Another chapter comin' at you!
Ok this was going to be longer…but it felt good to take a break. So…hopefully you all won't feel I am dragging this on too long. I don't want anyone to be bored…so just think of the next, upcoming chapter as a continuation of this one! ;)
Wow-thanks to EVERYONE for the reviews. SO fabulous! Yay! Keep leaving them-they make me update faster.
Yah I bribed. So what? You wanna fight about it? ;) hehe
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1 Week Later…Soda's POV…
"You think they saw me take it?"
"Soda, it's a pool cue. You can't really hide it." Steve pointed out helpfully.
"So true," I said taking the stick and swiping it at his legs. He dodged it, jumping clumsily over it.
"Yeah, but you can hide balls." We both looked at Two-Bit with raised eyebrows. "Pool. Balls."
"I don't even want to know where you hid those," I smirked. Contently, we puffed on cigarettes, as we lingered outside my house. Two-Bit glanced at the door.
"So, uh, there's no white cloth on the door knob. I take it it's safe to go in?"
I shrugged. Darry's girlfriend, Karen, was over. I didn't think much of her. Too Socy…too perky.
Darry hadn't given me any warnings not to interrupt, but I still felt bad about intruding. "C'mon," Steve said reaching for the door handle, "he's not gonna make you sleep outside."
"Yeah, hurry up. I want a beer," Two-Bit trailed Steve in as he pushed the door open.
"You already had five, you drunk," I muttered dryly, following behind them both.
The voices of Darry and Karen wafted from the kitchen.
"…I can't believe you brought those over here," Darry said thinly. I frowned, shutting the door quietly behind me. I knew that tone of voice too well. Stiff. Hard. Almost angry.
"Oh, I don't know why you won't come. The protests are only an hour away-"
"Look, I don't like it any more than you do…but-"
She interrupted it. "Darrel, it's time we show our government that we won't support an immoral war. Including the corrupt individuals who serve in-"
"That's enough Karen!" Darry boomed. Something slammed in the kitchen, glass tinkled. Steve, Two-Bit and I stood silent in the living room. Steve's eyes were shocked and Two-Bit was practically seething.
I was mad enough to start in on her too because Steve shot me the look. I stopped myself.
She came stalking out of the kitchen, Steve and Two-Bit leaping from her path. I had expected to see tears, but instead her face was furious, heated. Her long red hair swirled behind her. Darry stormed after her, stopping suddenly when he saw they had an audience. He hesitated for a moment then continued, "Get this shit out of here." He threw into her arms the protest signs she had brought over.
They read:
"Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids have you killed today?"
and
"Eighteen today, dead tomorrow"Both my face and Karen's face matched: enraged. However, she emitted a tiny shriek. "You'll see," she said haughtily, "we'll change it." Then her eyes scanned us. "I'm doing this for all of you. So you don't have to come home in a body bag."
Darry said it for all of us. "You're crazy."
"Get out of here," I said stepping up.
"Gladly." She smirked at Darry and flashed him the peace sign before exiting the house.
We all exhaled. "So... I take it the romance is dead?" Two-Bit managed to joke.
"Glory Darry you sure know how to pick 'em," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.
Darry seemed as if he had got hit with a 2X4. "I swear I did not know she was such a…a…fanatic." He sank into his recliner. "She just went off tonight," he said in wonder. "Must've been the news…" he mumbled.
Then his pale face looked up at me. "Sodapop, I swear if I had known I would have never…"
Darry felt guilty. Felt like he was betraying me. And Ponyboy.
Plunking on the couch I said lightly, "No worries Darry." I tried to cover best I could but those protest signs had shaken me up. Brought up all my fears about Pony. "Hey, I'm just sorry you can never keep dates because of us."
He smiled at me. "Guess I'll be a bachelor a while longer."
"Shoot," Steve interjected, "as long as you have your brothers living at home with you, you will be a bachelor forever. Even Two-Bit will get hitched first."
We all broke up laughing. Except Darry laughed the hardest, knowing it may be the truth but as long as he had Ponyboy and me here-at home and safe-he wouldn't care.
"Now that the kitchen is free…" Two-Bit trailed off as he went in search of beer.
"Have fun tonight?" Darry attempted to change the subject.
"Sure. I stole a cue stick."
Normally I wouldn't have volunteered such information, however I wanted to get Darry's mind off of what had just happened.
"You what?" he asked in exasperation. Then he held up his hand. "Never mind. I don't want to know." He shook his head, his blue eyes twinkling with laughter.
"Darry, the next time you see fire crotch," Two-Bit shouted from the kitchen, Darry winced at the exclamation, "tell her she can suck on these." Two pool balls rolled across the kitchen floor and into the living room, the 8-ball and the 5-ball bouncing off Steve's shoe. He stared at them in disgust.
"Billiards anyone?" I offered. Darry shot me the same line I had said earlier: I don't even want to know where those have been.
"Classy," Steve said.
"I aim to please, Steve." Somehow managing to balance them in his hands,
Two-Bit threw all of us beers.
The beers hissed as we opened them. We definitely needed one tonight.
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Ok-hope you all liked it!
Chip, chip, cheerio!
Please sir, can I have some more…reviews?
I hope I'm staying in character alright...let me know...
