I groggily pushed open the door of the biology lab. Ah, Tuesday biology. These classes were always different from the rest of the week, because we got to dissect something, or look under a microscope, or something of that sort. I wasn't very keen on science, but I didn't hate it. The hands-on stuff always caught my interest. I vaguely wondered what today might bring.
"PHWEEET!" Mr. Fredricks whistled his shrill class starter, and everyone took their seats. "Hello class," he began in one of his monotonous droning voices. I knew then it would be a long class.
Sarah was quiet that day. Normally we would talk after biology for a minute before running to our next classes, but today she didn't say much, and bustled in her own direction faster than normal. I noted it as odd, but didn't think much of it besides that. Some days she was just worn out or whatever. I knew she'd perk back up in the next few days. Or, at least, that was how it normally worked.
I spent lunch going down to the convenience store with Two-bit and Steve. We grabbed candy bars and I grabbed a Pepsi, then we took them outside to sit on Two-bit's bumper. Steve lit up a weed, and Two-bit followed suit.
"Smoke?" Two-bit offered me his pack of camels.
"Naw," I wasn't really in the mood for a smoke.
"Why ain't you smokin' anymore, kid?" Steve actually addressed me as existing. I was shocked.
"I gotta keep up my speed in track," I stated simply. It was part truth. The other part was that weed no longer calmed me down, or had any flavor. And, since there were only other greasers around, I didn't have to worry about looking tuff. (The reputation I got when Johnny killed the soc hadn't worn off.)
They both just grunted and dragged on their cigarettes. Those guys never really gave a care if someone was smoking or not. I really liked hanging out with them sometimes, because Two-bit always had a good joke, and as long as you were a greaser they didn't care who you were. They'd just joke around and make smart alec remarks about a police officer that was sitting across the street or something random like that. Today, the fuzz was the topic.
"...So they dragged me downtown and said, 'You disturbing the peace again, Mr. Matthews?' So I was like, 'No way, Mr. Officer, sir, that was my twin, Keith.' When I said that, he just kind of gave me a funny look and let me leave. You gotta love officers. Listen here, kid. You ever get dragged in, confuse the heck out of them officers, and they'll get fed up and let you off..." Two-bit was relaying one of his many times getting brought to the station for some venial crime or another. I had to laugh at him, because he was so proud of confusing the cops. It was one step closer to being proud of his record, which wasn't as long as Dally's, but Two-bit had plenty of time to make that up.
After school the next day, for some odd reason, Soda took out our old football and started throwing it around with Steve. Of course, we all jumped right in and tackled them to the ground, starting an impromptu game of backyard, no rules football. There were no boundary lines except for the normal touchdowns, and no penalties for holding, grabbing, or fighting (which we always did anyway, so it didn't make a difference). The best play of that day was when Sodapop did a back flip and landed right in front of Two-bit, who at that time had the ball. He tackled him to the ground, grabbed the ball, and ran for a touchdown. It counted, so we called the game even and ran inside to raid the kitchen.
Darry walked in the door to find us drinking chocolate milk and watching TV. He said his hellos, and then gave me a look that said, "Get your butt in that kitchen and make dinner."
No one ever can argue with that look, so I made some macaroni and meatballs with bread. Steve stayed for dinner, but Two-bit said something about taking a blond out and left. As it turned out, Steve had had a fuss with his dad that morning and slept on our couch that night. I did my homework, and then went straight to bed, because I was dead tired, and Soda was mumbling to shut the light off.
"Hey!" I finally found Sarah in the bustling halls after second period. She was staring at her feet and looked up when I greeted her.
"Oh, hi Pony," she was less than enthusiastic, and returned to looking at her feet.
I ignored the lack of enthusiasm. "What's going on?"
"Nothing really."
She was avoiding conversation, which I didn't exactly like. Fighting off taking it the wrong way, I turned my thoughts to wondering if something was wrong.
"Are you alright?" I stopped her in the crowded hallway and made her look me in the eye.
"Yeah, I'm just kind of out of it today, sorry. I need to get to class. See you around." I didn't stop her, but I wanted to. I knew she'd never be good at poker, because she was so bad at lying. Even though I was sure she wasn't alright, I just had to shrug and hurry to my history class.
I didn't run into her again until the end of the day on Friday. She looked worn out, but brightened a little when she saw me.
"Hey you," she managed a half smile.
"Howdy," I tipped an imaginary hat and nodded. "How're you today?"
"I'm fine, you?"
"Pretty good, I guess. What are you up to this weekend? The guys were talking about playing some football, and I was thinking maybe you'd want to play. We need another player to make even teams with Darry there."
Her face dropped a little. "Sorry, I can't. My family's going up to some Indian reservation to spend some 'quality time'." She didn't sound very happy. I thought it sounded great, though. We used to do that when Mom and Dad were still alive. All of us would pile into the old pickup, the three of us boys in the back and Mom and Dad up front. After an hour or so of driving, we'd get out and take a hike, or look at old Indian mounds, or something fun like that. Those were some of the best times with my parents that I could remember.
"That's alright. When do you guys get back?"
"Late Sunday night."
I caught sight of Steve, and he was giving me a nod that said, "Come on, or you won't get a ride home."
"Hey, I gotta go."
"Okay," she said.
"Have a good weekend, I'll see you Monday. And Sarah..." I paused.
"What?"
"Remember to laugh a little." With that I tried to pull a Soda look, and headed off to an impatient Steve. I couldn't see her, but I knew she was at least grinning.
I was almost to Steve when Matt bumped into me.
"Hey, Ponyboy," he sounded cheerful.
"How's it going?" I nodded to him.
"Good, good. I just wanted to see if you're coming to church on Sunday."
Blast, I knew he was going to ask that. The truth was, I wanted to, but I had no way to get there, and I was pretty sure the boys would laugh if I asked for a ride to church.
"I don't know yet." I said honestly.
He looked a little disappointed. "Okay. Well, if you need a ride home or something, just let me know. See you around." He walked off towards a group of guys, some of whom I knew from classes I had. Steve was getting more impatient with every passing second, so I had to sprint as he headed for the doors because I didn't want to walk home. That wouldn't go over well with Darry, who was expecting me to go home with Steve.
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I arrived at her locker right after the bell rang, hoping to get there before she did. My plan worked, and I saw her walking down the hall after standing there for less than a minute, trying to avoid getting in people's way.
"Hi, how was your weekend?"
"It was alright, I guess. The boys really liked it, and I got some time to hang out with Brie, so it wasn't bad." Sarah still sounded down, and that concerned me. I didn't want her to feel, think, or act sad. I knew what sadness was like, and no one should have to feel it. "How was yours?"
"Mine? It wasn't bad. I just hung out and stuff. We never got around to football, but it was fine." I said casually, not wanting to stay on the topic of my weekend when I wanted to know what was wrong.
"You seem down," I stated frankly. "What gives?"
There was a sigh before the answer came. "I've just been, I don't know, stressed, I guess. This is how I drive my family crazy. They never know what kind of mood I'm going to be in, and they hate it. I'm probably driving you crazy now, aren't I?"
"No... no," I was whispering now, though I didn't know why. "Not at all." I didn't know what else to say. It kind of bugged me that she thought she could ever drive me crazy.
"You need to take a break and have some fun," I said in an animated way. "Come on, we should go to the park and swing, or something like that to de-stress you."
I saw her face sink to an all time low. "No, I can't. I have to baby-sit Olivia while no one's home."
"Oh. Well, then tomorrow. We can do something tomorrow."
"Okay," I didn't like it when she was like this. "But I have to go now, anyway. Mom is leaving as soon as I get home. I'll see ya.
"Alright, bye," I stood there for a minute, watching her leave before going back to my locker to get my things.
It was Darry's night to make dinner, so when I got home, I did homework until Soda and Steve walked in. Then they made me play poker-style Mao, which I lost horribly at. Finally, I figured out some of it, but by that time dinner was ready, so we had to stop.
Later that night I was doing some reading for Language Arts when I thought I vaguely heard sirens. That wasn't uncommon in this town, especially at night. I shrugged it off, knowing that some delinquent was being chased, and probably would get hauled in, just like every night.
Sarah wasn't in biology the next morning, which really worried me. She hadn't missed a class yet, so I knew something was wrong. I bumped into Brie in the cafeteria at lunch, and asked her what was going on. The answer I got was something that I never saw coming.
"Sarah stayed home today." I could tell she was trying to be casual, but something was up.
"Oh, why? Is she alright?"
"Yeah, she's alright."
"Then what's going on?" I wasn't normally a pushy person, but I knew Brie pretty well from track, and the times I'd hang out with Sarah, so I felt more comfortable.
"Olivia had a seizure last night while Sarah was watching her. It was a bad one."
My heart leaped into my throat. "Olivia's okay, right?" I could feel my head start spinning, willing her to be alright.
"We don't know, yet. She's in the babies ICU right now, and they're not sure if she had any brain damage from it. The doctors said that there was a good chance that she'll be fine, but they can't be sure. Sarah was really shaken up. That's why she stayed home. She was up all night at the hospital, waiting to hear from the doctors."
"Man," the word barely escaped through my clenched teeth. I tried to clear my head, so I would seem calmer than I was. "Are you alright, Brie?" I asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken, you know? I could have stayed home, too, but I had to get out. All of us are worried, but the best way for me to deal is do the normal stuff."
"Well, is there anything I can do for you guys? Us boys can cook, though most people won't believe it."
"I think we're pretty set, but thanks for the offer."
"Kay, well, can I go see Liv in the hospital?"
"Um, I don't think non-family members are allowed in the babies ICU, but she should be home in a few days, and you might be able to come then. Sorry."
"Oh, it's alright..." There was an awkward silence for a minute. "I should be going," I finally said. "Will Sarah be home when school lets out?"
"I'm not really sure. You should probably call and see."
"Okay. I'll see you around. I hope Olivia's okay."
"Me too," she was really sincere. "See you later, Ponyboy."
I found the nearest empty table and sat down, cursing under my breath. I couldn't believe it all, yet I knew it was true. The way I felt was like the day I found out my parents died, only on a smaller scale. I cursed the fact that I had let myself become attached to someone again. I cursed the fact that Olivia was in the hospital, maybe fighting for her life. I cursed how Sarah had to be the one home when it happened. Finally, I cursed myself for not being able to do anything about it. My normally clean mouth was coming out with the most unprintable words I had ever said. When I ran out of those, I took the Two-bit approach, and started making up my own words. That's all they were, though, words; blasted words that couldn't do a dang thing about the situation. I stopped cursing and just sat at the table until the bell yelled at me to get going to class. I hadn't eaten lunch, but I didn't care. I wasn't hungry.
Instead of taking my time by walking home leisurely, I made Two-bit let me drive his car home. He was in the car, of course, so it was more legal. I didn't technically have my permit yet, but Soda had showed me a few things in the ford, so I knew what I was doing. The car, like our truck, was a manual, so I didn't have any trouble. Two-bit laughed the whole way, because like I said before, I'm not pushy. I'm not a law-breaker, either, for that matter. But today was different. I felt like I had to be in control of something, even if it was just a car for a few minutes. For those minutes, I had control, and I cooled off. When my senses slowly returned, I begged God first not to let any of the fuzz see me, and second that Olivia was okay.
Luckily, both of us made it home in one piece, except for Two-bit's side cramping up from laughing at me so hard. I ignored it and walked up the front steps to the door. The house was empty, but I knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. I tried to dawdle a little so Two-bit didn't figure out that I had rushed home so I could make a phone call. As it were, he turned on the TV as soon as we walked in and got absorbed in some inane program. I hated television.
The phone rang three times before someone hastily answered on the other end.
"Hello?" The voice sounded like it belonged to a kid younger than me. I assumed it was Jake or Stephen.
"Uh, hi, is Sarah there?" I wasn't used to making calls. There was a pause on the other end.
"She's not here. Who's calling, please?"
"Oh, this is Ponyboy Curtis."
"Well, can I take a message?" He sounded a little annoyed. By then I had figured it was Jake, and not Stephen, because a 6 year old doesn't say please when they ask who's calling.
"No, it's alright. Thanks, Jake."
"No problem. Bye."
Blast! I had missed her. She probably had gone to the hospital, and I couldn't be sure when she'd get home, or even if she'd be at school tomorrow. This whole situation was grating on my already raw nerves. I sure wished Soda would get home soon, because he always had something to say that would make me grin.
-- Alright, when I said thank you to a few of my reviewers, I left out one that I really feel needs a Thank you. Loree: You're almost always the first to review, and you review almost everyt chapter! I really really appreciate it. I'm surprised at how many people like my writing. I personally think it could be a whole lot better, and I could get way more original, but I'm a hopeless romantic, and I really like raw, bent emotions and drama. I dunno why. Anywho, this story is coming to a close soon. Then look for my next story, because I have some pretty fun plans.