Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Outsiders'
Chapter 14:
"Please, Ray!"
Ray sighed, glaring at me. "Who's going?"
"Just Pony," I said, not liking how nervous I was lying to his face. I sighed. "And his brother Soda. And his brother's friend Steve. And possibly another guy named Two-bit."
"That sounds like a lot of guys."
"What do you think I'm gonna do?" I asked him, earning raised eyebrows. I shot him a sharp look. "I don't go around givin' it to anyone. When I'm with someone, I'm with someone."
"And you're with me," Ray said strongly.
I nodded after a second. "Sure."
"Sure?" He stepped closer, voice lowering.
I took a step back, not looking him in the eyes. "Yes."
Ray started to smirk. "Yes." He kissed my cheek and then kissed my lips, patting my butt and walking around me. "Alright, you can go."
I hid my smile. "Okay." I walked over to the closet, grabbing my bag of already packed clothes and running to the door before he could change his mind. I ran out of the apartment building and into the car in the parking lot. "Hey!"
Pony smiled, starting the car. "Hey."
I looked in the back at the sleeping bags and rolled up tent. "Seems like a lot of stuff, Pone."
"All the boys are in another car," Pony said, pulling onto the road for our journey. "They dumped their stuff with me."
"I'm so excited," I said, not afraid to show it. "This band is gonna be great and I haven't been camping in so long."
Pony smiled sideways at me. "I'm glad." The smile fell from his face and he adjusted his grip on the wheel. "How's Ray treating' you?'
I smiled and shrugged. "Like usual." I subconsciously touched my face, rubbing at the powder makeup. "I don't know, he's...he's Ray, you know."
"When are you gonna come back?"
"To what?"
Pony shrugged. "I don't know. Home?"
"I'm in Tulsa, Pony," I said back. "I haven't gone anywhere."
"Jane -"
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about this, okay?" I waited for Pony to nod before I said, "Let's just forget about everything and go camping, okay?"
Pony sighed and nodded.
We sat in comfortable silence for most of the ride, but when we got there, we were both so excited and we couldn't stop talking about everything. I
There was a stage at the edge of the forest, in front of a big opened where people were throwing down big blankets and smoking up and having fun. There were trails and trails that led off to a bunch of empty camping spots, benches everywhere. We all set up camp, Pony and I separate from the rest of the boys, but not too far. We set up our tent and unrolled our sleeping bags and then we all went down to the stage and set up our own blankets.
"This is amazing," I said, lying down on the blanket and looking up at the sky. I sat up, smiling widely and looking around. "Everyone is so different here. I kinda want to take my shirt off."
Pony looked at me. "Please don't."
I laughed, sighing and closing my eyes. I was smoking up the sun when I suddenly felt cold. "Hey -" I opened my eyes to see someone blocking my light.
The guy with the long hair smiled. "Hi. My name's Blue and this is my sister Luna." He gestured to a very pretty girl beside him, minimal clothing and long blonde hair. He looked down at me. "We couldn't help but notice you guys didn't have a flag."
Pony took a large, peace-sign flag from the pretty blonde. "Uh, thank you." And she smiled at him, blush on both of their cheeks.
I looked back at the man as he helped me to stand. Once I was standing, I introduced myself. "My name's Jane."
He nodded, leaning forward and kissing my cheek. I tensed, but he didn't care. He then hugged me, his beard scratching up against my cheek. "It's nice to meet you, Jane."
He was kind of cute. He probably had a really nice face underneath that short beard of his. His brown hair was a little longer than his shoulders and definitely unwashed, but he had the prettiest blue eyes and the softest lips.
I smiled at the man - Blue. "Maybe we'll see you around."
Luna looked at me. "We're having a get together after the concert over at our campsite."
"Yes," Pony said quickly, coughing afterwards, his face turning a bright shade of red. He was looking at her legs and at her smile. "Yeah, we'd love to."
She smiled. "Great." She started to back away, throwing up a peace sign. "See you there."
I nodded to Blue. "See you there."
They walked away.
I nudged Pony's arm. "You gonna get that?"
Pony looked at me with a disgusted expression. "You sound like Curly."
I chuckled. "You're such a virgin."
Pony's mouth fell open a little bit and then he tried to conceal his shock. "Wha - how'd you - how do you know I'm not a virgin."
"Look, Pony," I said softly, placing my arm around him. "You're a total fox, girls flirt with you all the time, but you're always turning them down, whether you know it or not. The fact that you've never gotten any is entirely your fault." I smiled at him. "Luna seems nice."
Pony pushed my shoulder and both of us laughed.
The band started to play soon after at they were great. People were waving their hands and kissing and having fun. The atmosphere was amazing. The vibes were positive. And I was having the most fun since I walked out of that hospital.
The concert was over once it got dark, though they did play a few more song the crowd insisted on. Then the band was taking putting away their equipment and joining all of their fans by the stage to talk and smoke up.
Pony and I made our way to the campfire, Pony a little too eager.
Blue and Luna's campsite was nicer than ours and they had a bigger tent than us. There were people all over the place - the ground, standing up, on the benches, everywhere. Each one of them had a smile on there face and a peace sign flag tied around some part of their body.
"Jane!" Blue made his way over to us. "Ponyboy." He hugged Pony and then me, smiling widely when he leaned away. "You made it."
I smiled at him, not being able to help it. "We did."
Blue pointed to a place I didn't care to look. "Luna is over there. She hasn't stopped talking about you, man."
Pony smiled. "Really?"
I nudged him. "Go."
Pony didn't have to be asked twice and he walked off to where I saw the leggy blonde.
"Wanna hit?" Blue held out a joint to me. I hadn't even noticed it there before, but he shook it a little. "I'm a sharer."
I took the joint, smirking at him. "I'm sure you are."
He didn't seem to notice my advances that much and he watched me take a puff. "Where are you from?"
"Tulsa, Oklahoma," I answered, handing the joint back to him. "You?"
"The earth is my home," he said, turning around and walking closer to the fire.
"Okay." I laughed. "Well, where were you born?"
Blue smiled at me over his broad shoulder. "This very tent." He stopped in front of the tent and smiled at him. "In this very spot."
"Wow."
"Yes."
We unzipped the door to it and sat inside, legs outside of the tent, the rest of our bodies inside and Blue was still smoking his weed.
"Is your name really Blue?" I asked curiously.
Blue nodded. "That is my birth name, yes."
My eyebrows rose. "Huh." I then smiled. "Still not as weird as the name Ponyboy. He has a brother called Sodapop too. And another brother, but his name's Daryl."
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"Brothers and sisters?
"David and Paul," I said to him, looking down at my lap. "They're good ones. What about you?"
"Well, my sister Luna..." He paused, looking over at his sister. "And three more sisters and two brothers."
My eyes widened, staring at him. "That's seven kids."
Blue smiled. "More love to go around."
I laughed. "Everything that comes out of your mouth is ridiculous."
Blue shook his head, tossing his already finished joint and grabbing my hand gently. He held it, palm open to him and he stared at it. He rubbed my hand, stirring a warmness inside of me.
Tim looked over at me, still rubbing my hand. "What?"
I smiled at him. "Nothin'."
"I see a lot of emotional distress," Blue said, sounding concerned.
I scoffed. "You're a palm reader?"
"You body will tell you anything if you let it," he said, still looking down at my hand. "You think realistically." He looked up into my eyes. "Not much of a dreamer?"
I shook my head. "No."
He looked back down at my hand, running the tip of his finger along it lightly. "There's a sudden change in lifestyle."
I gave him a look once he looked up at me. "Okay, you did not get that from my hand."
Blue smiled, setting down my right hand and picking up my other one. "You have very intense feelings and you're very intelligent." He paused, smiling at my hand. "You have a soulmate and you've already found them."
I yanked my hand away, wiping it on my jeans. "Okay, you definitely did not get that one from my hand."
"I can see it in your eyes."
I was just staring at him, trying to convince myself that hippies weren't just doped up lovers that walked around without shoes. "So what?"
"You're not with him now, are you?"
I sighed, looking away. "No."
"Why not?"
"It's a long story and I don't feel like talking about it." I turned back to him, looking Blue over. "You kind of remind me of him. If Tim had a beard, maybe..." I started laughing at the thought of Tim ever having a beard.
"You should go to him," Blue said.
I smiled a little. "Where I come from, spreading the love isn't exactly widely accepted."
"What's so wrong with loving someone? It's just two bodies appreciating each other."
I looked his face over, deciding that I could manage to kiss that beard. I leaned forward, pressing my lips against his. I put my leg over his, crawling into his lap. The thin shorts he was wearing allowed me to feel everything I was getting myself into and I wanted it.
His hands ran over my body lovingly, so unlike Ray, so much like Tim. My eyes were closed at Blue continued to touch me everywhere. I imagined in my mind that Blue didn't have a beard or long hair. Instead, he had greased back brown hair, a scar on his cheek, and a broken nose. He wasn't perfect, but I loved him.
We fell back into the tent and I broke away for just a second to zip it up before I returned to his arms.
I had spent the whole rest of the weekend with Blue, Luna and Pony. All of us hung around together and Pony and I watched as Blue and Luna showed their love to every single person at the camp. By the time Sunday rolled around, Pony and I packed up our stuff and we heading back to Tulsa in the car.
My head was against the window and I was exhausted. "That was a great weekend."
Pony smiled. "Yeah."
"It's too bad they don't have phones or even an address, really." I didn't want to kiss Blue again, but I liked talking to him. He probably would've turned into a really good friend.
"Yeah."
I looked over at Pony. "What's up with you?"
"Nothin'." Pony shrugged, not able to wipe the smile off his face long enough. He just kept smiling. "Nothin, I just...it was a great weekend?"
My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. "You spent the night with Luna, didn't you?"
Pony laughed bashfully. "I don't know."
I laughed loudly, punching his arm. "Oh, my god!"
Pony smiled widely, looking over at me. "Don't pretend you didn't do the same!"
"Luna's not exactly my type, Pony."
Pony laughed. "With Blue, Jane."
I nodded, my laughter fading. "He was real nice."
Pony's laughter faded too and he sighed. "Now back to Tulsa."
"I wish we could live there forever," I confessed after a minute of silence. "Just set up a tent and never go back."
Pony smirked. "But who would take care of Curly?"
I smiled. "How's he doin'?"
"Good." Pony nodded. "He should be out next week or somethin'."
"How's Tim?" I asked, not being able to help myself.
Pony looked at the road, his hand tightening around the wheel. "He doesn't say anything to me. He doesn't say much at all. He just kinda went back to the person he was a couple years ago." He glanced at me. "Why haven't you at least gone to see him, Jane?" I shook my head, signalling that I simply didn't want to talk about it and Pony sighed again. "Well, are you comin' to school tomorrow?"
I shook my head again. "Probably not."
"Why not?"
"I don't have a ride and I don't feel like walking."
"Maybe I can convince Soda to let me use the car tomorrow."
I shrugged. "Okay."
Pony smiled slightly. "Okay."
The whole school day went by without question of my face. The rumour mill spun and people said that I was just that girl that is always fighting someone and that it was nothing new at all. My teachers didn't notice I was there, just like they probably didn't notice I was gone.
Everyone except for Mr. Ryans, who couldn't at all let me just walk out of his classroom.
"Jane."
I stopped at the door, watching Pony keep walking down the hall, giving me a glance over his shoulder. I walked backward into the classroom for a couple steps before turning around and facing Ryans at his desk. "Yeah."
He leaned back in his chair. "What happened?" he asked, gesturing slightly to my face.
I sat down on top of a desk. "Whatever everyone is saying happened."
Ryans leaned up and folded his hands on top of his desk. "Look, Jane, what I called you in for is to tell you that you're failing my class. Not by a lot, but your attendance certainly hasn't helped."
I groaned. "Shit."
"I don't get it, Jane," he said, brows furrowed at me. "You're one of the smartest students I've ever had in my class. You clearly understand that material. But you don't apply yourself." He managed to get closer. "But you can do a final essay to bring up your mark before this semester ends."
I nodded, feeling the wrath of my mother already. "Sure."
"And let me enter you story, okay? It will help your grade and your future. The deadline is next week. What do you -"
"I don't care," I told him, pushing myself off the desk and walking toward the door, suddenly in the worst mood.
"Wha - Jane?"
I turned back to look at him. "That story doesn't compare to the hell my life is now, so I don't even care if you want to put it into some huge competition." I reached for the doorknob and angrily yanked the door open. I stomped down the hall, right past Pony.
"Whoa - Jane - Jane!"
I jogged toward the door and down the steps. "Go away, Pony."
He grabbed my arm, making me whirl around. He wasn't the sweet-faced Pony he usually was at that moment. He was angry, face red and grip tight. "When are you gonna smarten up and drop Ray?"
"When there's no threat to Curly's life!" I whisper-yelled, glancing around and everyone looking at us.
"You can't protect everyone, Jane!"
I was angry at Pony because he was right. And I was angry at myself for being so stupid because now I couldn't turn back. Breaking up with Ray would be more trouble than it was worth now. I couldn't risk anyone getting hurt because of something I did, so I was just gonna have to accept that this was my life.
I glanced over my shoulder at Ray's car not too far away. "I have to go, Pony."
There was an ugly snarl on his face that I had never seen. "You're scared. You can't stick up for yourself against Ray Tanner. Do you even want to live?" When I ignored him and started to walk away, he yanked me back. "You're weak, Jane, and you're pathetic."
I knew he was just mad that I wasn't treating myself well enough. Well, I learned that later on, but in that moment, his words were hurting me too much for me to make sense of anything.
I threw my fist back and then forward, hitting him in the face. I watched him fall onto his back on the ground, reaching up and holding his nose with a look of surprise on his face. "Pony..." I started, feeling regretful.
Pony stood, pulling his hand away to reveal a bleeding nose. His look of surprise turned into something else and he ran into me, arms wrapped around me. He knocked me down and we started to roll around on the ground.
"Hey, hey!" the principle's loud voice came closer and closer until I was easily yanked off of Pony. "That is enough!"
I shook the principle off quickly and fixed my jacket. I gathered the saliva in my mouth and spit the bloody spit onto the ground, feeling the stinging on my lip. I walked around Pony, who was still on the ground, and I went to the parking lot. I got inside of Ray's car and told him to drive.
"Jesus, what happened?"
I quickly wiped away a falling tear, turning away from him. "Nothing."
