The sun had set a couple of hours ago and it was completely dark at the drive-in but the film showing on the big screen lighted the place up a bit. Mary and Jimmy were walking back to his car with the sodas they had bought at the stand. The drive-in seemed to be the place the teenagers of Tulsa went to pass their Friday nights, it was full of people both who had come in cars and who had walked.
It seemed to be a place where both socs and greasers hung out, they had seen kids in fancy clothes and cars and kids in jeans and beat-up cars mixed. The atmosphere of the place was tense, the air thick with feelings waiting to be expressed with fists and knifes. The other kids there probably saw Mary and Jimmy as socs but they didn't care about it , they didn't want any trouble over where they lived and what car they drove, they had already noticed a couple of greasers with their heads together talking seriously and then looking over at them, but they tried not to be noticed.
"Hey Brady" someone behind them called out and as they turned around they saw the greasers from the Dingo standing there. One step in front of the others stood the one who had turned out to be the leader.
"Shepard" Jimmy said and took a slightly slouched pose that mimicked that of the greasers. Mary looked at her brother in wonder, he never stood like that he always had a good posture, courtesy of their father poking him in the back all his childhood.
"All set up for Sunday?" Shepard asked taking a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lighting it.
Mary turned her attention to him; close up like this she could see what he looked like more clearly. He had a handsome face, with regular features, his eyes were blue and his hair wavy and black and full of grease, he was really good looking but there was something missing; perhaps it was the coldness in his eyes or the way his mouth was in a sneer.
"Yeah, it's all fixed" Jimmy answered as Shepard moved closer to them. He was about Jimmy's height and this close it was obvious he wasn't as old as he looked at first glance, he was probably about Jimmy's age or even a bit younger, but there was something about him that made him seem older and like one you would follow blindly.
Jimmy and Shepard took a few steps away from the others to talk in privacy.
Mary stood looking at them not noticing as one of the other greasers moved up to her and threw his arm around her shoulder.
"So doll, what're you doing with him when you could have more fun with us" he said motioning to the other two standing there smirking at her.
Mary looked up at the guy not daring to move away from him, it was the guy who had claimed to be the leader at the Dingo. He was a head taller then her with red brown hair and green eyes, he smelled of liquor and cigarette smoke. Mary didn't like to be that close to someone she didn't know but she was too scared to break free from him.
The other greasers were laughing at her and she knew she probably looked terrified.
"What'ya say doll, you and me…" the greaser continued and moved even closer to her, the smell of liquor on his breath made her cringe.
"Hey Cain, just let her be" Shepard said as he and Jimmy came up to them again. Shepard was laughing softly at her but the Cain guy moved away immediately, he was still laughing though.
"I wouldn't go with him either, he really ain't that charming" Shepard told her winking as he slapped Cain on the back of his head. Shepard smirked at her and Jimmy from where he stood next to his small gang. Mary just blinked at them relived not to have Cain hanging on to her anymore.
"Your broad ain't much of a talker is she Brady?" Shepard asked chuckling as he looked at Mary in a strange way as if wondering what was wrong with her.
"Actually no she isn't" Jimmy said coldly "and she's my sister, Mary" The reactions to this was never seen as a greaser was running up to Shepard screaming;
"Curly the Curtis' are looking for ya, Matthews been jumped" Shepard's face changed from amused to dangerously determent as he and the others ran away with the other greaser spitting out "Those fucking socs" under his breath.
Mary and Jimmy stood there watching them run for awhile then Jimmy threw his arm over her shoulder and she leaned into him as they walked of with there sodas.
It was Monday afternoon and Mary was walking around eastern downtown aimlessly, she had been in the mood to buy a new skirt but as her mother hadn't gotten out of bed today either she didn't have the courage to go into a store being attacked by saleswomen asking her all sorts of questions she couldn't answer.
She sighed to her self as she looked up at a diner sign, Jays it said. She was in the mood for a coffee but she didn't really feel like being made fun of as she had been at the Dingo. She walked closer to the window looking in; realizing the only person inside was the elderly man behind the counter she walked in holding a pen and a small notebook in her hands.
"What will it be miss?" the man asked with a kind smile. Mary smiled back and scribbled something in the notebook which she showed him. The man just nodded and said.
"That all miss?" Mary nodded smiling, she was happy not to have gotten any strange looks or superior smiles from the man.
As she sat down in a booth she was proud of herself for buying her first cup of coffee all by herself. Her father had always kept her away from all interaction with others then her family and the girls at her school so she had never had to do those kinds of things for herself but being eighteen now she wanted to take care of herself. She didn't see herself as handicapped but she was very hard on herself for not being able to socialise as her brother could. She figured it was up to her and she wanted to change all that, she wanted to get friends and live as normal as she could.
"On the wrong side of town, ain't ya?" she looked up to see Curly Shepard standing over her; he was smirking down at her, finding her confused expression amusing.
"What would big brother say about it?" he drawled teasingly as he sat down across from her, when she didn't say anything he added. "Actually why don't you say anything about it" he looked at her strangely.
Mary took a sip from her coffee and took up her notebook writing; "He's my younger brother and I can't say anything about it since I'm mute" She gave the notebook to Curly and he took it with a smirk. As he read the smirk was replaced with a weak sneer.
"Oh shit" he sighed as he pushed the notebook over to her again. "You must really think I'm an asshole" he said smiling slightly at her.
Mary looked at him and shrugged her shoulders smiling back, his smile was infectious. His eyes were a bit softer again like they were that day at the Dingo when he had walked into her, before he had realized she was dressed as a soc.
Mary didn't really think he was an asshole, she didn't think anything about him at all, all she new about him was he was the leader of a gang and Jimmy was doing something illegal with them.
"Yes or no?" he asked smirking.
Mary wrote down; "So far no"
"Good" he said as he'd read it
"Wouldn't want little brother hunting me down" he said with a look that clearly said he could have kicked Jimmy ass with his hands tied behind his back if he wanted.
"What'ya doing in the east side of town anyway?" he asked as he folded his hands on the table in front of him. Mary looked at his hands, they were big and rough the left one had a thin white scar from his ring finger to below where the muffs of his leather jacket hid his arm.
"Was going shopping but I changed my mind" she wrote
"Oh" Curly said sneering "spending daddy's money?" his voice was sarcastic and a bit mean and Mary felt her face get red both with anger at him and shame for talking as if she had all the money in the world with someone who obviously didn't.
"I'm not spending my father's damned money, I have my own" she wrote in angry scribbles.
"'course you do" Curly stated simply but then he smiled again, a nice and warm smile and he got up and stood by her side.
"Bye bye Brady" he said smirking as he patter her on the head as if she was a small child and walked of leaving Mary both pissed and confused.
Thank's for all the great reviews, I love reading them! Hope you like this chapter too, what do you think about Curly, is he too strange? I like this view of him though so I'm gonna keep writing him like this anyway but it's always fun to know what other people think. Anyway read and review! Tackar.