"Hey ma," Two-Bit said when we entered his house. "Johnny is going to spend the night."
Mrs. Matthews smiled at me as she put her rust colored hair into a ponytale. "Well, I wish I could stay, but I have to go to work now."
"I thought you had the night off," Two-Bit said to her.
"I did," she replied. "Dorothy called in sick."
"Again?" Two-Bit asked. "That's the third time this week."
"Supper is on the stove and Karen is in her room with Angela," Mrs. Matthews said as she picked up her purse. A minute later, she was walking out the front door.
"Karen, did the two of you eat yet?" Two-Bit yelled as he led me into the kitchen.
A few seconds later, his younger sister appeared next to me wearing a red blouse and a navy skirt. She looked like their father while Two-Bit looked like their mother. Only their eye color was the same.
Angela leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. She was the youngest Shephard and liked to think that she was just as tough as her two older brothers. If she had her way, Tim would let her be involved with his gang, but he says she's too young. I think he's hoping that she won't become like him and Curly.
"I'll take that as a no," Two-Bit said. "Oh, Johnny's staying over, so don't bug him."
"I never bug Johnny," Karen said as she playfully punched my arm.
"Oh right," Two-Bit nodded and winked at me. "You only like bugging Ponyboy because you think he's cute."
"I do not!" Karen yelled. "Angela is the one who thinks he's cute."
I hid a smile. Two-Bit was just giving her a hard time. That was something he did a lot when he was at home and Karen enjoyed it as much as he did.
"Mom made spaghetti," Two-Bit announced.
"Any garlic bread?" Karen asked.
"No, but we have regular bread and butter," Two-Bit replied.
"It's not the same," Karen said and Two-Bit rolled his eyes. "We should have garlic bread."
"Well, it's all we have," Two-Bit said. "So take it or leave it."
"Do you have any beer?" Angela asked.
"We have root beer," Two-Bit replied.
"What about the real stuff?" Angela asked.
"You're not drinking real beer, Angela," Two-Bit said as he put a heaping pile of spaghetti on his plate and covered it with sauce.
"Tim lets me," Angela pouted as she looked at me. "I'll bet Johnny would let me have one if I was at his house."
I wouldn't let her or any of my friends drink at my house. I've seen the outcome of drinking way to many times and besides, if my folks ever found any of their beer missing, I'd get the tar beat out of me. Beer is the one thing that my parents keep track of, even if they can't always remember how much they've had to drink each day.
"Correction little lady," Two-Bit said. "I know Tim doesn't let you drink. I also know that he'd pound my head in if I so much as give you a sip of beer. So, the only kind of beer you'll be drinking here is root beer."
"I thought you were the fun one," Angela grumbled as she sat down across from Karen at the table to eat.
"I am fun," Two-Bit said with a big grin. "Just not stupid. Johnny, aren't you going to eat?"
"I'm not hungry," I replied.
"You hardly ate anything during lunch," Two-Bit told me. "So, you can't tell me that you're not hungry. Go ahead and make yourself a plate of spaghetti."
Angela and Karen both looked at me with curiosity. They didn't see me as often as Two-Bit did and I usually only saw Angela's brothers if I was with Dally. So, neither of them was as familar with my home life as Two-Bit was.
"Well, are you going to eat or not?" Angela asked.
I sighed and went to get some spaghetti before sitting down at the table. As I ate, I was reminded that eating at Two-Bit's was nothing like eating at the Curtis home. For one thing, Two-Bit spent the entire time teasing his sister. And they seemed to have this ritual of seeing who could burp the loudest which is something they only do when their mom isn't home. While they had their little contest, Angela and I ate in silence.
"Don't you ever take that stupid jacket off?" Angela asked after a while. "Every time I see you, you have it on."
"Angela, if he wants to wear his jacket, let him," Karen said. "He'll take it off when he's ready."
"I was just asking," Angela replied. "I didn't ask him to take it off, did I?"
I took off my jacket anyway and when I did, I saw Two-Bit gaze at the new bruise on my right forearm. He had already seen it earlier that day, but that didn't stop the brief flash of anger in his eyes. Karen and Angela on the other hand only looked at me as if I was crazy for not removing the jacket earlier.
"Did you get in a fight?" Angela asked me when she finally saw the bruise.
I looked at Two-Bit for help. I don't like talking about my home life that much and I don't like to get into fights.
"He walked into a pole checking out a cute girl," Two-Bit said and I raised my eyebrows at him. He knows that didn't happen. But, I guess he couldn't think of anything better.
"Um, I think I'm going to go read some more of that book Pony loaned me," I said as I stood up.
"Sure," Two-Bit said. "You can read in my room. Just don't try to clean in there."
I nodded as I left the room and went to Two-Bit's room which probably had more junk in it than the city dump. Stepping over piles of clothes and other mysterious items, I made my way to his bed on the other side of the room. The bed was the one thing in the room that wasn't covered in junk and I sat down on it to read. While I read, I could hear Karen and Angela talking in the bedroom next door and the sound of the television playing in the living room. Two-Bit did poke his head in the room a few times to ask if I wanted anything, but I just shook my head. All I wanted to do was read a few pages of the book and try to understand what I was reading. Besides, Two-Bit didn't need to get me anything. He was already letting me use his bed for the night and I was grateful for that.