"So where do you think Two-Bit ended up tonight?" Ponyboy threw up into the air. Kelsey shot a glance to her friend. How did he always, in some way or another, know what was on her mind? Johnny opened his mouth to reply but he didn't get the chance to say anything.
"I don't care," Kelsey spat, "He probably went somewhere and got drunk, takes after our dear mother like that."
Pony sighed, not wanting to press on anymore than he had. She was clearly upset and a bit more touchy than usual.
"I don't really want to head home yet," Johnny said as he shrugged, "You want to head to the lot for a bit Pony?" Ponyboy nodded.
"What about you Kels?"
Kelsey looked unsure. She glanced at her watch, "Don't think so, Mom is probably home by now anyway." A smile appeared on her face.
"You boys could always escort me home though, before heading to the lot. You know, in case a big scary Soc tried to rape me or something'!" They all burst into side-splitting laughter as she finished her sentence.
"Yeah, oh'course we will Kels." Pony replied, his voice laced with amusing sarcasm.
"Who in their right mind would try and attack you? And if they did, you'd probably just kill them yourself. We've all seen you wrestle Steve before." They all continued to laugh. It seemed they were all now recalling the time Steve had made a snide remark about her. He ended up doing that a lot whenever Two-Bit, Darry or Soda wasn't around. She didn't know why he felt the need to insult and harass her; she never understood Steve Randle. He did the same sort of thing to Ponyboy too.
They continued to walk, taking a quick turn down the road on which the Mathews' house resided. The streetlights were dull and the crumbling paved road was damp. It was a normal lower class neighborhood: cracked paint covered the walls; old appliances were strewn about some yards; even broken windows were a normal sight on a regular street.
They rounded the corner and stopped in the driveway of her house. Kelsey glanced through the window to her home while noticing her mother's car in the drive way. She turned and said her goodbyes to her friends.
"Oh, and Pony?"
He glanced back at her as they continued walking, "Yeah?"
"If, uhm, you see Two-Bit at your house or on your way to the lot, tell him I'm sorry." She said it shortly and simply for she knew Ponyboy understood her. She nodded her head and walked up to her house.
Kelsey was only one step into the house when she heard people arguing in the kitchen. She sighed when she realized it was her mother and her brother again. She tried to walk past the kitchen and flee to her room quickly so she could avoid being pulled into the argument. But just as she walked by, her brother called out to her.
"Kelsey, get in here." he said in a sort of low growl.
She sighed, yet again, and walked into the kitchen. Their mom was sitting at the table drinking a mug of coffee.
"No, Mom, you don't have to work again tonight do yea'?" She asked her mother, who in turn just nodded.
"I'm sorry hun, I asked for the afternoon off and I meant to come home and see you kids. But I ended up spending it job hunting again and getting no where." She rose from her seat and walked over to her daughter, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
"Can't you just not go in?" Two-Bit exclaimed, "Ma, you can't just live off coffee and no sleep to support us!"
"TB, for now, I truly do. Don't worry, I'll sleep on my breaks." And with that, she gave them a reluctant smile and headed out the door. Two-Bit sighed, a sense of anger in his voice. He glared at his sister.
"Don't even get me started on you," He shook his head.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she shot back at him, as she watched her mother pull out of the driveway and disappear down the street.
"Oh c'mon Kels, what are you doing smoking?"
"It's not like there is anything else to do in this town! Except maybe steal things." she sent him a cold hard stare, "And where do you think I picked it up?"
"Where? Don't you dare blame this on me Kelsey Marie, we bother can blame dad for this 'habit', that no good.." Two-Bit continued to call their father numerous cuss words.
"Stop." She spoke quietly.
"No. I won't stop. He is a lousy father, just give up all your hope in him, he's not coming back!"
"Just stop! You know how much that bothers me. Yet you keep talkin', not even pretending to care about my feelings anymore! Fine. You just stay at home and drink daddy away then! Another bad habit you picked up from our parents!" As she finished her sentence, she was yelling. And she felt tears coming. Her anger was bottling up within her. She grabbed his half empty beer bottle from the table and threw it across the room, waiting to hear the sound of it shattering to hundreds of pieces. She rushed to the door.
"Kels, wait!"
"No."
He followed her out the door and grabbed hold of her arm, "Kels, just calm down. I said I was sorry!"
"But you aren't sorry. You never are. Just leave me be!" She pulled away from his grasp and ran from her house, ignoring the pleas of her brother from behind.
She didn't know where this rage was coming from, but there it was, out. As much as she loved her brother, this was partly his fault. Right? He was the one who always ended up drinking his sorrows away, it was his choice. Or was it? Maybe it was horrible traits he had unknowingly picked up from people around him; people that influenced him.. like their father.
Why did she have this re-occuring thought of her father coming back home, bounding in at dinner time with bundles of money making their life complete? False hope. Yet she carried it around so she would have something to hold on to; something to grasp. Did she really think it would get her by?
She kicked a lone rock across the sidewalk as she stopped at the park. She had fond memories of this park. Sunday morning walks with her father and their old dog Sunny, and her begging Two-Bit to come along so she would have someone to swing with. She smiled peacefully as she recalled those moments and rested on one of the swings, looking out at the rest of the park. She thought she saw two framilar voices off in the shadow, coming from the direction of the lot.
"Johnny! Pony? Is that you?" she yelled out, her voice sweeping across the silence and leaving a soft echo. The heads of the two people suddenly turned to her direction, as she could roughly see the outline of Johnny's jean jacket.
"Kels?" They shouted back at her, turning to walk in her direction. She rose from the swings and started to walk to the far end where her friends were coming from. But suddenly, a car screeched to a stop at the road. She turned to see what kind of drunk maniac was out driving this late. She sighed in an angry fashion as she recognized the car. It belonged to the Soc's who were at the movies earlier. She hoped they would just keep driving as she turned and started walking again, but then she heard a door open, then slam closed.
"Hey, I remember her.. she was lookin' at me in a lovey way at the movies t'night.." slurred one of the boys, who were now walking towards her. Oh great, she thought, just what I need. She glanced over to Pony and Johnny who were still walking over, then looked back towards the Socs.
"Y'all shouldn't even be here, too drunk to see your not in your territory?" she shot at them, crossing her arms. A determined look appeared on her face, as she quickly forgot about her brother.
"Shut up, scum. What, do you think you can stop us?"
She rolled her eyes and turned away, muttering cuss words under her breath. Suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder; a hand she wasn't framilar with.
"What did you just say grease?" Her eyes met with his as she snapped her head around. She could see anger rising in his eyes, and she desperatly hoped Pony and Johnny were closer by now.
"I-i s-sa-said.." she stuttered, suddenly noticing the large amounts of his followers, hanging on her every word. She took a few deep breaths in and out.
"Hey! Get yourr hands off of'er!" Pony jumped in, leaping at the arm attached to her shoulder.
"Get 'em boys!"
(Whoooa, I'm sorry if the end seemed a tab bit rushed, but I don't think it's too bad. Also, I am sorry for the lateness of this update, I have been engrossed in school work lately, and every spare moment I jump on the computer and do some typing. Please leave a review to tell me how I am doing! Thanks for reading.)