Sunday morning. I went to church with my parents. The pastor spoke
of the "tragedy our town recently experienced."
I looked at the sun coming through the stained glass windows, felt the hardness of the bench, and thought about Bob.
If he'd just left those kids alone he'd be fine. If he hadn't drank like he did, if Cherry never left him at the movies that night, if I'd never asked Pony and Johnny to sit up with us...but that way madness lies.
So I thought of Twobit instead, how kissing him was so different from kissing Randy. I thought I might break it off with Randy.
Randy showed up at my house.
"Tell him I'm not home," I said to my parents.
"Marcia, we will not," my mother said, speaking for herself and my father as she tended to. I sighed. I knew they wouldn't.
"Let's talk outside," Randy said, and by the look in his eyes I knew it was over but the shouting.
Outside again, I was coming to dread these outside talks, the sun bright on the leaves, the cool wind. I looked at him and felt mad and bad for him at once, it made me dizzy.
"Who were you with last night?" His voice was hard, his eyes were hard.
"Look, I don't think we should discuss it"
"Well I think we should! Who were you with last night?" His voice was louder and his tone frightened me. I flinched away from him.
"Fine! Don't answer! I know who you were with, that greaser at the movies!"
"So what? I can see who I want to see! You...stop trying to control me...just..." I stood there, out of words. It was sad to me. I'd liked him once, liked him so much. But lately it had seemed he just followed Bob around and participated in every bad idea, never thinking for himself. I took a deep breath.
"Randy, I don't think we should see each other anymore," He stared at me, just stared, dead eye gaze.
"I know who he is. He hangs around with Dallas Winston. Hoodlum greaser scum," He turned and left but I heard him say, "I'll get him," under his breath. And I thought he probably would.
I was worried but not terribly so. Seeing Twobit smash the bottle and whip out that switchblade all in one motion I knew he could take care of himself.
I went in, feeling a headache rhythmically pounding behind my eyes. I was getting so sick of these boys, fighting and fighting for what? Because we had money and the kids from the east side didn't? It was stupid.
"Marcia? Where are you going?" My mother, her calm voice making me want to scream.
"I'm going to my room," And I did. I layed down on my bed and tried to stop thinking about the whole stupid thing. I slept for awhile.
Cherry woke me up. The light had changed. It was late afternoon. I felt awful, like I couldn't wake up. I glared at her without meaning to.
"Randy is pissed," I sighed, rubbed my eyes.
"I know,"
"You hooked up with Twobit?"
"Yeah," Defiant. She shrugged, looked down. She couldn't say anything because she'd jump Dallas' bones given half a chance. I knew she was half in love with him by the time Johnny chased him off Friday night.
"Anyway," she said, moving her head in that way that made her hair sway and then fall behind her shoulders, "it's warfare all over the city. And their hunting for Twobit,"
"Yeah, I know," She looked funny then, she had a look on her face I wasn't used to seeing.
"I feel bad, real bad, like it's, this whole thing is my fault," She looked down, green eyes covered with the dark lashes. I thought about it. It was kinda her fault. But more Bob's.
"I think I owe Ponyboy something,"
"Owe him what? And he's gone, he's hiding somewhere," I looked at her sharply.
"Yeah, I know. But he's such a sweet kid, I mean I connected with him and now he's in such a mess because of me. I owe him some help,"
"What are you talking about? How do you think you can help him?"
"Randy said their having a huge rumble, the socs against the greasers, I could maybe, spy for them or something," She was out of her mind.
"Spy for them? Cherry, Ponyboy and Johnny are not even here, they're not going to be in any rumble,"
"I know," she looked up at me with frustration, "but I can help his friends, and that would be like helping him. "
I just looked at her, twiddled with my bedspread.
"They can't hide forever, you know? I could even testify in court that Bob and his friends were drunk, they were looking for a fight and that Johnny fought back in self defense."
"Yeah," I shrugged. Her lip quivered and she started to cry a little, thick tears clinging to her lashes, "I could do that, help Johnny even though I'm so angry with him..." She covered her face and shook with silent sobs. I hugged her and rocked her and let her cry.
I looked at the sun coming through the stained glass windows, felt the hardness of the bench, and thought about Bob.
If he'd just left those kids alone he'd be fine. If he hadn't drank like he did, if Cherry never left him at the movies that night, if I'd never asked Pony and Johnny to sit up with us...but that way madness lies.
So I thought of Twobit instead, how kissing him was so different from kissing Randy. I thought I might break it off with Randy.
Randy showed up at my house.
"Tell him I'm not home," I said to my parents.
"Marcia, we will not," my mother said, speaking for herself and my father as she tended to. I sighed. I knew they wouldn't.
"Let's talk outside," Randy said, and by the look in his eyes I knew it was over but the shouting.
Outside again, I was coming to dread these outside talks, the sun bright on the leaves, the cool wind. I looked at him and felt mad and bad for him at once, it made me dizzy.
"Who were you with last night?" His voice was hard, his eyes were hard.
"Look, I don't think we should discuss it"
"Well I think we should! Who were you with last night?" His voice was louder and his tone frightened me. I flinched away from him.
"Fine! Don't answer! I know who you were with, that greaser at the movies!"
"So what? I can see who I want to see! You...stop trying to control me...just..." I stood there, out of words. It was sad to me. I'd liked him once, liked him so much. But lately it had seemed he just followed Bob around and participated in every bad idea, never thinking for himself. I took a deep breath.
"Randy, I don't think we should see each other anymore," He stared at me, just stared, dead eye gaze.
"I know who he is. He hangs around with Dallas Winston. Hoodlum greaser scum," He turned and left but I heard him say, "I'll get him," under his breath. And I thought he probably would.
I was worried but not terribly so. Seeing Twobit smash the bottle and whip out that switchblade all in one motion I knew he could take care of himself.
I went in, feeling a headache rhythmically pounding behind my eyes. I was getting so sick of these boys, fighting and fighting for what? Because we had money and the kids from the east side didn't? It was stupid.
"Marcia? Where are you going?" My mother, her calm voice making me want to scream.
"I'm going to my room," And I did. I layed down on my bed and tried to stop thinking about the whole stupid thing. I slept for awhile.
Cherry woke me up. The light had changed. It was late afternoon. I felt awful, like I couldn't wake up. I glared at her without meaning to.
"Randy is pissed," I sighed, rubbed my eyes.
"I know,"
"You hooked up with Twobit?"
"Yeah," Defiant. She shrugged, looked down. She couldn't say anything because she'd jump Dallas' bones given half a chance. I knew she was half in love with him by the time Johnny chased him off Friday night.
"Anyway," she said, moving her head in that way that made her hair sway and then fall behind her shoulders, "it's warfare all over the city. And their hunting for Twobit,"
"Yeah, I know," She looked funny then, she had a look on her face I wasn't used to seeing.
"I feel bad, real bad, like it's, this whole thing is my fault," She looked down, green eyes covered with the dark lashes. I thought about it. It was kinda her fault. But more Bob's.
"I think I owe Ponyboy something,"
"Owe him what? And he's gone, he's hiding somewhere," I looked at her sharply.
"Yeah, I know. But he's such a sweet kid, I mean I connected with him and now he's in such a mess because of me. I owe him some help,"
"What are you talking about? How do you think you can help him?"
"Randy said their having a huge rumble, the socs against the greasers, I could maybe, spy for them or something," She was out of her mind.
"Spy for them? Cherry, Ponyboy and Johnny are not even here, they're not going to be in any rumble,"
"I know," she looked up at me with frustration, "but I can help his friends, and that would be like helping him. "
I just looked at her, twiddled with my bedspread.
"They can't hide forever, you know? I could even testify in court that Bob and his friends were drunk, they were looking for a fight and that Johnny fought back in self defense."
"Yeah," I shrugged. Her lip quivered and she started to cry a little, thick tears clinging to her lashes, "I could do that, help Johnny even though I'm so angry with him..." She covered her face and shook with silent sobs. I hugged her and rocked her and let her cry.