Soda, Steve, and Pony walked quietly–with the exception of Steve's rambunctiousness–into town. Cars filled with teenagers zoomed past them loudly. A few groups of kids were out as well, having the same intentions as Pony, Soda, and Steve. It was free matinee night at the drive-in, and everyone was going to be there. Even though the movie was probably no good, it was custom for every teenager in town to show up. This was also the night where the most fights occurred, due to the fact that both sides of town were interacting.
Steve nudged Soda and motioned ahead of them where a gaggle of Greaser girls were walking. "Watch the master pick himself up a girl." He said before sneaking behind a petite girl with curly black hair and putting an arm around her.
"Hey baby, you're a cute thing. What's your name?" Steve asked suavely.
The girl giggled and replied, "Tara,", blushing at her friends. Steve threw an amused look back at Soda, winked, and went back to the girl.
"That's a pretty name, babe. But you know what would make you look even better, Tara?"
Tara giggled again and asked, "What?"
Steve put his arm around her waist and whispered something in her ear. Her face sunk into an mirthless grimace, and she pushed him away from her. She and her friends sped up quickly to avoid Steve.
"Nice goin', Master Steve." Soda joked as he and Pony chortled in laughter. "We have so much to learn from you!"
Steve crossed his arms and kicked a stone down the malevolent sullenly. Pony and Soda teased him a little more as they began to near the theater, but eased up once they got in the long line. While Soda talked to some flirty girls and Steve caught up with some old buddies, Pony looked around curiously.
His eyes fell on a kid at the front of the line who was already getting his ticket. Wearing a jacket similar to Johnny's, the kid got two tickets and gave one to a pretty girl with long, dark hair. On their way into the movie, the boy turned enough so that Pony could make out his face. Indeed, it was Johnny, and he was with Farrah Addams.
Pony smiled at the thought of Johnny's first date. With a Soc, nonetheless! He looked up at Soda and said, "Soda, Johnny's here on a date!"
Soda's face lit up as he gave out a warm, happy laugh. "Our Johnny? Well, tan my hide! Good for him. Who's the lucky lady?"
"Her name's Farrah Addams. She's real–,"
Soda's eyes widened. He cut Pony off by saying, "Addams...that's the girl who's father owns that record company. She's a Soc!" He elbowed Steve, who turned around quickly. "Did you hear that, Steve? Johnny's on a date with Don Addams' daughter!"
"Don Addams? The big shot record producer?" asked Steve in disbelief. "No way!"
Ponyboy frowned in thought. He wasn't much into music, so he didn't really know about the heavyweights in media. How had he not known about this, though? He knew Farrah was rich, but not that rich.
Steve grinned maliciously. "This means Johnny's got connections, man! He could introduce us to the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Elvis! We could meet Elvis, Soda!" He was getting louder by the minute, causing Soda to slap a hand over his friend's mouth.
"Now don't be gettin' all worked up over nothin'." He stated calmly as the line moved forward. "It's not Johnny's decision whether we meet all them stars. For all we know, Johnny and that chick might not even be together."
As disappointment etched over Steve's face, Pony smiled slightly. It wasn't the Beatles or Elvis that he was anxious to meet. He knew that Farrah was best friends with Cherry Valance. Maybe this meant he would finally get to meet her. She would actually speak to him.
"Ponyboy!" Soda called from the ticket booth. Pony looked up and realized that he was still at the middle of the line. He ran up to meet with Soda and Steve, still thinking of the redheaded goddess.
3
Johnny and Farrah walked along the cars slowly and quietly. Every now and then, some Soc would recognize Farrah or some Greaser would with Johnny. The stars were beginning to come out, and the only light was coming from headlights or the enormous film screen.
"So...," Farrah began, stifling the awkwardness of the silence. "How old are you?" It was a stupid question, but she honestly did not know his age, and she had to ask something.
Johnny realized she was asking him a question, and he replied after a minute, "Oh, I'm sixteen. How 'bout you?"
"Fourteen. I'll be fifteen in December." She replied embarrassedly, her cheeks turning a faint rose color. Johnny smiled at this, thinking how adorable she looked when she blushed. They walked past the swing set beneath the screen, finding it crawling with teenagers.
"Aw shoot," Johnny muttered. "Well, we can sit on those picnic tables...if that's alright."
Farrah nodded and followed Johnny to the paint-chipped picnic tables. They both sat on the surface and watched the previews before the movie, more silence following. About halfway through an advertisement for the concession stand, Johnny slowly moved his hand towards Farrah's. When he tried to entwine their fingers, Farrah gently pulled her hand away.
Johnny turned away bashfully, then stammered out, "S-s-sorry."
"It's okay." Farrah replied. She felt bad about what she had done, but how could she lead him on? It's not that she didn't like Johnny. She thought he was very cute and nice, but she still had strange feelings for Dally. After that kiss, who wouldn't?
"Johnny!" called a voice from behind them. Ponyboy came out of the shadows and met up with Johnny and Farrah. "I thought I saw ya'll walkin' in. Hi Farrah,"
"Hi Ponyboy," replied Farrah with a friendly smile.
Ponyboy turned back to Johnny and said, "Why don't you and Farrah come sit with us. Steve, Dal, Soda, and me." He pointed up at few yards near the concession stand. "It's only a little ways up there."
Johnny turned to look at Farrah. "Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah, it's fine." Farrah responded, despite the voice in her head reminding her of the awkwardness that would come. Dally would be there, and what if he remembered? What if he didn't? She would just have to brace herself and take it like a woman.
They walked over to Dally's car, or at least what Farrah assumed to be his car, to find Soda sitting on the hood with Dally. Farrah couldn't help but stare in awe of how good Dally looked. He wore a tight black t-shirt, a pair of worn blue jeans, and a leather jacket. His face was relaxed as he watched the movie, and his hand fumbled restlessly with a zipper on his jacket.
"I thought you said Steve was here," Johnny said to Pony, looking around for Steve. Farrah watched as Dally jabbed his thumb behind him at the car. Her eyes fell on the backseat, where Steve and some girl were going at each other like cats. She turned away as Soda smiled.
Holding out a hand, he greeted her. "You must be Farrah. I'm Sodapop Curtis."
"Nice to meet you, Sodapop." She grinned and shook his hand. Boy, is he gorgeous!, she thought to herself. She had seen the eldest Curtis brother, Darrel, and she thought he was handsome as well, although his expression seemed tired and weary.
At the sound of Farrah's name, Dally turned to look at her. He fought back a grin when he realized who it was and tried to look brooding and dangerous. She did look pretty fine, Dally decided, even if she was a little young. That body was what really threw him. He was surprised she hadn't been raped, living in the eastside with that body.
"So what you two doin' here together, anyway?" Dally asked teasingly. "You on a date or somethin'?" Johnny and Farrah exchanged abashed expressions as Dally chuckled at his supposed joke. When he saw that he was the only one laughing, he frowned at Johnny. "What, you ain't seriously on a date with her, are you?"
Farrah blushed and turned away, while Johnny shrugged at Dally. "It ain't that surprisin'." said Johnny quietly as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
Dally stopped himself from going any further. He didn't want to upset Johnny anymore. Something, though, bothered him about the fact that Johnny and Farrah were on a date. He was actually a little jealous. Hell, he didn't know anything about the girl except her first name and that she was a Soc. Why should he worry?
Johnny and Farrah took a seat on the hood, Soda sat in the driver's seat of the car, and Dally and Pony sat on the ground in front of the car. Occasionally, Dally would look up and find Farrah glance at him. Whenever their eyes met, Farrah would immediately look away.
About an hour later, Farrah heard familiar voices coming from the swings. She looked on a little further and saw her brother's friends bothering some girls. She wasn't surprised to see beer cans in their hands. James Jackson, a good looking senior that Farrah used to date, led his friends towards the concession stand drunkenly.
"One popcorn and your number, please," James told the cashier girl, who rolled her eyes and went to prepare the order. Farrah tried to hide behind Johnny by latching onto his arm and lying her head on his shoulder. Johnny only put his arm around her shoulders and continued to watch the movie in silence.
James laughed loudly after getting his popcorn, but his mood changed when he spotted Farrah with the Greasers. He shoved his popcorn into the arms of one of his buddies and walked in front of the car, blocking everyone's view.
"Move it, asshole." Dally muttered in annoyance.
James staggered closer to Farrah and mumbled, "What the hell are you doing here with these fuckers, Farrah? Does your brother know who you're with?"
Farrah felt Johnny hug her closer to him as she replied, "Go away, James. You're drunk."
"Hell yeah, I'm drunk. And you must be too if you're hanging around these faggots." James stammered, now thoroughly pissing off Dally, who stood up. He fingered his switchblade in the back of his pocket.
"Look, jackass, I'm not in the mood to kill anyone tonight." grumbled Dally threateningly. "Why don't you and your boyfriends go molest each other?"
James pushed Dally away and glared at Johnny through dilated eyes. "Get your filthy fucking hands off her, you rat!" He made a grab for Farrah, but Johnny had already taken out his knife and stuck it in James' arm. The Soc yelped in pain as Johnny tackled him to the ground. Farrah watched in horror as the two battled on the ground. Dally and Soda tried to pull them apart, but only managed to make it worse.
"JAMES!" Farrah shouted angrily. "Leave Johnny alone! James!" Pony held her back, stopping her from getting into the brawl. Johnny took a punch to the face while James got to his feet and hit Soda in the stomach.
As James began to run away, Johnny jumped up and told Dally, "Take Farrah home, Dal. Tell her I'm sorry." With that, he ran after James in fury. Dally started to follow Soda and Pony, but Johnny shouted his request again. Dally groaned and walked back to the car. Farrah sat on the hood, looking pale and scared wringing her hands. She looked up at Dally nervously.
"I...I didn't mean to...he just...," She stuttered, looking nearly on the verge of tears.
Dally sighed and said, "Get in the car, and don't cry." He sat in the driver's seat and started the ignition. As Farrah got in, Steve came up breathlessly and asked, "Where we goin'?" The girl he had been making out with also sat up, her hair mussed.
"Get out!" Dally shouted, causing the two to scramble out of the car as fast as possible. "Horny little bastards."
He began to drive out of the parking lot and onto the street. Farrah sat still and quiet, not taking her eyes off her lap. Dally reached into his back pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He looked at Farrah and was about to ask for a light when he realized that he was talking to Miss Innocence. He groaned and stuck it behind his ear.
Farrah shook her head and murmured, "It's all my fault."
"Oh God, a pity party...," Dally groaned.
"Do you think they'll be okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. They'll be fine."
Farrah suddenly put her head in her hands, causing Dally to stare at her in confusion. When she heaved out a sob, Dally pulled the car into an empty lot reluctantly. He stopped the car and leaned back, rubbing his eyes in frustration. Farrah continued to cry softly beside him.
He eyed her with a minuscule bout of pity growing in the pit of his stomach. In order to calm her down, he told her, "Calm down, it ain't your fault. Don't cry."
"B-b-but Johnny...," She wept, looking up at Dally with fat tears falling from her eyes.
Something about the way she looked at him right then struck him in the heart. He just couldn't handle it. Just seeing her with teary eyes, all worked up over this, made him feel bad for her. Without any hesitation, he scooted over towards Farrah and put an arm around her. She turned into his shoulder and cried while Dally rubbed her back comfortingly.
"Shh, c'mon now...hey, look...Johnny's gonna be alright. He can handle himself just fine. He's learned from the best, dollface. Don't cry...,"
Farrah's cries eventually turned into sniffles, and, despite the fact that she felt absolutely comfortable there, she wriggled out of Dally's arms. He took his seat in front of the wheel again while she leaned against the window, wiping the moisture from her eyes. They sat in silence for a minute, the only sound being Farrah's sniffling.
"You okay, kid?" Dally asked her.
She nodded and replied, "Yeah...I'm fine."
"Good, I'll get you home."
"Why did you kiss me?"
This caught Dally off guard completely. He looked over at her briefly, then turned his eyes back to the road. He knew she would eventually question his actions, but so quickly? It was surprising. Clearing his throat, he attempted to give a straight answer, even though he didn't really know why he kissed her himself.
"My answer depends on if you liked it." He said quickly with a wink at her.
She stared at him long and hard with the cruelest look he'd ever seen. It made him uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. Shifting her jaw and gritting her teeth, she crossed her arms and looked out the window.
"Just take me home." She muttered before sniffling once more. Dally just shrugged it off and made his way down Farrah's street. The sky was darker than before, and it made him wonder if Johnny and the others were okay. He wasn't terribly worried. Soda was a top notch fighter, and the kid had a good head on his shoulders. He'd protect Johnny and Pony no matter what.
He stopped the car a few houses before Farrah's, saying that he knew her brother would throw the biggest hissy fit if he found her in Dallas Winston's car. Farrah only sighed and nodded. She opened the car door to get out, when she paused and looked back at Dally. Getting back in the car and closing the door, she twirled a strand of hair with her finger and looked at him innocently.
"What would you do," She began calmly. "If I told you that I liked it?"
Dally raised an eyebrow and asked, "The kiss?" When she nodded, he grinned with a mischievousness about him and leaned over to kiss her again. This time, she accepted much more quickly. He ran his hand up her shirt, and fingered her bra clasps. Farrah shivered and pulled away, turning her head from him so that he wouldn't see her blush. He cupped her chin with his fingers and kissed her again.
"Can I see you again?" She asked him without thinking. "Soon?"
"Big brother ain't gonna be too keen on that idea–,"
"I don't care. Just...I want to see you again." Farrah got out of the car, straightened her sweater, and walked home promptly. Dally watched her get into her house, then turned the car around and made his way back into town. He wasn't really sure what had happened, but whatever it was...he kinda liked the way it had ended.