Tim Shepard and company were already waiting when they arrived at the vaccant lot, along with a gang from Brumly. Tim nodded towards them in acknowlegment as him and the leader of the Brumly outfit moved forward to shake hands with each of them - proving that the gangs were on the same side in this fight.
When Tim got to Pony he stopped and studied him for a momment.
"You and the quiet black-headed kid were the ones who killed the Soc?"
"Yeah." Pony replied trying to sound proud.
"Good, goin' kid. Curly always said you were a good kid. Curly's in the reformatory for the next six months." Tim grinned ruefully "He got caugh breaking into a liquor store, the little..." He went on to call Curly every unprintable name under the sun.
Tim stopped by Tia, Dally and KJ for a moment.
"They let you out of the hospital already?" Tim asked Tia.
"I guess you could say that." Tia replid returning his smile.
"How's it feel being a 'hero' Dallas?" Tim asked.
"Oh shove it Shepard." Dally growled, still bitter about the artical.
Tim just nodded with a small amused smile and continue making his rounds. Pony scanned the scene with pride. Next to Tia he was the youngest one there. He could tell Darry realized this too and was proud of him even though he was still worried. He was suprised when one of the Brumly Boys waved him over. Tia was watching Pony walk over to where the Brumly's were when she caught Dally starring at her.
"What?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.
"Oh nothing." Dally replied lazily as if this sort of rumble happened everyday "Just rememberin' the last big rumble we were in. You changed a lot since then."
"Oh really?" Tia asked with a light laugh "Is that a good thing?"
"Yeah." Dally replied returning her smile.
A couple of KJ's friends arrived and he waved them over.
"Didn't recognize you for a minute, Tia." One of them commented.
"Yeah, well, less hair is better then scorched hair." Tia pointed out.
"Hey, Curtis!" Tim yelled.
An amused smile went across Tia's face when she saw Pony jump.
"Which one?" Soda yelled back from besider her.
"The big one. Come on over here!" Tim replied.
They watched as Darry went towards Tim and the leader of the Brumly boys. Pony returned to stand with his group just as the Socs began arriving. They came in four carloads, and filed out silently. Pony counted 25 of them, the odds were as even as they were going to get. The two groups lined up silently facing each other. A guy with a madras shirt on stepped forward.
"Let's get the rules straight - nothing but our fists, and the first to run loses. Right?"
"You savvy real good." Tim said flipping his beer can.
Tia hooked her thumps in her belt loops and slouched as she scanned over the line of Socs. She could see a lot of their eyes were on her, probably trying to comprehend why there was a girl there. That was when she spotted him, the lead Soc that had jumped her and Two-Bit. He had spotted her too, he nodded in her direction, a wolfish smile on his face. Tia just clenched her teeth and kept her face emotionless but her eyes were burning like fire. She wanted to get her hands on that Soc and make him regret ever laying a hand on her.
There was an uneasy silence: Who was going to start it? Darry solved the problem. He stepped forward under the circle of light made by the street lamp.
"I'll take on anyone." Darry stated.
"Hello, Darrel." A husky blond guy stepped forward.
"Hello, Paul." Darry replied, something flickered behind his eyes.
Tia looked at Dally on her right with a puzzling expresion.
"They used to buddy 'round in highschool." Dally explained in a low voice.
"I'll take you." Paul replied.
They moved in a circle under the light. The silence grew heavier and the boys harsh breathing could be heard all around. Paul lunged and swung a hard punch to Darry's jaw and the fight begun. Tia got a hold of the first Soc she could find and sent a hard hit to the side of his head making him stumble. She went to throw another punch but he recovered quicker then she had hoped. He lunged, caught her around the waist and brought her to the ground.
The impact with the ground sent a jolt through out her body. The Soc kneeled over her and drew his hand back to hit her. She rolled out of the way just in time and kicking out, connecting with his chest. With the wind knocked out of him, Tia stood up to look for her next hit.
She took a quick glance around the field as she heading towards two Socs taking on one of Tim's outfit members. She could see Dally beating one Soc senseless, near by KJ flipped a Soc from his back over his head. She was amused when she saw Darry smashing two Socs heads together. She scowled as she got closer to her goal. One Soc had a hold of a hood and the other was beating him senseless.
A sudden realization that the exact thing had happened to her when she was jumped. Although she didn't see his face, she knew that Soc was the same on that she had seen. She didn't waste anymore time and jumped on the Socs back. She hoped that in surprise of her weight he would drop, but was unfortunately wrong. He reached behind him and grabbed the back of Tia's shirt. In once swift movement she went flying over his head and landed on the ground.
"Miss me?" He growled when he realized it was her.
"You wish." She replied getting back to her feet.
"What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it a little too rough for you?" He taunted.
"No." She replied and sent a hard punch to his nose.
"Suppose that was for our little run-in?" He asked in an amused tone as he whipped the blood from his nose.
"No." Tia replied.
He sent a hit towards her head, she was expecting it. She dropped to a crouched position and swung her leg out. It connect with him, bringing hit to the ground. She didn't waste any time to get to her feet and send a few good kicks to his rib cage.
"That was." She replied once she was satisfied with her work.
"Tia!" She heard Dally yell from a few feet away.
He was in the middle of fighting off a Soc but had an alarmed look in his eyes.
"What?!" She yelled back.
"Behind you!" He yelled back but it was too late.
Some heavy and solid hit her square on the back, making her loose her balance. She barely caught herself with her hands and rolled to see her attacker. She recognized him, it was that Soc Darry had been fighting with, Paul she thought his name was. Must have gotten away from Darry. He had two guys with with him and a sickning smile on his face.
"Hello." Was the only thing Tia managed to think of to say.
"Been looking for ya." He replied grasping the front of her shirt and pulling her to her feet.
"Why you been lookin' for me?" Tia asked cautiously.
"I've heard of you, everyone has...how you are like a little sister to the whole greaser crew." Paul taunted.
"Lovely...well, I think I am going to go over there." Tia replied trying to slip away.
"I don't think so." Paul replied and motioned to his two friends.
"I only warn you that if any of you put a hand on me I will be forced to kick your ass." Tia pointed out.
"Oh really?" One of his friends asked in a rather amused tone.
The first two came at her at once. She fought but they eventually wrestled her to the ground. She did managed to get one good kick. Luckily she hit the guy where it counts so one kick was all she needed. Paul had joined in too and she knew that the results comming out in her favor did not look very likely. Paul sent two hard kicks at her. The first connected with her shoulder and the second to her chest.
She took a deep breath tryin' to inhale but nothing came. She went into a coughing fit and only managed to get small amounts of air into her lungs.
"Aw, are we playing too rough for you?" Paul sneered.
"Go to hell." Tia managed to gasp out.
He reached down to pull her to her feet again but a dark figure hit him. Tia painfully tried to climb to her feet but she couldn't make her left arm work right. Eventually she got to her feet to see KJ beating Paul's head in. Tia, who was still short of breath, jumped on the other Soc near by and drove him to the ground. When she heard the Socs yelling and running, she got off of him.
She stood straight, proud to be there with the hoods and greasers. She rejoined her group and cheered as the Socs ran back to their cars. They had won.
When Tim got to Pony he stopped and studied him for a momment.
"You and the quiet black-headed kid were the ones who killed the Soc?"
"Yeah." Pony replied trying to sound proud.
"Good, goin' kid. Curly always said you were a good kid. Curly's in the reformatory for the next six months." Tim grinned ruefully "He got caugh breaking into a liquor store, the little..." He went on to call Curly every unprintable name under the sun.
Tim stopped by Tia, Dally and KJ for a moment.
"They let you out of the hospital already?" Tim asked Tia.
"I guess you could say that." Tia replid returning his smile.
"How's it feel being a 'hero' Dallas?" Tim asked.
"Oh shove it Shepard." Dally growled, still bitter about the artical.
Tim just nodded with a small amused smile and continue making his rounds. Pony scanned the scene with pride. Next to Tia he was the youngest one there. He could tell Darry realized this too and was proud of him even though he was still worried. He was suprised when one of the Brumly Boys waved him over. Tia was watching Pony walk over to where the Brumly's were when she caught Dally starring at her.
"What?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.
"Oh nothing." Dally replied lazily as if this sort of rumble happened everyday "Just rememberin' the last big rumble we were in. You changed a lot since then."
"Oh really?" Tia asked with a light laugh "Is that a good thing?"
"Yeah." Dally replied returning her smile.
A couple of KJ's friends arrived and he waved them over.
"Didn't recognize you for a minute, Tia." One of them commented.
"Yeah, well, less hair is better then scorched hair." Tia pointed out.
"Hey, Curtis!" Tim yelled.
An amused smile went across Tia's face when she saw Pony jump.
"Which one?" Soda yelled back from besider her.
"The big one. Come on over here!" Tim replied.
They watched as Darry went towards Tim and the leader of the Brumly boys. Pony returned to stand with his group just as the Socs began arriving. They came in four carloads, and filed out silently. Pony counted 25 of them, the odds were as even as they were going to get. The two groups lined up silently facing each other. A guy with a madras shirt on stepped forward.
"Let's get the rules straight - nothing but our fists, and the first to run loses. Right?"
"You savvy real good." Tim said flipping his beer can.
Tia hooked her thumps in her belt loops and slouched as she scanned over the line of Socs. She could see a lot of their eyes were on her, probably trying to comprehend why there was a girl there. That was when she spotted him, the lead Soc that had jumped her and Two-Bit. He had spotted her too, he nodded in her direction, a wolfish smile on his face. Tia just clenched her teeth and kept her face emotionless but her eyes were burning like fire. She wanted to get her hands on that Soc and make him regret ever laying a hand on her.
There was an uneasy silence: Who was going to start it? Darry solved the problem. He stepped forward under the circle of light made by the street lamp.
"I'll take on anyone." Darry stated.
"Hello, Darrel." A husky blond guy stepped forward.
"Hello, Paul." Darry replied, something flickered behind his eyes.
Tia looked at Dally on her right with a puzzling expresion.
"They used to buddy 'round in highschool." Dally explained in a low voice.
"I'll take you." Paul replied.
They moved in a circle under the light. The silence grew heavier and the boys harsh breathing could be heard all around. Paul lunged and swung a hard punch to Darry's jaw and the fight begun. Tia got a hold of the first Soc she could find and sent a hard hit to the side of his head making him stumble. She went to throw another punch but he recovered quicker then she had hoped. He lunged, caught her around the waist and brought her to the ground.
The impact with the ground sent a jolt through out her body. The Soc kneeled over her and drew his hand back to hit her. She rolled out of the way just in time and kicking out, connecting with his chest. With the wind knocked out of him, Tia stood up to look for her next hit.
She took a quick glance around the field as she heading towards two Socs taking on one of Tim's outfit members. She could see Dally beating one Soc senseless, near by KJ flipped a Soc from his back over his head. She was amused when she saw Darry smashing two Socs heads together. She scowled as she got closer to her goal. One Soc had a hold of a hood and the other was beating him senseless.
A sudden realization that the exact thing had happened to her when she was jumped. Although she didn't see his face, she knew that Soc was the same on that she had seen. She didn't waste anymore time and jumped on the Socs back. She hoped that in surprise of her weight he would drop, but was unfortunately wrong. He reached behind him and grabbed the back of Tia's shirt. In once swift movement she went flying over his head and landed on the ground.
"Miss me?" He growled when he realized it was her.
"You wish." She replied getting back to her feet.
"What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it a little too rough for you?" He taunted.
"No." She replied and sent a hard punch to his nose.
"Suppose that was for our little run-in?" He asked in an amused tone as he whipped the blood from his nose.
"No." Tia replied.
He sent a hit towards her head, she was expecting it. She dropped to a crouched position and swung her leg out. It connect with him, bringing hit to the ground. She didn't waste any time to get to her feet and send a few good kicks to his rib cage.
"That was." She replied once she was satisfied with her work.
"Tia!" She heard Dally yell from a few feet away.
He was in the middle of fighting off a Soc but had an alarmed look in his eyes.
"What?!" She yelled back.
"Behind you!" He yelled back but it was too late.
Some heavy and solid hit her square on the back, making her loose her balance. She barely caught herself with her hands and rolled to see her attacker. She recognized him, it was that Soc Darry had been fighting with, Paul she thought his name was. Must have gotten away from Darry. He had two guys with with him and a sickning smile on his face.
"Hello." Was the only thing Tia managed to think of to say.
"Been looking for ya." He replied grasping the front of her shirt and pulling her to her feet.
"Why you been lookin' for me?" Tia asked cautiously.
"I've heard of you, everyone has...how you are like a little sister to the whole greaser crew." Paul taunted.
"Lovely...well, I think I am going to go over there." Tia replied trying to slip away.
"I don't think so." Paul replied and motioned to his two friends.
"I only warn you that if any of you put a hand on me I will be forced to kick your ass." Tia pointed out.
"Oh really?" One of his friends asked in a rather amused tone.
The first two came at her at once. She fought but they eventually wrestled her to the ground. She did managed to get one good kick. Luckily she hit the guy where it counts so one kick was all she needed. Paul had joined in too and she knew that the results comming out in her favor did not look very likely. Paul sent two hard kicks at her. The first connected with her shoulder and the second to her chest.
She took a deep breath tryin' to inhale but nothing came. She went into a coughing fit and only managed to get small amounts of air into her lungs.
"Aw, are we playing too rough for you?" Paul sneered.
"Go to hell." Tia managed to gasp out.
He reached down to pull her to her feet again but a dark figure hit him. Tia painfully tried to climb to her feet but she couldn't make her left arm work right. Eventually she got to her feet to see KJ beating Paul's head in. Tia, who was still short of breath, jumped on the other Soc near by and drove him to the ground. When she heard the Socs yelling and running, she got off of him.
She stood straight, proud to be there with the hoods and greasers. She rejoined her group and cheered as the Socs ran back to their cars. They had won.