DO NOT READ WITHOUT READING THE AUTHORS NOTE!
Disclaimer: We do not own or have any rights to anything that belongs to S.E. Hinton. We only own what you have not seen before and the new characters that you are just beginning to see in this story.
A/n: Okay, before you venture further into this and read what we have written, you must know a few things.
One, Dally and Johnny are not dead. Yes, the book happened, minus a few incidents at the very end. We couldn't bare to write without those two, and can you blame us?
Two, Dally's character, we dare say, is a little different in here. He is not so hard and mean as in the original version that we all cherish deeply. We wanted him to be a little more relaxed and caring - don't worry though, you won't lose the Dally you all love.
And last but not least, three - we are not Reesa and Skye. I know that is Iso/I hard to believe for some of you readers/writers, but believe us we are very anti-cliché. We despise it. We spit on it. We bite our thumbs at it (any Shakespeare nuts here?). We absolutely can not tolerate it. There are a few incidents that we were very afraid to write (yes, we are just barely posting this with only a few more chapters left to write. we already have over twenty finished) because we didn't think that we could pull it off, but we dare say at we have :D As I was saying, we aren't them. We thought we'd merely experiment and see how the gangs' lives would be different if there were females thrown into the mix. Not cousins who come and visit and fall in love with one of the characters. not a girl who pops up at school and becomes best friends with Pony. none of the Sandy comes back and begs for Soda back. none of that shit. Uh uh. Sorry. Ain't happening here. Trust me, I have been writing at FFN (under different sections and names - this is Bebe talking) and I would never post anything less than a quality that would be willing to read, and I am very picky. These are just girls that have always been there, but you never knew about ;) We promise that if you give it a shot you'll like it.
And you guys, please know that it has taken us everything we have had to post this. This was something that we swore that we'd never post because we didn't feel right about it, but now that we have come to that conclusion that we will and are, know that this a hard thing for us, so please be kind in your reviews.
~*~
(Pony's POV)
*EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*
Ouch.
The sound of the chalk hitting the blackboard painfully broke me out of my daydream. It was a good one, too. Not nice like running on the beach with a blonde babe type of dream, but a nice, out of this room kind. Even more disappointing than that, though, was the sound of Mr. Thorpe's voice, which pierced the room like a moaning dog. I hate monotone people. They bore me out of my mind - even worse than Darry's lectures, which are at times entertaining. But not usually, because most of the time they are aimed towards me or Sky.
Wondering whom Skyeis? I'll explain later.
I glanced at the clock and realized we had five minutes left. Now, any other time that would be just fine, but not in English. Five minutes could equal half a century. Five minutes.
Sighing, I turned to look at my.classmate - most unfortunate classmate - at my right. She was tapping her fingers on the table impatiently, as if she was about to explode. Just like everyone else who was about to go insane. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for Thorpe. He drags out a class like a piece of Laffy Taffy. Waits to see how long it can stretch before breaking. Really makes taffy repulsive, he does. We were all about to break.
"So, uh. when that kid, uh, did that thing you read about.uh, last-night. in the book, uh, you know what I'm talking about - the one thing." his nasally voice droned. Did this guy even know what he was talking about? I didn't. What homework is he talking about? I didn't do no homework. Does he feel okay? Is he on dope or something? Probably, nobody likes him. The man needs a friend of some kind.
Anyway, I don't know how they expect me to learn anything with people like this teaching. Not that I care or anything. It's only English.
"Come on," Reesa groaned, shaking her head, she turned to look at me. "I hate this class."
"My God, shut up! It's bad enough that we're in the same class, but do you have to talk to me?"
"Pony, I apologized already. Ain't that good enough for you?"
"Not when it gets me grounded. Maybe if I was Darry's favorite, then I'd tattle on everyone, too."
"I'm not Darry's favorite! Will you give up on that? And I don't tattle either. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. You know that."
*RING!*
Finally! I gathered up my books and left her sitting there, fighting the crowd who was trying to get out as fast as they could. Nobody likes English. Me though, I was getting away because sisters are a pain in the ass sometimes, and I ain't looking forward to some PMSing girl trailing me down the hall.
I was walking down the hall, thinking I had lost her, when over the crowds I heard her pitifully pleading.
"Ponyboy! Stop! Listen to me."
I could just see her, jumping up and down trying to find where I was. Knowing that I was right in front of her nose. Her brown wavy hair that resembled mine but with more red would be lightly bouncing off her shoulders as she jumped up and down. She has the good hair the family just like me and Soda, but ours is better, of course. And her eyes would slowly be changing from a bright blue to a subtle gray, warning me that she was becoming more pissed by the second. After fifteen years of living in the same house you pick up on the little things like eye color, we can always tell her mood by her eyes. Reesa is of average height, about 5'7.5. Her facial features are a lot like Soda's, gentle but tough in a wild kind of way. Her face is wider, almost like Darry's but, but it was a good combo of the family traits.
"Nah, that's okay," I lined smoothly, walking a little quicker.
"Pony," she growled dangerously. "Give it up already."
She gets away with all kinds of junk. Last night we were both downtown, and she decides to spit a one-liner about some dudes clothes, right as he passed by us. She really needs to work on her timing. As it turned out, he was a soc who didn't appreciate some little greaser girl mouthing off about his.attire. And of course I had no choice but to stick up for my sister when he came brawling in on her. And I ended up starting a fight with him. The son of a bitch.
Later on that night when we got home, she told Darry what happened after he asked about my fat lip. He - of course - got mad at me for even considering a fight, but she got no flack over it.
It was her fault.
"Come on, Pony, don't do this to me," she yelled over some other brats in the hall.
Whatever.
"Please?"
Get A clue!
"Come on, buddy."
Ha ha.
"Please?" She had caught up to me and wrapped an arm around my neck. Then she had to feed me that look that only works for her. Puppy dog eyes and a sorry face. She gets away with all kinds of crap.
I sighed, "All right. But still! You didn't have to tell him I started the fight - I mean, did you think he was going to congratulate me?"
"Well, I wasn't going to lie to him. I see enough of what it does. I'm not starting that again." She's right you know. Wait. Nevermind.
"Dude, at least he would have BELIEVED you. We all know he wouldn't believe me or Skye, but you and Soda can get away with anything. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."
"Sorry."
"It's all right. I told you that already."
By this time we had reached Steve's locker where he and Two-Bit were studying their reflections in his mirror. Steven was combing his hair with some more grease, and Two-Bit was checking out the muscles he wished he had.
"Whatcha looking at, Two-Bit?" Reesa asked in an what-would-be innocent tone.
"These, baby," he boasted like the egotistical guy he was, pointing at his arm.
"Those? I don't see nothing."
"That's 'cause you're a girl. You can't appreciate what I've got."
"Neither can you, apparently," she shamelessly crooned, showing off her devilish smile.
"Hey! Keep your girlie comments to yourself," Steve piped in.
"Well excuse me, Mr. I-Have-To-Grease-My-Hair-Between-Each-Period, to make sure Laurie Hall is still in love with me."
Steve was about to comment, when Skye came up from behind me.
"Hey, hey, hey," someone walked up behind me. I knew who it was instantly. How could I not?
"Hi, Skye," I said while she smacked me upside the head, a little harder than necessary. "Have you seen Johnny?"
"Nah, I think he's out by the car though."
"Stupid kid. He's going to get jumped or something," Steve sighed while shutting his locker. "Let's go."
We all turned to leave the school. Steve always gives us a ride home. At least to the DX. After that we're on our own. Nice guy, right? Sort of. Just as long as the four of us stick to the back seat.
Skye is somewhat obnoxious. She and I are twins, but no one knows because I was advanced a grade. We are complete opposites, they say twins are usually the same, but not when it comes to us. She is kind of a mix between Two-Bit and Steve but with a chick flare to it. She is the same height as me, almost, maybe a little shorter. But her eyes are completely different, they are a dark brown, sort of like Soda. Her and Soda get along great, but we have our differences. And Although Skye looks a lot like Darry, their personalities clash like water mixing with oil, it just doesn't happen. Skye can be real wild and crazy sometimes, and like Soda she is more fun loving.
"Yo, Pony, you wanna hear something?" Skye asked me.
"Not really."
"Sure ya do. Anyway, I was talking to Billy Myers during fourth period and -"
"Dude, I don't care."
"Listen to me, dammit. I'm telling you a story." I'm telling you, it's one or the other. Sisters are a pain in the ass. But when the two of them gang up on you.watch out.
"Obviously. I don't care."
"It's about Miles."
"Now I REALLY don't care."
Miles. What a loser. Thinks he's some bad-ass hood. He wishes.
"Hey, guys?" Two-Bit broke in, putting an arm around each of our shoulders. "Shut up would ya? I can't hear myself think."
"That's 'cause thinking doesn't require hearing, O' Thou Smart One." I kinked my neck to look up at him. He's one tall man.
"Shut up, greaser," Skye sneered. "If you were part of this conversation, I would have let you known."
"Ain't that the truth," Two-Bit muttered and moved away.
"Hey, I still love ya, Two-Bit," she said.
"And if it mattered to me, I would have let you known."
"Hey, Johnny!" I yelled.
He turned and waved, like he was real glad to see us. And I don't blame him. He doesn't see much of us during the day, besides lunch and before and after school. That's why the school choosing your classes sucks.
We reached Steve's car and he started searching for something in his pockets.
"Hey, Two-Bit, have you seen my car keys?"
"What? You ain't got your car keys? How the hell do you expect me to get home?" his voice rose, surprisingly angry.
"Well, I -"
"I have to walk ALL that way? Are you crazy? Boy, you are insane!"
"Two -"
"Just kidding. I got them here." Two-Bit reached into his pocket and pulled them out.
"Dude, stop that. One of these days I'll actually believe you."
"Yeah, whatever. Like you didn't?" Reesa asked.
"Zip it, girlie. Get in guys. You're gonna make me late for work. Besides, Sodapop is gonna kill me if I don't get there so he can have his break."
"I knew he was good for something," Skye said.
Steven decided to ignore it, but Two-Bit spoke up. "Hun, if you like your ass getting whooped, keep it up."
"My name ain't Hun, Two-Bit. How many times do I have to tell ya?"
Pretty soon we were at the DX. Steve liked to speed up a little more than the law allowed, but we all appreciated it anyway. Nothing good was on the radio, and this way Soda wouldn't be mad.
When we pulled into the parking lot, I saw Soda pumping some gas for some fat dude, wearing a beer shirt. He was there everyday when we pulled in. Either his car is a gas hog, or he has an infatuation with the DX, or quite possibly both.
I piled out of the car as fast as possible, it was cramped in that tiny back seat. Two-Bit and Steve like their space, and we give it to them because we want the ride. But, man, damn them! Four teenagers in a backseat ain't the best feeling in the world. Especially with these guys.
"You're early for a change! What happened? They suspend y'all again?"
"Hey, it wasn't my fault! I swear! It was Two-Bit." Skye whimpered innocently.
"He pantsed Principal Perkins in front of us again. He hates people laughing at him, I swear!" Steve said.
"I can't control these sudden impulses when I'm in school, I would go insane if I did," Two-Bit replied seriously.
"Oh, but they are impulses, you can't control them. Maybe you should get that checked out. Kinda like you flipping girls skirts up for fun. Huh?" Soda joked.
"Yeah, that's right! I never thought anyone would understand," Two-Bit affirmed.
"Hey, girls don't like that, Two-Bit. You ain't gonna get a catch going around on Friday nights making them scream," Reesa said seriously.
"I'm not trying to catch them. They all love me anyway."
"Palease," Skye rolled her eyes. "Soda? Can I borrow a couple of bucks?"
"I guess. What for?"
"I dunno. I just want it."
"Right. If I believed that I'd have to let Stevie here shoot me. Tell me or you ain't getting it."
"I've got to go out on the town tonight, Soda!"
"With Miles?"
Miles is the hood of all hoods. For some wildly odd reason, Sky likes him, and they go out all the time. We all hate it when she does, especially Darry. He's worried that she'll get mixed up in the wrong stuff, or get hurt real bad. And she's vulnerable to all kinds of crap. Being with Miles isn't helping that any.
"No, why would I do that?.. Chyann and I were going to go and see a movie tonight. We don't have any homework, so we ain't gonna sit at home like the rest of you hoodlums."
"Yeah right. My mom would kill me if she knew I was letting her hang out with you," Two-Bit laughed.
"Which is why she isn't going to find out."
"Yeah, Yeah.I know, you'll kill me if I say a word. Not that you could kill me..."
"So, are ya givin' me the money or what, Soda?"
"Sorry, babe. I ain't got any to spare. The frickin' people around here are cheap. Ain't tippin' like they used to."
With that, we all started straggling off towards home. Reesa and I were the first to leave, so we walked ahead of everyone. We both had homework. Skye is so lucky. I didn't want homework. Especially since Thorpe assigned us to read a book that we all knew doesn't exist.
I knew Darry wouldn't be home when we got there, which kind of sucked, because I was getting anxious to start negotiating my punishment with him. It's not like he never got into fights. I've seen him deck people, as much as the next person.
"Pony? Can you help me with this problem?" Reesa came into my room where I was finishing up my history essay.
"Aren't you supposed to be smarter than me? Your older than I am."
"By what? A year? We're in the same grade. You can't spare one semi- precious moment? Besides, dinner needs to be ready when Darry gets home, and it ain't gonna fix itself."
"Fine, why not." I looked at the problem she was working on. Piece of cake. I had it done in a matter of seconds. "Now get out, I'm busy."
"Don't do it for me. Show me how you did it. I ain't gonna automatically know this."
"Later, I'm hungry. Go make me food."
I could feel Reesa glaring at me, even if I was looking down at my paper writing. Oh, well. I'm busy. And it is her night to fix it. I guess I just said that wrong, huh? Sometimes it is fun to piss her off. When I looked up though, she was smiling, like she was ready to laugh.
"What did you just say to me?" she laughed.
"I said, go make me some food, I'm hungry!"
"Ohh, does the baby greaser need his food?"
"Shut up!..Please? I'm really hungry!"
"Ok, but you better keep your trap shut from here on out about being hungry, bud."
"I'm just making ya mad for fun. Sorry."
She gave me a little smile as she turned and walked out of my room.
Darry and Soda got home right on time today, which is really unusual. Darry seemed to be in an ok mood, probably because he wasn't working overtime that night. That was a good sign for me. Hooray! Maybe I'd be able to talk him out of my grounding. Man, this guy thinks he's so old!
"Hey Darry, Hey Soda! Your on time tonight. You guys hungry? I know Pony over here is." Reesa spouted out happily.
She shot me a teasing smile from across the room.
"Yeah, and I've been waiting an hour for that food!" I said in a jokingly complaint filled voice.
"Well, maybe you could wait a little longer then, right? C'mon Soda, lets go see what's for dinner. It smells great." Darry played along.
"Hey wait! I've had to go through the torture of smelling this food for the last twenty minutes. I get first dibs!"
Everyone just laughed and scooted over to make room for me at the table.
"Hey, where's Skye?" Soda asked curiously.
"I dunno, last I saw her, she was at the DX," Reesa replied off-handed.
"What? She told me she was goin' home."
"Well, apparently not. She ain't here."
"You didn't seriously believe her when she said she was going to hang out with Chyann, did you?" I inquired.
"Ummmm..well yeah." Soda said bewildered.
"Man, you're dumb!"
"Hey Pony, I wouldn't say that if I were you. This kid can whip your butt if he wanted to. No sweat," Darry said.
I just shut my trap right then and there. He was right, point taken.
We sat eating silently for a little while, enjoying Reesa's good cooking. It was actually nice for it to be quiet for a change, I mean it's never quiet at my house. Usually the gang is over rough housing and making soo much noise you can't even think. You start craving the silence after a while, and earplugs don't work either. Someone ought to sue that company.
"Did she say where she might be at?" Darry asked.
"Well, yeah, but I don't think you really want to know."
"Miles?"
"I think so."
"Damn it!. You know what, I'm going to relax tonight. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't happening tonight. Not when I can be watching TV and taking a break."
"Well, good. Because I have something I want to talk to you about." I said seizing the opportunity.
"Whatever the question is, the answer is no. Especially if it costs any money."
"No, actually it has to do with last night."
"Let's not get started with that one again. I'm not in the mood."
"You're never in the mood, and besides, you just said nothing would ruin your night."
"Darry, he has a point. And I did kinda tell him that you would hear him out on this one." Reesa interrupted.
"Ohh, well, then hurry it up."
Reesa and Soda finished eating quickly and then got up to clear off the table and start the dishes. We waited until they were playing around while doing the dishes before we started in on our conversation. We respect each other enough to give privacy when needed.
"I shouldn't be grounded, Darry."
"Is that right? Why would that be?"
"Because I was defending Reesa. That guy was coming at her like he was going to kill her. What was I supposed to do, let her get beat? What would you have done?"
"You could at least have waited for him to start it. What if the police had come, Pony?"
"Well, if I had waited for him to come at me, I think things would not be very pretty for me now. In fact he might have killed both of us. Darry, he was real mad.and drunk to."
"Well, whatever. Just use your head I the future k Pony? I just don't want you getting hurt or picked up by the fuzz, that's all. This time, your off the hook. Don't count on it again."
I was relieved to have that over with, but my happiness lasted only a moment. Two-Bit walked in the door and, looking slightly grim, announced that he had some news for us.
"Yo, Darry, I've gotta talk to ya."
"What's up?"
"I just saw your little sis, she was drivin down The Ribbon with Miles."
"Yeah, figures."
"You don't care?"
"No, I.I care. But I'm not lettin' anything ruin this night. Right Ponyboy?"
Two-Bit looked slightly shocked.
"Exactly, don't ruin it for me, Two-Bit."
Two-Bit let out a slight gasp. "Wait.I'm really confused, you don't care that she is out with Miles?"
"I don't think you understand. I do care, just.shut up Two-Bit."
"Well, ok. Where is that greasy gas jockey? I've got some business with him."
"Who ya callin' a greasy gas jockey, you drunken hobo?" Soda called as he walked into the room from the kitchen.
Two-Bit and Soda walked out on the porch to talk about whatever they had to talk about, which knowing them was most likely nothing. Our house stayed quiet for the rest the night, or most of it anyway.
Disclaimer: We do not own or have any rights to anything that belongs to S.E. Hinton. We only own what you have not seen before and the new characters that you are just beginning to see in this story.
A/n: Okay, before you venture further into this and read what we have written, you must know a few things.
One, Dally and Johnny are not dead. Yes, the book happened, minus a few incidents at the very end. We couldn't bare to write without those two, and can you blame us?
Two, Dally's character, we dare say, is a little different in here. He is not so hard and mean as in the original version that we all cherish deeply. We wanted him to be a little more relaxed and caring - don't worry though, you won't lose the Dally you all love.
And last but not least, three - we are not Reesa and Skye. I know that is Iso/I hard to believe for some of you readers/writers, but believe us we are very anti-cliché. We despise it. We spit on it. We bite our thumbs at it (any Shakespeare nuts here?). We absolutely can not tolerate it. There are a few incidents that we were very afraid to write (yes, we are just barely posting this with only a few more chapters left to write. we already have over twenty finished) because we didn't think that we could pull it off, but we dare say at we have :D As I was saying, we aren't them. We thought we'd merely experiment and see how the gangs' lives would be different if there were females thrown into the mix. Not cousins who come and visit and fall in love with one of the characters. not a girl who pops up at school and becomes best friends with Pony. none of the Sandy comes back and begs for Soda back. none of that shit. Uh uh. Sorry. Ain't happening here. Trust me, I have been writing at FFN (under different sections and names - this is Bebe talking) and I would never post anything less than a quality that would be willing to read, and I am very picky. These are just girls that have always been there, but you never knew about ;) We promise that if you give it a shot you'll like it.
And you guys, please know that it has taken us everything we have had to post this. This was something that we swore that we'd never post because we didn't feel right about it, but now that we have come to that conclusion that we will and are, know that this a hard thing for us, so please be kind in your reviews.
~*~
(Pony's POV)
*EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*
Ouch.
The sound of the chalk hitting the blackboard painfully broke me out of my daydream. It was a good one, too. Not nice like running on the beach with a blonde babe type of dream, but a nice, out of this room kind. Even more disappointing than that, though, was the sound of Mr. Thorpe's voice, which pierced the room like a moaning dog. I hate monotone people. They bore me out of my mind - even worse than Darry's lectures, which are at times entertaining. But not usually, because most of the time they are aimed towards me or Sky.
Wondering whom Skyeis? I'll explain later.
I glanced at the clock and realized we had five minutes left. Now, any other time that would be just fine, but not in English. Five minutes could equal half a century. Five minutes.
Sighing, I turned to look at my.classmate - most unfortunate classmate - at my right. She was tapping her fingers on the table impatiently, as if she was about to explode. Just like everyone else who was about to go insane. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for Thorpe. He drags out a class like a piece of Laffy Taffy. Waits to see how long it can stretch before breaking. Really makes taffy repulsive, he does. We were all about to break.
"So, uh. when that kid, uh, did that thing you read about.uh, last-night. in the book, uh, you know what I'm talking about - the one thing." his nasally voice droned. Did this guy even know what he was talking about? I didn't. What homework is he talking about? I didn't do no homework. Does he feel okay? Is he on dope or something? Probably, nobody likes him. The man needs a friend of some kind.
Anyway, I don't know how they expect me to learn anything with people like this teaching. Not that I care or anything. It's only English.
"Come on," Reesa groaned, shaking her head, she turned to look at me. "I hate this class."
"My God, shut up! It's bad enough that we're in the same class, but do you have to talk to me?"
"Pony, I apologized already. Ain't that good enough for you?"
"Not when it gets me grounded. Maybe if I was Darry's favorite, then I'd tattle on everyone, too."
"I'm not Darry's favorite! Will you give up on that? And I don't tattle either. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. You know that."
*RING!*
Finally! I gathered up my books and left her sitting there, fighting the crowd who was trying to get out as fast as they could. Nobody likes English. Me though, I was getting away because sisters are a pain in the ass sometimes, and I ain't looking forward to some PMSing girl trailing me down the hall.
I was walking down the hall, thinking I had lost her, when over the crowds I heard her pitifully pleading.
"Ponyboy! Stop! Listen to me."
I could just see her, jumping up and down trying to find where I was. Knowing that I was right in front of her nose. Her brown wavy hair that resembled mine but with more red would be lightly bouncing off her shoulders as she jumped up and down. She has the good hair the family just like me and Soda, but ours is better, of course. And her eyes would slowly be changing from a bright blue to a subtle gray, warning me that she was becoming more pissed by the second. After fifteen years of living in the same house you pick up on the little things like eye color, we can always tell her mood by her eyes. Reesa is of average height, about 5'7.5. Her facial features are a lot like Soda's, gentle but tough in a wild kind of way. Her face is wider, almost like Darry's but, but it was a good combo of the family traits.
"Nah, that's okay," I lined smoothly, walking a little quicker.
"Pony," she growled dangerously. "Give it up already."
She gets away with all kinds of junk. Last night we were both downtown, and she decides to spit a one-liner about some dudes clothes, right as he passed by us. She really needs to work on her timing. As it turned out, he was a soc who didn't appreciate some little greaser girl mouthing off about his.attire. And of course I had no choice but to stick up for my sister when he came brawling in on her. And I ended up starting a fight with him. The son of a bitch.
Later on that night when we got home, she told Darry what happened after he asked about my fat lip. He - of course - got mad at me for even considering a fight, but she got no flack over it.
It was her fault.
"Come on, Pony, don't do this to me," she yelled over some other brats in the hall.
Whatever.
"Please?"
Get A clue!
"Come on, buddy."
Ha ha.
"Please?" She had caught up to me and wrapped an arm around my neck. Then she had to feed me that look that only works for her. Puppy dog eyes and a sorry face. She gets away with all kinds of crap.
I sighed, "All right. But still! You didn't have to tell him I started the fight - I mean, did you think he was going to congratulate me?"
"Well, I wasn't going to lie to him. I see enough of what it does. I'm not starting that again." She's right you know. Wait. Nevermind.
"Dude, at least he would have BELIEVED you. We all know he wouldn't believe me or Skye, but you and Soda can get away with anything. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."
"Sorry."
"It's all right. I told you that already."
By this time we had reached Steve's locker where he and Two-Bit were studying their reflections in his mirror. Steven was combing his hair with some more grease, and Two-Bit was checking out the muscles he wished he had.
"Whatcha looking at, Two-Bit?" Reesa asked in an what-would-be innocent tone.
"These, baby," he boasted like the egotistical guy he was, pointing at his arm.
"Those? I don't see nothing."
"That's 'cause you're a girl. You can't appreciate what I've got."
"Neither can you, apparently," she shamelessly crooned, showing off her devilish smile.
"Hey! Keep your girlie comments to yourself," Steve piped in.
"Well excuse me, Mr. I-Have-To-Grease-My-Hair-Between-Each-Period, to make sure Laurie Hall is still in love with me."
Steve was about to comment, when Skye came up from behind me.
"Hey, hey, hey," someone walked up behind me. I knew who it was instantly. How could I not?
"Hi, Skye," I said while she smacked me upside the head, a little harder than necessary. "Have you seen Johnny?"
"Nah, I think he's out by the car though."
"Stupid kid. He's going to get jumped or something," Steve sighed while shutting his locker. "Let's go."
We all turned to leave the school. Steve always gives us a ride home. At least to the DX. After that we're on our own. Nice guy, right? Sort of. Just as long as the four of us stick to the back seat.
Skye is somewhat obnoxious. She and I are twins, but no one knows because I was advanced a grade. We are complete opposites, they say twins are usually the same, but not when it comes to us. She is kind of a mix between Two-Bit and Steve but with a chick flare to it. She is the same height as me, almost, maybe a little shorter. But her eyes are completely different, they are a dark brown, sort of like Soda. Her and Soda get along great, but we have our differences. And Although Skye looks a lot like Darry, their personalities clash like water mixing with oil, it just doesn't happen. Skye can be real wild and crazy sometimes, and like Soda she is more fun loving.
"Yo, Pony, you wanna hear something?" Skye asked me.
"Not really."
"Sure ya do. Anyway, I was talking to Billy Myers during fourth period and -"
"Dude, I don't care."
"Listen to me, dammit. I'm telling you a story." I'm telling you, it's one or the other. Sisters are a pain in the ass. But when the two of them gang up on you.watch out.
"Obviously. I don't care."
"It's about Miles."
"Now I REALLY don't care."
Miles. What a loser. Thinks he's some bad-ass hood. He wishes.
"Hey, guys?" Two-Bit broke in, putting an arm around each of our shoulders. "Shut up would ya? I can't hear myself think."
"That's 'cause thinking doesn't require hearing, O' Thou Smart One." I kinked my neck to look up at him. He's one tall man.
"Shut up, greaser," Skye sneered. "If you were part of this conversation, I would have let you known."
"Ain't that the truth," Two-Bit muttered and moved away.
"Hey, I still love ya, Two-Bit," she said.
"And if it mattered to me, I would have let you known."
"Hey, Johnny!" I yelled.
He turned and waved, like he was real glad to see us. And I don't blame him. He doesn't see much of us during the day, besides lunch and before and after school. That's why the school choosing your classes sucks.
We reached Steve's car and he started searching for something in his pockets.
"Hey, Two-Bit, have you seen my car keys?"
"What? You ain't got your car keys? How the hell do you expect me to get home?" his voice rose, surprisingly angry.
"Well, I -"
"I have to walk ALL that way? Are you crazy? Boy, you are insane!"
"Two -"
"Just kidding. I got them here." Two-Bit reached into his pocket and pulled them out.
"Dude, stop that. One of these days I'll actually believe you."
"Yeah, whatever. Like you didn't?" Reesa asked.
"Zip it, girlie. Get in guys. You're gonna make me late for work. Besides, Sodapop is gonna kill me if I don't get there so he can have his break."
"I knew he was good for something," Skye said.
Steven decided to ignore it, but Two-Bit spoke up. "Hun, if you like your ass getting whooped, keep it up."
"My name ain't Hun, Two-Bit. How many times do I have to tell ya?"
Pretty soon we were at the DX. Steve liked to speed up a little more than the law allowed, but we all appreciated it anyway. Nothing good was on the radio, and this way Soda wouldn't be mad.
When we pulled into the parking lot, I saw Soda pumping some gas for some fat dude, wearing a beer shirt. He was there everyday when we pulled in. Either his car is a gas hog, or he has an infatuation with the DX, or quite possibly both.
I piled out of the car as fast as possible, it was cramped in that tiny back seat. Two-Bit and Steve like their space, and we give it to them because we want the ride. But, man, damn them! Four teenagers in a backseat ain't the best feeling in the world. Especially with these guys.
"You're early for a change! What happened? They suspend y'all again?"
"Hey, it wasn't my fault! I swear! It was Two-Bit." Skye whimpered innocently.
"He pantsed Principal Perkins in front of us again. He hates people laughing at him, I swear!" Steve said.
"I can't control these sudden impulses when I'm in school, I would go insane if I did," Two-Bit replied seriously.
"Oh, but they are impulses, you can't control them. Maybe you should get that checked out. Kinda like you flipping girls skirts up for fun. Huh?" Soda joked.
"Yeah, that's right! I never thought anyone would understand," Two-Bit affirmed.
"Hey, girls don't like that, Two-Bit. You ain't gonna get a catch going around on Friday nights making them scream," Reesa said seriously.
"I'm not trying to catch them. They all love me anyway."
"Palease," Skye rolled her eyes. "Soda? Can I borrow a couple of bucks?"
"I guess. What for?"
"I dunno. I just want it."
"Right. If I believed that I'd have to let Stevie here shoot me. Tell me or you ain't getting it."
"I've got to go out on the town tonight, Soda!"
"With Miles?"
Miles is the hood of all hoods. For some wildly odd reason, Sky likes him, and they go out all the time. We all hate it when she does, especially Darry. He's worried that she'll get mixed up in the wrong stuff, or get hurt real bad. And she's vulnerable to all kinds of crap. Being with Miles isn't helping that any.
"No, why would I do that?.. Chyann and I were going to go and see a movie tonight. We don't have any homework, so we ain't gonna sit at home like the rest of you hoodlums."
"Yeah right. My mom would kill me if she knew I was letting her hang out with you," Two-Bit laughed.
"Which is why she isn't going to find out."
"Yeah, Yeah.I know, you'll kill me if I say a word. Not that you could kill me..."
"So, are ya givin' me the money or what, Soda?"
"Sorry, babe. I ain't got any to spare. The frickin' people around here are cheap. Ain't tippin' like they used to."
With that, we all started straggling off towards home. Reesa and I were the first to leave, so we walked ahead of everyone. We both had homework. Skye is so lucky. I didn't want homework. Especially since Thorpe assigned us to read a book that we all knew doesn't exist.
I knew Darry wouldn't be home when we got there, which kind of sucked, because I was getting anxious to start negotiating my punishment with him. It's not like he never got into fights. I've seen him deck people, as much as the next person.
"Pony? Can you help me with this problem?" Reesa came into my room where I was finishing up my history essay.
"Aren't you supposed to be smarter than me? Your older than I am."
"By what? A year? We're in the same grade. You can't spare one semi- precious moment? Besides, dinner needs to be ready when Darry gets home, and it ain't gonna fix itself."
"Fine, why not." I looked at the problem she was working on. Piece of cake. I had it done in a matter of seconds. "Now get out, I'm busy."
"Don't do it for me. Show me how you did it. I ain't gonna automatically know this."
"Later, I'm hungry. Go make me food."
I could feel Reesa glaring at me, even if I was looking down at my paper writing. Oh, well. I'm busy. And it is her night to fix it. I guess I just said that wrong, huh? Sometimes it is fun to piss her off. When I looked up though, she was smiling, like she was ready to laugh.
"What did you just say to me?" she laughed.
"I said, go make me some food, I'm hungry!"
"Ohh, does the baby greaser need his food?"
"Shut up!..Please? I'm really hungry!"
"Ok, but you better keep your trap shut from here on out about being hungry, bud."
"I'm just making ya mad for fun. Sorry."
She gave me a little smile as she turned and walked out of my room.
Darry and Soda got home right on time today, which is really unusual. Darry seemed to be in an ok mood, probably because he wasn't working overtime that night. That was a good sign for me. Hooray! Maybe I'd be able to talk him out of my grounding. Man, this guy thinks he's so old!
"Hey Darry, Hey Soda! Your on time tonight. You guys hungry? I know Pony over here is." Reesa spouted out happily.
She shot me a teasing smile from across the room.
"Yeah, and I've been waiting an hour for that food!" I said in a jokingly complaint filled voice.
"Well, maybe you could wait a little longer then, right? C'mon Soda, lets go see what's for dinner. It smells great." Darry played along.
"Hey wait! I've had to go through the torture of smelling this food for the last twenty minutes. I get first dibs!"
Everyone just laughed and scooted over to make room for me at the table.
"Hey, where's Skye?" Soda asked curiously.
"I dunno, last I saw her, she was at the DX," Reesa replied off-handed.
"What? She told me she was goin' home."
"Well, apparently not. She ain't here."
"You didn't seriously believe her when she said she was going to hang out with Chyann, did you?" I inquired.
"Ummmm..well yeah." Soda said bewildered.
"Man, you're dumb!"
"Hey Pony, I wouldn't say that if I were you. This kid can whip your butt if he wanted to. No sweat," Darry said.
I just shut my trap right then and there. He was right, point taken.
We sat eating silently for a little while, enjoying Reesa's good cooking. It was actually nice for it to be quiet for a change, I mean it's never quiet at my house. Usually the gang is over rough housing and making soo much noise you can't even think. You start craving the silence after a while, and earplugs don't work either. Someone ought to sue that company.
"Did she say where she might be at?" Darry asked.
"Well, yeah, but I don't think you really want to know."
"Miles?"
"I think so."
"Damn it!. You know what, I'm going to relax tonight. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't happening tonight. Not when I can be watching TV and taking a break."
"Well, good. Because I have something I want to talk to you about." I said seizing the opportunity.
"Whatever the question is, the answer is no. Especially if it costs any money."
"No, actually it has to do with last night."
"Let's not get started with that one again. I'm not in the mood."
"You're never in the mood, and besides, you just said nothing would ruin your night."
"Darry, he has a point. And I did kinda tell him that you would hear him out on this one." Reesa interrupted.
"Ohh, well, then hurry it up."
Reesa and Soda finished eating quickly and then got up to clear off the table and start the dishes. We waited until they were playing around while doing the dishes before we started in on our conversation. We respect each other enough to give privacy when needed.
"I shouldn't be grounded, Darry."
"Is that right? Why would that be?"
"Because I was defending Reesa. That guy was coming at her like he was going to kill her. What was I supposed to do, let her get beat? What would you have done?"
"You could at least have waited for him to start it. What if the police had come, Pony?"
"Well, if I had waited for him to come at me, I think things would not be very pretty for me now. In fact he might have killed both of us. Darry, he was real mad.and drunk to."
"Well, whatever. Just use your head I the future k Pony? I just don't want you getting hurt or picked up by the fuzz, that's all. This time, your off the hook. Don't count on it again."
I was relieved to have that over with, but my happiness lasted only a moment. Two-Bit walked in the door and, looking slightly grim, announced that he had some news for us.
"Yo, Darry, I've gotta talk to ya."
"What's up?"
"I just saw your little sis, she was drivin down The Ribbon with Miles."
"Yeah, figures."
"You don't care?"
"No, I.I care. But I'm not lettin' anything ruin this night. Right Ponyboy?"
Two-Bit looked slightly shocked.
"Exactly, don't ruin it for me, Two-Bit."
Two-Bit let out a slight gasp. "Wait.I'm really confused, you don't care that she is out with Miles?"
"I don't think you understand. I do care, just.shut up Two-Bit."
"Well, ok. Where is that greasy gas jockey? I've got some business with him."
"Who ya callin' a greasy gas jockey, you drunken hobo?" Soda called as he walked into the room from the kitchen.
Two-Bit and Soda walked out on the porch to talk about whatever they had to talk about, which knowing them was most likely nothing. Our house stayed quiet for the rest the night, or most of it anyway.