Chapter 2
Walking through the halls at school, I could feel the eyes of hate-filled Socs staring at me, watching my every move. Most of them were scared of me now, even though I didn't kill Bob; they seemed to get the impression that it was all my doing. It didn't matter to me anyway.
As I walked toward the door to the cafeteria, I saw a group of Soc girls crowded around one I didn't recognize. Sitting next to her was Cherry Valance. For a moment, her eyes met mine and I swear I thought I saw a smile. No, I thought. She couldn't have. Cherry doesn't smile at Greasers. I shook the thought of Cherry out of my head and sat down at a table with my bagged lunch. Just then the crowd started walking toward the door, and I saw the new girl look at me, almost with astonishment. I wanted to say "Do you have a problem?" or "Take a picture!" but you don't say that so Socs. Well, not their girls anyway. I heard her speak to Cherry, and I strained to hear, "Cherry who's that over there? With the black shirt,"
"Oh that's Ponyboy Curtis," She replied, not saying anything further about me.
"He's cute!" The new girl replied in a bubbly voice. I just about choked on my pop. Cute? No girl had ever called me cute before, especially not one hanging around a group of pretty Soc girls.
"Yeah, he's okay, actually. He's a greaser though," The last part of that sentence made me clench my fists in frustration. The girl laughed,
"Greaser? What the hell is a greaser, Cherry?" She didn't know what a Greaser was? I thought everyone in Tulsa did. A new group of Socs surrounded Cherry and the new girl, and so my eavesdropping was cut short by the raucous of giddy girls.
When the school day was over, I was glad to get out of the building to have a smoke. As I reached into my jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes, I good hear someone coming up behind me. I prayed for it not to be a Soc wanting to start a fight.
"Ponyboy. What is that, I nickname or something?" I turned around and saw the girl Cherry had been talking to. She was one of the most beautiful things I had every seen in my life. Her hair was blonde and long like Cherry's, and she wore a barrette on the side to keep the wisps of hair from falling onto her face.
"No," I replied, not knowing what to say to a girl of this means.
"Oh," she replied, still smiling, "Well I think it's cool," she commented, and I briefly smiled back. "I'm Meg, by the way," she added, holding out her hand for me to shake. I had my cigarette in one hand and my books in the other, so I held my cigarette in my mouth as I took her hand.
"You're new?" I asked through puffs of smoke
"Mmm-Hmm, you know Cherry right? Cherry Valance? She's my cousin. I moved here from British Columbia.Canada," So that's why she had never heard of the Socs and the Greasers. I guess they didn't have them in Canada. Maybe I should convince Darry to move is there, I thought.
"Yeah? Yeah I know Cherry, she's cool," I replied, putting out my cigarette as I saw a gang of Socs twice my size approach Meg and I. Cherry was one of them.
"Meg, what are you doing?" One of the girls asked as she took Meg's arm. Meg pulled it away and said she was talking to someone.
"You don't want to go making friends with a Greaser," One of the guys said; his gang of friends chuckled mindlessly at his joke. I felt my head start to sing lower and lower.
"And why not?" She replied confidently.
"'Cause they're nothin' but a group of hoods with long, greasy hair," He replied, touching my hair for a moment before I began to walk off. I heard Meg say something or other, and followed me.
"Ponyboy, what's the matter between you guys?"
"They're Socs and I'm a Greaser! There's a lot the matter. Me and my best friend, who's dead now, killed a Soc a while ago! Socs are the good guys that get all the breaks, go to college and all that. Greasers are like he said- Hoods with greasy long hair," I replied coldly, as I continued walking
"You killed someone?" She asked, obviously intimidated
"He was tryin' to kill me and Johnny. We didn't mean to, but he would have killed us both of we hadn't. Anyways what the hell do you want with me? Why do you keep followin' me?"
"Because---Because I like you, Ponyboy. You don't seem like a hood to me. Look, do you want to get a soda? Maybe you could explain to me the whole Soc thing, I still don't quite get it,"
"Ask one of your friends to," She grabbed my arm and stared me in the eye
"I'm asking you," She replied. We headed over to the corner store.
Walking through the halls at school, I could feel the eyes of hate-filled Socs staring at me, watching my every move. Most of them were scared of me now, even though I didn't kill Bob; they seemed to get the impression that it was all my doing. It didn't matter to me anyway.
As I walked toward the door to the cafeteria, I saw a group of Soc girls crowded around one I didn't recognize. Sitting next to her was Cherry Valance. For a moment, her eyes met mine and I swear I thought I saw a smile. No, I thought. She couldn't have. Cherry doesn't smile at Greasers. I shook the thought of Cherry out of my head and sat down at a table with my bagged lunch. Just then the crowd started walking toward the door, and I saw the new girl look at me, almost with astonishment. I wanted to say "Do you have a problem?" or "Take a picture!" but you don't say that so Socs. Well, not their girls anyway. I heard her speak to Cherry, and I strained to hear, "Cherry who's that over there? With the black shirt,"
"Oh that's Ponyboy Curtis," She replied, not saying anything further about me.
"He's cute!" The new girl replied in a bubbly voice. I just about choked on my pop. Cute? No girl had ever called me cute before, especially not one hanging around a group of pretty Soc girls.
"Yeah, he's okay, actually. He's a greaser though," The last part of that sentence made me clench my fists in frustration. The girl laughed,
"Greaser? What the hell is a greaser, Cherry?" She didn't know what a Greaser was? I thought everyone in Tulsa did. A new group of Socs surrounded Cherry and the new girl, and so my eavesdropping was cut short by the raucous of giddy girls.
When the school day was over, I was glad to get out of the building to have a smoke. As I reached into my jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes, I good hear someone coming up behind me. I prayed for it not to be a Soc wanting to start a fight.
"Ponyboy. What is that, I nickname or something?" I turned around and saw the girl Cherry had been talking to. She was one of the most beautiful things I had every seen in my life. Her hair was blonde and long like Cherry's, and she wore a barrette on the side to keep the wisps of hair from falling onto her face.
"No," I replied, not knowing what to say to a girl of this means.
"Oh," she replied, still smiling, "Well I think it's cool," she commented, and I briefly smiled back. "I'm Meg, by the way," she added, holding out her hand for me to shake. I had my cigarette in one hand and my books in the other, so I held my cigarette in my mouth as I took her hand.
"You're new?" I asked through puffs of smoke
"Mmm-Hmm, you know Cherry right? Cherry Valance? She's my cousin. I moved here from British Columbia.Canada," So that's why she had never heard of the Socs and the Greasers. I guess they didn't have them in Canada. Maybe I should convince Darry to move is there, I thought.
"Yeah? Yeah I know Cherry, she's cool," I replied, putting out my cigarette as I saw a gang of Socs twice my size approach Meg and I. Cherry was one of them.
"Meg, what are you doing?" One of the girls asked as she took Meg's arm. Meg pulled it away and said she was talking to someone.
"You don't want to go making friends with a Greaser," One of the guys said; his gang of friends chuckled mindlessly at his joke. I felt my head start to sing lower and lower.
"And why not?" She replied confidently.
"'Cause they're nothin' but a group of hoods with long, greasy hair," He replied, touching my hair for a moment before I began to walk off. I heard Meg say something or other, and followed me.
"Ponyboy, what's the matter between you guys?"
"They're Socs and I'm a Greaser! There's a lot the matter. Me and my best friend, who's dead now, killed a Soc a while ago! Socs are the good guys that get all the breaks, go to college and all that. Greasers are like he said- Hoods with greasy long hair," I replied coldly, as I continued walking
"You killed someone?" She asked, obviously intimidated
"He was tryin' to kill me and Johnny. We didn't mean to, but he would have killed us both of we hadn't. Anyways what the hell do you want with me? Why do you keep followin' me?"
"Because---Because I like you, Ponyboy. You don't seem like a hood to me. Look, do you want to get a soda? Maybe you could explain to me the whole Soc thing, I still don't quite get it,"
"Ask one of your friends to," She grabbed my arm and stared me in the eye
"I'm asking you," She replied. We headed over to the corner store.