My first class after lunch, if you can call it a class, was study hall. Personally, I don't like study hall. The teachers think it's the perfect excuse to have students get a start on their homework. The truth is, it's the perfect excuse for the socs to torment the greasers because we can move around and talk with our friends. Or in my case, I can try to read a good book or write a story and have some soc sit next to me and act like he's my best friend, only to walk back to his buddies and mock me.
Cherry is in my study hall. We don't talk to each other, except to say hi. It wouldn't be good for a greaser and a soc to be seen together. Which is too bad, because Cherry is the only person in study hall that I wouldn't mind talking to.
"Hey, grease, what are you doing?" A soc asked sitting so close to me, he would have been on my lap if he sat even closer.
"Nothing." I mumbled, wishing he'd go away or at least back up.
"You and your greasey friends got us in trouble. Thanks to you, I have to spend the next two Saturdays here cleaning gum from under the chairs and desks." The soc said.
"I didn't get you in trouble." I said. "You're just upset because the teacher caught you red handed and there's nothing you can do about it."
"Oh, I can do something about it." The soc replied. "Why don't you meet me outside after school? Then we'll see what I can do about it."
"Fine. I'll meet you by the football field." I said as the soc got up. I immediately regretted what I said. I knew that I just agreed to a fight. And Darry would skin me if I got caught fighting on school property or anywhere else. Even if I didn't get caught, he'd find out. It's kind of hard to hide the fact that you were in a fight. But, there was nothing I could do about it. Maybe if I was lucky, the soc would forget about it by the end of the day. Or, maybe, I could suddenly get sick or leave the property after school without anyone seing me.
Unfortunately, word gets around quick in school and both Steve and Two-Bit were waiting for me outside of study hall.
"You agreed to fight a soc?" Two-Bit asked. "Boy, I hope Darry doesn't find out."
"Shut up, Two-Bit." I grumbled. "Is there any way I can get out of this?"
Steve shook his head. "No way. You don't want the socs to think that greasers are wimps, do you?"
"No." I admitted. "But, come on, fights are something you two would get into. Not me."
"Well kid, there's a first time for everything." Two-Bit said, slapping me on the back. "And don't worry, Steve and I will be there to cheer you on."
"Well, that's a help." I mumbled as I entered my english class and they went off to their classes.
"Good afternoon, Ponyboy." Mr. Symes greeted me when I entered the room.
"Hi, Mr. Symes." I replied sitting at my desk.
Mr. Symes went back to grading the papers he had sitting on his desk until the bell rang. Then he stood up and passed out a short story. We were doing a unit on short stories in class and every day we had to read a new story, then answer questions about the story on a worksheet. The papers he had been grading were most likely the worksheets from a previous class.
While we read the story, I noticed that the socs were passing notes around. Which isn't unusual. But, I knew that these notes had a common theme. The fight that would occur after school and I was still thinking of ways to get out of it.
I sighed as I turned the page. I could the eyes of several socs staring at me, and knew that I would regret ever agreeing to fight that soc long before Darry would find out about it.