Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders.
Thanks for the reviews! I feel like writing again today, so I hope you all enjoy it.
Pony's POV
About a week later, I went back to the doctor to make sure that the strep throat was gone. The test came back negative, so Darry said I could go to school the next day. I still felt hesitant about going, but I didn't think that was going to change. I just had to go and see what happened. Like Soda had said, Twobit and Steve would be there. I was really behind on my work, and I hoped I could catch up soon, so my grades wouldn't fall. That would just be extra stress since I was still on chemo and everything. I would get more of that tomorrow after school, and I wasn't looking forward to it. The whole gang was in the living room relaxing and talking, and the subject of school came up.
"Are you ready to go back, Pony?" Twobit asked.
"I guess so." I said.
"You can wait longer if you want to, little buddy. There's no hurry." Darry said.
"If I don't go now, I'll never want to. It's getting late, guys. I'm going to bed, so I'm not tired tomorrow." I said as I went to my room.
I heard everyone tell me good night, and then they quieted down.
"Pony, if you're going to school, you need to get up right now!" I heard Darry yell from the kitchen.
I opened my eyes and saw that Soda was already out of bed and heard the door slam as Steve and Twobit came in. I got up and went to take a shower before breakfast. I made sure to put on a hat when I got dressed. No way was I going to school without it.
"Hey, Pony. Are you almost ready to go?" Twobit asked cheerfully.
He was the only person I knew who could be that cheerful this early in the morning.
"Yeah. I think so." I said.
"Have a good day, and don't worry so much. Okay?" Soda said as he and Darry left for work.
"All right." I said.
I quickly ate some bacon and eggs, and then followed Steve and Twobit out the door. We got to the school in about five minutes and went off in different directions to our classes before lunch. We all had lunch fourth period. I went to my homeroom, and when I walked in, I felt like everyone was staring at me. Then, people started whispering to each other.
"Isn't that the boy with cancer?"
"Can we catch what he has?"
"Is he bald?"
My face must have turned red, but I didn't say anything. I just sat down in my seat. I've always been a loner, which isn't so bad. Now, I was a loner with cancer. That was really bad. The rest of the day went pretty much the same. The teachers said they were glad to see me and so did a few a my classmates, but that couldn't make up for all the staring and whispering. I felt like such an outcast. I was glad when lunch came, so I could see Steve and Twobit again. I was sitting at a table in the cafeteria when Cherry Valance came up to me.
"Hi, Ponyboy. It's nice to see you back." She said.
"Thanks." I said.
"So, how has your first day back been?" She asked.
"Okay. I guess. People keep staring at me and talking about me."
"Just ignore them. They probably don't have anything better to do."
"I wish they would find something better to do." I said and grinned at her.
It was nice to know I had a friend to talk to here besides Steve and Twobit.
"Well, I need to go get some lunch. I'll see you later. Hang in there, Ponyboy." Cherry said as she walked away.
Twobit walked into the cafeteria a few minutes later.
"Are you going to the DX? Steve is already on his way. I told him I would get you and catch up to him." He said.
"Sure. I'm ready to get out of this place." I said.
We walked by a group of socs on our way out, and I caught a little of their conversation.
"Hey, there's the greaser that has cancer."
"He's back? I thought he would die, and we would have one less greaser around here."
"Yeah, too bad. We would have had one less of that trash with long hair."
"He doesn't have any hair now. It's all gone!"
They all laughed, and a lot of people were looking at me. They had been talking considerably loud, so Twobit and me weren't the only ones who heard them.
"What the matter, greaser? Did we hurt your feelings?" One of the socs said tauntingly.
I started to walk away, but one of them reached out and snatched my hat right off my head. I turned around and snatched it back.
"Why don't you just leave me alone?" I asked.
"If you bother him one more time..." Twobit started.
He looked ready for a fight, but I wasn't going to let him into this.
"Twobit, stay out of this." I said.
Twobit was staring at them with a threatening look, and his teeth were clenched. The only reason he hadn't fought them was that he knew I didn't want him getting in trouble because of me.
The socs laughed and taunted me some more.
"What are you going to do, cancer boy?"
"Without that hair of yours, you're not much of a greaser anymore."
"You're just a bald, sick, skinny little kid."
I could take it anymore. I was embarrassed that they were teasing me in front of so many people, and I was embarrassed that I was trying really hard not to cry. I ran out of the cafeteria as fast as I could and into the nearest bathroom.
Twobit's POV
If Pony hadn't wanted me to stay out of this, I would have given those socs a few black eyes already. He didn't deserve to be picked on like that. When Pony ran off, it took all the strength I had not to fight them. Instead, I went to find him. There weren't many places he could go, so I checked the nearest bathroom. Sure enough, Pony was in there and up against the wall. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his hands. He hadn't heard me come in, so I sat down next to him. Pony jumped a little when he realized someone was there.
"It's just me." I said.
Pony looked up, and I saw tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I don't understand it, Twobit. Why do they have to pick on me about something like this? If it was something I could control, it would be different. I couldn't control getting cancer." He said sadly.
"I don't know, kid. They just don't care about anyone but themselves." I said.
"I thought today might not be so bad compared to when I came back after Johnny and Dally died and everything, but it was worse." Pony said.
I put my arm around his shoulders in an attempt to be comforting, but that was Soda's department. Sometimes it was Darry's, but never mine. I guessed it was my turn to try now, considering I was the only one around.
"Pony, don't listen to them. They don't know what they're talking about. It took a lot of courage for you to come here today. Do you realize that?" I said.
"Yeah. I guess it did." He said.
"Everyone will forget that you had cancer soon and move on to talking about something else."
"I hope so."
"Maybe you should just go home. There's no point in dragging this day out any longer. You've been through enough."
Pony smiled and shook his head.
"So, does Twobit know what's best now?" He asked.
"Yeah, I sure do." I smiled too.
"Okay. Then, let's go." Pony said.
We left the school and went to the Curtis house. We had lunch there, and Pony did homework while I watched Mickey mouse on TV until everyone else got there.
A/N Review please!
Thanks for the reviews! I feel like writing again today, so I hope you all enjoy it.
Pony's POV
About a week later, I went back to the doctor to make sure that the strep throat was gone. The test came back negative, so Darry said I could go to school the next day. I still felt hesitant about going, but I didn't think that was going to change. I just had to go and see what happened. Like Soda had said, Twobit and Steve would be there. I was really behind on my work, and I hoped I could catch up soon, so my grades wouldn't fall. That would just be extra stress since I was still on chemo and everything. I would get more of that tomorrow after school, and I wasn't looking forward to it. The whole gang was in the living room relaxing and talking, and the subject of school came up.
"Are you ready to go back, Pony?" Twobit asked.
"I guess so." I said.
"You can wait longer if you want to, little buddy. There's no hurry." Darry said.
"If I don't go now, I'll never want to. It's getting late, guys. I'm going to bed, so I'm not tired tomorrow." I said as I went to my room.
I heard everyone tell me good night, and then they quieted down.
"Pony, if you're going to school, you need to get up right now!" I heard Darry yell from the kitchen.
I opened my eyes and saw that Soda was already out of bed and heard the door slam as Steve and Twobit came in. I got up and went to take a shower before breakfast. I made sure to put on a hat when I got dressed. No way was I going to school without it.
"Hey, Pony. Are you almost ready to go?" Twobit asked cheerfully.
He was the only person I knew who could be that cheerful this early in the morning.
"Yeah. I think so." I said.
"Have a good day, and don't worry so much. Okay?" Soda said as he and Darry left for work.
"All right." I said.
I quickly ate some bacon and eggs, and then followed Steve and Twobit out the door. We got to the school in about five minutes and went off in different directions to our classes before lunch. We all had lunch fourth period. I went to my homeroom, and when I walked in, I felt like everyone was staring at me. Then, people started whispering to each other.
"Isn't that the boy with cancer?"
"Can we catch what he has?"
"Is he bald?"
My face must have turned red, but I didn't say anything. I just sat down in my seat. I've always been a loner, which isn't so bad. Now, I was a loner with cancer. That was really bad. The rest of the day went pretty much the same. The teachers said they were glad to see me and so did a few a my classmates, but that couldn't make up for all the staring and whispering. I felt like such an outcast. I was glad when lunch came, so I could see Steve and Twobit again. I was sitting at a table in the cafeteria when Cherry Valance came up to me.
"Hi, Ponyboy. It's nice to see you back." She said.
"Thanks." I said.
"So, how has your first day back been?" She asked.
"Okay. I guess. People keep staring at me and talking about me."
"Just ignore them. They probably don't have anything better to do."
"I wish they would find something better to do." I said and grinned at her.
It was nice to know I had a friend to talk to here besides Steve and Twobit.
"Well, I need to go get some lunch. I'll see you later. Hang in there, Ponyboy." Cherry said as she walked away.
Twobit walked into the cafeteria a few minutes later.
"Are you going to the DX? Steve is already on his way. I told him I would get you and catch up to him." He said.
"Sure. I'm ready to get out of this place." I said.
We walked by a group of socs on our way out, and I caught a little of their conversation.
"Hey, there's the greaser that has cancer."
"He's back? I thought he would die, and we would have one less greaser around here."
"Yeah, too bad. We would have had one less of that trash with long hair."
"He doesn't have any hair now. It's all gone!"
They all laughed, and a lot of people were looking at me. They had been talking considerably loud, so Twobit and me weren't the only ones who heard them.
"What the matter, greaser? Did we hurt your feelings?" One of the socs said tauntingly.
I started to walk away, but one of them reached out and snatched my hat right off my head. I turned around and snatched it back.
"Why don't you just leave me alone?" I asked.
"If you bother him one more time..." Twobit started.
He looked ready for a fight, but I wasn't going to let him into this.
"Twobit, stay out of this." I said.
Twobit was staring at them with a threatening look, and his teeth were clenched. The only reason he hadn't fought them was that he knew I didn't want him getting in trouble because of me.
The socs laughed and taunted me some more.
"What are you going to do, cancer boy?"
"Without that hair of yours, you're not much of a greaser anymore."
"You're just a bald, sick, skinny little kid."
I could take it anymore. I was embarrassed that they were teasing me in front of so many people, and I was embarrassed that I was trying really hard not to cry. I ran out of the cafeteria as fast as I could and into the nearest bathroom.
Twobit's POV
If Pony hadn't wanted me to stay out of this, I would have given those socs a few black eyes already. He didn't deserve to be picked on like that. When Pony ran off, it took all the strength I had not to fight them. Instead, I went to find him. There weren't many places he could go, so I checked the nearest bathroom. Sure enough, Pony was in there and up against the wall. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his hands. He hadn't heard me come in, so I sat down next to him. Pony jumped a little when he realized someone was there.
"It's just me." I said.
Pony looked up, and I saw tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I don't understand it, Twobit. Why do they have to pick on me about something like this? If it was something I could control, it would be different. I couldn't control getting cancer." He said sadly.
"I don't know, kid. They just don't care about anyone but themselves." I said.
"I thought today might not be so bad compared to when I came back after Johnny and Dally died and everything, but it was worse." Pony said.
I put my arm around his shoulders in an attempt to be comforting, but that was Soda's department. Sometimes it was Darry's, but never mine. I guessed it was my turn to try now, considering I was the only one around.
"Pony, don't listen to them. They don't know what they're talking about. It took a lot of courage for you to come here today. Do you realize that?" I said.
"Yeah. I guess it did." He said.
"Everyone will forget that you had cancer soon and move on to talking about something else."
"I hope so."
"Maybe you should just go home. There's no point in dragging this day out any longer. You've been through enough."
Pony smiled and shook his head.
"So, does Twobit know what's best now?" He asked.
"Yeah, I sure do." I smiled too.
"Okay. Then, let's go." Pony said.
We left the school and went to the Curtis house. We had lunch there, and Pony did homework while I watched Mickey mouse on TV until everyone else got there.
A/N Review please!