Chapter 4
That night when I came home at around eight o'clock, I got the third degree from Darry.
"Boy, do you know you had me worried sick? Do you not care how. . ." he started, before Soda jumped in to defend me,
"Aw, c'mon Darry give him a break. C'mon Pony," he said, leading me into my room. He sat me down on the bed and sat down himself as well. He looked me in the eye and with a smile asked me what happened. I gladly shared it with him. Once my story was finished, I could see his face glowing with almost pride. He smiled and let out a heart laugh, "Well that's my boy!" he exclaimed, grasping the back of my head. Once he left, I decided to do some reading but I found it near impossible to concentrate. After a while, I became disgusted with myself. "She's a Social," I kept telling myself. But, then a thought crossed my mind. Maybe she wasn't.
The next day at school, to tell the complete truth, I felt a little nervous. Arriving at school in the mornings, I usually waited under a large, shady oak tree located slightly off school grounds and waited for some greasers. This time, though, I found myself hanging around the front of the school waiting to catch a glimpse of Meg. Once I saw her and Cherry walk up the sidewalk leading to the school, I turned my head, pretending not to notice them. Cherry headed over to her friends and Meg approached me.
"Hey there," she greeted me with that un-forgettable smile of hers. I returned the greeting, and not knowing what else to say, I asked her how she was.
"I'm fine," she said, nodding her head as she talked. I could feel the eyes of Cherry and her soc friends, especially the one who had confronted me the day before about hanging around Meg. "How are you?" she asked, and my reply was the same as hers. Thinking back on it now, I realize how foolish I must have sounded. Why did she keep talking to me? To this day, I still do not know.
Through the school day I managed to keep my mind on my work, and in math class I got my test back-B+. I got four questions wrong. Walking out into the hall after the class was over, I approached Meg this time.
"What'd you get on your test?" I asked, as she flipped her hair around and looked at me. I think she might have been a little surprised I had come to talk to her
"Um, a B+. What about you?" She asked
"Same," I replied with the best smile I could manage. Just then I saw Two- Bit come running up to me, sweat pouring down his face. His breath smelt of alcohol, and I wondered what he was doing at my school.
"Man what are you doin' here?" I asked, looking at Meg. She was obviously very startled and didn't know what to do. Two-Bit tried to regain himself and between gasps for breath he tried to explain it to me.
"Man---" he started, taking the collar of his shirt and wiping it on his forehead, "It's Soda. . .he was jumped by some soc's at the gas-station. I was there man, he ain't doin' too good," My heart sank. No. Nothing can happen to Soda. It just wasn't possible; my world would crumble if something did.
Briefly shooing Meg off, I ran with Two-Bit to the station not too far away from my school. I could see a group of greasy-looking backs crowded around what was obviously my brother, and I ran even faster to join them. I could almost smell the pain Soda was in when I arrived.
"AHH!" Soda exclaimed as one of the greasers attempted to lift his head from the pavement and put his jacket down, serving as a pillow.
"Soda," I said, trying to sound calm, as I squatted down beside his head. I could see that his nose was bleeding fiercely and he had a bad bruise already starting to form on his neck. From the waist down things seemed to be okay, but it was his arm that must have hurt the most. Just from looking at it you could tell that it was broken. Twisted almost all the way around, it was already bleeding badly. Steve took off his shirt and wrapped it around the broken arm. Soda screamed out once more and we waited for some help to come.
That night when I came home at around eight o'clock, I got the third degree from Darry.
"Boy, do you know you had me worried sick? Do you not care how. . ." he started, before Soda jumped in to defend me,
"Aw, c'mon Darry give him a break. C'mon Pony," he said, leading me into my room. He sat me down on the bed and sat down himself as well. He looked me in the eye and with a smile asked me what happened. I gladly shared it with him. Once my story was finished, I could see his face glowing with almost pride. He smiled and let out a heart laugh, "Well that's my boy!" he exclaimed, grasping the back of my head. Once he left, I decided to do some reading but I found it near impossible to concentrate. After a while, I became disgusted with myself. "She's a Social," I kept telling myself. But, then a thought crossed my mind. Maybe she wasn't.
The next day at school, to tell the complete truth, I felt a little nervous. Arriving at school in the mornings, I usually waited under a large, shady oak tree located slightly off school grounds and waited for some greasers. This time, though, I found myself hanging around the front of the school waiting to catch a glimpse of Meg. Once I saw her and Cherry walk up the sidewalk leading to the school, I turned my head, pretending not to notice them. Cherry headed over to her friends and Meg approached me.
"Hey there," she greeted me with that un-forgettable smile of hers. I returned the greeting, and not knowing what else to say, I asked her how she was.
"I'm fine," she said, nodding her head as she talked. I could feel the eyes of Cherry and her soc friends, especially the one who had confronted me the day before about hanging around Meg. "How are you?" she asked, and my reply was the same as hers. Thinking back on it now, I realize how foolish I must have sounded. Why did she keep talking to me? To this day, I still do not know.
Through the school day I managed to keep my mind on my work, and in math class I got my test back-B+. I got four questions wrong. Walking out into the hall after the class was over, I approached Meg this time.
"What'd you get on your test?" I asked, as she flipped her hair around and looked at me. I think she might have been a little surprised I had come to talk to her
"Um, a B+. What about you?" She asked
"Same," I replied with the best smile I could manage. Just then I saw Two- Bit come running up to me, sweat pouring down his face. His breath smelt of alcohol, and I wondered what he was doing at my school.
"Man what are you doin' here?" I asked, looking at Meg. She was obviously very startled and didn't know what to do. Two-Bit tried to regain himself and between gasps for breath he tried to explain it to me.
"Man---" he started, taking the collar of his shirt and wiping it on his forehead, "It's Soda. . .he was jumped by some soc's at the gas-station. I was there man, he ain't doin' too good," My heart sank. No. Nothing can happen to Soda. It just wasn't possible; my world would crumble if something did.
Briefly shooing Meg off, I ran with Two-Bit to the station not too far away from my school. I could see a group of greasy-looking backs crowded around what was obviously my brother, and I ran even faster to join them. I could almost smell the pain Soda was in when I arrived.
"AHH!" Soda exclaimed as one of the greasers attempted to lift his head from the pavement and put his jacket down, serving as a pillow.
"Soda," I said, trying to sound calm, as I squatted down beside his head. I could see that his nose was bleeding fiercely and he had a bad bruise already starting to form on his neck. From the waist down things seemed to be okay, but it was his arm that must have hurt the most. Just from looking at it you could tell that it was broken. Twisted almost all the way around, it was already bleeding badly. Steve took off his shirt and wrapped it around the broken arm. Soda screamed out once more and we waited for some help to come.