Chapter Twenty-Three:


It was the first time I'd ever stepped foot inside of a courtroom.

Sure, I'd watched plenty of trials on Perry Mason and the like, but this was different, this was a real hearing with a real judge and everything.

And his ruling was going to have a direct effect on my family.

Randy and his parents were there, as were the other guys that jumped Pony and Johnny that night. Cherry was there, too, with her parents along for support. She didn't look nervous, just a little sad, but Randy looked about how I felt- jittery, pale, sick to the stomach. They called him on stand first, and I felt sorry for him.

Darry had made Ponyboy promise to keep his trap shut no matter what anyone else said until he was called on to speak, I think he was worried Pony would say that Johnny hadn't been the one to kill Bob, that it had been him.

I think we were all a little scared he'd do that.

Before the trial even started, the doctor who'd been keeping tabs on Ponyboy met with the judge alone for a bit, to tell him about my brother's condition and to suggest that they avoid any stressful subjects when they put Ponyboy on the stand. Most likely, that meant that Pony wouldn't even be asked about the night of Bob's murder, but none of us told Ponyboy that.

All the Socs told the truth about what happened that night, that they had gone looking for Johnny and Ponyboy in order to rough them up and that Johnny had stabbed Bob in order to defend himself and Ponyboy. When they got to the part about trying to drown Pony in the fountain, they avoided looking in our direction, and with good reason, since both Darry and Soda looked like they were struggling to keep their tempers under control.

When he called Cherry on stand, she recounted everything about that night, from the fight she and Bob had before she and Marcia ended up sitting with the boys at the movies to when Bob and Randy cornered them on the street later that night. She sat straight and tall, her voice steady as a rock, but I could see the tears shimmering in her eyes. She'd lost her boyfriend, a boy she obviously loved quite a bit, but she was trying to be strong and do the right thing, you know?

I kind of admired her for that.

And then it was our turn to go on stand. As Darry had suspected, the judge asked us about Dally. He wanted to know if Dally had been a close friend of ours or not, and it did me proud to see Darry answer without hesitation that, yes, Dally had been. Soda gave Pony a sorrowful look before giving the same answer. As for me, I just said with a shrug that Dally had been family.

He asked us all sorts of questions about our home-life, about how many hours Darry worked, about Soda quitting school to get a full-time job, and about me working part-time at the diner. I was holding my breath hoping he wouldn't ask how many hours I worked, but luckily he didn't. The last thing I needed was for Darry and Soda to find out, much less in a situation like that.

They would have skinned me alive.

The most difficult question the judge asked us was about the night of Bob's murder, the night Ponyboy ran out. Darry's answer was that Ponyboy had come home a little past his curfew and they'd argued, which was basically the truth, just not all of it. Soda and I pretty much echoed what Darry said, not wanting to bring up the fact that Darry had hit Pony. The two of them had moved past that, they were getting along real good now, why take the chance that the judge might screw things up for us?

Finally it was time for Ponyboy to testify. He looked so small as he walked to the front of the courtroom, so vulnerable, and you could practically smell the fear on him. But, as we'd hoped, the judge didn't ask him anything about Bob or that night. He just asked him if he liked living with Darry, Soda and me, if he liked school, how his grades were and all that stuff. Once he was satisfied that Ponyboy was happy at home, he acquitted him and sent us all home.

As we were leaving the courthouse, I spotted Randy and his parents walking towards their car. He glanced back in our direction, and for a moment our eyes met. I nodded slightly, just enough to acknowledge him, and he nodded back, and then we climbed into our respective cars.

When we got home, Two-Bit and Steve were there waiting for us. They both looked up from the television the moment we walked through the door, silently asking what the verdict was.

"Everythin's fine," was all Darry said, as he slipped off his jacket and hung it on the coat-rack, but that was all he really needed to say.

"Glad to hear it," Two-Bit said, ruffling Ponyboy's hair with a grin that I knew he meant to be cocky, but it looked more relieved than anything.

"I'm gonna get some chocolate milk," Soda said, starting for the kitchen. "You guys want any?"

"Yeah," Pony said, collapsing onto the couch with a sigh.

"I'll have one, too, Sodapop," Two-Bit said, following him into the kitchen.

Steve took my hand in his and squeezed it gently. "How ya holdin' up?" he asked softly, his dark eyes searching mine.

"I'm holdin'," I shrugged. "It's been a long day."

"It's been a long week," Steve replied with a sympathetic nod. "How'd the trial go? Was it rough?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, looking down at the floor. "It was rough."

"Hey," Steve lifted my chin with his finger. "You're doing good, kid."

"I thought we talked about this callin' me 'kid' thing," I said wryly, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Sorry," Steve grinned. "Habit."

"Well quit it," I insisted. "It's buggin' me."

"I reckon I can try," Steve promised, leaning forward to kiss me on the cheek, then stood back and gave me an inquisitive look. "Feel like seein' a movie or somethin' tonight?"

Biting my lip, I shook my head. "Sorry, I promised Tessa an' Emma that I'd get together with them later on. I haven't spent much time with either of them in the past few days."

"S'okay," Steve shrugged. "I guess me and Soda can dream somethin' up to keep ourselves entertained for the night."

"Just not too entertained, hmm?" I raised an eyebrow challengingly. "I just came back from court, I ain't lookin' to be sittin' through another hearin' any time soon, so you boys best keep outta trouble."

"Them?" Ponyboy snorted from the couch. "That'd be about as likely as Two-Bit passin' some of his classes this year."

Steve shot him a glare over my head. "Like you're so good at stayin' outta trouble, kid."

"Hey," I said crossly, swatting him in the chest. "Play nice."

"Sorry," he said, out of obligation more than anything else.

"And you," I said, turning to eye my little brother. "Why don't ya go get to some of that homework I know ya have to catch up on, hmm? The last thing ya need is to fall even further behind."

"Fine," Ponyboy sighed, pushing to his feet and stalking out of the room, a scowl on his face.

"What's up with him?" Steve asked, watching him go.

"I don't right know," I admitted, rubbing my temples wearily. "I reckon it's Johnny and Dally and everythin'. He's been actin' strange ever since."

"It's a hard thing to handle," Steve pointed out. "Especially after losin' your parents last year."

"Yeah," I agreed, sinking down onto the couch in exhaustion. "I just don't know how to help him through, ya know? Pony's always been hard to read, and now... he hardly talks to us anymore. Not me, not Darry, not even Soda. He's off in his own world half the time, and the rest of it he's only here, ya know?"

"It's gonna take time," Steve said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder consolingly. "Ya know that. But Pony's a real tough kid, he'll get his feet under him again."

"I hope so," I murmured.

"I know so," Steve retorted. "After all, his your brother, and you're doin' okay."

"I wasn't as close to Johnny as he was, though," I argued. "And after what the three of them went through together up in Windrixville, I think Dally's death hit him harder than he's lettin' on."

"Maybe so," Steve agreed evenly, sitting down beside me. "But ya help up just fine after your parents died, didn't ya?"

"I was a mess," I mumbled, looking down at my hands as I folded them in my lap. "Ya know that, ya were there, remember?"

"I remember," Steve said slowly, lifting my chin with his thumb. "That you were brave and strong and ya pulled yourself together in order to took care of your brothers. And ya done a good job with that, Lizzie, ya have. And I know it ain't been easy- you and Darry and Sodapop and Ponyboy have had more than your share of troubles, even before this." He lifted a hand to touch my hair gently. "But you'll pull through it together, the way ya always do."

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, my eyes stinging with tears.

"And no matter what," he said softly, his dark eyes boring into mine seriously. "I'll take care of you."

Smiling, I blinked back my tears. "I know," I assured him, and I did. Even before we'd finally gotten our act together, I'd always known that he would look out for me. "Ya always have."

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but just then Soda walked back into the room, with Two-Bit at his heels, and took one look at us, then groaned. "Do ya'll have to do that lovey-dovey junk in public?"

"We ain't in public," I snapped. "I happen to live here, in case ya failed to notice that."

"How could I?" Soda shot back as he took a gulp of his chocolate milk. "As loud as ya are, it'd be hard not to notice ya."

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. "Look who's talkin'."

"Would ya two quit your bickerin'?" Darry's voice carried in from the kitchen, and a moment later he appeared in the doorway to the room behind Soda. He looked around for a moment, then frowned. "Where's Ponyboy?"

"His room," I replied. "Kid got mouthy, so I sent him to do some schoolwork."

"Mouthy?" Two-Bit snickered, elbowing Soda in the side. "This comin' from Lizzie Curtis?"

"Shut your trap, Two-Bit," Darry said evenly, not even bothering to look at him. "What'd he say?" he asked me, and I knew he was talking about Ponyboy.

"Just talk," I shrugged. "He was being surly again."

Darry sighed, shaking his head, his frustration visible on his face. "I don't know what we're gonna do about him," he grumbled to himself. "That kid is headin' down a bad road if he keeps actin' the way he is."

"He'll be fine," Soda said dismissively, dropping down onto the couch beside me. "Turn on the television, would ya?"

Rolling his eyes, Darry obliged him, then headed back towards his own room to change out of his dress clothes. Two-Bit sat down on the floor in front of the couch, his chocolate milk in hand. "Let's watch Mickey," he suggested, which didn't really come as a surprise.

"Whatever ya want," Soda said, giving him permission to change the channel. Leaning his head back, Soda peered around me at Steve. "What's on the agenda for tonight?"

"What do ya have in mind?" Steve asked. "Lizzie here's ditchin' me for the girls, so I'm all yours, buddy."

"I ain't ditchin' nobody," I said, pushing to my feet and starting towards my room.

"Where ya goin'?" Steve called.

Turning back, I fixed a smirk on my face. "To make myself look pretty, what else? After all, who knows what tuff lookin' guys we might pick up tonight, right?"

A scowl crossed his face, but I just smiled sweetly and turned down the hall, Soda's laughter filling the room behind me. "Very funny!" Steve called dryly.

"Do ya hear me laughin'?" I yelled back, but despite myself I grinned.

Sometimes it was just too much to argue with him.