Cherry and I sat quietly in the front seat between Randy and Bob.
Randy was driving because he didn't tend to get as drunk as Bob. Bob was
smashed. I was surprised he was still conscious.
Randy was drunk. The car was weaving all over the road. Bob was mewling like a cat to Cherry, "Baby, you know I don't do this often..." She ignored him.
"We're gonna kill them," Bob said to Randy. He nodded, a funny serious look on his face. I noticed how eerie their faces looked in the dash board light. Behind my eyes I saw the sharp anger on Two bit's face.
"Bob, just leave them alone!" Cherry said, her voice a shade away from shrill.
"No way, those dirty greasers, I don't know who the hell they think they are..."
"They didn't do anything!" Now she was shrill. I felt quiet, strangely unable to say anything at all. It was uncomfortably quiet the rest of the way home.
I was dropped off first.
"I'll call you tomorrow," Cherry said, and she looked like a prisoner sitting there between Bob and Randy. I touched her arm softly and nodded, whispered O.K. I went up the long walk to my front door.
* * *
My mother's worried voice woke me up. Cultered,but worried.
"Marcia? Marcia, Cherry's here,"
I opened my eyes and blinked against the bright sun. I'd forgotten to pull the drapes again.
"She's here?" This was a little strange. I glanced at the clock. Eight a.m.
I got dressed and wondered what brought Cherry here so early. She tended to be a late sleeper on Saturday. She was sitting in the living room, ram rod straight. Her eyes were red rimmed and wet. No wonder my mother's voice was worried.
"Marcia, let's go outside. I need to talk to you," We went out. It was sunny and windy. I noticed the way the green leaves looked shiny in the sunlight.
"Bob's dead,"
"What?" She just said it bald like that. The words didn't quite register.
"He's dead, he was killed last night, at that park on the east side, the one with the fountain..." Tears coursed down her cheeks, she didn't even bother to wipe them away.
"Killed?" This just didn't seem real. Cherry was sniffling, her voice was shuddery.
"Yeah, that quiet kid...the dark haired kid...he...he did it..he..."
"Johnny? Johnny killed Bob?"
"Yeah," She hung her head and just sobbed. I put my arm around her and let her cry.
* * *
She left shortly after. I didn't tell my parents Bob had been killed. They'd find out soon enough. They knew his parents.
"I'm going out," I said, not waiting to hear their reply as I went out the door. I drove to the DX where Soda worked. Maybe I could find Two bit. He was the only one I felt like seeing.
I noticed the two boys right away. Soda, blond highlights flashing in the sun, the other kid, nondescript. I pulled in.
"Hi, do you know where Two bit is?" Soda looked kind of shocked, white faced, like he hadn't slept.
"Two bit? You know him?" The other kid said, suspicion in his eyes and deep in his voice. He made me nervous.
"Yeah, I do. Do you know where he is?" He shrugged, went back to the car he was working on. I looked at Soda. He seemed not to have even heard me.
"Soda? You know where he is?"
"Huh? Two bit? His house, I guess," I got directions and drove off.
The house Soda directed me to was run down, like all the other houses around here. The lawn was mostly dirt interrupted by a few hardy weeds. Broken cars sat on flat tires like hobbled creatures, chipping paint everywhere. Did I dare? I went up to the house and knocked on the screen door.
A messy looking, overweight women with yellow blonde hair opened the door.
"Yeah?"
"Um, hi, is Two bit here?" I realized that this was probably his mother and that I didn't even know his real name. She wasn't fazed, just nodded and called to him, "Keith!" Oh, so that was his name.
He wandered over to the door and looked so surprised to see me I nearly laughed. Then I remembered Bob.
"Marcia! Hi, come in," I went in, feeling embarrassed because my house was like a mansion compared to his. The rug was worn bare in places, showing the wooden flooring.
"I threw your number away," he said and laughed a little.
"Why?"
"I thought it was a fake, I guess it wasn't,"
His mother had gone into the kitchen. I felt a fluttery nervousness deliciously twisting my stomach. He wore a blue shirt, it made his eyes look blue. I didn't want to tell him about Johnny killing Bob. He'd find out soon enough.
"So why'd ya come by?" he said, but not mean. Playfull.
"Oh, I don't know. I missed you," He smiled and leaned toward me, kissed me. I closed my eyes and he kissed me again.
Randy was drunk. The car was weaving all over the road. Bob was mewling like a cat to Cherry, "Baby, you know I don't do this often..." She ignored him.
"We're gonna kill them," Bob said to Randy. He nodded, a funny serious look on his face. I noticed how eerie their faces looked in the dash board light. Behind my eyes I saw the sharp anger on Two bit's face.
"Bob, just leave them alone!" Cherry said, her voice a shade away from shrill.
"No way, those dirty greasers, I don't know who the hell they think they are..."
"They didn't do anything!" Now she was shrill. I felt quiet, strangely unable to say anything at all. It was uncomfortably quiet the rest of the way home.
I was dropped off first.
"I'll call you tomorrow," Cherry said, and she looked like a prisoner sitting there between Bob and Randy. I touched her arm softly and nodded, whispered O.K. I went up the long walk to my front door.
* * *
My mother's worried voice woke me up. Cultered,but worried.
"Marcia? Marcia, Cherry's here,"
I opened my eyes and blinked against the bright sun. I'd forgotten to pull the drapes again.
"She's here?" This was a little strange. I glanced at the clock. Eight a.m.
I got dressed and wondered what brought Cherry here so early. She tended to be a late sleeper on Saturday. She was sitting in the living room, ram rod straight. Her eyes were red rimmed and wet. No wonder my mother's voice was worried.
"Marcia, let's go outside. I need to talk to you," We went out. It was sunny and windy. I noticed the way the green leaves looked shiny in the sunlight.
"Bob's dead,"
"What?" She just said it bald like that. The words didn't quite register.
"He's dead, he was killed last night, at that park on the east side, the one with the fountain..." Tears coursed down her cheeks, she didn't even bother to wipe them away.
"Killed?" This just didn't seem real. Cherry was sniffling, her voice was shuddery.
"Yeah, that quiet kid...the dark haired kid...he...he did it..he..."
"Johnny? Johnny killed Bob?"
"Yeah," She hung her head and just sobbed. I put my arm around her and let her cry.
* * *
She left shortly after. I didn't tell my parents Bob had been killed. They'd find out soon enough. They knew his parents.
"I'm going out," I said, not waiting to hear their reply as I went out the door. I drove to the DX where Soda worked. Maybe I could find Two bit. He was the only one I felt like seeing.
I noticed the two boys right away. Soda, blond highlights flashing in the sun, the other kid, nondescript. I pulled in.
"Hi, do you know where Two bit is?" Soda looked kind of shocked, white faced, like he hadn't slept.
"Two bit? You know him?" The other kid said, suspicion in his eyes and deep in his voice. He made me nervous.
"Yeah, I do. Do you know where he is?" He shrugged, went back to the car he was working on. I looked at Soda. He seemed not to have even heard me.
"Soda? You know where he is?"
"Huh? Two bit? His house, I guess," I got directions and drove off.
The house Soda directed me to was run down, like all the other houses around here. The lawn was mostly dirt interrupted by a few hardy weeds. Broken cars sat on flat tires like hobbled creatures, chipping paint everywhere. Did I dare? I went up to the house and knocked on the screen door.
A messy looking, overweight women with yellow blonde hair opened the door.
"Yeah?"
"Um, hi, is Two bit here?" I realized that this was probably his mother and that I didn't even know his real name. She wasn't fazed, just nodded and called to him, "Keith!" Oh, so that was his name.
He wandered over to the door and looked so surprised to see me I nearly laughed. Then I remembered Bob.
"Marcia! Hi, come in," I went in, feeling embarrassed because my house was like a mansion compared to his. The rug was worn bare in places, showing the wooden flooring.
"I threw your number away," he said and laughed a little.
"Why?"
"I thought it was a fake, I guess it wasn't,"
His mother had gone into the kitchen. I felt a fluttery nervousness deliciously twisting my stomach. He wore a blue shirt, it made his eyes look blue. I didn't want to tell him about Johnny killing Bob. He'd find out soon enough.
"So why'd ya come by?" he said, but not mean. Playfull.
"Oh, I don't know. I missed you," He smiled and leaned toward me, kissed me. I closed my eyes and he kissed me again.