Chapter 19: Too Greasy
I ducked down when I got out the window. I carefully closed the window and I ran over towards Shepard's place. This is what I had been waiting for. We were going to jump some soc. I'm not sure which one, but Tim and Curly seemed to know. I had gotten loads of respect in the Tim Shepard gang. I was pretty tuff in that gang. I don't know. I just started using that word. After hearing all those greasers say it, it got sucked into my vocabulary. I liked the word though.
I reached the Shepard house and some of his outfit was outside beside his car.
"You ready?" asked one of them.
"Been ready," I replied. And that was the truth.
Then Angela came running out the house. Oh great. She ran right up to me like I thought she would. She had been trying to make me ask her out. But I didn't like her. Seriously. She was just being annoying. I would have told her this, but I didn't want to upset Tim and Curly. I already witnessed Tim's bad side.
Pretty soon, Tim and Curly came outside. Tim was throwing on his jacket as he stepped down the porch stairs.
"Let's roll," he said.
"Let me come," said Angela. I knew she just wanted to hang out with me.
"Angela! Get back inside," commanded Tim.
Angela just stomped her way into her house. Tim shook his head.
"Always wants to hang with boys," he said as we all got into the car.
We drove off. I had told them about this hidden place where socs barley go. I used to hide there when I was a kid playing hide and seek. We were going into soc territory. When we got to the edge of the border line, Tim turned around to Curly.
"Where does this guy usually hang out?"
"At The Way Out."
"Alright."
They had this just about planned out. Tim parked at the back of the place and he and Curly hopped out. The rest of us just sat there. They didn't seem to know the plan either. A couple of minutes later, Tim and Curly were dragging this soc from the front of the building towards the trunk of the car. I didn't really get a good look at him. They threw him in the trunk and jumped into the car. We peeled off back towards our territory.
All the way back towards the territory, I was wondering what soc it was. I was just about to jump out the car when we reached our destination. Tim and Curly reached into the trunk and literally threw the soc out. He hit the ground and tried to back up, but someone blocked him.
"Is this the guy?" asked Tim to Curly.
"Yeah," answered Curly.
I walked up to see who it was. I smiled. It was Chris.
"What first?" asked Tim.
"Stomp him. That's what he did to me."
"Ah. So this is the guy that jumped you. This is perfect."
We began stomping on him. This felt good. We did more to him. We each slugged him at least twenty times. We did a lot more, but it was too much to remember. Before we drove him back to his territory, we had a couple of drinks. I had more than a couple though. I helped Tim and Curly drag him out the car. Then a flashlight shone towards us. We thought it was the cops. I ran behind houses, but Tim and Curly ran down the street towards the car. They left me too. Crud.
Good thing it really wasn't a cop. It was just Cherry. She came behind the house. I sighed.
"I thought you were a cop," I said smiling. I looked at her. She didn't look happy.
"What were you doing?" she asked.
"Being a greaser," I replied.
"You were a greaser when I met you."
"But now I'm tuffer."
"I don't like you like this Dean."
"Too bad." I guess I was feeling that beer.
"Excuse me."
"This is the way I am."
"Well I don't like you this way. You're being immature!"
"Shut-up."
To my own surprise, I pushed her and she slammed against the wall. I froze. She just stood against the wall with wide eyes. Her eyes looked hurt. I couldn't believe what I did.
"This ruined your chance," she said. And then she walked off. I couldn't get anything out of my mouth. Otherwise I would have called after her.
I stood there for at least five minutes. I just walked home. I had just ruined my chances with her and me being girlfriend and boyfriend.
I got home and climbed
through the window. It was late. I plopped on my bed.
Then a
voice made me jump.
"Where ya' been?"
The lights cut on and Les' was right there at the doorway. Posted against the wall. Oh crud.
"I-I-"
"No. Forget it," she cut in. "I don't want to hear excuses. I can't believe you Dean. I thought we had enough of a relationship, that we could trust each other. But I guess not. I called Ponyboy. He said you hadn't hung out with him in a while. Actually, you hadn't been with any of his friends. I don't know what has gotten into you. I don't want to hear a word. I'm very disappointed in you. You're grounded for two weeks. Now get to bed. You have school."
She cut the light off and left the room.
It was something about her voice that made me obey her. She wasn't the happy Les', she used to be. I had gotten her and Cherry mad. And now Ponyboy and his group were mad at me. I had forgotten about Pony. Darry said that he needed a good friend. And I just left him like that.
I fell back on the bed. Tears slid down my face. Once again, I had lost everything.
