It sounds dumb, but I'd genuinely thought small town cops would be less assholey than the jerks who swaggered around the East Side, waiting to pull up greasers for anything they could. But it turns out they're the same all over and, to make things worse, they really don't appreciate us city hoodlums comin' in and makin' trouble for all them good ol' boys they got out there. So.
They'd slammed us against the side of Steve's car and had our hands twisted and cuffed behind our backs before Two-Bit could even spit out his customary 'Jesus, take me out for dinner first!' There was two of 'em, an older guy who was clearly callin' the shots and his younger partner who bought the muscle.
The old guy leaned against Steve's car like he owned it, tossin' the keys slowly up in the air then catching them in his palm. Beside me I could feel Steve trembling with rage. We all despised cops, but Steve's hatred ran thickest due to all the incidents that had happened with his Dad. Except Dal, of course. The only way this evening could have gone any worse was if he'd been here with us, runnin' his wicked mouth.
"You hoodlums think you can just show up and start wreaking havoc? Ain't enough that you've ruined your own neighbourhoods, now you wanna start in on ours too? Well not on my watch, boys! This here town is full of good, hard-workin', Christian folk and we plan on keepin' it that way! Search the car, Delaney. You never know what trouble punks like these are lookin' to get in to." I'd managed to keep my face blank while listening to the Old Cop's tirade (hell it weren't like I hadn't heard it all before) but my heart turns to ice at his final words because goddamn it Pony's still hidden in the footwell of the backseat. All I can do it turn to stare at Steve, looking to him as I so often do, to get me out of the mess I've made.
"Fuck…" he hisses under his breath and I can see his mind frantically trying to come up with something but Delaney is a good little soldier and has yanked open the driver's side door before either of us can even try to stop him. Now, my brother knows how to be quiet. Darry and I sometimes lose him in our small three bed house, finding him hours later curled up in some hidden nook with a dreamy look on his face. As Delaney starts to angrily paw through Steve's car, I will Pony to pull a similar disappearing act.
He does real good until Delaney finishes up in the front and slams his fist against into the dashboard, I guess in frustration at not finding a secret haul of black-market goods or somthin'. Steve winces next to me, out of concern for his car or Ponyboy I wouldn't like to say, and I hear my brother's alarmed yelp a split second later. He sounds like a frightened pup.
There's a long pause as we all process the noise, louder than it has a right to be in the silent country night, and then "WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES?!" explodes out of Old Cop's mouth like a grenade going off. Two-Bit, Steve and I all flinch despite ourselves and even Delaney looks alarmed, reaching into the back of the car so fast he almost yanks the door offa it's hinges.
"It's a kid!" He hollers and I close my eyes in despair. When I open them again he's got Pony by the scruff of his sweatshirt, a triumphant look on his face like a hunter holdin' up his kill. My little brother looks like he's tryna decide whether to burst into tears or throw up.
"Well, well…" Old Cop drawls smugly, looking back and forth between us. "Just what do we have here then?" Again there's a beat of silence that I know is on me to fill, but I got nothin'. "They're startin' 'em off younger and younger, ya see, Delaney? It's like I told ya, there ain't no hope for kids like this, they're bad to the bone before they're even old enough to shave. How old are you, son? Eleven? Twelve?"
Pony presses his lips tight together and the cop's face grows redder as the silence stretches. Delaney shakes him roughly and my brother's eyes lock with mine despite the dark.
"You answer when a police officer addresses you, kid! Show some goddamn respect!" I've had the bad luck to encounter cops like Delaney before and know it's only a matter of time before he starts demanding answers with his fists. I desperately want to get Ponyboy away from him but my hands are literally tied and I'm feelin' more useless than I ever have in my life.
"What the hell are you doin' in there, kid? I thought we told you you couldn't come with us tonight!" Hearing angry words in Two-Bit's voice is so unusual that for a second I don't even recognise it. "He musta snuck in without us knowin', Officer. Gee, you know how kids can be, always gettin' into somethin'!"
Two-Bit tries to chuckle but it comes out soundin' uneasy and I suddenly get what he's tryna do by actin' buddy buddy with Old Cop. He wants him to see us as a bunch of dumb kids so he'll quit lookin' at us like we're a group of dangerous JDs jonesing to jump god-fearin' citizens and decide we ain't worth the trouble. It's not at lot, but it's all we got goin' for us right now so I quickly jump in.
"He's my kid brother, I'm watchin' him for the evening and well, boys will be boys!" I paste on my most 'aw-shucks' smile as Old Cop narrows his eyes suspiciously, lookin' between me and Pony like we might be out to trick him. Thank god the kid is the spit of me.
"And hoodlums will be hoodlums," Old Cop drawls after a long moment and the fact that he does it while staring directly at my rule-following, library-book-borrowing, dean's-list-topping, still-too-young-to-have-ever-done-anything-to-anybody little brother makes the blood start pounding in my head and so help me god if my hands weren't cuffed... "Get 'em in the car, Delaney - we'll take 'em down the station and see how cocksure they are then!"
Delaney looks surprised at the barked order, probably hopin' he'd be allowed to crack a few skulls before things got official, but dutifully begins to move towards us, awkwardly steering Pony in front of him by the scruff of his neck. As soon as he's close enough my brother reaches for me but Old Cop yanks him away by his arm so hard it nearly knocks him over and Steve, of all people, lets out a shout of shocked protest.
"Hey, man, easy! He ain't done nothin' to you!"
"Shut your goddamn mouth else I'll add disrespectin' an officer of the law to your charge sheet, Bucko! The boy's stayin' with me for questioning and if he tells me what I wanna know he might just avoid spendin' the night in the drunk tank with you degenerates."
"Wait, what?! Who's drunk?!" Two-Bit yelped as Delaney began yanking on his cuffs to steer him away from our vehicle and towards their cruiser. Ironically he was probably the closest to drunk out of all of us, but seriously, he was hardly slurrin' his words!
Pony stood next to Old Cop, his body completely rigid and so small compared to the man's straining belly and towering anger. He watched as we were unceremoniously herded past them and I can honestly say I would've done anything - anything - in that moment to be able to reach out and grab him up in my arms. But there was nothin' I could do except allow myself to be hustled along between Steve and Two-Bit, each metallic rattle of our handcuffs re-enforcing what a terrible older brother I was.
Delaney's face was like a slab of rock as he guided each of us into the backseat of the cop car, slamming the door with more force then necessary and stalking back over to his partner and Ponyboy. I was in the middle seat and immediately tried to sit forward, straining to keep my brother in my line of sight through the steel mesh that separated us from the front seats.
"That fat cop's freakin' loony," Steve griped to my left, shifting about in an attempt to find a more comfortable position and jostling me in the process. "Disrespectin' an officer of the law ain't even a real charge!"
"Shit shit shit," I muttered as I watched Old Cop throw his arms up in the air and bear down over Pony. "What's he gonna say to him?! Pony don't do good with people yellin' at him!"
"Ponykid won't go runnin' his mouth will he, Soda? That monkey-lookin' one had hands like ham hocks and I bet he ain't shy about usin' em…" Two-Bit asked quietly, leaning over my shoulder to peer through the cage with me.
"Nah, Dal and I gave him and Johnnycakes the lowdown on our friendly neighbourhood police force. Kid knows the score." Steve chimed in and I felt Two-Bit nod.
"I don't like this, guys, I don't like this at all! They shoulda let me stay with him! They ain't even supposed to be questionin' him without Darry there, right?" I could feel the panic rising in my chest the longer Pony was kept away from me. What were they even askin' him about?!
"Cool it, Soda, it's just a cop tactic! They're tryna freak us out and you're lettin' 'em! They know the kid don't know nothin' about nothin', especially after Two-Bit fed 'em that cock and bull story about him sneakin' into the car and us havin' no idea."
"I ain't good for much but I can lie like a carpet," Keith agreed, giving me a jab in the ribs. "Steve's right Soda, the kid'll keep his mouth shut and the most they'll have on us is drinkin' underage and maybe disturbin' the peace if they can somehow prove we were at the party. That's a slap on the wrist and a lecture for Pony on how he's still got time to turn his life around then blamo, we're home and dry!"
"Sure, unless they call CPS. Nutjob or not that cop's got it in for us and god knows what ideas he's puttin' into Pony's head!"
"Soda, relax, man. As far as they know, Pony's just a regular kid with two parents who didn't wanna get left at home on a Friday night," Steve spoke unusually softly and I knew he was trying to keep me calm. Two-Bit shook his head and sighed heavily.
"Who would've thought cops hate greasers just as much out here as they do in the city. Ain't nowhere safe for us, man!" None of us had anything to say to that so we lapsed into silence, watching as Old Cop and Delaney continued their intergeneration. I knew Pony was tuff, but he was still just a kid and he hadn't had half as many run-ins with police as the rest of us had. I could only imagine how freaked out he was.
It felt way longer but was probably only about five minutes before Delaney bought Pony over to the car. Thankfully they hadn't cuffed him like they had us, because I really think that would've been too much for me to take. The door on Two-Bit's side was pulled open and a rush of fresh air was pushed in, closely followed by my brother. Since we were already taking up the entire backseat he hastily scrambled up and over Keith, Delaney looming behind him to slam the door closed again as soon as he'd pulled his feet inside.
We were already pretty rammed in without having Ponyboy dumped on top of us so there was a lot of grunting and shovin' goin' on. Between us we eventually got him sat on his knees kind of half wedged between myself and Two-Bit which wasn't ideal for either of us but must've suited Pony because he practically threw himself against me, wrapping his freezing cold arms around my neck and clinging like he'd never let go again.
"Oh, Pone…" I sighed, trying to shift my upper body to be angled more in his direction but findin' it impossible thanks to those damn cuffs. "Don't cry, honey, ok? No cryin', you're ok. Don't cry…"
I keep repeatin' it over and over, not sure if I was tryna convince Pony or myself. I just knew if he started bawlin' I'd join in right along with him and that was the last thing we needed. I was desperate to touch him, stroke his hair or rub his back or anything just to give him some comfort but with my arms out of action all I could do was nuzzle my nose against his head and hope that was enough.
"I'm not cryin'," he whined eventually, even though I could feel his eyelashes flutterin' against my neck which meant he was blinking rapidly to fight off tears. "But…but I'm stayin' with you now, right, Soda? I get to stay with you?"
"You bet, kiddo," I assured him, like I had any control over what was gonna happen to us. But my kid brother still believed I did and damned if these asshole cops were gonna do anything to damage that!
"What did the pigs say to you, Pony?" Steve was leaning forward and watching us closely. "Come on now, sit up properly and stop actin' silly."
My brother sniffed and pulled back from me, frowning at Steve resentfully. "I'm not!" He whined again but let go of my neck.
"No poutin' either, we ain't got time for baby stuff!" Steve shot straight back and Pony looked like he was gearing up to argue but Two-Bit butted in before he got the chance.
"Come on, Ponykid, sit back against me and give us the story," Keith quickly distracted him. Ponyboy complied, albeit huffily, and settled himself on his lap while stretching his legs out across me and Steve.
"Well, they know about the party," he said seriously, looking around at all of us to make sure he had our attention. "The mean cop said he's sick of all y'all city kids comin' out here to stir up trouble and he ain't gonna stand for it no more so I'd better tell him right now what y'all had planned or else. He was real angry and he was shoutin' right in my face but I didn't say nothin', just like you told me Steve."
My buddy nodded. "You done good, kid. That asshat was just tryna psych you out 'cause he knows he ain't got nothin' on us."
"What kinda trouble they think we're looking to get into all the way out here anyway? Stealin' heifers?!" Two-Bit shook his head in disbelief.
"They say anything else, Pone? Like what they plan on doin' with us?" Now I knew we weren't in serious trouble my mind was beginning to move on to what came next and I was pretty sure it weren't anything good.
"I think they're gonna take us down the station, Soda," he replied quietly, knowing it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear. Suddenly he sat up straighter, like he's just thought of something. "Oh no! That means they're gonna call Darry?!"
"'Fraid do, Bud…" I agreed sadly, knocking Steve with my knee when he started sniggering. Pony looked stricken for a second before suddenly twisting around and sucker punching Two-Bit in the chest.
"You gotta promise to tell Darry the truth and not that dumb lie you told the cops! I never sneaked out, I didn't even wanna come, Soda and Steve made me!"
"Oww!" Two-Bit yelped, probably more because it took him by surprise than anything but still, my kid brother's been play fightin' with us since he could walk so he knows how to hit right! "Jesus, Ponyboy! You been eatin' your spinach or what?! I won't be sayin' a damn word to Muscles since I like having use of both my freakin' legs so you can lay offa me!"
"Christ, he's more scared of Darry than he is the damn cops!" Steve crowed, causing Pony's head to snap in his direction. "Don't worry, kid, I'll be more than happy to tell Superman allllll about what you and Curly Shepard got into tonight! Don't go thinkin' you're gonna come outta this smellin' of roses, if we're goin' down you're sure as shootin' comin' with us!"
"Sodaaaa!" Pony whined, scowling at Steve as he kicked out at him with his feet. I shrugged at him while Steve cursed up a storm and tried unsuccessfully to move away.
"He ain't wrong, Pone. We might lie to the cops but we ain't gonna lie to Dar, 'specially after he drives all the way back to save our bacon." Pony's scowl settled into a full-on pout but he didn't argue with me so I knew I'd hit a nerve.
"He's gonna be so mad," he mumbled softly, bringing his thumb up to his mouth to gnaw on like he does when he's anxious. Things had turned out so shitty I decided not to call him out on it, figuring he needed all the comfort he could get right now.
"Hey, at least the fuzz ain't takin' us into the woods to dole out some good ol' hillbilly justice!" Two-Bit piped up and while I guess he was right, the last thing I needed was him puttin' ideas into Pony's head and freakin' him out more. "I heard about this one guy who got caught liftin' hubcaps way out near the rez and -"
"Zip it, Keith," I cut him off, deliberately stressin' his proper name and jabbing my elbow into his side for good measure. "We ain't in the mood for your stories right now!"
"Get that thumb outta your mouth! Jesus, we never should've bought you with us in the first place!" Steve snapped as he caught sight of Pony, lashin' out as was his way when he feels outta control. Ponyboy just ducked his head into Two-Bit's shoulder, his thumb stayin' firmly where it was. I figured he was starting to crash after the adrenaline of the last hour and was liable to nod off pretty soon.
"Leave him be, Steve, he ain't hurtin' no-one!" Two-Bit jumped to my brother's defence and I could sense a full-scale row comin' on which would really be the icing on the cake.
"Everyone shut up!" I yelled before Steve could retaliate, feelin' like Darry tryna corral us all at Sunday dinner. "Gettin' mad at each other ain't gonna help anything! The best chance we got of gettin' through the next few hours is by keepin' our heads down and stickin' together so that's exactly what we're gonna do. If you ain't got nothin' helpful to say, don't say nothin'!"
There was a beat of silence before Steve let out a huff to my left, shifting so he was angled away from the rest of us to stare outta the window. "Alright Darry, keep ya shirt on!" Two-Bit grouched from my other side, throwin' my earlier tone back in my face but resting his chin on Pony's head and closing his eyes all the same. "Might as well get some shut-eye while we're waitin', it's gonna be a long night."
"Yeah, that ain't a bad idea. Let's all catch forty winks while we can," I decided and no one said anythin' against it so I guess that was settled. I sighed, tryin' to settle into a more comfortable position in my own seat and failin' miserably. But I guess I must've dozed off because next thing I know I'm jerked back to consciousness by a loud hooting noise right outside the car and a second later a large shape came swooping out of the darkness.
"Argh! Fuck! What was that?!" Steve hissed, blinking blearily out at the window as the shape zoomed away from us.
"It's ok, I think it was just an owl or somethin'," I muttered, tryin' to calm my own breathin' while checkin' on Ponyboy who luckily hadn't woken up.
"An owl?" Steve repeated incredulously, still peering suspiciously into the darkness. "Jesus, it scared the shit outta me. What kind of crazy town is this, man, freakin' owls flyin' around all over the place?!"
"I fuckin' hate the country," Two-Bit grumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Amen," Stevie and I responded in unison and it seemed that there was nothin' more to say than that.
Sorry for the delay with this chapter, it's a filler and I find those way harder to write than chapters with lots of action! Thank you for being patient with me and sticking around!