Chapter Twelve

At seven thirty on Saturday night Darry finally left again with Kate to go see a movie, when I called it a date I was given a dirty look and a giggle at the same time. Darry at that point looked every torn to tell me off but evidently decided against it when Kate told him to hurry up, and that by standing in the door they'd be late.

About half an hour earlier Steve, Sodapop and Two-Bit had ventured back home from the rain outside to only leave almost as suddenly upon hearing the prospects of a drag race being held on the outskirts of Tulsa. At that I did tell them off but Darry had nothing to say in the matter which made me more furious as they left without Darry even trying to stop them, since God knows I can't stop three guys single handedly.

So here I was on yet another Saturday night destined to spend it on my own, since who knows what exactly happened to Ponyboy. It was quite depressing actually. Well more so now to do with the fact I had a boyfriend yet I was still alone. But that's probably my fate, to spend the rest of my life as a miserable old hag with a million cats.

Then I started to giggle. There was that fact I hated cats but self-pity is not something I'm into so I started to laugh at myself. Then our front door was pushed open, whilst I was in a laughing fit over myself, and Ponyboy followed by Emily walked in and stared at me weirdly and then decidedly looked like they were going to walk out until Emily started to giggle too.

"You're insane, what drugs did you take?" she asked me sitting down besides me and staring into my eyes. "No, you look normal enough I suppose."

"I took nothing!" I said with as much dignity as I could muster, which was a straight face that lasted for about five seconds. "I was just laughing at myself wallowing in self misery."

"Isn't that meant to make you depressed not happy?" Ponyboy demanded turning the television up. "Are you insane?"

"Basically. Its hereditary you know, you'll get it too." I beamed. "Oh and I met Katherine or Kate, I didn't know you had another little girl friend!"

"I don't have a girlfriend!" Ponyboy cried out turned red.

"You have another friend, who is a girl, don't you?" I asked him with a smile.

Emily smiled and rubbed at her arm. "She's talking about Alice, dummy. And yes he does, they've been friends for ages, didn't you know?"

"No I didn't," I said feeling my gaze avert to her arm, "What happened to your arm?"

She gave a nervous giggle and gave me a soft smile. "You'll call me an idiot."

"I did." Ponyboy said dryly looking over from Darry's armchair that he'd reclaimed as his own, not wanting to sit alone with two girls. "That smart thing there walked into her wardrobe door and has a bloody massive bruise now,"

"How'd you walk into a door?" I asked with interest.

Emily looked at me innocently. "How do you fall down stairs?"

"You become a zombie."

"Cool." Emily and Ponyboy said together.

I grinned at the both of them. "So where were you two today? You weren't home when I was home so you must've left not long after I did,"

"Nah, after Soda went looking for you," Ponyboy said with a shrug. "Went over to see Emily, Steve had a hangover and I didn't really wanna get the aftermath effect of being yelled at or anything."

"He wouldn't do that," I said confidently but the two of them snorted so I then added. "Not on purpose," and Emily rolled her eyes so I huffed and added. "Fine, he would but he wouldn't dare do that in front of me as you well know, I'd slap him or something," I said with a wave of my hand.

Emily grinned at me. "I would doubt that, you'd at least shout at him or something."

"Probably." I agreed nodding. "So what did you two do all day? Surely not give Pony a girly makeover? I can't see a single trace of eye shadow on him!" I said with a sly smirk as Ponyboy threw me a dirty look and went back to watching the television.

"No, I was practicing my guitar all day actually," Emily said honestly as I looked at her with disbelief. "At first I tried to teach Pony to play but he was hopeless so I just left him to watch the TV and then Alice came around and I never quite got to practice."

"You play guitar?"

"Well, yes," Emily blushed. "It's not something I exactly brag about; I mean I am pretty rubbish at it. Sort of like singing, Ashley is way better, she knows it too. She has that confidence when it comes to singing I guess, and then she's shy about everything else."

"Nah, Emily is really good," Ponyboy told me honestly looking at me with a smile. "They're both really good. Alice plays the piano and Em was on her guitar. But they both told me to go away when I said they were good since apparently I was lying or something."

"I've never known you to be modest, Em." I grinned missing the hit that was aimed at my leg.

"Oh, shut up," she flushed.

"Anyway," I said taking on the role of authority role that I was born to play. "Lets see that bruise of yours, it might need to get covered up or something, or there could be an infection," I said wisely holding out my hand waiting for her to place her arm in it.

My green eyes pierced into hers and as she looked at my hand I saw hesitation flicker in her eyes as she slowly placed her arm in my hand and pushed up the sleeve of her jacket, which she hadn't bothered to take off. She winced slightly as it was revealed and I tried to contain how disgusted I was at the oddly discoloured bruise that looked a hell of a lot more painful than I had actually imagined.

"Gross isn't it?" Pony said, and coming from a guy who often went 'Tuff! Look at the colour!' it was saying something. "Looks way worse than the ones you get on your leg when you trip up the stairs,"

I nodded and examined the bruise that stretched from her elbow to about halfway to her wrist. I'm no doctor, and trust me I don't try to be one, but after all my experience at treating the boys' cuts, burns and bruises and my own from falling up and down the stairs. I can tell you that the chances this happened from a door would be about a one in a million, I've walked into my door before but I hit my head not my arm.

"You seriously got this from a door?" I questioned and Emily immediately tensed up and threw me a haughty look.

"Yes," she said in an oddly strangled voice and I knew she was lying. "It was either that or falling out of my bed. Why?" she demanded getting annoyed with me as she recoiled her arm and hastily pulled her sleeve back down. "I think I'd know how I got it a damn sight better than you."

"Normally you hit your head when you walk into doors." I said calmly. "Maybe you did fall out of your bed but why are you getting so defensive if it was just that, Emily?"

"I'm not getting defensive." Emily replied turning cool as ice, so different from what she was normally that Ponyboy turned round to stare. "But you're imagining things, Pixie. So stop it, I don't want people getting ideas I'm mixed up in things I cant handle."

"By the looks of your arm clearly there is something you can't handle." I responded. "Whether or not you're mixed up in it by choice. I don't know who or what you are protecting, Emily, but I'd stop it right now because whatever it is can't be good for you."

"You aren't the boss of me," Emily said sounding almost childish as her blue eyes almost blazed and I saw Ponyboy tense up from the corner of my eye. "You're not my mother, you're not my brother and you're not my sister. You can't tell me what to do so for once in your life cut it out, Pixie." She said harshly standing up. "I'm old enough to know what I can and can't handle."

"Have you seen your arm?" I cried out. "Emily!" My eyes widened as she ignored me and stormed out of the house as I leapt off the couch and ran to the front door, Pony on my tail. "Emily it's almost eight, you can't walk out on your own!"

"Stop telling me what to do!" her muffled voice responded as she stormed down the street angrily.

For a second I paused and briefly considered going after her but decided that she might maul me if I do so decided against it. I did get a feeling I'd regret it so I turned to ask Ponyboy if he'd follow her but his eyes, almost the same green as mine, were saddened as he shook his head before I could even open my mouth to speak.

"That's why I mentioned the bruise to you, Pixie." He said sadly closing the front door. "I thought maybe you could do something, that's what Ashley thought too. She doesn't know what's up with Emily but she told me Emily had another on her leg in gym on Thursday or something."

My eyes widened in surprise and fear. "She isn't a klutz like me, though." I said sounding nervous as my little brother nodded.

"I know. And she's not a liar," said Ponyboy looking at me with scared eyes. "That's what worries me the most, she never lies."

"So why now?" I whispered to myself.