Chapter Eight: First Letter Home

Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders. S.E. Hinton does. I am writing this for my own amusement. I own the plot and random people.

The next morning, Lucky rolled over groggily and opened his eyes. As the room came into focus, he saw Darry frantically scribbling and erasing.

"What are you doing?" Lucky asked, stretching. "Calculus," Darry said. "I've gotta finish it before class." His words came out in a rush as he wrote frantically.

Lucky shrugged and glanced at the clock. "Cripes, Darry! Physics starts in twenty minutes!" Darry nodded, scribbling random answers for the last four problems and shoving it into his backpack.

"C'mon, man!" Darry said in an urgent voice. Lucky quickly dressed, somehow managing to get everything right except for mismatched socks, and the two of them dashed out the door.

000000000

Lucky followed Darry the best he could, but couldn't keep up. He staggered into Physics a couple of minutes after Darry and collapsed into his seat next to A.J., breathing hard.

Professor Chaplin stood at the front of the class. "Well, class, your Physics assignment is due today! I hope you worked hard on it, if you morons did it at all!" He cackled madly, his maniacal laughter turning into a grating cough.

He went around the classroom, collecting papers. Lucky rummaged around in his backpack. He was positive he'd done it…hadn't he?

Flashback: Lucky was at the outdoors cafeteria with Mini, drinking a soda. Too bad they didn't sell beer on campus.

A.J. was over at the next table, writing frantically. "You work yourself too hard, A.J.," Lucky said lazily.

"At least I bother to work," she shot back nastily. Lucky raised an eyebrow. He leaned over and snatched the paper from in front of her.

"Hey!" A.J. protested, trying to grab it back. Lucky held it out of her reach as she leapt around him, trying to grab it from him, but it was no use. He was a foot taller than her. Mini giggled idiotically.

Finally, Skate took pity and snatched it from Lucky, handing it back to A.J. "Thanks, Skate," she said gratefully, glaring at Lucky.

As she sat back down and continued at write, Lucky leaned over and caught sight of her paper. "'Physics: Assignment Seven,'" Lucky read aloud. "Man, A.J., I knew you were an overachiever, but this is too much. That's not due for another week!"

A.J. looked up at him like he was demented. "That's what Professor Chaplin told us a week ago," she said witheringly. "It's due tomorrow."

Lucky blinked. He hadn't even started it. "Oh," was all he could manage. "Any chance of me copying off of you?" he asked hopefully. "No," said A.J. lightly.

Lucky shrugged. "Whatever," he said breezily. "I'll just do it later." End Flashback.

Oh. Whoops. Lucky put his head down on his desk. "I'm dead," he groaned. He glared at A.J. "This is your entire fault," he said accusingly. A.J. sputtered indignantly.

"Excuse me?" she said angrily. "Why, pray tell, is it my fault you were too lazy to do your own work?"

"You wouldn't let me copy off you!" Lucky whined. A.J. rolled her eyes.

000000000

Honestly, Lucky was just too much sometimes. How the hell was it A.J.'s fault that Lucky hadn't done his work because she hadn't let him copy off her?

Meanwhile, Professor Chaplin come to their table and leaned on it. "Lucky? Wake up, sleepyhead!" Lucky looked up and started at the sight of Professor Chaplin leaning over him.

"Where's your homework, Lucky?" he asked nastily. Lucky turned pale and started stuttering. "Um, I, um, uh," was all he could say. Professor Chaplin cackled evilly.

Lucky felt around the desk and grabbed A.J.'s homework. She noticed just in time and wrested it from his hands. He ducked under the table, stalling for time.

"Yes, yes," Professor Chaplin laughed maniacally. "Look under there too, but if it's not there, I suggest you start to pray!"

Lucky straightened up, defeated. "I haven't got it," he said quietly. Professor Chaplin just laughed harder. A.J. looked sympathetically at Lucky, whose face was now bright red. Students tittered.

Professor banged his fist on Lucky's desk. "I want that assignment tomorrow, Lucky," he said. Lucky sighed in relief, obviously thinking that he had gotten off easily. A.J. wondered briefly what Chaplin would say next.

"But," Chaplin continued. Lucky looked up in fear. "I want that assignment copied over FIVE TIMES! Handwritten or done on the library's typewriter! Understood!"

A.J.'s brain screamed out in protest against this unfairness. Then again, Lucky did deserve it. Lucky seemed to think the same thing. He slouched in his seat. "Understood," he muttered sullenly.

000000000

Darry thought that was fair enough. After all, it was Lucky's fault he hadn't done the work. Darry rummaged in his own backpack, looking for his work. For one horrible moment, he thought he hadn't done it. Then he found it. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He handed it to Professor Chaplin, who grunted in disappointment that he hadn't been able to give out any more punishments.

000000000

But while Lucky was failing Physics, Darry was failing Calculus. Professor Hart shook her head at Darry as she handed back his test paper. He jumped in shock when he saw it. "I got a D!" He yelped.

Professor Hart shook her head sadly at him. "Study harder next time, Darry," she said. Darry put his head down on his desk. I'll never get this, he mourned.

He lifted his head and tried to pay attention to what she was saying. He kept his head bent most of the time, taking notes, so he wouldn't be distracted by her sparkling green eyes, and her long, silky hair, and—Focus, Darry, focus!

At the end of class, he vowed to ask someone for help.

000000000

"A.J.!" A.J. turned around at the sound of her name. It was the end of the day and she was headed to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Her stomach growled ravenously. She saw Darry running towards her.

"Yeah?" she asked curiously. "Hey, um, A.J.? This is kind of awkward, but, do you think you could tutor me? In Calculus?" Darry asked, looking anxious. A.J. shrugged.

"Sure, I don't see why not. When?" Now it was Darry's turn to shrug. "I don't know. Anytime. But I need help, desperately!"

A.J. smiled knowingly. "Ah. Having trouble focusing because of the teacher?" Darry smiled, pleased that she understood. "Exactly!" he said.

A.J. shifted uncomfortably as her stomach growled again. "Whaddya say we go to the cafeteria? I'm starved," she suggested. "I can start helping you there."

Darry nodded. "Okay," he consented.

000000000

A.J. swallowed her pizza and exclaimed, "No! Where are you getting these answers from?"

Darry sagged. "I'll never get this," he groaned, throwing down his pencil. A.J. handed it back to him. "Maybe we should continue this tomorrow," she said gently.

Darry nodded. "Yeah," he said almost distantly. "Maybe."

000000000

Dear Soda and Pony,

Man, college is different than I expected. Everybody here has some kind of nickname, for one thing.

Like, my roommate's name is Lucky. And his girlfriend's name is Mini. Even the professors call them that!

And speaking of professors, most of them are normal. But Professor Chaplin is something else. He's the Physics professor, and he seems to take great pleasure in making student's lives miserable.

And I'm failing Calculus, thanks to Professor Hart. Don't get me wrong, she's great and all. She's really great. I can't concentrate because I think I love her. She's smart and pretty…

So I'm failing. And one of my friends, A.J., is tutoring me. I still don't get it, though. Maybe Calculus just isn't for me.

The kids around here are wild. Like us when we were greasers, except without the grease.

Lucky explained it to me, sort of. They're all about freedom, do what you want, when you want, and don't let the Man keep you down. I don't understand it at all. But I don't think going back to school was a bad idea. Thanks for that, guys.

Anyway, I'm rambling. How's things over there? Say hi to Steve and Evie and their kids for me. Good luck with that new novel, Pony. And Soda, never stop being Soda. We need someone to cheer us up.

I heard Two-Bit's here coming to Chicago for a show. I'll go see him if I can. I wonder if his jokes are anything like the lame ones he used to tell that made us laugh anyway.

I miss you guys, but hopefully I'll be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Love, Darry.

000000000

Review and tell me what you think. I mean it! Review!