Warning: This chapter contains language that may not be suitable for all
readers. Don't say I didn't warn you. Oh, and by the way, the * means
there's a footnote at the bottom of the page.
Chapter 6 (finally!)
I walked back to school as slowly as I could, with a bitter outlook on everything I passed. When I knew I'd wasted every possible second I could, I sauntered into my math class.
"Well hello Mr. Curtis, you've decided to grace us with your presence, have you?" I hated Mrs. Johnson. She was about 30 lbs over-weight and always wore her rapidly graying hair in a tight bun at the very top of her fat head. When she walked, her legs squeezed against each other and if you were near her (which I tried not to be); you could hear the fabric of her skin- colored panty-hose rubbing against each other. The worse thing was that her daughter was a Social that graduated a couple years ago so she always picked on me whenever she could. I just brushed off her comment and sat myself down with a slump and a dagger-shooting glare. But she wouldn't stop
"Do you feel like you have the authority to just show up here whenever you feel like it?" She started as she walked over to my desk, "I know you and your little group of pathetic, smoking, drinking gang have no use for the law and disregard it whenever you can, but why don't I teach you a lesson your parents obviously don't care enough much about you to teach you themselves." I felt my face start to redden. Not now. If she insulted my parents one more time, or any of my friends, I was going to blow. "It's not a responsibility of mine to teach you or any of your slimy, grease ball friends. If you give me any trouble I can and will report you to the principal's office, do you understand? You'd think that your mother and father would have some intelligence as to teach you at least something, even if they do let you walk out of the house looking like you do. But then again, I suppose they can't be that successful in the first place. You know, they say a parent is reflected in their child ..."
"Shut up," I said with an angry look in my face. It reminded me of Dally right before a brawl. He'd get this look in his eyes, added to the already ice-cold glare he often wore, and when he was like that you better stay away. At that moment I so wanted to just pull out my switchblade and cut her little bun off the top of her head.
"Didn't your parents teach you not to talk back to a teacher? They must be some proud ...you know, I really should give them a call sometime. Congratulate them on raising a son just like them"*
"Yeah, go ahead, my parents are fuckin' dead." I had never said that word to a teacher before. Everyone in the class turned their heads to me with their jaws open. I shot them all dirty looks, including Meg, who didn't seem to notice. She just kind of looked at me with pity, which I hated even more. I didn't like people knowing that I don't have any parents and I don't tell someone unless I have to. At first, when I said this, Mrs. Johnson just looked at me. She licked her thin, chapped lips and then slowly opened her mouth.
"Get down to the principal's office." She said as the veins started getting bigger and more noticeable in her fat, chicken-like neck. We just stared at each other, not blinking, hardly even breathing. You could hear a pin drop if you tried. "NOW!" She yelled and, in fear her head exploding onto my desk, I grabbed my binders and stomped out of her classroom.
I didn't bother going to the principal's office, I knew Darry would kill me if he knew I said something like that to a teacher. I wanted to go check on Soda, and I almost did, but Darry would know I skipped. So I stood around the front of the school until the last bell rang and began walking home when I felt the tap of a familiar finger on my shoulder.
"What was that?" Meg asked as we started walking. I really didn't want to have to answer to her now, but I knew she didn't deserve to have my anger taken out on. I sighed and pulled out a smoke, she looked away for a minute while I lit it, and then answered.
"I don't know I just don't like takin' shit from her man. All I did was come late 'cause my brother got jumped by a bunch of Soc's and he's in the hospital now."
"Will he be okay?" She asked with a concerned-sounding voice. Whether she really cared or not I didn't know.
"That's what I'm goin' to find out. Look, I'll see you later alright Meg?" She looked at me with a little bit of a frown and, as much as I wanted to hang out with her again, Soda came first.
I ran to the hospital as fast as I could. I finally got there and, even though I was out of breath, I ran even faster up to his room. As soon as I got on the fourth floor all the guys got up to greet me. My first question of course was if he was okay.
"Pony, sit down," Darry said seriously. He's always like this, I thought. He always tried to act serious, so this didn't bother me as much as the fact that everyone's face looked like they had just seen a ghost. I grabbed the nearest seat and then started bombarding him with some more questions. He wouldn't answer them at first so I got frustrated.
"Answer me! Why is everyone so quiet around here?" I knew I was only lying to myself. I knew why everyone was so quiet and why they all looked as pale as the walls in the waiting room. Soda wasn't okay. I could feel hot tears starting to fill up my tired eyes but I fought them back as hard as I could. "What's going on?" I yelled and Steve's hand went to his mouth. Steve doesn't cry. He's been with Soda for as long as I can remember and I've never seen a tear fall from his eyes.
"The doctor's still running some tests," Darry said quietly, "but he says ..." He began to say something but the words seemed to be stuck on his tongue and wouldn't be projected out of his mouth. Finally he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said "He's paralyzed."
* - Related to personal experience. Didn't say exactly what Pony said, but something like it. Shut her up good.
Chapter 6 (finally!)
I walked back to school as slowly as I could, with a bitter outlook on everything I passed. When I knew I'd wasted every possible second I could, I sauntered into my math class.
"Well hello Mr. Curtis, you've decided to grace us with your presence, have you?" I hated Mrs. Johnson. She was about 30 lbs over-weight and always wore her rapidly graying hair in a tight bun at the very top of her fat head. When she walked, her legs squeezed against each other and if you were near her (which I tried not to be); you could hear the fabric of her skin- colored panty-hose rubbing against each other. The worse thing was that her daughter was a Social that graduated a couple years ago so she always picked on me whenever she could. I just brushed off her comment and sat myself down with a slump and a dagger-shooting glare. But she wouldn't stop
"Do you feel like you have the authority to just show up here whenever you feel like it?" She started as she walked over to my desk, "I know you and your little group of pathetic, smoking, drinking gang have no use for the law and disregard it whenever you can, but why don't I teach you a lesson your parents obviously don't care enough much about you to teach you themselves." I felt my face start to redden. Not now. If she insulted my parents one more time, or any of my friends, I was going to blow. "It's not a responsibility of mine to teach you or any of your slimy, grease ball friends. If you give me any trouble I can and will report you to the principal's office, do you understand? You'd think that your mother and father would have some intelligence as to teach you at least something, even if they do let you walk out of the house looking like you do. But then again, I suppose they can't be that successful in the first place. You know, they say a parent is reflected in their child ..."
"Shut up," I said with an angry look in my face. It reminded me of Dally right before a brawl. He'd get this look in his eyes, added to the already ice-cold glare he often wore, and when he was like that you better stay away. At that moment I so wanted to just pull out my switchblade and cut her little bun off the top of her head.
"Didn't your parents teach you not to talk back to a teacher? They must be some proud ...you know, I really should give them a call sometime. Congratulate them on raising a son just like them"*
"Yeah, go ahead, my parents are fuckin' dead." I had never said that word to a teacher before. Everyone in the class turned their heads to me with their jaws open. I shot them all dirty looks, including Meg, who didn't seem to notice. She just kind of looked at me with pity, which I hated even more. I didn't like people knowing that I don't have any parents and I don't tell someone unless I have to. At first, when I said this, Mrs. Johnson just looked at me. She licked her thin, chapped lips and then slowly opened her mouth.
"Get down to the principal's office." She said as the veins started getting bigger and more noticeable in her fat, chicken-like neck. We just stared at each other, not blinking, hardly even breathing. You could hear a pin drop if you tried. "NOW!" She yelled and, in fear her head exploding onto my desk, I grabbed my binders and stomped out of her classroom.
I didn't bother going to the principal's office, I knew Darry would kill me if he knew I said something like that to a teacher. I wanted to go check on Soda, and I almost did, but Darry would know I skipped. So I stood around the front of the school until the last bell rang and began walking home when I felt the tap of a familiar finger on my shoulder.
"What was that?" Meg asked as we started walking. I really didn't want to have to answer to her now, but I knew she didn't deserve to have my anger taken out on. I sighed and pulled out a smoke, she looked away for a minute while I lit it, and then answered.
"I don't know I just don't like takin' shit from her man. All I did was come late 'cause my brother got jumped by a bunch of Soc's and he's in the hospital now."
"Will he be okay?" She asked with a concerned-sounding voice. Whether she really cared or not I didn't know.
"That's what I'm goin' to find out. Look, I'll see you later alright Meg?" She looked at me with a little bit of a frown and, as much as I wanted to hang out with her again, Soda came first.
I ran to the hospital as fast as I could. I finally got there and, even though I was out of breath, I ran even faster up to his room. As soon as I got on the fourth floor all the guys got up to greet me. My first question of course was if he was okay.
"Pony, sit down," Darry said seriously. He's always like this, I thought. He always tried to act serious, so this didn't bother me as much as the fact that everyone's face looked like they had just seen a ghost. I grabbed the nearest seat and then started bombarding him with some more questions. He wouldn't answer them at first so I got frustrated.
"Answer me! Why is everyone so quiet around here?" I knew I was only lying to myself. I knew why everyone was so quiet and why they all looked as pale as the walls in the waiting room. Soda wasn't okay. I could feel hot tears starting to fill up my tired eyes but I fought them back as hard as I could. "What's going on?" I yelled and Steve's hand went to his mouth. Steve doesn't cry. He's been with Soda for as long as I can remember and I've never seen a tear fall from his eyes.
"The doctor's still running some tests," Darry said quietly, "but he says ..." He began to say something but the words seemed to be stuck on his tongue and wouldn't be projected out of his mouth. Finally he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said "He's paralyzed."
* - Related to personal experience. Didn't say exactly what Pony said, but something like it. Shut her up good.