I was a junior this year. My birthday was in a couple of weeks; I didn't want to do anything to big, but my friends did. I knew they wouldn't listen and throw me a big party with people I didn't even know.
Besides my upcoming birthday, Keith changed his name to Two-Bit after failing the eleventh grade. It took me awhile to get used to the name because for one it's not even a name and two I just was used to calling him Keith. I particularly don't like Two-Bit as a name, even though I thought it should be his name because he always has to get his "two-bits" worth in. I just didn't think it would actually happen. I guess people see how he is too.
Last year I met Bobby Richardson. During our sophomore year, we became closer friends and I started to like him more and more each day. Now juniors, older and more mature, Bobby asked me out in the middle of October. I said yes! Bobby was my first boyfriend and it made me feel older, like I'm really starting to turn into a lady. Just what my mom wanted.
Bobby and I going out didn't seem to bother any of my friends or even my parents. Though it seemed that Bobby had nothing better to do than hang out with me. I mean, that's great because he's my boyfriend but now I could never hang out with my other friends without Bobby. If Bobby wasn't cute, this relationship would have to come to an end.
Steve's cousin, Connie, was in town. She was from Kansas and lived on a farm and all that. It was funny how all the boys changed their attitudes just to impress her. She seemed to enjoy the attention though. We were all going to Flinn's to show her some real Tulsa food. She didn't eat much of anything that her dad didn't catch in the woods or whatever.
Dallas was the most surprising. He opened the door for her and hadn't sweared all day. I was impressed. Why didn't he do that for me? I was kinda ignored because they were all preoccupied with Connie. I didn't like her.
I was sitting at home today. It was a Sunday so I had homework to finish but that chances of that happening were very slim. I was hanging upside down watching TV. I felt too lazy to get up and actually do something. Then the phone rang.
Sodapop: Typhani, you gotta come bail us out of jail.
Typhani: I have to what you from where?
Sodapop: C'mon, Typhani, you gotta bail us out.
Typhani: Wait us?
Sodapop: Two-Bit's here too. But don't come with Darry.
Typhani: Fine.
I had no other way to get to the station so I had to ask Darry to drive me but that's what they get for doing whatever they were doing. I called up Darry and he came to pick me up. We didn't talk much in the car probably because Darry was mad.
"I'd like to bail out Two-Bit Mathews and Sodapop Curtis." I said at the front desk.
"Huh, fill out the forms." He handed us some paperwork on a clipboard. I paid the money and Darry filled out the paperwork. An officer brought out the two new delinquents out. Luckily, my dad wasn't here. Sodapop frowned when he saw Darry's face and Darry.
"Ah, why'd you bring him?" Soda complained. "I thought I told you not to bring him?"
"I needed a ride." I smiled sarcastically.
We squeezed into the truck and Two-Bit was practically hanging out the window; though, he seemed to enjoy it like he was a dog. My leg overlapped Soda's leg.
"So what did you guys do?" I asked.
"I was with Two-Bit and he was drunk and then he started doing some of those tricks Darry taught us one summer. He was having a good ol' time and I just joined in. The fuzz found us and hauled us in." Soda explained.
"You better watch yourselves you two." Darry warned. We all went back to the Curtis house and found Pony and his dad wrestling.
"Where were you boys?" Sue asked.
"We got hauled in for disturbing the peace." Two-Bit was still drunk and didn't know what he was saying. We all looked at him with a face of why-did-you-just-say-that? Darrel and Pony stopped wrestling.
"What are you talking about?" Darrel stood up and stared at us. Me and Darry put our hands up as to surrender and stepped back so we could not be a part of the drama.
"Me and Two-Bit were doing cartwheels and flips downtown and the cops caught us." Soda confessed. He didn't bother to mention that Two-Bit started it and that I paid the bail money and anything else that would make the situation worse.
"So what do you two have to do with it?" Darrel pointed to me and Darry.
"I drove Typhani there and filled out some papers." Darry said.
"I paid the bail money." I knew they were gonna make a fuss over it.
"Oh, Typhani, you don't have to do that. I promise to pay you back every penny. You don't have to worry about paying for things like that." Darrel said.
"Don't worry its emergency money. You don't have to pay me back." I said. But then I started thinking that my parents would wonder about the missing emergency money and my dad would flip if he found out what I spent it on. I was now regretting the fact that I rejected the money.
"I'm gonna pay you back the money, okay, it might take some time but I will get you the money." Darrel promised.
Two-Bit's mother didn't really care about him getting jail but Soda's parents did mind, so he was grounded for a week. And in that week, I got the money back and my parents didn't even notice it was missing.
Tonight was a football game at our school. My friends and I started to go every year when Darry was on the team. Then it just became our tradition. We normally go to mess around and bother other people. Bobby wanted to take me out tonight but I told I was going to the football game and he insisted in coming. I didn't want to say no, so I let him come too. Two-Bit and Steve complained about him coming because they're tired of him.
We sat at the top of the bleachers behind a group of Socs. They wanted to sit there only to bug them. It didn't bother me because it was funny and it didn't bother Bobby because he is a Greaser as well.
I noticed someone familiar in the group of Socs in front of us. After looking at him rather than the game, I figured out who it was: Bryan Kent. Bryan has liked me forever and he never did give up on me. He was kinda nerdy and annoying and I didn't know how his friends could put up with him.
"Steve, that's Bryan Kent." I pointed to him
"Bryan the stalker?" My friends would call Bryan a stalker because he never left me alone.
"Yeah." Steve laughed, all my friends found it funny that Bryan liked me. Steve turned around and started talking to Two-Bit and pointed at Bryan a few times. I was getting worried they were going to do something totally embarrassing and make me the laughing stalk of the whole school.
Two-Bit stood up on the bleachers and shouted out loud for everyone to hear, "Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the biggest loser at Will Rogers High, Mr. Bryan Kent!" Then they started throwing things at him. Bryan turned around and saw me. Two-Bit was gonna pay. Bryan seemed to ignore the food being thrown at him and said hi to me, "Typhani, hi, I didn't know you were sitting there." He came up to where I was sitting and planted his obnoxious butt right next to me.
"How have you been? I haven't talked to you in such a long time." He started.
"I'm good," I lied, "until you came." I said under my breath, for him not to hear.
"So, maybe, if you want, we can go out sometime." He offered.
"Uh oh." It was now time to be frightened because Bobby gets really mad when I talk to other guys and when they start asking me out, things got even worse. Bobby had an exception for my friends because he knew how I was with them.
"Excuse me but Typhani is my girlfriend and you cannot go out with her!" Bobby interrupted. This was what I was afraid of before.
"Well, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend." Bryan put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek. I got away from Bryan instantly. Bobby picked him up by his shirt and punched him right in his face. The rest of the Socs and my friends got up and started a fight. Pony was the next closest person to me, so I picked him up by his arm and dragged him to behind the bleachers with me to get away from all the fighting.
"Gosh, Bobby can get do paranoid when I talk to other guys." I complained.
"Why doesn't he give us grief?" Ponyboy asked me.
"I told him you guys were the only friends I had, so I wasn't going to ditch you guys just to make him happy. Then he made me promise that I wouldn't fall in love with any of you, but it's too late for that." Pony nodded in agreement because he knew I liked Soda just as much as anyone else knew.
"So what're you gonna do?" Pony asked.
"Actually I'm not that sure yet. If he wasn't so cute I would've broken up with him a long time ago." Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "But I think I'm gonna break up with him soon."
"Thank you! He's everywhere we go! It gets so annoying." Pony whined.
"I'm gonna do it. I'm tired of him being everywhere I am too. Tomorrow, first thing when I see him, we're breaking up." I encouraged myself.
The next day was break up day and I didn't like the feeling I was having in my stomach. I wanted to puke but I kept myself from doing so. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave me out of his sight so the first thing he does in the morning is come and say, "Good Morning, Typhani, you look lovely."
"Bobby we need to talk." I started.
"About what Buttercup?" I grimaced at the nickname he called me.
"Um, Bobby I just can't do it anymore. I just never seem to get time for myself. I'm sorry." I finally did it, I broke up with Bobby. I knew it was the right thing to do for my sake, but it didn't feel like the right thing to do because I didn't feel any better. I felt worse.
"Oh, I'm sorry too." Bobby sighed. He kissed my cheek and walked away. I buried my face in my hands. Slowly beginning to cry, I wiped the tears away hurriedly when Steve came up to me.
"What's wrong with you? You looked like someone just died." Steve said.
"I just broke up with Bobby." The tears started welling up in my eyes again.
"Oh no, the kid that never left you alone." Steve said sarcastically.
"Come on Steve, I feel bad enough already, I don't need your sarcasm." I whined.
"Ah, come on Typhani lighten up. I thought this was what you wanted?" He tried to cheer me up.
"Yeah, until now. Now I just feel bad."
"You got to stop trying to make everybody happy. He's gone and now you can have your life back." Steve reminded me.
"I know but why do I feel so bad?" I asked the question knowing I wasn't going to get an answer.
"But hey, now's your chance to ask Soda out." He suggested.
"I just broke up with Bobby; I can't go ask someone else out!"
"You have to ask him before anyone does." He continued.
"No; I am not gonna ask him out and you better not ask him for me." I warned.
"Fine, but don't come crying to me when you don't get a chance to date him." Steve said.
"Don't worry about me, Steve." I said.
I spent the day after school with Pony and Dallas. Soda, Steve, and Darry were at work; Two-Bit was with some girl; and Johnny was spending the day with his older sister Charlotte. We were driving up and down the downtown area just talking. When the two smoked the last of cigarettes in the pack we stopped at the store. Pony and Dallas went to get some cigarettes and I got a pack of gum. When Dallas put down three packs, I set down mine. Dallas was eying the cashier. Her name was Audrey; it was on her name tag. She smiled back at him. I gave Ponyboy a weird look.
"You doing anything tonight?" Dallas asked.
"No." She smiled. She quickly jotted down her phone number and gave it to Dallas. "Call me." She gave him the bag with our stuff.
"You're unbelievable." I said after we left the store.
"Why?"
"You don't even know her." I said.
"I know her name is Audrey." He tossed a pack of cigarettes to Pony in the back and one to me.
"What is this for?"
"One for me, one for him, and one for you to carry around when we need it." He explained.
"I'm surprised you didn't steal these." I said, getting my gum out of the bag.
"I did while she was lost in my eyes." He joked. "She just packed it all in a bag."
"Unbelievable…" I mumbled.
It's Dallas' birthday month, November, and he was going to turn seventeen on the nineteenth. Dallas hated his birthday. He demanded no parties and for no one to say "Happy Birthday" to him. He was so grumpy during his birthday.
Since his birthday was party-less, I was sitting at home doing nothing. My parents were at work, Max was home with me, and Travis was at some Soc party. Lying upside down on the couch, someone came storming in. This person picked me up by my arm and slapped me in the face. I moved my hand to my cheek and looked up and this person. It was Dallas and he had a bottle of beer in his hand. He was drunk, no doubt about it. I collapsed on the couch but he picked me back up and pushed me down, dropping the beer in his hand. He was screaming at me and cussing every other word.
"Dallas, stop!" I kept repeating these words over and over again but it didn't help. He continued slapping my face, punching my arms and pushing me over. I fell to the ground and cried but nothing would stop him. Finally, he drew his hand back and punched me in the face. I passed out cold.
When I came to, I was in the hospital. I didn't know what time it was or if it was still Thursday but I was relieved to find Keith by my side. It hurt to move. My face and arms were throbbing.
"Uh, you're awake." Keith released a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" I mumbled.
"Dallas beat you up." Keith's voice trembled when he spoke, like he was gonna cry.
"Why?" I was starting to remember it all but I still didn't know why.
"Jack beat Dallas, Sylvia broke up with him and then he lost a fought against Shepard. He was drunk but you probably knew that." Keith, actually, his new name was Two-Bit, I forget. Two-Bit looked away from me and at the door. Dallas walked in. I turned away, not wanting to look at him. How could he ever do something like that to me? He was my best friend.
"Typhani, I'm sorry." Dallas said.
"Dallas, go away. I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to see you, I never want to see you again." That was hard to say. I loved Dallas to death but I could never love someone who would take his anger, physically, out on me. He dropped his head and left.
The rest of the day, the boys stayed with me until they were kicked out so I could get some rest. The doctor said I would be just fine, a few cuts and bruises nothing too serious and I could leave tomorrow morning. My parents came and I heard Dad pick a fight with Dallas in the hallway. I couldn't get it out of me to tell my dad to stop yelling at Dallas.
This was the first time that I actually saw Two-Bit cry. He wasn't much of a crier unless someone was going to die or something but he knew I would be just fine. I found out that Dallas would be in jail for sixty days or more depending on his behavior.
When I was released the next morning, I went straight home. I didn't bother with any people, I just went to my room and I didn't leave except when I went to school. Travis brought me food and anything else I may have needed. I wasn't in depression, or maybe I was, but I just didn't want to be with people.
The month after Dallas was released, I hadn't seen him and I still wasn't seeing other people. I had been doing terrible in school and getting really lazy with my chores. My parents didn't make a big deal of this, surprisingly. Travis was the only person I would talk to. He would come in my room late at night and we would just talk about… everything. He was the greatest brother ever.