You better believe I high-tailed it into the living room like the devil himself was after me! I skidded to a stop at the sight of Darry holdin' Pony up by the scruff of his shirt, the neck gaping open to reveal his bruised up shoulder. Last time I'd checked it had just been kind of red, but now I could see it had turned a deep, ugly purple and I mentally kicked myself for forgettin' about it.
"What the heck is this?! Someone put bruises on him?!" Darry unintentionally shook Pony back and forth as he spoke and I didn't miss the panicked look that flashed across my brother's face. Dar can sometimes forget his own strength and be rough without meanin' to be, especially since Pony's such a little shrimp. I moved forward to intervene and hopefully diffuse the situation but Steve beat me to it.
"It was one of them bonehead cops, man. You didn't meet the worst one, Dar, I swear he was a freakin' psycho!" Steve had sat forward on the couch and was holdin' his hands out for Ponyboy. "Gimme the kid so we can all sit down and talk like you wanted, huh?"
Darry seemed to come back to himself all of a sudden and looked down at Pony like he'd just remembered he was there. "Shit, sorry, kiddo! It ain't you I'm sore at, it's the son of a gun who messed with you." Darry let go of Pony's shirt and straightened it up real quick before startin' to probe around the bruise. "Is it hurtin' you?"
"Ouch!" Pony yelped, flinchin' away from Darry and glowering at him. "Only when you poke it!" I was glad Ponyboy wasn't freakin' out or amping up the dramatics too much, but geez, now was not the time to be sassin' Darry!
"Ok smartass," Darry shot straight back, clearly havin' decided his heavy-handedness hadn't traumatised the kid too bad. "Go on and sit with your brothers, I got a feelin' we're gonna be talkin' for a while." He spun Pone around and gave him a sharp tap on the butt to send him on his way, catchin' sight of me out the corner of his eye as he did.
"Oh good, you're here," he said like he hadn't just hollered my name loud enough to wake the dead! "Y'all can get over there as well and we can have us a good ol' family meetin'."
I didn't trust his chipper tone one bit, but with Steve and Pony both lookin' at me from the couch I had no choice but to slope on over. I sat down heavily in the middle seat and two seconds later Keith flopped down on my left. Like the smart little cookie he is, Pony had gotten as far away as possible from Darry's trigger-happy hands and somehow managed to squeeze himself in-between Steve and end of the couch. I could feel my buddy's annoyance at havin' to share his personal space with the kid and if this was a normal day I have no doubt he woulda already shoved him off without a second thought. There was nothin' I could do about it though since we were all crammed in like sardines, so I just had to hope Stevie was savvy enough to know now was not the time to be startin' shit.
Darry had pulled the coffee table up so we were basically sittin' eye-to-eye which was unnerving to say the least. He leant forward so his elbows were restin' on his spread knees, sighin' as he turned his head to look at each of us in turn. By the time he was done we were all squirmin' in our seats and I could see Pony's legs boucin' up and down out the corner of my eye. Steve had obviously noticed it too since he knocked his knee against Pony's and hissed out the side of his mouth, "will you stop?!"
"Oww!" Pony whined in response, even though it definitely hadn't been hard enough to hurt him but that's how things always go when those two get into it.
"Sit still! You're shakin' the whole couch!" Steve snapped back, no longer botherin' to keep his voice down since Pony's theatrics had already caught Darry's attention.
"Hey! Knock it off the both of you!" Darry boomed before I could even open my mouth to attempt some damage control. "Ponyboy move away if he's botherin' you, be smart! And Steve, you need to quit with him because you're pissin' me off and believe me you do not wanna be gettin' on my bad side right now!"
Darry was usin' his scary voice so Pone immediately hopped to and scrambled up onto the arm of the couch, tuckin' his legs up under his chin for good measure. Steve at least had the decency to look a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry, I'm just…antsy right now and he's makin' it worse," he muttered and Darry nodded in understanding.
"I know, but so's Ponyboy, he just shows it differently than you do. Gettin' testy about it ain't gonna help anyone so you need to cool it and not lash out at him, ok?" Steve nodded and I guess Dar considered the situation resolved since he cleared his throat. "Ok, I think this has dragged on long enough. I wanna hear everything, and I mean everything, that happened from the minute I walked out that door at 5pm yesterday evening. Soda's gonna tell me and if any of y'all have anything to add you can do that once he's done talkin', alright?"
Everyone nodded and then all eyes were on me. I took a deep breath and began. "Well...At about nine thirty Two-Bit called the house…"
Just as he'd requested, I recounted the whole story for Dar leavin' nothin' out. I only hesitated slightly when I got to the part about catchin' Pony and Curly with drinks in their hands. It really wasn't in my nature to snitch on people, especially my own brother but I knew it was for his own good. To his credit Darry kept his cool pretty good, but I saw his nostrils flare and he sent Ponyboy a look that had my brother hidin' his face in his arms sharpish.
Once I was done I felt pretty drained but also a bit relieved, like now the truth was out there it was no longer my burden to carry. It took me a minute but I was eventually able to look up at my brother and I was surprised to see he didn't look as furious as I'd been expectin'. He was pinchin' the bridge of his nose and takin' deep breaths but he seemed almost…calm. It was pretty weird to tell the truth, because Dar is definitely a 'hit the roof then fix it later' kinda person, especially in a situation such as this.
"Ok," He murmured after a moment, noddin' his head slowly like he was tryna take stock of it all. "Does anyone else have anything they wanna say before I start talkin'?"
"Um...I just wanna add that the kid didn't actually drink with Curly. Like I know he would've if Soda hadn't stepped in but I had him right up against me when we had to haul ass back to the car and, well, I know how someone smells when they've had strong liquor and he hadn't touched a drop. I dunno if it makes a difference but I wanted you to know." Ponyboy peeked up from his arms as Steve, of all people, took up for him.
Darry nodded again. "That's good of you to say, Steve, but Pony's old enough to make his own choices when we're not around to make 'em for him and this time he made the wrong one so he'll be answerin' to me 'bout that." Steve shrugged and my brother laid his head back down miserably but thankfully kept quiet as Dar cleared his throat.
"Now, what I'm hearin' is you guys didn't know this party was happenin' beforehand, right? So it's not like you planned this before I left and lied straight to my face. BUT y'all did make a bad decision when the option was presented to you and it sounds to me like you knew it weren't the right choice but you went ahead and made it anyway. Is that about right, Sodapop?"
"Darry, you gotta keep in mind that it weren't all just Soda, man! It was me who suggested bringin' the kid along in the first place. And Steve just wanted to up and leave him here on his lonesome, I could hear 'em arguing about it over the phone!" It was good of Two-Bit to speak up for me but I understood why Darry was focusing in on my role in last night's events and his next words just confirmed it.
"I know that, Keith, which is why y'all are gonna get punished right along side him but he knows he has more responsibility when it comes to Ponyboy and that I expect him to step up and do right by him when I ain't here. Has anyone got anything else they'd like to add?" My brother looked around at us all before clappin' his hands together and gettin' down to business. "Good, let's get things rollin' then. Ponyboy, get over here!"
I wasn't exactly surprised since Dar often punished youngest to oldest but I still wasn't lookin' forward to seein' how this went down. Pony took his sweet time climbin' down from his spot and seemed reluctant to let go of the couch but quickly got his butt movin' once Darry called out "If I have to come over there and get you, you're gonna be one sorry little boy!"
As soon as he was in reach, our brother tugged him forward so he could pin him between his knees. Dad always used to do that when he was givin' us a talkin' to and while I was too big for it now, I could still remember the butterflies that would start up in my stomach as soon as I was trapped there.
"Now you and me got some issues to iron out, kiddo. I can see you're all worked up so let me start off by sayin' you are not in trouble for goin' to that party with your brothers. I left Soda in charge while I was gone and told you to do as he says, which is exactly what you did. That was my mistake and I apologise for it, clearly I made a bad call and you wound up right in the middle of it."
"Ok…" Ponyboy agreed after a pause, soundin' unsure about where this conversation was goin'.
"However, what I ain't too happy about is how you behaved once you were at that party. Just 'cause you find yourself in a situation where people are actin' crazy don't give you a free pass to jump right on in with 'em. You do not get to break the rules just because you see other kids doin' it. And I know we've talked about that before, ain't we?" Pony chewed on his lip for a minute but eventually nodded his head reluctantly. "Yes we have. It's gettin' to be a habit with you and I'm not having it. If I can't trust you to make grown-up choices when you're out by yourself then you won't be out by yourself, it's as simple as that. Now tell me what was goin' through your head when you decided to sneak back into that party after both Steve and Soda had told you not to?"
Pony had been squirmin' since Dar began scolding him but now froze like a deer in the headlights at bein' called on to explain himself. I winced in sympathy since havin' to participate in your own tellin' off was just the worst, especially when you weren't sure if your answers were gonna wind up bitin' you in the ass! Darry always liked to pick our brains about why we misbehaved or did somethin' stupid but he hated hearin' excuses and there was often only a very fine line between the two.
"I'm bein' nice and lettin' us have this conversation face to face but I'm more than willin' to take you over my knee if that's what needs to happen here, kiddo?" Darry gave Ponyboy a threatening squeeze with his knees for emphasis and I could tell he was runnin' out of patience.
"Nooo," Pony whined in frustration and I could practically see Dar's blood pressure risin'. "I dunno! I was just…mad that they'd made me come and then stay in the car and Two-Bit had said Curly was there and it ain't fair that he gets to-"
He was cut off abruptly as Dar released him from his knees and jerked him sideways in one swift motion, cracking his hand across the back of Pony's calves with a loud slap. The kid was wearing a pair of my old pjs that Darry had cut off at the knees so there was nothin' to lessen the sting and Ponyboy howled like he'd been shot.
"I am sick to death of hearin' that nonsense come out of your mouth, Ponyboy Curtis!" He yelled loud enough to be heard over Pony's caterwaulin'. "You have never ever been told that seein' Curly freakin' Shepard doin' somthin' is a good enough reason for you to turn around and do it to! I can't for the life of me think where you've gotten this idea that he's some kind of benchmark for what you're allowed or not allowed to do but I'm tellin' you right now you'd better forget it real quick because if we have to have this conversation again I swear you'll rue the day you ever heard the name Charles Shepard!"
Fuck, I thought as Pony wailed and Darry paused for breath, lookin' madder than a wet hen, that went south real fast. Pony had been warned a bunch of times by both of us to keep away from the Shepards and I'd been pretty pissed myself when I'd seen him sittin' with Curly at the party so I could kind of understand Darry's reaction, but I still felt bad for the kid havin' the full force of Dar's anger come crashin' down on him like that. Plus gettin' smacked across the back of the legs stung like a motherfucker!
"And don't even get me started on the drinkin', little boy! I know that weren't your idea because lord knows you've got a brain in your head but my god it's like you lose every lick of sense as soon as you get within spittin' distance of that little punk. He's bad news, kid, and the sooner you realise that the better for your backside!"
Darry had hauled Ponyboy back around to face him and was now holdin' him firmly by the biceps as he continued to berate him. I could see now that the calmness from earlier was really just him tryna keep a lid on things and boy oh boy our brother was MAD. Sure he was gonna take some of that anger out on Pony's behind but I was in no doubt he'd still have plenty left by the time it was my turn.
"I don't know what they heck you think you were playin' at but you're damn lucky Soda didn't bust your butt right there in front of everyone because you can bet your ass that's what I woulda done. Then we'd see how grown you are, hmm? Little boys have no business gettin' involved in that mess and I swear if I ever catch you with a drink in your hand again you'll be the sorriest kid that ever lived! Sodapop!" I hadn't been expectin' Darry to holler my name in the middle of a rant but I quickly snapped to attention. "Go get me the Little Paddle," he ordered and my heart sank.
We have two paddles in our household, which is two too many if you ask me. One lives in a drawer in the kitchen (for easy access according to Darry) and we call it the Little Paddle. It's long and thin with holes drilled into it and let me tell you it light's up your behind like no one's business. The other is the Big Paddle which Dar keeps in his bedside cabinet and only uses when someone's really fucked up. It had belonged to our Grandpa who was the self-appointed principal of some raggedy make-shift schoolhouse during Dust Bowl years, and he swung it like he was battin' for Yankees if Daddy's stories were to be believed. That thing is thick and heavy and makes your butt ache for days afterwards. Luckily Pony's still too young for it, but I knew from experience the Little Paddle would have him dancin' in no time and it was just plain mean of Darry to make me be the one to go fetch it for him.
He musta seen the hesitation on my face as he paused in his attempt to manhandle a struggling Ponyboy over his knee and said ominously, "I ain't askin', Soda."
I gulped at his thinly veiled threat and Steve gently knocked his knee against mine. "Just do it, man. You'll only make things worse for yourself," he whispered and goddamnit he was right. Darry's always been a shrewd son of a gun and he knew that gettin' me to play a part in Pony's punishment would effectively add an extra element to my own. Cursin' his cunning mind I reluctantly stood up and began to make my way to the kitchen, feelin' like I had concrete blocks strapped to my feet the whole damn way. Guilt was weighin' heavy on my heart, exactly how Darry wanted it.
"You want us to head out to the porch and wait while you deal with Ponykid, Superman?" I heard Two-Bit ask as I miserably took the Little Paddle from it's drawer.
"Hell no," my brother replied without missin' a beat. "This is at least 50% of y'all's fault so you guys are gonna sit there and watch what happens when you drag your little brother along on your screwball adventures. Y'all are gonna see what I have to deal with every time he messes up then maybe next time y'all will think twice before doin' stupid shit when you're supposed to be lookin' after him!"
I winced at Darry's harsh words but there was nothin' I could say because I knew he was 100% right. Steve and Two-Bit musta felt the same since they didn't have a thing to say either. I felt sick to my stomach as I dragged myself back into the living room, the damn paddle dangling from my hand. I stopped at the head of the couch, seriously considerin' if I could make a bolt for the door without Darry catchin' me. I'd be dead meat but at least it would keep the paddle away from Ponyboy…
"Come on, Little Buddy," Darry's soft voice jerked me from my scheming and I looked across at him in surprise. "It's time to pay the piper, Sodapop. Pony's gotta learn his lesson just like you've gotta learn yours, let's not make it harder than it needs to be, huh?"
I swallowed hard and turned my gaze to my little brother who'd been layin' over Darry's knee this whole time. He was facin' away from me but I could tell he was cryin' from his shaking shoulders. Dar was absent-mindedly patting Pony's waist in an attempt to keep him calm and I knew it weren't fair to him to drag this out any longer. Darry was gonna get his way whether I liked it or not, tryna stall was just makin' things worse for everyone.
"Not the whole spankin'?" I asked quietly as I held the dreaded object out to my big brother, meaning 'please don't use the paddle for Ponyboy's entire whuppin' because I'm not strong like you and I don't think I can take it."
"Not the whole spankin'," Darry confirmed, takin' the paddle from me and laying it on the coffee table beside him true to his word. "But this is between me and Pony, Sodapop, so I don't wanna hear a peep from you until I say it's ok. You're gonna sit with your buddies and think about whether the selfish decision you made last night was worth it."
He didn't even wait to see if I'd follow his instructions before tuggin' Pony's pants down and raisin' his hand. I'd turned away so didn't see the first spank fall but the sound of skin hittin' skin is unmistakable and even if I'd somehow managed to harden my heart to that, Ponyboy's accompanying howl would've ripped straight through me anyway.
I practically collapsed back in my spot on the couch where at least I had the guys for moral support, but that couldn't distract from the spectacle of Ponyboy, bare-butt and wrigglin' like a fish, havin' the livin' daylights spanked outta him due to choices we'd made. I was officially the worst big brother in the world and from the looks on their faces I could tell Steve and Two weren't feelin' too proud of themselves either. And Darry hadn't even picked up the paddle yet.
Eeek, it's time for the boys to face the music (Darry). Let me know what you think!