"Would you stop touchin me?" Steve yelled at Two-Bit while we drove home from church. There was absolutely no tension in the car; no one had mentioned it yet. You would think we just got back from a regular Friday night.
"What? I'm not!" Two-Bit laughed, looking down to make sure. Usually Two-Bit would drive but right now Sodapop was driving so Ponyboy sat in the front seat with me Two-Bit and Steve in the back.
"Then why does your leg keep rubbing against mine?" Steve snapped smacking Two-Bits leg.
Two-Bit jerked his leg away from Steve and said sarcastically "Umm, cause your sitting beside me?"
"Is Johnny caressing your leg?" Steve said pointing at me.
Two-Bit looked flustered looking at me, then at our legs, which we about three inches apart, then over at his and Steve's which were touching.
"I'm not caressing Yo-" Two-Bit started but was cut of by Sodapop.
"How old are you guys again?" He said looking out the window at some girls by the Bowling Alley.
"11 and three quarters" Steve stated as if it was the truth.
"Ha! I'm already 12!" Two-Bit yelled mockingly and Steve shoved him.
"I cant believe you guys did that!" Ponyboy yelled and Steve and Two-Bit stopped fighting. Two-Bit let out a breathy laugh.
"Holding in some stress Pon?" He asked laughing and smacking his leg, Ponyboy turned around and frowned.
"Who cares man? It was just church for Christ sakes…" Steve said lighting up.
"Yeah well me and Johnny can't go back now!" He yelled, talking to Steve and Two-Bit but looking at Sodapop, who would usually stick up for him.
"Aw come on Pon, you had to know bringing him wasn't such a good idea" Sodapop said laughing and jerking his thumb back at Two-Bit.
"Hey if I remember correctly Steve ripped up that book," Two-Bit said accusingly.
"You don't remember right, you did it first." Steve said. I couldn't remember who did it first. However, did it matter?
It was embarrassing to see Jackie there. I had seen her there before, but did she have to be sitting right across the aisle from us? There's a whole church, but if she had been sitting up farther maybe she wouldn't of recognized me. Who am I trying to kid? She probably didn't recognize me.
They had been fighting the whole way home but apparently seem to have settled it since we were almost at the Curtis' and the fighting had stopped. Ponyboy looked like a seven year old, I could see him in the rearview mirror, arms crossed over his chest and eyebrows furrowed, glancing over at Sodapop.
"Just shut up Two-Bit! I swear I'll- Ouch! Shut up!" Steve yelled punching Two-Bit.
"Stop pushin on my seat! It's hard enough to drive with that in here!" Sodapop yelled referring to Two-Bit while fixing his hair in the rearview mirror.
Two-Bit, who was still fighting and yelling at Steve about who was touching who again, and who could punch who harder, was shoved into my shoulder while I was in mid drink. After slamming into the side of the car, compliments to Steve, I fumbled my bottle of Grape soda, which ultimately ended up in my lap.
"Aw Two-Bit, you oaf!" I yelled lifting myself off my seat as much as I could.
"Hey Johnny, it looks like you pissed yourself!" Two-Bit laughed loudly.
I shot him a glance and muttered a "Shut up you lazy…"
"What? Hey it better not be on my seats!" Sodapop spun around and, being the bad driver he was, the car swerved so I fell over in the small space between Pony's seat and the backseat.
"My seats" Two-Bit corrected, Sodapop laughed, "Oh yeah", "And I don't care if it's on the seats," Two-Bit finished.
"That's because they're your mom's seats" Steve shot at him. I pulled myself up and realized we were pulling into the Curtis' driveway.
"Hey, tomato tomato man, a rides a ride." Two-Bit said as we climbed out of the car.
Sodapop yawned and stretched as he walked in.
"Hey has anyone heard from Dal today?" He asked flopping onto the couch.
"Yeah right" Steve grunted "I bet he aint even outta bed yet."
"I bet he aint even home from the party yet," Two-Bit laughed.
Ponyboy walked into his bedroom and I sat in a chair at the kitchen table lighting a cigarette.
Two-Bit went over and turned up the radio, while Steve turned up the TV, in order to compete with the noise.
So while Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones played loudly, shaking the floors, so did The Three Stooges.
"Well he can't be a man because he don't smoke the same cigarettes as me…" Two-Bit sang loudly while wandering into the kitchen to get a drink.
"Shut up Two-Bit!" Steve yelled. Two-Bit walked over and still singing and leaned over near Steve's ear.
"I CANT GET NO, OH NO NO NO! HEY HEY HEY THAT'S WHAT I SAY!" He yelled horribly off tune, I think everyone winced in the room the same as I did. I know Dallas did as he walked in the door.
"Hey Dal," I greeted. He looked and nodded, seemingly not being able to think straight because of the noise.
Steve tried to swing at Two-Bit but he jumped back laughing so he missed.
"Ha! Losing your mojo Stevie? OW!" He laughed loudly, getting ready to take a sip, Dally walked up behind him and smacked him across the back of the head.
The room erupted in laughter and Two-Bit turned around punched Dallas in the shoulder.
"Thanks Dal," Steve laughed reaching back for a low five.
"Hey, anytime man." Dallas laughed sitting down beside Sodapop on the couch.
Ponyboy came out of the room now; looking around questioningly he dropped to the floor looking under the couch. He pulled out a dark pair of jeans shaking and examining them he shrugged and brought them back into his room.
The phone began to ring.
"SODA, PHONE!" Steve yelled from near the table.
"PONY! PHONE!" Sodapop yelled, Ponyboy stuck his head out the door.
"DAR! Wait- ugh." Ponyboy said flustered and ran to the phone, slipping across the tiles. Have you ever seen a group of guys so lazy?
"Hello?" Ponyboy said tiredly.
"No its Pony… yeah hold on." He said dropping the phone so it hung on the cord.
"Its Sandy," Ponyboy said, banging cupboards and drawers in the kitchen.
"Oh!" Sodapop said jumping up and jogging over to the phone.
"WACHOOOOSH!" Two-Bit said loudly imitating a whip. Sodapop wasn't whipped with Sandy, not from what I knew. But it was Two-bit and it's hard to know exactly what he was thinking with his actions. Sodapop punched him hard in the shoulder while continuing to the phone.
"Yeah Sandy… No I know your right," Sodapop said with a frown on his face.
Sodapop nodded, while Sandy must have been talking a mile a minute, and sat down slumped in his chair.
"Okay… okay hold on I'll ask him" Sodapop said, sounding like he was trying to cut Sandy off.
"Hey Steve buddy…" Soda began covering the phone with his hand.
"Hmm?" came a sound from Steve who was lighting a cigarette.
"Sandy wants you to bring Evie along with me and her to the carnival tonight…"
"The carnivals in town?" Two-bit exclaimed looking around wildly.
"Yeah sure, if you get off the phone I can call her" Steve said with hostility towards how much time Sodapop spends on the damn phone with Sandy.
"Okay okay"
"Yeah he'll come…Yeah probably…okay I know…what- oh…see you then… Love you too baby…Bye…Yeah love you…" Sodapop dragged out the longest goodbye in history. Steve walked over getting Evie's number out of his wallet. He hung up the phone while Soda was in the middle of yet another "I love you too".
"Your welcome man" Steve said taking the phone from Sodapop's hand while dialing Evie's number.
"So is everyone going to the carnival then?" Two-Bit asked standing up, and moving slowly towards all of us, while I rubbed my cigarette into the tin ashtray. I got ashes on my fingers so I wiped them on my pants.
"Pfft no way…" Dallas said as if he could not be seen at a carnival. I had a feeling he would show up anyways.
"Me and Johnnykid will come with ya Two-Bit," Ponyboy said, from his bedroom, now coming out.
"What makes you think you're all invited?" Steve growled, making everyone think he was talking to Two-Bit but Ponyboy and I both knew he was glaring at Pony.
"What makes you think we want to go with you, Mr. Conceitment?" Two-Bit scoffed, oblivious to Steve and Ponyboy's glaring contest.
"Conceited" Ponyboy corrected him, sitting down pulling on a pair of socks.
"What?" Two-Bit asked loudly.
"How are we getting there?" Ponyboy asked him, ignoring his questioning look.
"Well I'm planning on taking the ol' lady's car tonight." He stated plainly.
"Wait- isn't your mom working tonight though?" Dallas asked, watching the TV.
Two-Bit raised his left brow. "Yeah,"
"You must be the worst son ever Two-Bit!" Sodapop said laughing and taking a sip of chocolate milk and then wiped his mouth. I felt myself laugh because I knew that it was probably true.
Dallas stood up, flipped up his thick plaid jacket collar.
"Well I have places to be, people to see…" Dallas said walking to the door.
"Where ya going Dal?" I asked quickly, craning my neck to see him.
"I was thinking the arcade, you wanna come?" He asked stretching and looking at me lazily.
"Yeah actually" I said jumping up.
"Me too." Two-Bit said, getting up from the couch. He gave Ponyboy a good hard shove out of the way so that he fell on his stomach on the couch.
"You coming Pony?" I asked him as he mumbled about losing his page in the book he was engulfed in. He looked up frowning.
"Oh no, Johnny, I've got a lot of homework due, and some exam preps." He said yawning; I almost did at the sound of it too. Then I remembered my books piled high in my arms as I held the door for her. And I remembered what I had promised myself, which is that I would get my homework done. I sighed heavily thinking of how much I'll probably sound like Ponyboy now.
"Oh, sorry guys I've got homework too. I better stay or else I wont be going to the carnival or anything." I said, wondering if those words actually came out of my mouth.
"Ew" Two-Bit spat smirking at me and the other guys to see if they had heard. "Come on Dal, I don't want to be seen with two kiss-asses anyways."
"I don't want to be seen with you…" Was heard before the screen door hit the jam.
"Are you really staying to do homework?" Steve asked me, slouching on the armchair.
"No, we're actually inviting a whole bunch of girls over as soon as you walk out the door," Ponyboy said, his cold sarcasm coming seemingly out of thin air. "You know, getting stoned, drunk, puking the usual."
"Yeah I guess your right; I'm the weird one…" Steve said cockily raising a beer to his lips.
Light. Its so god damn bright. Why the hell is it so bright?
My eyes twitch behind their lids as I try to force them to stay closed. No, Johnny. No it's not morning.
But my body knows better and it practically throws itself out of bed so maybe I will get moving.
My god…its Monday. I think to myself, picking up the chicken scratch papers I remembered doing last night with Ponyboy over my shoulder. Discreetly giving me the answer, but making it as if I was figuring it out myself.
It's Monday. I have to be at school in half an hour. I don't even have time to look in the mirror, just take a comb off the floor and run it through my hair swiftly, hoping the grease remained from last night still. Shoving my once neat papers into my bag and swinging it over my shoulder.
I ran down the stairs, three steps at a time. Glancing at my dad in the living room, there was a cigarette sitting on his gut, which had burned a whole through his shirt. Lucky the whole house didn't go up in flames, that bastard. Ha, lucky? Never thought that would be a word to describe me.
"Johnny? Johnny!" My mother yelled from the kitchen where she had the window open, blowing her smoke out the window.
I made many loud noises to make as if I could not hear her and then got out as fast as I could.
"Hi Johnny," Ponyboy said automatically as I walked in the door. Giving me his lop-sided sarcastic grin.
"Pon." I said shortly.
"Did you show up for school?" He asked his grin widening.
"Aw shut up about it Pony, try not to get your head too big." I smirked lighting a cigarette.
"Kills!" Two-bit yelled pointing, almost an accusing finger at my cigarette, like I should have offered the end of it to him first.
"Shut up Two-Bit! Get your own god damn cigarettes!" Ponyboy yelled obviously annoyed like everyone else.
"Watch your mouth kiddo…and Two-Bit-shut up." Darry said who was ironing a pair of dark blue pants. Because, Darryl's words were law.
"Who died and made you boss, eh?" Two-Bit said loudly as he sat on the couch near the ironing board. Darry turned around and brought the iron down dangerously close to Two-Bit's face. He jumped and backed up on the couch.
"Darrell Curtis junior you have the driest sense of humor I have ever met." He said
"That doefsn't make any sfense…" Ponyboy started his voice muffled with all the eggs stuffed into his mouth. "Becaufe you havefnt met hisf humor, youfve met Darry, the persfon- who hasf the horribly dry sfense of humor…" He looked thoughtfully out the window trying to swallow his food, which also was now spat all over the table by now.
"Do you think saying all that smart stuff makes you look cool?" Two-Bit asked, Ponyboy looked like he was wondering if it was rhetorical or not. "Cause it totally doesn't."
"Well Two-Bit," He began after his food was swallowed. "I think its probably cooler to be smart when your actually smart. I'm actually smart, which would mean I am cool, which would mean that you aren't." He smiled at how he had put it in the most confusing way possible. Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow and then decided what to say.
"You're still a pansy" He said then grabbed him in a headlock, trying to pull him off the chair.
"You're still stupid," Ponyboy said, his face going slightly red. Two-Bit pushed all of Ponyboy's books onto the floor and then dragged him off the chair onto the floor sitting on his back, he messed his hair up exceptionally.
"Your not so tough when you don't got your books are ya?"
"For god sakes Two-Bit…" Darry said grabbing him by the back of his shirt and pulling him up, practically throwing him.
"Two-Bit and Johnny going to school for two days in a row?" Darry laughed looking at the two of them. "That's crazy…" He grinned and Two-Bit smiled as well.
"We have to go," Ponyboy said. "You got the car Two-Bit?"
"Nope,"
"Why, the hell, not?"
"Cause I cant remember where I left it last night." He said casually putting down his beer and slipping on his coat.
"I don't want to walk." Ponyboy almost whined looking at Darry.
"I'll drop you guys off, but we have to go… now." He said looking at his old watch.
"Okay," All three of us said together.
"Ooooh. Great minds think alike, boys." Two-Bit laughed and then walked out the door.
"So anyways, last night, I'm chatting up this real cute broad. This guy walks up to me and he says, he says 'Hey, you know this skirt?' and I give him this weird look and I says 'I'm trying to get to know her buddy,' and he just looks like he's going to pound me-"
"Cade and Two-Bit would you two mind shutting your traps. For the sake of us all?" Mrs. Wilidow snapped. This was the second class I had with Two-Bit. Luckily, the last one I had with him as well.
"Sure toots," Two-Bit grinned at her.
"So anyways, where was I? Oh- yeah right, so then this chick is getting all pissy at me, cause you know I'm ignoring her now. I'm just ready to fight the guy when there's this loud crash and-"
"JOHNNY! TWO-BIT! GET OUT!" She screamed so loud and the class started to fall silent so they could turn around and look at the embarrassed look on our faces. Well my face, Two-Bit is not much one for embarrassment.
"We wouldn't stay here if you paid us!" Two-Bit laughed and started to push my books into my bag. "Always interrupts us…so god damn rude…"
"Just get out!" She yelled again, opening up the door. God I'm always getting in trouble by association!
"Where are you going?" I asked him as he started walking down the hallways.
"Home, Johnnykid." He said casually lighting up a cigarette. Yes a cigarette in the school hallway. "Come on, you coming?"
I looked hesitantly around the hallways and saw…emptiness. No one was around. I didn't say anything just started walking up to him and he continued.
"Well as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" I tuned him out. He got me in trouble and now I was just going with him. I mean, would he do that for me? What am I saying- of course Two-Bit would. It's Two-Bit for Christ sake. But, I think I'll at least go back for the end of this period.
I tried to find a moment when Two-Bit would take a breath so I could cut in and tell him I would meet up with him after. But that kid really didn't take breaths.
"Two-Bit," I said forcefully, scaring myself because I sounded like my dad.
He just turned to look at me, still walking.
"I'll meet up with you later okay?"
"What- wait why?"
"I forgot some stuff on the shelf." I lied.
"Okay, see you later man." He raised a hand as we pushed open the heavy school doors. I sighed, and went walking back to the classroom.
"Hey grease," Said I voice so deep and high at the same time it made me shudder. He grabbed my bag and used it to slam me against the locker. Him and his friend laugh loudly.
Damnit. I thought watching him walk away. He ripped the front of my bag. It wasn't so bad though; it looked like everything would stay in anyways.
When I turned the corner, I saw Mrs. Wilidow was looking straight at me.
"Where were you? Trying to cut class is my best guess."
"No. I-just went to the bathroom." I said trying to keep my voice regular. Pony says it gets deeper when I lie.
"Oh okay, because there was no need to ask." She said so sarcastically I wanted to rip all that dry gray hair right out. "Don't you move…" She said glancing around the halls as if I getaway car might pull up as soon as she closed the door.
I hunched against the nearest lockers and noisily let myself slide down. I rested my eyes into the heel of my hand and tried to let myself fall asleep or something. Anything that would make this day better for me. I had already been kicked out of science as well, compliments to good ol' Two-Bit. I got beat up at lunch by a couple of guys, before Two-Bit, Steve and Ponyboy saw and beat the crap out of them. This ultimately ended with us in the principal's office. I leaned my head back against the locker now my eyes shut as tight as they could go.
I jumped as a cold hand touched my arm. I almost choked when I opened my eyes and Jackie was there.
"Hi, um you dropped this." She said quietly shoving the book into my arms. I looked down and saw it was my English. Messily scribbled across the front was "Johnny Cade, Room 37"
I didn't really know what to say, to tell the truth.
"My…My friend actually found it. They were too scared to bring it over though so-" She stopped and looked at me. Scared? Oh how nice to hear from her. Her friends were obviously some middle class kids.
"Oh- I mean not scared obviously," She laughed nervously. She looked pretty scared herself. "They were just leaving-for the bathroom, and I wasn't."
"It doesn't matter." I almost laughed. "They wouldn't be the first, you know." I shoved the book in my bag and got up, forgetting about Mrs. Wilidow.
She rather grinned. "Well I'm here right? I'm not like them."
I nodded and looked down at my feet to avoid eye contact.
"I'll see you around Johnny…" She said sweetly and smiled, kind of crouching to look at my face which was facing the ground.
I nodded. Still trying not to look at her. I heard her walk away, and when I looked up she was gone.
I walked outside with my books feeling heavy on my back. I was only skipping one period. That wasn't too bad, Pony'd be proud I bet. Heh.
I was just walking past the lot when I remembered we left one of Steve's footballs over there two days ago.
There it was just where I thought it would be. I could see it from all the way over here. I took off my jacket and bag and threw them down by the curb so I could go and practice throwing and catching.
"Greaser!" I heard loudly behind me. I stopped. What the hell are any socs doing this far east? I swallowed hard and turned around into the blinding headlights. Squinting to make out the people in the car.
"How's it going greaser? Care for a chat?"
Who knows whats going to happen? mercedes raises hand ooh I do! I do! haha you probably all can figure it out lol im so discreet. Anyways thanks to all my reviewers... I have spent SO long on this chapter just trying to make all the strings meet and it made sense for you guys.. hopefully the next one wont take so long eh? anyways thanks so much guys you know i love all my reviewers... pretty pretty please review again you know how much that makes my day!
Peace and Love... Mercedes...