Chapter 2: Wandering
A/N: Hi guys! I know these chapters are short, but the next one should definitely be longer. I hope you like it so far. Please R&R!
Ponyboy's POVMan I hate science. I know Darry's worried about my grades and all 'cause the state's watching us, but they're my grades! Not his. He finished high school three years ago and he had his good grades and he had his scholarship to go to college and it's my existence that's the reason he didn't go to college and make his dreams come true. I mean Soda has a job and he would've been fine staying with Steve or Two-Bit or even Buck, but Darry didn't go to college because I was born and he feels entitled to stay and take care of Soda and me. I feel bad you know. Last year when I said that Darry would probably be happier sticking me in a boy's home if it weren't for Sodapop, I wasn't kidding. I think he would be happier. He's always yelling at me about Lord knows what. I don't even think he loves me anymore. The only time he talks to me is when he's yelling at me for doing something or yelling at me to do something. I doubt it'd be that bad if he was just talking in a quieter voice. I get so sick of the constant yelling. Everyone's always yelling. I'm really out of it today and first period was really, really boring. I actually run into Two-Bit while walking to second period.
"Hey what are you doin' here? I thought you were taking a sick day." I asked Two-Bit. In all honesty he does actually look sick. His eyes are all dull and he's really pale and quiet.
"Huh? Oh, hi, Ponyboy. I don't know what I'm doin' here. I skipped first period but I started feelin' a little better and thought I might as well tryin' to come." He answers.
"Oh, well you ain't lookin' too good. Maybe you just should've stayed at our house. What's goin' on? You just come for kicks, why bother?"
"Well ya see, Pony, there's this really hot girl and I thought I'd show my face and let all the other punks know that she's mine." Two-Bit explain quite matter-of-factly.
"Oh, well, ok." I say continuing on my journey.
"Hey! Wait up, kid!" Two-Bit shouts.
I stop and wait. By the time he "runs" the ten feet span that was between us, he's totally out of breath and sweating like he was just in a rumble.
"Why….why d'ya walk so d*** fast, kid. It's….not…...a marathon or somethin'." He gasps grabbing my shoulder to stabilize himself.
"You really ought to go home, Two-Bit. Ya really ain't lookin' good at all." I say. When he shakes his head 'no' I roll my eyes at him.
"Shut up, boy." Two-Bit states, punching my shoulder weakly. He starts to tremble and I think he's about to faint.
"Shhh, c'mon. You're goin' home." I say not giving the chance to protest as I wrap my arm around his back seeing him starting to wobble on his feet. I dump Two-Bit at the nurse's office and watch him call Buck who agrees to pick him up and drop him at our house. "Alright, I'll see you after school. Don't do anything stupid Two-Bit. Bye."
He gives me a weak smile. "Bye."
I hear the late bell ring and curse under my breath. I ask the nurse for a note and when I pass the office, I see Two-Bit laying his head up against the wall waiting for Buck to come up. I can't really focus the rest of the day, I've got this weird sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and I don't know why. I wish it'd go away. I feel nauseous almost. It's unsettling about Two-Bit. He hardly ever gets sick and the few times he has, it's been bad. Finally the last bell rings and everyone floods out of the classrooms and into the halls. As I'm shoving five binders into my stupidly small backpack, someone taps me on the shoulder. I glance up and nearly have a heart attack. It's Cherry Valence.
"Hi Ponyboy." She says sweetly, smiling at me.
"Uh, hi! I thought we weren't speaking to each other."
Her eyes flit across my face, scarcely making contact with mine. I stand and lock my eyes with hers. Her hair swishes around her beautiful face and gently bounces on her shoulders.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just, I just want to be with you." She says quietly before looking away.
I zip my backpack up and stand again. We start to walk out of the building, consciously not walking too close to each other. As we step outside, she takes my hand and gently tugs me around the back of the building. She turns me around and presses my back against the building. The bricks are warm on my back. Her hand presses against my chest and she peels the book bag and denim jacket off my back. She kisses my cheek over and over and moves down to my lips. Her lips are so soft against mine. I feel her hands underneath my shirt working their way up my chest as I wrap my arms around her waist, kissing her back. Barely another minute passes before she pulls away from me. We're both breathless and fervently glancing around, trying to ensure that no one saw us.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry Ponyboy. I didn't, I don't, I-" she stammers.
I'm just trying to get over the shock that Cherry Valence just actually kissed me. Wow. I wonder what Soda and Darry will think about that!
"I'm really sorry, Ponyboy. I shouldn't have done that. I just, forgot for a moment what I was doing."
"What d'ya mean you forgot?" I ask a bit too defensively thinking her reasoning is because I was with Johnny when he killed her boyfriend or somethin' like that.
"I forgot I'm not supposed to be around you." She says quietly, running her slender fingers through my hair.
"Said who?" I challenge.
"Everybody. Socs and Greasers aren't supposed to be together. We're supposed to hate each other. We're enemies."
"But you're no Socs." I point out.
"And you're no Greaser." She states, intertwining her hand with mine.
"So it's fine then." I say, pretending not to understand the obvious problem.
"No, it's not. Technically, you're a Greaser."
"Technically you're a Socs."
"And neither of us are really like what we're supposed to be." She says sweetly, wrapping her arms around my neck. "It just doesn't work, Ponyboy."
"But it can." I say hopefully, placing my hands on her hips as she pulls me closer to her.
"No, sweetie. It can't. You know it can't." she says quietly, wiping her lipstick off my lips and cheek with her finger. I can see tears welling in her sparkling eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Ponyboy. I didn't want them to. I tried to stop them. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She sobs, twisting from my gently grip and running off, trotting delicately on her kitten-heels.
I reach up and touch my cheek. My skin still tingles from the sensation of Cherry Valence's lips pressing against it. I dazedly bend down to pick my backpack up off the ground, her words keep replaying in my head. Why is she so sorry? She didn't want who to? What was she trying to stop? I just don't get it. Maybe Soda can make some sense out of this. I'm almost too dizzy to walk so I sit down and lay my head against the fence in the rear of the school building. I think I drift off for a few hours but all I can think about, even in my dreams is the look in Cherry's eyes. She was so hurt. I wonder if I did something wrong? Aw Hell, I always do something wrong. My eyes flutter open and I notice the sky beginning to darken. It's almost May but it's kinda chilly out here. I pull my jacket on again and figure it's around six or seven o'clock.
"When'd it get so cold?" I mutter, shivering as a blast of freezing air hits me head on.
I glance around the building and wish that there were more street lamps lighting up the back lot. I pick up my book bag and start walking to the front of the building. Before I even make it to the street, I see a black Corvair sitting in the shadows. Less than a second later, six guys jump out. I try to run the other way but another group of four guys had jumped out of an orange Mustang and surrounded me on both sides.
'Crap. What am I goin' do now?!' I think a bit panicked.
I know I have a tiny blade in my backpack but I don't know how I can pull it out without one of them noticing. I recognize one guy that jumped out of the Corvair. It's David, the one that tried to drown me the night Johnny killed Cherry's boyfriend, Bob. I slowly take my backpack off and my fingers find the blade as they are surrounding me even closer. Realizing that I don't have a choice in this situation, I drop my book bag and flip my blade open, trying to get into a defensive position. I can sort of guess the outcome of this jumping if someone doesn't come out of thin air and rescue me, and it's not goin' to be pretty. Ten against one. Yeah, this definitely isn't goin' to be fun. I'll either end up cut to ribbons or dead and if I don't die, then I'm sure Darry'll kill me for stayin' out too late and walkin' home alone. Suddenly, my face hits asphalt and I lose my knife before I can even use it. In a second, my hands are being pulled behind my back, legs tied together with rope and someone very heavy sit on my back, crushing my lungs.
"Grease, it's time to pay up, punk. Get ready for the night from Hell." David growls creepily.
I'm only half-conscious and I feel blood seeping out everywhere. I've lost count how many times a knife has stabbed into my. It's too hard to breathe, too hard to think, the world turns black.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading this chapter! I hope you liked it! Please, please, please review! Thanks again!