Oaklahoma State University
1974
Chapter One
Ponyboy Curtis was sitting at his desk studying for an English test when his roommate Ryan walked in. "Hey Pony," he said coming into the room. "There was a delivery man downstairs. You got a package." He handed it to me and flopped down on the bed.
"Thanks," I said setting the box down on the desk. He looked at Ryan he was laying on the flipping through a magazine. Ryan kind of slacked off in school. He could afford to I guess since his parents were paying for everything. If they were in Tulsa Ryan would be known as a Soc. He certainly looked like one. He wore dress pants and button down shirts. But he didn't care. Ryan was a pretty good guy and a good friend. That was one thing he liked about living here. There weren't Soc's or Greasers, everyone was pretty much here for the same reason. He looked and Ryan laying across the bed. Well almost everyone.
He on the other hand couldn't afford to slack off. He had gotten a full scholarship when he graduated from highschool. He couldn't get any grade below a 3.0 or he would lose his scholarship. He looked at the box. It was Darry. He smiled, he missed him. He enjoyed hearing from him. He pulled the letter off the top of the box and opened it.
Dear Ponyboy,
How are the going there? I know midterms are coming up in a coulple weeks but I know you'll do just fine. I'm looking forward to your visit in a few weeks. I really miss you. Everything here his pretty much the same. Steve isn't doing so well, but I guess you know that. He hasn't been the same since..well you know. Oh yeah I've some news your never going to believe. Two-bit asked Kathy to Marry him and she said yes. I'll just let him tell you all about it when you get here.
Cherry Valence stopped by and asked about you. She was in town visting her parents. I think she misses you. I told her she should give you a call. I gave her your number. But I don't know if she'll use it. Well I have to go know it's getting late and I have to get up early. I'll see you in a few weeks.
Love,
Your Brother Darry
P.S. I found these while I was cleaning the attic and thought you might like to have them.
He tore open the box . It was his journels. He kept them since he was six years old. He pulled out the one on top. The Outsiders. He opened it… When I stepped out into the bright sunlight.. he snapped it shut. It still hurt to read it even after all these years.
He shifted the rest of the journels in box. He remember when he first started keeping them. He had been six years old and his teacher had called his parents to the school because of a drawing he had done. They wouldn't let him see it. But they all seemed very upset by it. He didn't understand, he didn't doing a drawing. They even took him to a doctor. The doctor took X-Rays of his head and asked him a bunch of questions he didn't understand. Like did he ever do things that he didn't remember doing or being someplace and didn't remember going there. He had a few times. The doctor said what happened to him was called a blackout. There wasn't anything could really do to prevent them. Expect keep an eye on him and watch him closely. They told him keep a journel everyday. They said it would help him remember things better.
He had the blackouts up until he was sixteen and then they had just stopped. He hadn't one in four years. In fact he remembered the last one he had. I was right after the men from the Army and showed up at their door to tell them that his brother and been killed in Vietnam. When he came to his was across town in bar with no memory of how he got there. He shook his head, as if the shake the memory away. He didn't want to think about that right now.
"Hey Ryan," I said jumping up. "Lets go out tonight."
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "You." He said disbelievely. "You never want to out the week before midterms."
"There's a first time for everything. Besides we're going to celebrate." I said.
"Celebrate what," he said confused.
"It's been four years. No blackouts" I didn't usually like to tell people about my blackouts. It was personal. But since Ryan was going to be my roommate I thought he ought to know just in case I had one while he was with me; so he wouldn't freakout.
He jumped of the bed and high fived me. All right! Lets go party man." He said heading out the door. I followed him grabbing my jacket on the way out.