Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders characters, only Teresa and Mr. Meyers
Chapter 9
Steve started in immediately. "Hey man! Way to go! Score!" He said, hitting me on the back. I casually flipped on the TV and began to watch the news. Ponyboy disappeared into the kitchen again and Darry was close on his tail, although I didn't hear action and knew they were both listening intently. I leaned back into the couch and put my hands behind my head, still staring at the TV.
Steve tried again. "Sodapop! Seriously, man! You just kissed her! I need to know about this." He said. I continued to stare helplessly at the news channel. Steve gave up and plopped next to me. "You're no fun." He said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, prolly not." I said. A story on the news came on, and I immediately recognized another part of our neighborhood. "Hey look!" I said, turning up the volume. Darry and Pony came in from the kitchen to watch.
"And tonight, late breaking news. A small neighborhood disturbed by this crime-wrecking young man." The news anchor said. It flashed a picture of someone I had seen before and knew very well.
"Tim Shepard!" Darry yelped, jumping out of his chair as if it had burned him.
"Wonder what he-" I began, but Darry cut me off with a frantic wave of his hand.
"Twenty two year old Tim Shepard of Oklahoma left his very own neighborhood in a panic by catching fire to a neighbor's tool shed, which then spread to the wooden fence. There were no injuries, although Shepard is on trial for property damage." The story flicked over to something about a car wreck and Darry reached down to turn off the TV.
"Property damage…" He muttered, shaking his head. "How do they know it wasn't an accident!" He said furiously.
"Darry, its Shepard. Nothing he does is an accident." I pointed out.
"That's true." He nodded slowly, and then made his way back into the kitchen. "Dinner's ready." He called over his shoulder. I got up, wondering what we were possibly eating for dinner since the chicken had been singed. As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the cereal boxes on the table, surrounded by bowls, spoons, and the milk carton. I didn't say anything, but sat down at the table. Steve sat down next to me. I guess he figured it was OK to stay since it was just cereal. I grabbed the corn flakes and poured myself a bowl, crunching away noisily.
After supper, we watched a bit more TV, and then Steve decided to shove off.
"Later." I said, raising my hand in farewell. The door slammed behind him, and I watched his figure retreating in the dark. "I think I'm going to get to bed early tonight," I said, heading toward my bedroom.
"Wait." Darry said. He muttered something to Ponyboy and Pony reluctantly got up and wandered to our room, shutting the door behind him. Darry gestured for me to sit down. Oh Lord. I thought, sitting down carefully on the very edge of the chair.
"I just want to talk to you. About Teresa – was that her name?" I nodded. "OK. I just don't want you to get too serious too fast." He said, getting up and walking back into the kitchen. I raised an eyebrow at his back and shrugged to myself, getting up to go to my room. I went on in without knocking, to find Ponyboy already changed and lying on his bed reading Gone with the Wind.
"Ponyboy, don't you ever want to read anything else?" I asked, peeling off my shirt. He shook his head in a silent no and I saw him glance at his only picture of Johnny. I sighed. "Pony, there's nothing you can do to undo what you guys did. You have to understand that it wasn't your fault." I said, climbing into my bed.
He glared at me like he had never glared at me before. "Who said I thought it was my fault!" He said coldly. I opened my mouth to say something, but he reached over and turned out the lamp, and I heard him roll over to face the wall. I sighed again and slumped down into the covers, staring at the darkened ceiling over my head.
(A/n: another short chapter, I know. Sorry for all the short chapters. After vacation, I went to visit my sister and my nephew in Kansas City, and then my cousin came home with us, and she's here now. It's been nothing but run run run, and I couldn't find time to do this. Hopefully the next one will be longer. Please R&R!)