A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews. I always got the sense from
reading the book that Marcia was a little jealous of Cherry and maybe
annoyed with her, too.
We had the popcorn and soda that Cherry and Ponyboy brought back. Two bit produced another beer from inside his coat and we shared that. Cherry looked at me with that look, as if to say, "What are you doing?" After a beer and a half I was brave enough to really stick my tongue out at her. She turned away from me and started focusing all her attention on Ponyboy. That was fine with me.
When the movie was done we realized we had no way to get home.
"I'll walk you home," Two bit said and I smiled and took a drag on his cigarette. Cherry shook her head no.
"We'll call our parents," she said, speaking for me. I narrowed my eyes at her a bit.
"Two bit, is your car working?" Johnny said. I thought it was the first thing he's said since Two bit first showed up. Two bit's eyes lit up and he smiled at me.
"Yeah, Steve just fixed it the other day! My house is only ten minutes from here, I'll drive you home," I agreed to that but Cherry looked doubtful.
"I don't know..." she said, chewing on the nail of her pinky. Ponyboy was looking at her in a pleading way. I knew that if I tried to convince her to go with them she'd say no immediately. The only one who could probably convince her would be Ponyboy.
"O.k.?" He said softly. She debated it for a minute and agreed.
I walked with Two bit. He joked and commented on the things we passed. I joked back with him. Unlike some people he thought I was funny. I hoped he would call me. My parents would have a fit about that, I could hear them now. A boy from the east side, they'd say. A hoodlum? And they'd say I couldn't go anywhere with him. But they didn't have to know.
Cherry and Ponyboy lagged behind, probably engaged in some deep conversation that Cherry was famous for.
From the corner of my eye I saw Bob's car. I gasped. Everyone turned and looked at me.
"Look what's coming," I said. We all looked as the car came toward us. I felt nervous all of a sudden, like it wasn't our boyfriends but our parents. Then I was angry. They can't control us, tell us who we can and can't see, damn it. I shifted from one foot to the other and looked at Two bit. He was eyeing the car with sharp anger. Johnny, who was right next to me, swallowed hard and looked pale.
"What are we going to do?" I said.
"Stand here. There's not much else we can do," Cherry said, her face set and I suddenly wasn't as annoyed with her as I had been. There was real fear in her eyes because of Bob.
"Who is it? The FBI?" Two bit said. He still looked mad, his jaw clenched. Cherry looked almost like she could cry. Ponyboy looked vaguelly worried, a little wrinkle in his brow but Johnny was starring at the mustang and barely breathing.
"No," Cherry said, "Randy and Bob,"
"And a few others," Two bit said. He was right. They went out and picked up their friends, probably David and Tom. I didn't know Tom too well but David was nice enough. Well, when he's not out beating up kids with Bob. I shook my head.
"Your boyfriends?" Johnny said in a surprisingly steady voice but he was right next to me and I could almost feel him trembling. My expression darkened. Could Johnny have been the kid they almost killed a couple of months ago?
"Maybe they won't see us," Cherry said, "act normal,".
"Who's acting?" Two bit said, "I'm a natural normal,"
"Wish it was the other way around," Ponyboy said. What a smart ass.
"Don't get mouthy, Ponyboy," Two bit shot back. The mustang passed us slowly but it kept going. I sighed and said, "that was close,"
The anger left Two bit's face like it had never been there at all and he grinned and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. I giggled, feeling relief that Randy hadn't spotted us and wrecked everything. I was happy again. I liked Two bit, his gray eyes, his crazy sideburns, even the way he walked with a loping stride.
I hoped he would kiss me, maybe he would. It was getting colder and I could hear the leaves rustling in the cold wind. Ponyboy had on a sweatshirt with no sleeves and he rubbed his arms to get warm. His voice and Cherry's was a low murmer under the wind.
Ponyboy's voice got louder and I could see he was upset.
"He likes Soda, everyone likes Soda, but he can't stand me. I bet he wishes he could stick me in some boys' home somewhere but Soda won't let him..." We all had stopped and starred at him.
"No, Ponyboy, that ain't right..."Two bit said softly, sounding confused.
"Gee, Ponyboy, I thought you and Darry and Soda got along real well," Johnny said. Both him and Two bit were looking at Ponyboy with puzzled expressions. Cherry looked sheepish, as if to say, "what did I start?".
"Well, we don't, and you can just shut your trap, Johnny Cade, cause everyone knows you ain't wanted at home neither! And you can't blame 'em!" Ponyboy practically spat at Johnny. Two bit promptly whacked him in the head, "You watch your mouth," he said.
They talked some more, fighting, working it out. Cherry and I drifted away from them. I felt uncomfortable, like we were intruding on something private. It was then that Randy and Bob and the other two drove back, more slowly, and stopped right behind us. Bob jumped out with Randy right behind him.
"Cherry, Marcia, listen to us..."Bob said in his drunken ernest way. His words were slurred around the edges.
Cherry gave him the same speech she did when we left them at the movies but ending with, "It's me or the booze." I had to roll my eyes. God! I hated when she said stuff like that. My previous annoyance with her returned like a dull throb.
"Baby, you know we don't get drunk very often..." Randy started, looking at me exactly like he owned me. And baby? He knew I hated to be called that. I looked at him with a cool gaze and didn't say a word.
"And even if you are mad at us that's no reason to go walking the streets with these bums." I wanted to punch him, his smug face, privileged baby life, smug asshole.
"Who you callin' bums?" Two bit said, leaning on Johnny. I was a bit startled at how they looked, tough all of a sudden, blank looks on their faces. Hoodlums.
"Listen, greasers, we got four more of us in the back seat..." Randy shoved me behind him and said that right in Two bit's face. It's supposed to be neat and exciting when boys fight over you but I didn't feel that way. For the first time that night I felt scared.
"Then pity the back seat," Two bit said, and he looked bored and tough and I wanted to kiss him more than ever. He picked up a bottle and smashed it against the fence. He handed the jagged end of it to Ponyboy, who looked very young and very scared. Then Two bit flipped out his switchblade.
"Try it, pal,"
"No!" Cherry screamed. That was it. Cherry hated fights.
"We'll ride home with you, just wait," she said to Bob. He couldn't even stand up straight and he smiled at her like some sleazy salesman and swigged from his flask. Cherry pulled Ponyboy aside to talk. I wanted to go to Two bit, give him a peck on the cheek, remind him to call me, I could get around my parents, but I didn't dare. Who knew what Randy would do?
They were leaving without even looking back. Johnny's hands were in his pockets and Two bit zipped his jacket. Ponyboy ran to catch up with them and Cherry came back.
"Get in the car," Randy said and shoved me a little. He was a jerk when he drank, just like Bob.
We had the popcorn and soda that Cherry and Ponyboy brought back. Two bit produced another beer from inside his coat and we shared that. Cherry looked at me with that look, as if to say, "What are you doing?" After a beer and a half I was brave enough to really stick my tongue out at her. She turned away from me and started focusing all her attention on Ponyboy. That was fine with me.
When the movie was done we realized we had no way to get home.
"I'll walk you home," Two bit said and I smiled and took a drag on his cigarette. Cherry shook her head no.
"We'll call our parents," she said, speaking for me. I narrowed my eyes at her a bit.
"Two bit, is your car working?" Johnny said. I thought it was the first thing he's said since Two bit first showed up. Two bit's eyes lit up and he smiled at me.
"Yeah, Steve just fixed it the other day! My house is only ten minutes from here, I'll drive you home," I agreed to that but Cherry looked doubtful.
"I don't know..." she said, chewing on the nail of her pinky. Ponyboy was looking at her in a pleading way. I knew that if I tried to convince her to go with them she'd say no immediately. The only one who could probably convince her would be Ponyboy.
"O.k.?" He said softly. She debated it for a minute and agreed.
I walked with Two bit. He joked and commented on the things we passed. I joked back with him. Unlike some people he thought I was funny. I hoped he would call me. My parents would have a fit about that, I could hear them now. A boy from the east side, they'd say. A hoodlum? And they'd say I couldn't go anywhere with him. But they didn't have to know.
Cherry and Ponyboy lagged behind, probably engaged in some deep conversation that Cherry was famous for.
From the corner of my eye I saw Bob's car. I gasped. Everyone turned and looked at me.
"Look what's coming," I said. We all looked as the car came toward us. I felt nervous all of a sudden, like it wasn't our boyfriends but our parents. Then I was angry. They can't control us, tell us who we can and can't see, damn it. I shifted from one foot to the other and looked at Two bit. He was eyeing the car with sharp anger. Johnny, who was right next to me, swallowed hard and looked pale.
"What are we going to do?" I said.
"Stand here. There's not much else we can do," Cherry said, her face set and I suddenly wasn't as annoyed with her as I had been. There was real fear in her eyes because of Bob.
"Who is it? The FBI?" Two bit said. He still looked mad, his jaw clenched. Cherry looked almost like she could cry. Ponyboy looked vaguelly worried, a little wrinkle in his brow but Johnny was starring at the mustang and barely breathing.
"No," Cherry said, "Randy and Bob,"
"And a few others," Two bit said. He was right. They went out and picked up their friends, probably David and Tom. I didn't know Tom too well but David was nice enough. Well, when he's not out beating up kids with Bob. I shook my head.
"Your boyfriends?" Johnny said in a surprisingly steady voice but he was right next to me and I could almost feel him trembling. My expression darkened. Could Johnny have been the kid they almost killed a couple of months ago?
"Maybe they won't see us," Cherry said, "act normal,".
"Who's acting?" Two bit said, "I'm a natural normal,"
"Wish it was the other way around," Ponyboy said. What a smart ass.
"Don't get mouthy, Ponyboy," Two bit shot back. The mustang passed us slowly but it kept going. I sighed and said, "that was close,"
The anger left Two bit's face like it had never been there at all and he grinned and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. I giggled, feeling relief that Randy hadn't spotted us and wrecked everything. I was happy again. I liked Two bit, his gray eyes, his crazy sideburns, even the way he walked with a loping stride.
I hoped he would kiss me, maybe he would. It was getting colder and I could hear the leaves rustling in the cold wind. Ponyboy had on a sweatshirt with no sleeves and he rubbed his arms to get warm. His voice and Cherry's was a low murmer under the wind.
Ponyboy's voice got louder and I could see he was upset.
"He likes Soda, everyone likes Soda, but he can't stand me. I bet he wishes he could stick me in some boys' home somewhere but Soda won't let him..." We all had stopped and starred at him.
"No, Ponyboy, that ain't right..."Two bit said softly, sounding confused.
"Gee, Ponyboy, I thought you and Darry and Soda got along real well," Johnny said. Both him and Two bit were looking at Ponyboy with puzzled expressions. Cherry looked sheepish, as if to say, "what did I start?".
"Well, we don't, and you can just shut your trap, Johnny Cade, cause everyone knows you ain't wanted at home neither! And you can't blame 'em!" Ponyboy practically spat at Johnny. Two bit promptly whacked him in the head, "You watch your mouth," he said.
They talked some more, fighting, working it out. Cherry and I drifted away from them. I felt uncomfortable, like we were intruding on something private. It was then that Randy and Bob and the other two drove back, more slowly, and stopped right behind us. Bob jumped out with Randy right behind him.
"Cherry, Marcia, listen to us..."Bob said in his drunken ernest way. His words were slurred around the edges.
Cherry gave him the same speech she did when we left them at the movies but ending with, "It's me or the booze." I had to roll my eyes. God! I hated when she said stuff like that. My previous annoyance with her returned like a dull throb.
"Baby, you know we don't get drunk very often..." Randy started, looking at me exactly like he owned me. And baby? He knew I hated to be called that. I looked at him with a cool gaze and didn't say a word.
"And even if you are mad at us that's no reason to go walking the streets with these bums." I wanted to punch him, his smug face, privileged baby life, smug asshole.
"Who you callin' bums?" Two bit said, leaning on Johnny. I was a bit startled at how they looked, tough all of a sudden, blank looks on their faces. Hoodlums.
"Listen, greasers, we got four more of us in the back seat..." Randy shoved me behind him and said that right in Two bit's face. It's supposed to be neat and exciting when boys fight over you but I didn't feel that way. For the first time that night I felt scared.
"Then pity the back seat," Two bit said, and he looked bored and tough and I wanted to kiss him more than ever. He picked up a bottle and smashed it against the fence. He handed the jagged end of it to Ponyboy, who looked very young and very scared. Then Two bit flipped out his switchblade.
"Try it, pal,"
"No!" Cherry screamed. That was it. Cherry hated fights.
"We'll ride home with you, just wait," she said to Bob. He couldn't even stand up straight and he smiled at her like some sleazy salesman and swigged from his flask. Cherry pulled Ponyboy aside to talk. I wanted to go to Two bit, give him a peck on the cheek, remind him to call me, I could get around my parents, but I didn't dare. Who knew what Randy would do?
They were leaving without even looking back. Johnny's hands were in his pockets and Two bit zipped his jacket. Ponyboy ran to catch up with them and Cherry came back.
"Get in the car," Randy said and shoved me a little. He was a jerk when he drank, just like Bob.