Chapter 2 - Reminiscing

The last thing I remembered was watching Two-Bit, his eyes glued onto the TV set, than everything went black. I woke up around 6:30 the next morning, a blanket draped over me. I pulled the blanket off and walked to the kitchen, pouring myself some milk. Next I went into Two-Bit's bedroom, his leg was visible, and a beer bottle sat on the floor next to his bed, tipped over and a stain in the carpet. Rolling my eyes, I went to wake him up.

"Two-Bit," I whispered. "Wake up!" He moved.

"Mmmmm," he groaned, not sitting up. "Do I have to?" He asked me as if he were being asked to clean up the house.

"Yepp," I told him, and he sat up, looking angry.

"Gimme that beer!" He tried to grab the beer bottle I had picked up from the floor, but I pulled away and pointed to the stained carpet in the corner.

"That's what you get for going to bed while drinking..." I commented, he groaned. "ah, shoot" he whispered under his breath and got up.

Steve came waltzing into our house about an hour later. Two-Bit was, once again, gazing at the TV, watching Mickey Mouse in admiration.

"Hey Madison – Two-Bit?" Steve said, I grinned at him as he looked down at Two-Bit, who just waved without looking up.

"Geez," he shook his head and came to the table, sitting down next to me. "So, Maddy – wutcha been up to the past while?"

"Nothing," I shrugged, thinking about where I should start. "It's not like I planned on going away." At this, Two-Bit came into the kitchen, sitting in the third, and last, chair by the table.

"We went there, mom got some boyfriend whose stupid enough to not know my name after nearly seven months of us seeing each other for nearly ten hours a day, every day. Hell, with me gone she'll probably end up with a ring around her finger and coming to us for money so she can buy a god damn baby crib!" Two-Bit looked at me cluelessy, Steve staring down at his feet.

"Wow," Two-Bit slowly and softly said. "Maddy why didn't you call? We could've, and would've came and gotten you."

"The whole house was like a jail – I occasionally got to use the telephone, and when I had the oppurtunity, privacy wasn't an option, and then when I got privacy the phone wasn't an option. I tried so many times to go out and call you, but I just couldn't. I almost forgot what fresh air felt like..." I said, calming down and lowering my voice.

"Yeah, well, don't worry Maddy – that mom of yours ain't ever gonna take you or your brother away – ever!" Steve assured me, I smiled at him, knowing he, and the rest of the gang, always had my back.

"Let's get going," Two-Bit said, and we headed down to the Curtis's house.

"Hey there, buddy-boy." Darry grabbed Two-Bit's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. He patted me on the back, saying 'hey.' Darry, and the rest of my gang, were all just like my older brothers, and they knew it. I was only 15, just one year older than Ponyboy.

"Listen, uh Maddy..." Soda cleared his throat and walked up to me. "Me, Darry, and Steve are all workin' today, and Two-Bit's gotta go pick up his car, then he's goin out with Kathy. We were wondering if you wouldn't mind sticking around with Pony? He hasn't been doing that well, ya know, ever since Johnny and Dally," he made a funny noise in his throat, and I looked down at my feet. "and I think he'd really appreciate it if he had someone around, especially someone that he could actually talk to that hasn't already heard it." I shook my head.

"'Course I will," I simply said, and he hugged me, and Darry, Steve, and him all headed out to the jeep, zooming off.

"Lil' sister, ya need anything just call Kathy's house, alright? Don't bother with home, if dad ever makes an appearance it's always late at night. It's against his rules to even bother thinking about his kids during the day." He snorted and left, I silently laughed, and went to the living room where Ponyboy sat, flipping through the channels.

I sat down next to him, his mind fixed on finding a channel, I wondered if he noticed me sitting there.

"Hey Ponyboy," I greeted him.

"Hi," he replied, after flipping through the same channels over, and over again he finally decided to stop, and turned on the radio instead.

"How ya been?" I asked him, hoping he wouldn't bring up Johnny and Dallas. Yet at the same time, I wanted him to, I wanted to find out what happened, I wanted to hear an insider's tale on it – one who I could actually relate to.

"Fine, I guess. Just got over some stomach flu, still shook up about what happened – court and all. You?"
"What's there to tell? I know I've been gone for almost a year, but everyday was the same, locked up in my house with my mom and her boyfriend, no freedom whatsoever."

"yeah, Steve told me. I'm sorry you didn't get to see Johnny or Dallas before, it happened. I was really hoping you'd make it out to the funeral, but when you're in a whole different part of Oklaholma I guess it's impossible."

"Well I made it now, didn't I?"

"I guess," he said with a shrug. I laughed and looked out the window

"How was it?" I couldn't help but ask.

"The funeral?" He turned around, I nodded and he turned back around. "It was fine. You know, it was weird – I could see Darry crying, me and Soda we were practically bawling. Two-Bit wouldn't talk to anyone, he gave evil glares to Johnny's parents every once in awhile, and – and Steve, he was trying to calm Two-Bit. Johnny's parents, they realized at the funeral how bad of parents they had been. Came up to me and told me I was the best friend a teenaged boy could ever have. Two-Bit, he noticed I was talking to 'em and he came running up, seeing what they was saying. I dunno." He sat back down in Darry's big arm chair. "Now that he's gone, I dunno what's gonna happen."

"Ponyboy," I stared at him, my eyes filling with tears. "He may be gone, but in your heart he's still there. In Soda, and Darry's heart – he's still there. Two-Bit's heart, Steve's heart, my heart – he's still there!"

"Yeah, I guess so." He whspered, and stared off into space.

"Wanna go somewhere?" He asked me, still staring at the wall.

"Sure," I said, and we headed out the door.