stronger then soap if I said something about Nat. But she was my friend, not his! I was sure she said things about me to him, so why not say things about her? I had my rights, too. This wasn't a one-way friendship. But it sure seemed like it was starting to look like one.

I was getting madder and angrier every second, and when I get blinded mad like that, I do things – bad things – terrible things. I would find Two-Bit, that's what I would do. I'd find the wise-cracker of the bunch and huddle in his arms for hours until I'd finally get out two words – Steve Randle – so he could go and beat the shit out of him for being rough on me.

The whole gang knew I was sensitive, about everything, really. They knew the other kids treated me terrible at school. They knew I hated people for what they had done to me. They had won my trust, and they wanted to keep it. They seemed to like looking out for me, Two-Bit and Dally in particular. I didn't think for a second that Two-Bit would let Steve off the hook for treating me bad just because he was in the same group as himself.

I sprinted down the street as quick as my feet would carry me. Shoving through the crowds, knocking down some Socs and a greaser or two, I finally made my way out of the huge crowds and into a huge building. I breathed heavily as I glanced around only for a second before continuing my run through the building to the other side. I smashed my way through a door and ended up outside by the beach. I jumped up on the cement barrier separating the back sidewalk from the beach, and sprinted down it. Sand made the cement railing slippery and dangerous, but at the time I didn't care about that.

People, mostly teens, looked at me as I ran past, giving me odd looks. The greasers were the least groups to pay attention, and the Socs threw in their own two-sense as I went by them and their friends. But I couldn't possibly care less. Where in hell was Two-Bit? Maybe he was with Darry… Or Pony!

I jumped off the barrier and went sprawling from landing on my foot wrong.

There was a shout, and someone helped me up. "Are you ok?!"

I looked at the girl. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes. I nodded hurriedly. I saw a group of what looked like her friends coming up behind her, so I waved her off. "Thanks! Catch ya on the flip side!" I threw up my arm with a V sign on my fingers, and continued running down the backside of the boardwalk. Whew! I wiped imaginary sweat from my forehead. That was close! Too close… my conscience went running wild about how that could have ended – blood, turmoil – and I prayed to God mentally and thanked him for letting me live through my stupid mistake of landing on the ground too hard and too damn fast.

There was another yell after I had gone a hundred meters, but I didn't stop.

"CALLISTO!"

I kept running. The damned Socs knew my name. That would not end well…

Something grabbed my waist and I gagged as someone pulled me into a store.