"This is y'all's station house? Jesus, what a dump!" Two-Bit declared as we pulled up in front of a squat, ugly building. He wasn't wrong, but I couldn't help cringing as his obnoxious voice tore through the uneasy silence of the cruiser. I shouldn't have been surprised since Keith was a notoriously rowdy drunk. When we'd passed the 'Welcome to Kiefer, OK, population 503' sign on the outskirts of town he'd laughed so hard he nearly choked to death. I have no idea how he'd managed to smuggle a hip flask full of liquor through the pat down we'd received before they'd cuffed us but then again he's always been a nimble-fingered son of a gun.
Delaney had driven us to the station as Old Cop had taken Steve's car back to the city to be impounded. He'd taken great pleasure in informin' us of this fact and Steve had sat rigid with fury ever since. Gettin' a car out of impound was not only a huge hassle, but it cost money that none of us had goin' spare. The guys down there always took their sweet time gettin' the paperwork in order to boot, which meant realistically Steve would be without his car for at least the next couple of weeks. Not only would he be stuck walking to school and work, but his dad was bound to notice. He was always quick to think the worst of Steve and now he'd have fresh ammunition dumped straight in his lap.
"Jesus, Keith, for once in your life will you just shut up!" Steve snapped, understandably not in the mood for Two-Bit's foolishness. He'd been the one nudge me awake in the back of the cruiser and nod towards Keith, then we'd both watched in astonishment as, using nothing more than his teeth, he'd somehow managed drag the small hip flask out of an inner pocket, undo the top and knock it back in one giant gulp, all without wakin' Ponyboy who'd remained passed out on his lap! It really was a sight to behold, my only regret bein' he wasn't willing/able to share it. I'm not usually much of a drinker but a little bit of liquid courage definitely wouldn't have gone amiss and god knows Steve could've used a drink.
Delaney, the brute, responded to the fuss by slamming his foot on the break so hard the tires squealed, sending us spilling forward against the metal cage that kept us holed up in the back. Since all our hands were cuffed we had no way of bracin' ourselves against the impact and, judgin' from the cursing and groans, we were all gonna be bruised up come mornin'. Amongst the jumble of arms and legs I could hardly manage to get myself back up onto the seat and Delaney's booming laughter wasn't helping either. We musta looked completely ridiculous.
"Not such tough guys now, are ya? That'll teach you punks to keep ya wise cracks behind your teeth!" He watched us struggle for a good few minutes, wipin' his eyes and slappin' his knee like we were the funniest show he'd ever seen. The more we tried to fix ourselves the more tangled up we seemed to get and I could feel my face heatin' up with embarrassment. Mercifully he eventually got out of the car, givin' us a brief respite to sort ourselves out.
"There's somethin' wrong with that cop, I'm tellin' ya," Steve grumbled as he used his feet to push off against the back of the passenger seat and attempted to wriggle himself back into an upright position like a worm.
"Yeah, where's his sense of humour?!" Two-Bit lamented and I'm pretty sure if it hadn't been for the handcuffs Steve would've jumped him right there and then. My best buddy could put up with a lot, but I knew he'd pretty much reached his limit for tonight.
"I swear to god, Matthews, as soon as these bracelets are off I'm gonna rearrange your face so bad your own mother won't recognise you!" Two-Bit just cackled in response, whatever giggle juice he'd had in his flask havin' well and truly done it's job.
"Pone, are you ok?" I called over the commotion, aware that bein' slammed against a metal grate in the back of a cop car was a really shitty way to be woken up.
"I'm ok," came my brother's strained voice and when I turned my head towards it I could just make out one of his skinny arms poking up from the footwell. "But Two-Bit's squashing me!"
"Sorry, kiddo," Two-Bit hicupped back, makin' absolutely no effort to move himself. "Thanks for cushioning the blow, though! Ouch! Jesus, Pony, your elbows could cut glass!"
"Serves you right!" I muttered right as Pony, always one to give as good as he gets, yelped, "Get off me then, you weigh about a million tonnes!"
Delaney chose that exact moment to yank open the car door and Pony practically fell out of the cruiser, sprawling at his feet on the sidewalk. The asshole sighed like this whole evening had been sent deliberately by god to test him and hauled my brother roughly to his feet, barking at him to stand beside the cruiser and not move or else. Two-Bit was next, yanked up by the collar of his shirt. I winced as his head cracked against the roof - guess Delaney hadn't forgotten his smart mouth after all.
He wasn't exactly gentle with my either, but at least I didn't get my head busted. He shoved me to stand next to Keith, who was swaying on the spot from the liquor or the bash to the head I couldn't say. Croked as he may be, I hoped he had sense enough to keep his mouth shut around Delaney from now on, else things might get nasty. A tentative tug at my back belt-loops pulled me from my thoughts and I glanced to my other side, where Pony had positioned himself so close he was practically standin' on my feet. It was what we'd always taught him to do in a situation where we needed to stick together but Darry or I didn't have a spare hand to hold onto him with. It was mostly useful in rumbles and the like, but I guess we were about to head into a different kind of rumble once we walked through those police station doors so it made sense. I could still twist my hands despite the cuffs and I managed to grab a hold of his wrist with one hand, gripping tightly to let him know I wasn't lettin' go of him for nothin'.
By now Steve had also been 'helped' out of the car and Delaney slammed the door behind him, the noise ringing out like a gunshot along Kiefer's silent main street. Despite how deserted it seemed I was certain we'd be the talk of the town come morning - three city greasers and a kid arrivin' in the dead of night was probably the most excitin' thing to happen 'round these parts in a good long time. God I hate small towns. To make things worse Delaney, like the stand up guy he is, made a big show of escortin' us into the building like he thought we'd somehow manage to break free of our chains and jump him the second he had his back turned. It made me feel real crappy to tell the truth and I hated the fact that Pony was havin' to experience this right along with us. He's a perceptive, emotional kid and I just knew he was takin' in everything that was happening and learnin' things about the world and our place in it that I'd hoped to keep from him just a little bit longer.
Once inside we were frogmarched to stand facing a grimy wall, where Delaney finally saw fit to release us from our handcuffs. My shoulders had been screamin' at me since pretty much the second they'd been put on so bein' able to move around freely again felt like bliss and I could feel my fingers tingling as the blood rushed back into my hands. There was hardly time to enjoy it though as Delaney was immediately barking orders at us and pushing us towards a row of wooden chairs further down the wall.
"Any funny business, anything at all, and I'll have all of youse back in chains quicker than you can blink, and that includes the kid!" He threatened, glaring as we sat down where he'd directed. He stared us down for a minute longer before stalking away, headin' towards the reception desk and pulling our ids out of his pocket as he went. Beside me Ponyboy let out a rush of air and I realised he musta been holdin' his breath. I quickly pulled him against me, givin' him a gentle noogie until he squirmed away.
"He's scary," he whispered, swatting at my hands when I went to reach for him again. "He really hates us and we've not done a thing to him. He smacked Two-Bit's head against the car on purpose - I saw him!"
"Hush," I scolded softly, not wantin' him to be dwelling on such things. "At least there's other people here now so he can't pull anythin' sneaky without havin' to answer for it."
My brother nodded and reached for my closest hand, running his fingers across the red marks left by the handcuffs. The action seemed to calm him so I let him be, turning my attention to the police station itself. I could see the receptionist eyeing us with interest and knew my prediction of us becoming town gossip was good. I'm pretty used to people starin' at me since I have one of them faces like you see on the big-shot movie posters and it's done me well many times in the past, but right about now I'd happily be the ugliest Joe in town if it meant I could blend in with the furniture.
I suppose we do create a bit of a spectacle, with our greased up hair and leather jackets, all lined up like pigs to the slaughter. Plus there's Ponyboy who looks younger than he is at the best of times. He's still holdin' my wrist but has stopped tracing the marks and is now focused on scuffin' the toe of his tennis shoe against the floor. I move my hand to lay on his thigh, wanting him to quit because it's makin' my antsy, and he stills but doesn't look at me. I know he's busy workin' things out in his head, tryna make sense of this strange night as best he can because Pony likes to understand things, the why and the how of it all. I reckon it'll take him a while so I use the opportunity to pow-wow with the others.
"Alright so we all get a phone call," I whispered, angling my body towards Two-bit and Steve who were both sat on my other side. "Obviously I'm gonna call Darry, are either of y'all gonna use yours?"
"Hell no." Steve declared, clearly already havin' thought about it.
"I gotta get a hold of Dal somehow. Me and him were meant to drive out to Muskogee tomorrow to see about some saddle he's interested in but that sure as shit ain't happenin' now. He's gonna be pissed." Two-Bit sounded uncharacteristically regretful and both Steve and I scoffed in unison.
"Like your hunk 'a junk woulda made it to Muskogee! You can tell Dallas he had a lucky escape!" Steve crowed, while I was incredulous for a different reason.
"Dally is the least of our problems, Two! You hear what I said about callin' Darry?! We'll be lucky to make it outta the building before he starts kickin' ass!" That sure got their attention!
"Shit, he wouldn't, would be Soda? Not here in front of everyone?!" Steve look pained at the thought and I shrugged.
"I dunno, he's threatened it. Plus it's what our Dad did to him when he got pulled over after his senior prom, not out in the open but he took him into someone's office and whupped him good. He still blushes when he talks about it now!"
"Man, just when I thought this night couldn't get any worse! We have to tell him, right? I mean there ain't no other option?" I'd been racking my brains since the cops showed up tryna think of any possible way we could get out of this mess without involving Darry but had come up with zilch.
"Not that I can see, guess we don't know a whole lotta responsible adults. Actually that reminds me…" I quickly turned to my brother, nudging him with my elbow to get his attention. "Pone? Ponyboy? Do you remember the name of the lodge where Darry's stayin'? I'm gonna have to look up the number in the phone book."
"Umm I think it's something like Highburn or Hillhead maybe…" He trailed off, crinkling his nose like he does when he's thinking hard. "It definitely begins with H…"
"Hillcrest!" I blurted as the name suddenly came to me. "That's it! Good job, kiddo."
"But it's real late, Soda. How will they let Darry know where we are?"
"I dunno, Pone. I guess they'll wait 'til mornin' when they come in for supplies. Dar said they planned to go fishin' remember?"
"So…we'll be here… overnight?" I could practically see his brain processing this new information and not liking the answer he came up with.
"Don't worry, Ponykid, there ain't no beds in jail so there's nowhere for the monsters to hide!" Two-Bit joked and I elbowed him in the stomach without even botherin' to turn round.
"'Fraid so, bub. But you'll be with me and the guys so you know nothin' bad is gonna happen to you - right?" He nodded after a moment, but still didn't look convinced, his eyes flicking nervously between us all. Sighin' in defeat I did the only thing I was good for and quickly wrapped my arm around him, tuckin' him into my side how he likes. He immediately sagged against me and I could tell he was still tired despite dozing off in the car earlier. I really wanted to get us somewhere he could lay down and rest properly but I knew the only chance of that was in a police cell and the thought of havin' to take my little brother into one of those made me feel sick to my stomach.
As I moved my hand gently up and down Pony's side to try and settle him a little I couldn't help but notice the activity goin' on at the reception desk. A second man had come outta a side-room and was now standing next to the desk, talking animatedly with Delaney and the receptionist. Every so often they'd glance across at us and I know they weren't gabbin' about what great kids we are. After watchin' them for a few moments I began to realise they were lookin' more towards Ponyboy than the rest of us and I felt a shiver of fear go through me. Makin' sure to keep my hand steady so my brother wouldn't pick up on anythin' I carefully bumped my knee against Two-Bit's.
"Guys, can either of y'all make out what they're sayin' over there? They keep lookin' over at Pone and I don't like it…" I trailed off, knowin' my buddies would understand how serious this was. They were fully versed in our family situation and, while we hadn't had any trouble from CPS in a while, a visit from the social worker was a threat that constantly hovered over us.
"Can't be nothin' good," Steve mumbled back and I hummed in agreement.
"You think they're tryna decide if they should call social services? Pony didn't even tell them his name so there's no way they can know about us, right? Shit but they have my license! Oh fuck, what if they've been able to look up our file?! What if-"
Steve cut me off before I could spiral completely. "Soda, we're in freakin' Hicksville, Oklahoma! They're not the CIA for pete's sake!"
"Don't worry, boys, I got this," Two-Bit drawled and before I could ask him what the hell he was plannin' he'd started hollerin'. "Hey Delaney, we want our phone calls! We got rights y'know!" Pony stirred in my arms as Keith turned to wink at me. "Not talkin' now are they?!" He whispered triumphantly as Delaney whipped around and began to stalk towards us with a face like thunder.
"Oh my god, Keith," Steve groaned, soundin' both incredulous and begrudgingly impressed. "You just don't know when to quit, do ya?!"
"That's what all the ladies say," he quipped, wipin' the grin from his face just in time for Delaney to arrive. "Hey chief, it's gettin' late and the kid requires a cup of hot milk and a lullaby before bed so can we get things movin' around here? I know you country boys like to do things a little slower than us city slickers and usually I ain't one for complainin' but I swear I just saw a tumbleweed roll on by!"
The whole place seemed to hold its breath as Delaney stood in front of Keith and regarded him coolly. I could hardly believe the balls on Two-Bit, I knew the drink made him reckless but geez louise was he tryna get himself killed?! I sent a quick, dirty prayer up to God that he wouldn't swing for him and I guess He heard me because after a long, tense minute all Delaney did was shake his head in disgust.
"You boys ain't even worth the trouble," he sneered, spittin' a glob of saliva on the floor by our feet. "Come and make your goddamn phone calls, the quicker y'all are outta my sight the better."
Two-Bit and I exchange a wary glance before gettin' to our feet, wonderin' if this was some kind of trick. Despite my prayers I'd been almost certain Two-Bit was facin' a beat down of epic proportions and I'd wager he'd been thinkin' the same. He might've even planned for it, hopin' to create enough of a spectacle that everyone would forget all about Pony and whatever 'civic duty' they felt towards him. There's a lot you can say about Two-Bit and most of it's bad, but no one could ever claim he don't step up when it counts and I was proud to call him my buddy.
In all the commotion I'd almost forgotten about Ponyboy and it was only when I felt him reach for my hand that I realised that he didn't know what was going on and assumed he was comin' with me. I felt badly about it but truth be told I didn't want him there when I made the call to our brother. I was almost certain I wouldn't be able to talk to Darry directly due to the late hour which meant I'd have to leave a message for him and I'd have to choose my words carefully so as not to freak him out. I'd be able to think more clearly without Pony hangin' offa me. I also wanted to keep him as far away from anyone official lookin' as possible. All of Two-Bit's hard work would be for nothin' if we went and shoved Ponyboy right under their noses, especially lookin' as anxious and clinging as he was.
"It's just us makin' the calls," I said quickly, actin' like I was speakin' to Delaney but really tryna explain to Ponyboy why I was pullin' my hand away. "The others are stayin' put."
Delaney just rolled his eyes like he was completely done with our nonsense and gave us each a shove in the back to get us movin'. I quickly twisted around, thinkin' I'd have to tell Steve he might have to get over himself and let Pony cuddle with him until I got back. I needn't have worried though since he was already turning towards my brother, lifting up his arm as an invitation.
"Come on, then," he sighed, soundin' resigned to his fate. "Get your butt over here 'fore I change my mind." Pony was flush against his side not a second later and I couldn't help but smile despite everything. Sure, tonight hadn't been my finest hour and Darry was gonna have my hide but at least I'd be facin' it with my buddies beside me. Besides, life would be pretty damn borin' without a little trouble, don't ya think?!