chapter 8: Hi! Please feel free to read and review, and checkout Brother Hood: The Complete Novel!
As I've stated there, you can feel free to imagine the movie version or tv version for each character, but personally I'm only really specific about seeing the TV version of Tim and Steve, everyone else it kinda goes back and forth:)
Happy reading!
The next day I thought about what Tim had said, but to be honest I wasn't sure that fighting in a rumble would even solve anything. The boys would get tore into and come home for me to clean their wounds. Darry would be stressed the whole time that the fuzz was going to show, and that means he'd be fighting while distracted. Soda and Steve both have been fit to fight since what happened at the diner, I'm sure they'd love any excuse to bash a Socs head in, which means they wouldn't be careful either.
And then there was Mrs. Richards' voice in the back of my head. "I strongly advise you to stay away from him." Sure, Tim's a hood but he's also a friend, and he's been a friend for a long time. We couldn't be sent to foster care because of what one of our friends did, could we?
After school I sat with Hudson and Isabelle at the kitchen table and helped him work on his spelling words while Izzy colored. Soda got a snack and sat in front of the television set and Darry sorted through the mail here just grabbed on his way into the house.
"Contrast. C-O-N-T-R-A-S-T. Contrast." "Very good, Hud" I smiled. "Avery?" he asked, taking a sip of his chocolate milk. "yeah buddy?" "What does contrast mean?" "Hmmmm" I thought, wondering what the best way would be to explain it to him. "Well, it's like when something is completely different from something else. Like how ham is different from spinach, and how the color red is different than the color blue, and-" "And how Tim is different from Darry?" he piped up.
I looked up as Soda and Darry both glanced our way. "What makes you say that Huddy?" He took a bite out of a cookie. "Well, last night, last night I heard you guys saying there was going to be a fight, and that Darry said no fighting but Tim said-" "I didn't realize you had heard" I mumbled, shaking my head. It was true, Hudson had been out cold by the time I came up to bed, and I had no reason to think he had heard our conversation.
"Tim was here last night?" Darry seethed. "Cause I know he wasn't waiting around to talk to me." "Darry, and what if I say yes? Is it really a crime to talk to my friends? I don't really see how it is any of your business."
"He's not your friend, he's my friend first of all, and missy when you're fifteen years old it is my damned business who you're talking to at 9 o clock at night!" "Don't curse in front of Izzy!" I snapped, getting ready to say something else when the screen door opened and Two Bit and Pony stumbled in, their faces bloody. Two had a shiner and Pony had a split lip and cuts on his cheek.
"What happened to you guys?" Darry asked, walking to them as I returned to the table. Izzy looked at me with concern on her face. "Nothing" Pony said, heading towards his room. "Hey, don't you nothing me!" Darry yelled, grabbing his arm. Izzy gasped and put her hands over her ears, scrunching her eyes up tight. "Leave me alone Darry!" Pony yelled, his voice cracking. I could tell he was embarrassed.
"Ponyboy are you okay?" Soda asked. "I'm fine" He sighed, looking away from Soda, who shared a concerned look with me. "Come on Darry, it wasn't his fault! A bunch of socs jumped me in the bowling alley and he was only trying to help me out-" Two Bit's explanation was quickly disregarded. "What did I tell you?" Darry yelled, picking Pony up by his shirt. "Don't you ever listen? Do you want to get thrown in a foster home, is that what you want Ponyboy?"
Izzy threw her arms around my neck and hid her face as I picked her up, smoothing her hair back. "Make them stop," she whispered. "They're too loud!" "I know Izzy, I'm sorry. Let's go up-"
"Why don't you just leave me alone? He told you it wasn't my fault!" Hot tears were in the corners of my kid brother's eyes, as he pushed away from Darry and out the door. "I'll go get him!" Soda grimaced, pushing passed Darry and following our brother out the door. "Yeah fine, you do that Sodapop! That's what you're good at!" Darry, frustrated, walked up the stairs to his room and slammed the door.
Hudson looked up at me as Izzy cried into my shoulder. "A foster home?" He mumbled. I shook my head as I held Izzy and rocked her back and forth. "Shhhhh," I said, trying to calm her, before reaching out a hand to cup Hudson's face. "No baby, no foster home. I promise you, we are doing everything we can to make sure none of us go into a foster home."
Two Bit came over to the table and sat down next to Hud, putting his hands on his shoulders and squeezing. "It'll be okay buddy, you'll see!" he smiled, his grin not as big as usual but still large enough to provide a little comfort.
"Why is Darry so scary Avery?" Izzy asked, finally calm as I sat back down, her thumb in her mouth as she sat in my lap. I paused, glancing at my brother and my friend. Hudson's face said it all, he was wondering the same thing. And Two Bit, I could tell, was struggling with creating an answer.
Finally, with a smile, I took her hand out of her mouth and held it in mine. "Well, kiddo, do you remember earlier this summer when Hudson fell out of the tree in the backyard? You were crying because you thought he was hurt, and you were screaming very loudly." She nodded. "Were you angry?" She shook her head no, before replying, "I was scared." I smiled at her. "Exactly. You were scared, and sometimes when you're scared, it comes off as angry or mean or loud. Darry's not scary, he's just scared."
It only took the two of them a few more minutes to regroup and then as though nothing happened, Izzy was chatting Two Bit's ear off as she sat on her knees in the chair next to him, having coerced him into working with her on "A picture to give to Pony to make him feel better! And one to make Darry not so scared!"
Hudson and I continued working on his words and then proceeded to tell me about the class field trip that would be coming up next month. He was so excited. I hoped it wasn't too expensive, so that we could scrape up enough money to send him.
...
I don't know exactly what Soda told Pony, but as the six of us sat around the dinner table, eating pork chops and buttered noodles and peas, he apologized.
And Darry apologized too.
As six thirty came, I got up and grabbed Izzy's little jacket, wrapping it around her before grabbing my sweatshirt and saying I'd be back after walking her home. "I'll go with you!" Soda called out, grabbing his jean jacket and opening the door for us, making Izzy giggle. "Soda Toada, will you give me a shoulder ride?" She asked as we headed down the sidewalk, her in between the two of us and holding both of our hands. "Of course Busy Izzy!" he grinned, scooping her up, making both of us laugh at her squeals of joy.
"I'm taller than you, Avery!" She grinned as she wrapped her arms around the top of Soda's head. "Does that mean I'm tall enough to have a boyfriend now?"
"Hey now, no boyfriends little missy! And Avery is far from being tall enough to have a boyfriend" Soda tickled her sides as he grinned at me, making her giggle and making me stick my tongue out at him. "But Huddy said, Huddy said that Avery's got a boyfriend, maybe even two!" She held out two fingers as her eyes widened and I furrowed my eyebrows. "What makes him say that?" I questioned. She shrugged. "I don't know. He said when we went to the diner you were on a date, and then another boy came over last night, and that's two dates Avie!" She gave me a look as though to say I told you so! and I had to try hard not to laugh.
"Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble kiddo, but Avery isn't Allowed to have boyfriends," Soda shook his head, making her laugh. We were about halfway to her house at that point, and she changed the subject, talking about a pair of ballet shoes her mother had gotten for her lessons starting next month and the baby kitten she had gotten a few weeks ago. Soda hung onto every word, his eyes shining, which made me smile. Soda was such a good big brother and I know one day he'll be a great Uncle and Father.
As we reached her neighbors house, her face turned serious. "Soda?" she whispered, grabbing onto his hair. "Yeah Iz?" "Um, I was wondering, I think I know who I want my boyfriend to be, when I'm finally tall enough for one." She said shyly. I bit my lip, waiting for the inevitable. "Oh yeah?" Soda grinned. "Who?"
Her eyes widened as she grinned. "You have to promise not to tell him, but does Stevie have a girlfriend? Cause I want him to be my boyfriend one day!" Soda feigned hurt as I laughed. What a blow to his ego, being overlooked by a five year old. "What about me Izzy, aren't I great or anything?" She shrugged as he put her down on the sidewalk. "Yeah Soda, I guess so. But you're not really my type!" She grinned at the line, something I'm sure Two Bit taught her.
"ouch!" I laughed as Soda pretended to get upset. "Geez Izzy, anybody ever tell you that words hurt?" She giggled as she hugged him. "But they also make you feel better. Love you Soda!" He smiled and returned her hug. "Love you too Izzy, you be sure to listen and be a good girl tonight, alright?" She nodded and grabbed my hand, dragging me up their walkway.
Wendy met us at the door with a smile, still wearing her business clothing. "How was everything today girls?" "Mama, I got to color with Avery AND Two Bit today and we drew lots of pretty pictures! And Soda knows I don't like mac and cheese so he made buttered noodles for dinner!" Wendy laughed at Izzy's excitement and waved to my brother. "Thank you sweetie!" "You're welcome!" he grinned. "Okay Izzy, say goodnight and head inside. Papa's got a surprise for you." "oh boy!" she squealed, hugging me around my waist. "Night Avery, love you!" she called as she ran inside. "Love you too Izzy!" I laughed.
Wendy beamed at me and handed me an envelope. "I'm still going to pay you at the end of the week, but this is just a little something extra. You've been so good with my daughter-" "Oh no, I couldn't" I shook my head, trying to refuse the money. "Take it!" she prodded. "Please, you have no idea how much she talks about everything you guys do. And I love hearing her stories about all those friends of yours and how nice they are to her!" I blushed, gingerly taking the envelope. "Thank you Wendy" I said quietly, and she smiled and hugged me. "No Avery, thank you. Now get on hone and relax, you deserve it!"
I walked back towards my brother as she closed the door, and he threw an arm over my shoulders. "Letter from the president?" He asked. I shook my head. "Wendy said it was for everything we do with Izzy." He nodded as I stuffed it into my sweatshirt pocket and we continued walking.
"So what did you say to Pony?" I asked, knowing now would be the only time I'd get to find out. "I just told him that Darry isn't angry, he's just scared. And not to take it to heart when he yells like that." I placed a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. "What's so funny?" Soda huffed. "It's true, isn't it?" I nodded. "That's the funny part. I told Hud the same thing."
Soda grinned and gave me a hug before we continued down the road. "Sometimes I wonder, Avery Jane, if we were meant to be twins."
I shrugged, grinning. "who said we weren't?" He smiled. "Now on the next order of business, when're you gonna tell your best buddy he's got a little girl reaching out for his love?" Soda shook his head and grabbed at me as I ducked and laughed, running towards the house with him hot on my heels.