New chap! Thanks to everyone for their reviews! Also, correction, Trevor drives a Mercedes. I was debating between the two and decided to go w/ something different for a change! ;)
Pardon the typos and I own no one…except…well you'll see…
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And I'm so confused
About what to do
Sometimes I want
To throw it all away
So here I am
Growing older all the time
Looking older all the time
Feeling younger in my mind
-Goldfinger
XXXX
"Sodapop Curtis!" I yelled, throwing the front door open. Darry, sitting in his recliner, looked up from his magazine in surprise at the tone of my voice. I wasn't happy.
From his place on the couch, I shot Two-Bit a nasty look. Unaffected, he beamed at me. "What's the problem kid?"
Tossing my book and jacket on the floor, I eyed him. "Like you don't know."
Shamefaced, Soda stuck his head out from the kitchen. "You rang?" Steve set his poker cards down, grinning as he took a drink of his beer.
"I thought I told you…" I began, frowning at my brother.
He scoffed good-naturedly. "You really thought I was going to listen?" Soda's face held an expression of innocence, asking me to not be upset with him.
"Besides what was the harm?"
I gritted my teeth. "Sodapop. You gotta just let me handle my own things alright? For once in your life don't worry about me," I whispered, talking fast, my words running into each other.
Soda, taken aback, cocked his head. "Aw, Pone-"
"What'd you do Soda?" Darry interrupted, sighing.
"Just had me a little 'talk' with Trevor Gayles." Soda flexed his fingers out cockily. I tapped my foot; annoyed he wasn't taking me seriously. I had deliberately asked him to let me handle things and then he goes and riles Trevor up even more. Soda's long arm darted out, trying to ruffle my hair, call a truce but I stayed out of reach.
Boy, sometimes I sure didn't dig being the youngest. I couldn't change it; but I could fight it.
Also deep down, I didn't want to put anyone in the middle; from experience I knew what happened to those who tried to help me out.
At Trevor's name, recognition dawned on Darry's face. Looking at me out of the corner of his eye, he considered something briefly and then decided it wasn't worth it. Darry grunted and then flapped his paper back open. "Soda, as long as you're not in jail, I could care less." A glimmer of a smile danced across his face.
"Now that is what I like to hear," Soda said proudly, drumming his fingers on the table.
What in the hell was this? Dumbfounded, my mouth dropped open in shock. Shoot, I guess I missed the memo that Darry no longer had a stick up his ass.
I eyed him suspiciously, feeling betrayed at my older brother's sudden lax attitude. Without the threat of the state, was this the brother I had had all along and just never known? Carefree, unrestrictive?
Or was it just because the culprit was Sodapop?
Annoyed and somewhat amused, I threw my arms up. "Wow. Unreal." I plopped down next to Two-Bit on the couch. "Tell you what Darry. Next time I pull something that makes you shit yourself, I'll remember this."
Darry growled something inaudible and ignored me, turning his paper over to the sports section. Soda chuckled and shook his head.
Two-Bit erupted into a wild whoop. "Stevie, my man, you owe me five bucks." He pointed his thumb at me. "Kid's about to pop a coronary."
Steve scowled and dug into his back pocket pulling out his wallet. "Just once Darry, just once, you couldn't come through for me," he complained, slapping five dollars on the table. "Come and get it you lazy bum," he said to a joyous Two-Bit.
XXXX
"Get any good classes?" Shakes asked, coming outside to meet me from our designated registration line.
Earlier today, the two of us had gone down to the University of Tulsa to do early registration for fall classes. Already I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, out of place. What was I getting myself into?
I shrugged. "Math, English. The basics, I guess. All the good stuff was closed."
"Check it out." Shakes handed me his schedule.
I scanned it and then looked at him with amusement. "Women's Studies?"
He smiled lecherously. "You know, I don't really know if I'm in there to pick up chicks or piss them off."
"You're on your own," I told him laughing and handing it back to him. "But I'd pay to see you in action."
"That could be arranged my friend," he said rubbing his hands together. "That could be arranged." Then Shakes frowned and took a second glance at his schedule. "Are you kidding me?"
"What?"
"Man, they put me in Astronomy. I thought I asked for Astrology."
A smile snuck onto my face; I doubted they offered that course but I let Shakes rattle on, blissfully ignorant. "I thought people who worked at colleges were supposed to be smart. Jesus. Hold on a minute while I go change it."
And with that, Shakes trotted off into the student services building.
XXXX
Glory. When I got my hands on Shakes I was going to brain him. His 'minute' had turned into 30 and then into 60.
I didn't know where he had gone off to; except all I did know was that he had driven today, leaving me without a ride.
"Goddammit Shakes," I muttered wishing I had brought a jacket along today, as the sunny sky suddenly darkened and rain began pelting down on me. It was only three o'clock but looked like it was ten. Prime tornado weather.
Ducking into the Arts and Sciences building I wandered the empty halls, searching for a pay phone. I snorted to myself. My first time on a college campus and I needed to call one of my 'big' brothers to come and pick me up. Even though I couldn't, I knew Two-Bit would appreciate the irony.
On the second floor, I stumbled into a flood of summer school students exiting a large classroom. A voice drifted out of the classroom: "Your assignments for the weekend: chapter three and don't smoke crack."
I would have laughed at the joke had I not felt as if I had been sucker-punched. That voice. It was faintly familiar but I couldn't place it. Instantly, I felt lost; my surroundings alien.
Waiting until the students cleared the doorway I took a breath and stuck my head into the classroom. There at the mahogany desk, clearing papers was Sergeant Caplan. "Holy shit," I breathed. His hair was a bit longer, his face older and warier, but it was Caplan.
Amused, he threw his head up. Seeing me, he balked, surprise jumping onto his features. Then Caplan grinned, his craggy face breaking into a wide smile. "Well, I'll be damned. Ponyboy Curtis."
So many questions were running through my mind that I didn't know what to say. I stood there in that doorway muttering, "What? How-?"
He raised an eyebrow and barked at me, "Are you going to stand there or come say hello?"
Sheepishly, I ran a hand through my hair and crossed the room. Just call me Mr. Articulate.
As I neared him, he reached out and pumped my hand, clapping my right shoulder with his left hand. "Looks like you're surviving."
"I'm trying," I said honestly, still shocked.
Caplan shifted and that's when I got a glimpse of him steadying himself on a wooden cane. Noticing my gaze, Caplan raised his left pant leg to show me a prosthetic limb. Crestfallen, my face fell and I bit my lip.
I found my shaky voice. "How'd it happen?"
"A bit of shrapnel to this old leg sent me home. I would have thought something a little more heroic like a sniper or something would have earned me my ticket home, but no. Damn shrapnel." At my silence, Caplan choked out a hoarse laugh. "Buck up kid, it's not the end of my world. I get around fine; nothin' I can't handle."
I shot him a grin. I'd expect nothing less from Caplan. "So how'd you get a teaching gig?" I asked quizzically, getting down to the basics.
"Visiting professor. I'll be teaching through next spring. Believe it or not, I actually had a degree before joining the army. Figured I'd put it to some good use." He cocked his head, running a hand down his beard. "Been in Tulsa about a month. Never thought I'd run into you."
It was my turn to cock my head. "Why Tulsa?" I tried, but couldn't remember if I ever knew where he was from. Come to think of it, I didn't know too much about him…well, other than his son…
"Well, Virginia didn't hold the same charm after Molly died." He lost his smile.
Insert foot into mouth.
I blanched. "Sarge, I'm sorry…"
He waved me off. "We both knew it was coming. We just didn't expect it to be coming so soon. Time to get away."
I sighed, thinking of my parents, that familiar heavy ache settling into my chest. Sarge was alone, in a strange city. His son was dead and now his wife. He was thrown from something he knew into a different world. What could I say, except: "I know how you feel."
Caplan gave me a strange, yet curious look and then said, "I take it you're not hanging around the campus for shits and giggles."
"Hardly," I said, remembering why I was here in the first place. Talk about a flashback. "I registered today for fall classes."
Caplan stood there thoughtfully for a moment before pulling up a stack of papers, briefly rifling through them. "Here. Go back and drop a class. Take mine instead." I took the yellow paper he handed me.
I glanced down at the syllabus: History 107: The History of War. Surprised, I looked up at him.
"Think you can handle it?" he asked, his blue eyes serious.
"Shoot, I sure hope so," I told him.
He nodded. "You're a good kid." Then he gave me that look that made me know he was thinking of his son.
"Sarge," I asked out of the blue, "want to come over for dinner sometime?"
"Hell Curtis, I'd be insulted if you didn't ask. I did cover your ass for a year," Sarge laughed, gathering up his belongings. He issued a curt nod at the classroom. "You know where to find me."
As I was leaving, I stopped in the middle of the doorway. "Something wrong?" Caplan asked from behind me.
"Yeah," I replied grinning. "I don't have a ride."
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Enjoy!
Leave reviews please!
Special thanks to AlleyCat for her ideas and ffnet is not letting us correspond while at work! Boo.
Also thanks to Cailiosa for the great reviews and thanks for reading. W/ regards to the last review…I agree with you about Darry's excuse for PB's absence…it is pretty weak…yet I have a brain fart…any ideas? Anyone? Well I shall strain my little brain…