I opened my eyes slightly to see the sun pouring in the window. I squeezed them shut and rolled over, when I opened my eyes again I found myself staring at the brown and orange pattern of the couch. It must be early, because Darry is a real morning person, and the house was silent. I looked at the clock, I couldnt read it though it was too far away. I've always thought I might need glasses, but I would never tell my parents that. I know what would happen, I'm not as stupid as I used to be.
I yawned, and then pressed my head to the thin pillow Darry had given me. I don't usually get up early, and when I do get it up early its nothing compared to when Darrel gets up. The only time I get up early is when im sleeping in the vacant lot or somewheres outside. I dont like to stay out there too long by myself, you never know when someone can just walk by and call social service or something.
I heard a door creak open and I layed back, pretending to sleep. I do that all the time, sometimes I do it without thinking.
"Darry?" Ponyboy called, "Darry have you seen my history homework?"
Another set of foot steps and this time I opened my eyes and adjusted myself so I could see over the back of the couch.
"Pony I didnt even know you had history homework."
"Well..." Ponyboy began and he scanned through papers on the table. "Mr. Nile's gonna kill me!"
"Maybe you should keep track of your stuff huh?" Darry muttered pouring a cup of coffee for himself, and sipping it timidly.
"Well, what the hell? Why is all Steve's homework here?" Ponyboy asked, raising an eyebrow without realizing it. Man he was starting to look like Sodapop lately. But Ponyboy was one of those guys who can look really tough. He has a real serious face, his wide eyes, I feel like their always questioning everything.
"Is Soda up yet?" Darry yelled, ignoring Pony's question. It usually got hectic around here in the morning.
"Nope" Ponyboy said, lighting up a cigarette and migrating into the kitchen.
"Sodapop Curtis get out of bed!" He yelled while he walked to get his tool belt from under the couch where I was sitting, checking my pockets for a smoke.
"I am!" Sodapop yelled, obviously unaware that you could tell just by his voice he was still sleeping.
Darry went and pushed the door open to his room.
"Get.Up.Now." He said. "You are gonna be so late, your gunna get fired before you get to think about it twice."
He walked into the room, and I couldnt see him but there was a loud thump.
"Ow! Come on Dar that was my arm!" Sodapop moaned, I guessed what had just happened. I stood up and jumped over the back of the couch.
"Pony I borrowed a weed." I yelled, taking one out of his ragged pack. He had a bad habit of always sitting on them and stuff, so now the pack edges were ripped and tattered. I think he just got them yesterday too.
Ponyboy came in, shovelling eggs into his mouth, expertly balancing a glass of chocolate milk on the plate as well.
"Oh hey Johnnykid...yeah sure." By the time he sat down he was already done his eggs and was guzzling his milk.
"You wanna come to school with me?" He asked eagerly. He was always wanting me to go to school with him, cause I think Two-Bit embarrases him alot. Besides Two-Bit, Steve and I were all he had school. I never went anymore though. Only for like a test or something important, it was kind of stupid to go there just to fail a test. But sometimes if I wasnt bringing home anything from school my mom starts hollerin' at me. I guess a horrible test is better than no test.
"Not really." I said, brushing back my previously greased hair. I dont even know why they go to school. Well, I know why Pony goes to school, Dar would skin him if he didnt. But Two-Bit...the kids lazy as hell for anything else, but he'll get up and go to school. I looked at Pony and he was frowning at me. I thought it was about me taking his weed at first, but then I realized it was about not going school with him. I felt kind of bad, we never walk together like we used to when we were in grade school.
"Aw come on man. You never go anymore, and you aint gonna pass if you dont try." I had told him I wanted real bad to pass this year. I stopped trying after the first two weeks.
"So I should go to make a fool of myself? Good idea Pon, i'll flaunt how much I've learned this year." I said quietly.
"Johnny, dont make it out like your stupid man! You havent learned anything cause you aint been there to learn." He said seriously picking up his plates and bringing them into the kitchen leaving me to think about what he just said.
Maybe i'd go, just today. Hell, maybe id even get something out of it. I wasnt goin because of what he said though, I was going cause I felt bad for the kid. Thats what I told myself, and I stood up and got my jean jacket.
Ponyboy came out and shoved his books into his backpack.
"See ya Dar, Soda!" He yelled behind him. I opened the door and walked out before him.
"Where are you going?" He asked me.
"School" I said quietly. Pony's serious face broke into a grin. He didnt grin much anymore since his folks died.
I actually forgot which way was shorter to walk, but Ponyboy didnt.
"A lot of people have been asking me about you..." Ponyboy started.
"yeah, like who?"
"Teachers, some of the guys at track..."Ponyboy trailed off. I doubted anybody besides teachers asked about me. No one usually notices im around cause im so quiet. But I wouldnt tell Pony that I didnt beleive him. He was just trying to make me feel better.
"Tuff."
"Hey theres Two-Bit" Ponyboy said, gesturing towards the rusted car driving past us. He hadnt even seen us.
"Two-Bit!" Ponyboy yelled running ahead of me. "TWO-BIT!" Finally the car stopped, after Pony had been chasing it. I think he just wanted to make Pony run. Theres no way he hadnt heard him.
"Hurry up and get in!" Steve, who was in the passenger side, yelled out the window. So I picked up the pace. When I got to the car I threw myself in and Two-Bit sped off before I had a chance to shut the door.
"Here." Ponyboy said getting some papers out of his bag, that were pretty tattered looking now. "You left your homework at our place." Ponyboy said quietly, shoving the papers at Steve.
"Oh so your the one whole stole my homework." Steve said, ripping it from Ponys hands.
"You left it at my place." Ponyboy mumbled, through clenched teeth. Steve was really messing with him ever since Pony walked in on him and Evie making out.
"Well, you had no problem getting it all crinkled up, did ya?" He said, cockily with a grin.
"Do you got my homework or not man?" Ponyboy almost yelled. Steve threw some papers into the back seat. Ponyboy scrambled to pick them all up. Man, Pony was smart, if I was Steve I would have switched and just handed in Ponyboys homework. I knew Steve wasnt that good in anything except Auto.
"Theres an oil stain on every page!" Ponyboy yelled, scanning through the numerous pages.
"I was working on my car...you shouldn't have stolen my homework." Ponyboy groaned and put the papers in his bag.
Ponyboy was mad now. He jumped out of the car before it was even completely stopped, and stomped his way up to the front door.
"Johnny, now listen...you havent been at school in a long time and some things have changed. Your gonna feel that your being pressured into things that you dont want to do. If your not comfortable with something just say "no" okay Johnny?" Two-Bit said in a dead on impression of the guidance councellor who thought I was on drugs. I've told Two-Bit about her and he never let me live it down.
I got out of the car, trying to catch up with Pony.
"JUST SAY NO JOHNNY! NO MEANS NO!" I heard Two-Bit yell from the car, I pretended he wasnt talking to me and ran inside. I didnt want to be late for my first class. It was Science. Two-Bit was in it with me.
I ran to my locker where Ponyboy was putting his books in. Me and him share a locker, since my parents wouldnt pay for one, they said they never needed one. Two-Bit used to share with us too but I dunno...all of a sudden he said he found his own. Actually ,come to think of it, ive never seen where his locker is before.
"Hey Ponyboy." I said quietly, slightly pushing him out of the way so I could get to my books. They were all nicely lined up on the bottom shelf. He must've done that, cause I sure as hell didnt.
He nodded, pulling a comb out of his pocket and running it through his greased hair. I grabbed my science books and the heavy textbook she had given us too.
"Hey, Pon?" I said, searching through Ponyboys bag, "Do you have a pen?"
"Yeah here Johnny." He said quietly passing me one. He was checking over his books to make sure he had all the right ones. He had A class Math first period. He hated that class the most, because he didnt really know anyone in it.
The bell rang, and suddenly the halls werent as mellow, people started yelling and pushin because alot of teachers shut and locked theirs doors if your late. Two-Bit came running down the halls laughing like a hyena. He grabbed my arm, whirling me around and knocking me into my locker.
"What a great day for Science." He grinned at me. He had no books in his arms, I noticed.
"Wheres your books?" I asked.
He shrugged raising his eyebrows "I haven't seen them in months man."
I sighed and turned into the class. I forgot how hard it was to push through the halls after the bell rang. Our school was a little overcrowded.
Two-Bit walked into grinning saying, "Hello everyone." Everyone muttered back. Since Two-bit was so loud, he known all around the school. He had no problem starting a conversation with a complete stranger. I on the other hand, had trouble starting conversations with my best friend.
Two-Bit sat down at the back of the class, with me in tow. I sat down quietly beside. The teacher scanned over the desks and her eyes fell on me. Her name was Ms. Hofeld. Two-bit always mocked it by enphasing the 'ho' part. She wasn't that bad until I started skipping all the time.
"John Cade?" She gasped. "How nice of you to join us" She checked me off in the attendance and passed it to some loser in the front row, who always took it to the office. I stared at my science textbook on my desk, because I could feel a few people turn around to see if I actually was there.
"Everyone take out your homework, I'll be checking it now." She said, he glasses down on her nose, she walked down the rows.
"Man, you didnt tell me we had homework Two-Bit!" I mumbled flipping through my pages.
"Well you didnt tell ME we had homework either!" He raised his hands in a questioning gesture. I glanced over at the girls homework beside me and knew there was no way I had done it.
Ms. Hofeld had heard me and she turned on her heel now.
"Its okay, Mr. Cade, I didnt expect you to show up AND have the work done." She said it so snobbishly, I blushed and looked back down at my books.
"What the hell, your not going to take that are ya Johnny?" Two-bit said leaning over to me. He grabbed some lined paper from the kid on the other side of him and wrote something down on it. I never got to see what it said because he passed it in.
"Actually Johnny is done." He laughed giving her the paper. He though he was real funny. I went to grab for it before she could take it but I missed.
"Two-bit?!" I mumbled, sinking down in my seat.
"Its okay Johnny...trust me what I wrote on there was all truth." He laughed again.
I sunk even lower in my seat as she ripped up the paper giving me a glare.
"Jackie, go up and write question one on the board please." She said.
"Mr. Gordon, question 2...." She continued calling on everyone. I couldnt hear her anymore though because I saw the girl from the movies. Jackie. She was up at the board...writing something about density she swung her head from side to side and her hair looked really shiny in the sun.
"Johnny? You gonna cut with me and Stevie after lunch?" Two-Bit asked as if he was taking a class wide poll. Meaning everyone could hear.
"I dunno man." I whispered.
"You should the teachers seem to hate you." He said, probably not thinking about it before he said it.
It was when people said stuff like that, that I thought about how much of a screw up I was. I looked once again at my science textbook. But this time instead of just leaving it closed I opened it and my binder and started copying things down off the board.
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I pulled a cigarette out of my pack that I had just bought.
"I call kills on that!" Two-bit yelled pointing at my smoke that I was just lighting. I didnt say anything but that had been really annoying lately. He was running out of money and he called that with every cigarette any of us had. It meant that he got about the last 5 puffs. It wasnt really a big deal or anything, but it was hard for me to get money from my parents wallets and the only thing I want with it is smokes. I try making them last as long as possible.
Lunch was almost over, and so far it had been a pretty long day.
I looked at Pony who was sitting across from me in Darry and Soda's red pickup. We always ended up sitting in the pickup part cause there were so many of us. We were parked at the DX right now, while Steve and Two-Bit were off talking to Soda and two girls from school.
Ponyboy threw me the other half of his chocolate bar he just opened and he took a bite of his.
"You skipping with Two-Bit and Steve?" He asked after swallowing. He was trying to sound like it didnt matter, but I knew better than that. He didnt want me to skip. He was picking at the peeling paint on the sides.
"Naw...i dont think so. They're just going to get drunk." I mubled, finishing up my pepsi and chocolate.
He nodded.
" Dally's in a race tonight." He said swallowing the last of his chocoalte too.
" 'gainst who?" I asked.
"Not sure...i didnt ask." I looked over and Two-Bit and Steve were coming back outiside and I got ready to go back to school again.
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I leaned against the door waiting for Ponyboy to come out. I decided I was going to do my homework tonight so I had my arms full of books. I held open for the people who were behind me and I saw Jackie and her friend walking out.
"Thank-you." She smiled, then like a light bulb went off she looked at me more closley as her friend yanked her away. They were both really good looking.
"Whose that?" Pony's voice made me jump. I shrugged. I'd tell him later. We watched her walk away.
"Two-Bit here yet?" Ponyboy said, lighting the cigarette between his lips.
I shook my head. Of course he wasnt, Two-Bit Mathews was never on time. Never.
By the time everyone was pretty much gone Two-Bit squeeled to a halt and got out.
"COME ONE GUYS! WE'RE GOIN TO THE RODEO!" He was saying jumping up and down.
"Okay okay." Pony muttered and we climbed in the car. I knew he was drunk by the way the car was swerving from side to side. It reminded me of the time I was in the car during a drag race that Dally was driving. He had spun the car out of control. The only thing I did when I got out was lean over and throw up.
"Your going tonight too?" Ponyboy asked. Two-Bit turned around cocking an eyebrow. The car swerved.
"Watch the road!" Pony yelled, grabbing the wheel to keep him from hitting a mailbox.
"Of course im going!" He exclamied. "Why in the almighty world wouldnt Two-Bit Mathews go to any rodeo?"
I thought maybe Pony had just asked it to be saying something, because he only shrugged and looked out the window.
When we got to the Curtis' the radio was blasting loud and the whole gang was in there again. Except Darrel who wouldnt be off work yet. When he came home and saw the mess though someone was in trouble.
Dally was laughing at something on TV while Steve was giving him a weird look. Because obviously nothing was funny, they were watching the news.
Dally looked at me, laughing.
"Johnny! Johnny you gotta come and see this man." He yelled grabbing my arm and jerking me. I stood beside him and watched the TV.
"And in later news, back in Oklahoma City..." She said, changing the news subject.
"Oh man! You missed it buddy." He said disapointed.
"Your insane Dallas! That was about a drunk car accident." Steve said, looking at him like he had just grown another arm.
At first Dallas just looked at him, blue eyes glaring, and I was kind of scared to be inbetween the two of them, so I ducked out.
"Wanna drink? Good ol' jacky?" He asked, change of mood, waving the bottle of Jack Daniels in front of Steves face.
"Soda you drank all the chocolate milk AGAIN?" Pony yelled from the kitchen.
"No!" He yelled from the card table where he was being beat by Two-Bit already.
"That was Two-Bit!" He yelled. The whole gang had a habit of blaming anyone else who was there. This one time I was with Steve when he threw a rock, accidently breaking some guys car window. He tried to blame it on Soda...the guy didnt even know who Sodapop was and plus...Soda wasnt even there.
Ponyboy came out with a serious look on his face. He frowned and mumbled something under his breath.
Finally when Darry came home we ate supper. It was potatoes and chicken I think. All I remember is every single one of us grabbing for everything at once. Glasses went flying, plates were dropped, guys were fighting. It was a typical dinner. You had to fight for your meal.
Darry was coming to the rodeo tonight too. It was a Friday so everyone was pretty psyched. Dally was reeling.
Dally got out and he took the cowboy hat off some guys head as he walked by. The cowboy turned around and glared at Dally.
"Hey boy!" Dallas said, doing a hick impersonation. He put the cowboy hat on and walked up to him. "I think your my racin' partner tonight."
"What you doing here city slicker? Your gonna get eaten alive." He said grabbing back his hat. Dallas let him go, watching him walk away with hate in his eyes.
"Did you see that guy Johnny? Buck just had to pick someone like that huh?" Dally asked jerking his thumb towards him.
"Yeah" I said quietly.
"Whoa hold it!" The guy turned around. "You work for Merril?" Dallas glared at him.
"Whats it to you?" He snarled.
"So i'm guessing you think this race is fixed, too, huh?" He said walking back up to Dallas and getting right in his face, Dallas shoved him. "Trust me, you tow-headed punk, those tricks aint gonna work with me." The cowboy said, through the tootpick between his teeth.
Dally looked at over at Sodapop who had his back no matter what, he was ready to fight. Dallas wasnt needin' backup though.
Dally grabbed the guy by his plaid shirt, and he smashed his face off the side of the pick up truck. The guy went to punch Dally, but he stopped his fist with his hand and shoved him to the dirt ground. He kicked the guy one more time, before me, Sodapop and Pony headed in with Dallas.
"Looks like I gotta find me some more competition huh boys?" Dallas laughed, looking at the three of us. Sodapop laughed out loud as Dallas passed him the cigarrete he had just lit. I looked over at Ponyboy who grinned at me. I looked around at the girls in their short shorts and guys with their cowboy hats on. This place was like a different world.
Dallas found a girl and used a lousy pick up line on her. But she was here for fun, so it didnt matter how lame it was. A thought passed through my mind that maybe girls like Jackie will never like me. Maybe by the time I'm eighteen i'll have resorted to those girls. The girls that didnt care who it was behind the cologne.
Dallas convinced Sodapop to Barrel Race too, even though he hadnt been racing since he was thrown into the boards a couple summers ago. I had been at that race. Actually I think that was the first race I had ever been to.
Finally we all just found a seat and sat down, waiting for Dallas to be called down by Buck to saddle up his horse.
Ponyboy had been really quiet all night though and he kept looking at this girl with light brownish-blondish hair. She was kind of pretty, not really the type of girl I liked. But Pony always liked those clean cut, socy looking girls who wouldn't give us a passing glance.
The girl was with a few friends of hers. Those giddy type of girls that have little laughing fits in class about the 'totally disgusting' boy that was jut staring at her or the 'ugly slut' that answered the question wrong. I hated it, they made me feel so nervous. Wondering if I was the cause of the giggles. But I think they were laughing at Ponyboy. His face was red and he was twisting his hands aorund in his lap.
"Come on Johnny lets move." He said getting up and we moved farther back.
They were laughing at Ponyboy, and they laughed when we moved too. It just didnt seem right for Pony to be so embarrased over a bunch of stupid girls who didnt matter.
"Who is that?" I asked, sounding sort of disgusted.
"Just this girl from Biology today..." He said quietly looking down.
Thanks for reading guys! I'm really excited cause im writing the rest of the Rodeo scene right now for the third chapter and i'm really liking this chapter so far... hopefully it wont be long till you guys can read it too! And i want to give a thanks to these reviewers since you were my first reviewers for this story!!!
Athena Catriona (MY FIRST REVIEW!)
CinderBrat
Scarlett7
gloryblastit
Im so glad you all liked it and you four are the very reason i wrote this chapter!
To new readers....PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me so happy and i really want to know what you think about this!