Ponyboy and I were walking to the park a few days later because we had nothing better to do. Besides, we like to watch the little kids play. Their lives seem so much easier than ours. Certainly much easier than mine.
As we walked, we came across Dally who was leaning against the side of an old car, watching us. "Where are the two of you going?"
I knew Ponyboy was a little afraid of Dally, but since I don't usually speak up, he answered for us. "We're going to the park."
"The park," Dally repeated thoughtfully as he lit up a cigarette. Then he got serious. "Do you know where I spent the past two days?"
Ponyboy and I both shook our heads.
"I spent the past two days in the cooler," Dally said as if it were no big deal.
"Really?" Pony asked. "How come?"
I was at the bowling alley with Tim and this guy was walking in front of us," Dally explained. "I told him to move, but he didn't. So I pushed him out of the way."
"Which started a fight and they called the fuzz," Pony finished.
Dally gave him an impressed grin. "Good guess."
The three of us walked the rest of the way to the park in silence. Dally bent down at one point to pick up a handful of rocks and started to throw them at any car that went past us. While he did this, Pony shook his head and acted like dally wasn't with us. I don't think Pony likes Dally that much. Personally, I kind of admire him.
"Glory, look at all those little kids," Dally said when we reached the park.
"Well, it is Saturday," Ponyboy mumbled.
"I can't stand little kids," Dally grumbled. But he continued to walk with Pony and me anyway. When we passed a little boy who was demanding that the other kids do as he says or else, Dally gave a short laugh. "Now there is a kid I could like."
"Sounds like a spoiled brat to me," Pony whispered so that only I could hear him. It wasn't like Pony to say something like that; but the kid was being very insistant on getting his way even though the others didn't seem to thrilled about it.
"He's just a kid," I said with a shrug. "Maybe he hasn't learned about sharing or taking turns yet."
"Maybe you're right," Pony agreed as we continued to walk.
"There's not much action here," Dally commented. He lit up another cigarette and held the pack out to Pony and me. I took one, but Pony just looked at the pack as if he were debating on whether or not to take one. "Well, do you want one or not?"
Pony gave me a quick glance before slowly taking a cigarette from the pack. He had never smoked before and it was obvious that he was uncerrtain of what to do even though he had seen the rest of us smoke for a few years now. In fact, his eyes wandered around nervously as if he were expecting someone to yell at him for doing something bad.
"Don't tell me you're going to chicken out, kid," Dally said after handing me his lighter. He was looking at Ponyboy impatiently. "Look, everyone in the gang smokes. Even your brother, Sodapop."
"You don't have to smoke if you don't want to, Pony," I said soflty and I started to hand the lighter back to Dally. But, Pony reached out and slowly took the lighter from my hand. After a few tries, he got the cigarette lit. Then he inhaled and started to cough.
"You'll get used to it," Dally said. "I coughed the first time I had a cancer stick, too. but you seem to be getting the hang of it."
I nodded in agreement as I took a drag off my own cigarette. The first time I had a cigarette was when I was nine. it had fallen out of a hole in my mother's coat pocket and landed on the kitchen floor. I snatched it up before she could find out that it had found it's way out of her pocket. Like Pony, I had coughed the first time I inhaled when I smoked that first cigarette and it had made my eyes water. But it didn't stop me from smoking more. In fact, I'd been smoking ever since and I had a feeling that Pony was going to continue smoking, too. I just wasn't sure if he was going to do it around his family any time soon.
"Let's go see what Steve's doing at the DX," Dally yawned. "It will probably be better than staying here."
Ponyboy dropped his cigarette and silently followed Dally. I also followed Dally because when he suggested doing something, you did it.
"Hey, Johnnycake!" Soda greeted me when we got to the DX station. I guess he had the same idea Dally had because he waved at Steve who was helping a customer before putting an arm across Pony's shoulders. "Where have you been?"
"We just went to the park," Pony replied.
Steve joined us, frowning slightly at Ponyboy. He likes to act like he doesn't like Ponyboy, but I really think he likes having Pony around. It just bugs him when Soda invites Pony t join them all the time and I realized that he was thinking that Ponyboy was there because Soda was.
"Dally wanted to come here and see what you were doing," I said. "Pony and I just came with. We won't stay long."
"That's okay," Steve told me. "I'm on my break now anyway."
"So, this is what you do," Dally said, looking around with a bored expression on his face.
"They let me do car repairs, too," Steve said with a slight grin. He has always had an attraction to cars. And to be able to work with cars has been a dream of his ever since I can remember. "Do you have a cigarette?"
Dally tossed him the half empty pack of Kools. "Does anyone else want one?"
Soda and I both shook our heads while Ponyboy silently held his hand out for the pack, which Steve handed to him with raised eyebrows. Even Soda looked surprised, but I was expecting that.
"When did you start smoking?" Steve asked Ponyboy after handing him his lighter.
"The kid started at the park," Dally said with pride. "To be honest, I didn't think he'd want to smoke again. I was expecting him to be like Darry and want to stay away from the cancer sticks."
"Don't let mom and dad catch you smoking," soda told Ponyboy. "They weren't to thrilled when they found out that I smoke on occassion. Remember, mom grounded me for a month."
"I remember," Ponyboy replied. "You won't tell them, will you?"
"No, I won't tell," Soda promised.
"None of us will," I agreed looking at Steve and Dally. "Right?"
"Sure," Dally sighed.
Steve just shrugged. If Soda wasn't going to tell, he wouldn't either. He knew that you stayed loyal to the members of the gang and Pony was one of us.
"Thanks Johnny," Pony said to me.
"No problem," I grinned at him. "It's not like we haven't been worried abot getting caught at some point. Besides in our neighborhood, you were bound to start sooner or later."
"What about Two-Bit and Darry?" Pony asked.
"I don't think you need to worry about Two-Bit," Soda assured Pony. "And if you want, I'll talk to Darry. But I'm pretty sure he won't tell mom or dad either."
I knew Soda was right. Two-Bit knew how to keep his trap shut if he had to and would probably go out and shop lift a pack of cigarettes for Ponyboy once he found out. As far as Darry went, Soda knew how to talk him into or out of anything. I'm not sure how he managed to do it, but Soda always managed to have things turn out okay or at least make them seem better than they really were. He certainly knew how to make me feel better when I was having a bad day which was almost everyday. Soda was the gang's peacemaker whether he realized it or not, just like I was the pet, and I hoped he'd stay that way because we'd probably fall apart if he didn't.