Chapter 2
When I woke up Saturday I couldn't believe that I had slept through the noise of the house. I could tell that Two-Bit was there, everybody was laughing. I heard yelling laughing the TV, the radio and of course forks and knives scraping across plates. I used my elbows to prop myself up as I rolled out of bed and walked groggily into the living room. As I walked through our peeling doorway a raw egg flew past my face and hit the wall behind me. I didn't need to see who it was, it was Two-Bit. I looked over at him as he walked towards me.
"Sorry Pony, guess it just...slipped." Two-Bit grinned He walked over to me and grabbed me under the armpits and swung me over the back of our couch, so that I landed hard on the comfy cushions. He leaned over the back so I could see him; he had this grin that can make you grin no matter what. He had deep gray eyes that were hilarious in themselves and rusty coloured side burns which, like every greaser I know, he is proud of. He likes fights, blondes and shoplifting. After he walked away I sat up looking around, since I hadn't had much chance to. The whole gang was here; well it's not really a gang. Well whatever we are there are 5 of us, me, Darry, Soda, Steve and Two-Bit. There used to be seven of us, but our buddies Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston died almost a year ago now. Johnny was my best buddy I ever had; he had died in the hospital when he busted his back saving kids with me out of a burning church. Dallas Winston- Dally was a tough hood who had a record at the station a mile long. He got drunk, stole, lied, cheated, jumped little kids and held up stores. He had nothing to love but Johnny, and when Johnny died Dally couldn't take it. He had been in a rumble that night even though he had a burned arm, you got to respect that. After the rumble when Johnny died, Dally was shot down by the fuzz and he died that night knowing the Greasers beat the Socs in an all out rumble. I was pretty racked up emotionally after they had died, one night had taken away two of my best buddies and you don't get used to that fact overnight. Suddenly Darry shoved a plate of chocolate cake at me.
"Oh, uh thanks Dar," I stuttered. I suddenly remembered Steve limping down the street, Two-Bit supporting him.
"Darry, where's Steve?" At those words being said, as if an idea had struck him he spun on his heels to face Steve and Two-Bit wrestling on the floor.
"Hey cut it out you two!" Darry yelled pulling Soda off of Two-Bit by his armpits. "Steve is trying to sleep!" So Soda and Two-Bit had to content themselves with arm wrestling.
Darry sort of laughed as I got up from the couch, trying not to spill my cake. He ran at me and pushed me, as I fell over the back of the couch he grabbed my ankles attempting to pick me up. But before he did I went into a hand stand, he Soda and Two-Bit laughed at me. We all knew how to do gymnastics after Darry spent the whole summer teaching them to us. They did get us into some trouble though and we did try to show each other up often. But I guess that's what you get when you find friends who are like brothers.
I sat down at the table where I knew I wouldn't get attacked anymore. Just as I sat down the table shook as Sodapop slammed his and from what I heard that meant that Two-Bit was paying for our tickets to the Nightly Double tonight. "Fine!" Two-Bit exclaimed to Soda, "But I aint paying for nobody's popcorn!"
"Yeah, I know," Soda said "You want to come to the Nightly Double Darry? Two-Bits paying."
"No," Darry said slowly and I knew what was coming "you know I got to work today little buddy..."
"What about you Pony, you wanna come?" Soda asked turning to me while Two- Bit reached into his pocket looking for money.
"Sure," I answered through a mouthful of cake "what else you two doing today? Bumming around I s'pose."
"Most likely" Two-Bit answered, "Speakin' of bumming, I better go bum some money off my mom before she goes to work, see ya'll around!" Two-Bit said while he grabbed his jacket and slammed the screen door.
"Yeah, I got to get going too, ill be home at six o'clock, and try to clean the place up a bit ya hear?"
"Me and Pony will clean it up before we leave." Sodapop said volunteering me.
"Alright, and be quiet, Steve is still sleeping in my room." Darry said as he picked up his tool belt and walked out the door in the same fashion as Two-Bit.
I finished my chocolate cake quickly then went over to do the dishes while Soda went to go and get the broom. I was going through the dishes really quickly because there weren't that many. I looked at Soda who was sleeping and thought to myself how incredibly lucky we were that we didn't have carpet. Imagine the stains we would have. Steve suddenly walked slowly out of the room, dragging his feet with every step. Soda noticed but he didn't stop sweeping while he talked to him. "Hey Hey Hey Stevie! How are ya?" Sodapop exclaimed.
"I've been better," Steve said which was obviously true. He had a Band-Aid over his gash and through his surprisingly clean, unbuttoned DX shirt he had put bandages over his ribs. He also had bandaged up hands.
"...and Two-Bits paying, so you want to come?" Soda asked while he leaned on the broom.
"Oh, I don't know Soda; I feel kind of dizzy and all..." Steve said, I looked at Soda and his face fell. He had obviously been hoping he would come with us. Just then Two-Bit came running into the room, letting the door once again slam behind him.
"Hey guys you want to come with me to the train station?" Two-Bit asked grinning.
"Why are you going to the train station?" Sodapop asked
"Cause my cousin is coming down to live with us until her dad gets out of the cooler." He answered simply. "I think her names, uh Shelby something or other."
I remembered Shelby she had lived here when I was twelve and she was the same age. Her mom had died when she lived here and then she moved to New York. I liked her just fine, but I didn't really remember her much. Too much happened over the past year to remember little things like that.
"Yeah," I said eager to go somewhere I hadn't been in a while "I'll go, how bout you Sodapop?"
"Ok, but Steve I guess you ought to stay here until-"
"No time to talk, we got to go now if ya'll are coming." Two-Bit said cutting off Soda.
"Alright, golly Two-Bit, see ya in an hour Steve, just watch some TV," Soda said grabbing his jacket.
We walked out the door and went into Two-Bits car. He squealed out of the driveway and began going south to the Tulsa Train Station. On the way there Two-Bit told us how Shelby had lived here all her life but when her mom died her and her dad had to move to New York for work. I felt bad for her, at least when my mom and dad died I got to stay with my friends and my brothers. She has to leave everything all over again. When we got there Two- Bit couldn't think of what train number, or platform Shelby was coming from. So we decided to wait until the next train came in. When it did Two- Bit spotted her pretty fast. She was standing with her back to us lighting a smoke with her luggage at her feet.
Suddenly I began to remember vaguely what she looked like...
When I woke up Saturday I couldn't believe that I had slept through the noise of the house. I could tell that Two-Bit was there, everybody was laughing. I heard yelling laughing the TV, the radio and of course forks and knives scraping across plates. I used my elbows to prop myself up as I rolled out of bed and walked groggily into the living room. As I walked through our peeling doorway a raw egg flew past my face and hit the wall behind me. I didn't need to see who it was, it was Two-Bit. I looked over at him as he walked towards me.
"Sorry Pony, guess it just...slipped." Two-Bit grinned He walked over to me and grabbed me under the armpits and swung me over the back of our couch, so that I landed hard on the comfy cushions. He leaned over the back so I could see him; he had this grin that can make you grin no matter what. He had deep gray eyes that were hilarious in themselves and rusty coloured side burns which, like every greaser I know, he is proud of. He likes fights, blondes and shoplifting. After he walked away I sat up looking around, since I hadn't had much chance to. The whole gang was here; well it's not really a gang. Well whatever we are there are 5 of us, me, Darry, Soda, Steve and Two-Bit. There used to be seven of us, but our buddies Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston died almost a year ago now. Johnny was my best buddy I ever had; he had died in the hospital when he busted his back saving kids with me out of a burning church. Dallas Winston- Dally was a tough hood who had a record at the station a mile long. He got drunk, stole, lied, cheated, jumped little kids and held up stores. He had nothing to love but Johnny, and when Johnny died Dally couldn't take it. He had been in a rumble that night even though he had a burned arm, you got to respect that. After the rumble when Johnny died, Dally was shot down by the fuzz and he died that night knowing the Greasers beat the Socs in an all out rumble. I was pretty racked up emotionally after they had died, one night had taken away two of my best buddies and you don't get used to that fact overnight. Suddenly Darry shoved a plate of chocolate cake at me.
"Oh, uh thanks Dar," I stuttered. I suddenly remembered Steve limping down the street, Two-Bit supporting him.
"Darry, where's Steve?" At those words being said, as if an idea had struck him he spun on his heels to face Steve and Two-Bit wrestling on the floor.
"Hey cut it out you two!" Darry yelled pulling Soda off of Two-Bit by his armpits. "Steve is trying to sleep!" So Soda and Two-Bit had to content themselves with arm wrestling.
Darry sort of laughed as I got up from the couch, trying not to spill my cake. He ran at me and pushed me, as I fell over the back of the couch he grabbed my ankles attempting to pick me up. But before he did I went into a hand stand, he Soda and Two-Bit laughed at me. We all knew how to do gymnastics after Darry spent the whole summer teaching them to us. They did get us into some trouble though and we did try to show each other up often. But I guess that's what you get when you find friends who are like brothers.
I sat down at the table where I knew I wouldn't get attacked anymore. Just as I sat down the table shook as Sodapop slammed his and from what I heard that meant that Two-Bit was paying for our tickets to the Nightly Double tonight. "Fine!" Two-Bit exclaimed to Soda, "But I aint paying for nobody's popcorn!"
"Yeah, I know," Soda said "You want to come to the Nightly Double Darry? Two-Bits paying."
"No," Darry said slowly and I knew what was coming "you know I got to work today little buddy..."
"What about you Pony, you wanna come?" Soda asked turning to me while Two- Bit reached into his pocket looking for money.
"Sure," I answered through a mouthful of cake "what else you two doing today? Bumming around I s'pose."
"Most likely" Two-Bit answered, "Speakin' of bumming, I better go bum some money off my mom before she goes to work, see ya'll around!" Two-Bit said while he grabbed his jacket and slammed the screen door.
"Yeah, I got to get going too, ill be home at six o'clock, and try to clean the place up a bit ya hear?"
"Me and Pony will clean it up before we leave." Sodapop said volunteering me.
"Alright, and be quiet, Steve is still sleeping in my room." Darry said as he picked up his tool belt and walked out the door in the same fashion as Two-Bit.
I finished my chocolate cake quickly then went over to do the dishes while Soda went to go and get the broom. I was going through the dishes really quickly because there weren't that many. I looked at Soda who was sleeping and thought to myself how incredibly lucky we were that we didn't have carpet. Imagine the stains we would have. Steve suddenly walked slowly out of the room, dragging his feet with every step. Soda noticed but he didn't stop sweeping while he talked to him. "Hey Hey Hey Stevie! How are ya?" Sodapop exclaimed.
"I've been better," Steve said which was obviously true. He had a Band-Aid over his gash and through his surprisingly clean, unbuttoned DX shirt he had put bandages over his ribs. He also had bandaged up hands.
"...and Two-Bits paying, so you want to come?" Soda asked while he leaned on the broom.
"Oh, I don't know Soda; I feel kind of dizzy and all..." Steve said, I looked at Soda and his face fell. He had obviously been hoping he would come with us. Just then Two-Bit came running into the room, letting the door once again slam behind him.
"Hey guys you want to come with me to the train station?" Two-Bit asked grinning.
"Why are you going to the train station?" Sodapop asked
"Cause my cousin is coming down to live with us until her dad gets out of the cooler." He answered simply. "I think her names, uh Shelby something or other."
I remembered Shelby she had lived here when I was twelve and she was the same age. Her mom had died when she lived here and then she moved to New York. I liked her just fine, but I didn't really remember her much. Too much happened over the past year to remember little things like that.
"Yeah," I said eager to go somewhere I hadn't been in a while "I'll go, how bout you Sodapop?"
"Ok, but Steve I guess you ought to stay here until-"
"No time to talk, we got to go now if ya'll are coming." Two-Bit said cutting off Soda.
"Alright, golly Two-Bit, see ya in an hour Steve, just watch some TV," Soda said grabbing his jacket.
We walked out the door and went into Two-Bits car. He squealed out of the driveway and began going south to the Tulsa Train Station. On the way there Two-Bit told us how Shelby had lived here all her life but when her mom died her and her dad had to move to New York for work. I felt bad for her, at least when my mom and dad died I got to stay with my friends and my brothers. She has to leave everything all over again. When we got there Two- Bit couldn't think of what train number, or platform Shelby was coming from. So we decided to wait until the next train came in. When it did Two- Bit spotted her pretty fast. She was standing with her back to us lighting a smoke with her luggage at her feet.
Suddenly I began to remember vaguely what she looked like...