Rain. Possibly God's worst creation ever, next to Two-Bit of course. I was currently slumped on my bed, Lucky curled up into my side, lookin' out my window as the rain pelts against the glass. There's a steady plunking sound as an old rusty cooking pot catches the drips of water leakin' from the ceiling by my closet. Darry's a roofer, but he's so busy working on everyone else's houses he can't even fix up his own! But I don't blame him, it's always so loud and busy here at the house no one can get anything done and he works as hard as he can to support my brothers and I.
I hear the front door creak open and Ponyboy yelling at whoever was comin' in to not slam the door, so whoever it is, of course, slams the door. I sigh before heaving myself out of bed, giving Lucky a kiss on the head as I do so, and walkin' over to my old, beat up dresser. Pictures of the gang and my parents sit in old wood frames Darry made for me a while back and I dig out some clothes for the day.
It's Saturday so we probably won't do much 'cept maybe walk down to the Dingo and catch a movie at the drive-in. I slip on my jean shorts that have begun to fray on the ends and an old Rolling Stones t-shirt my dad bought for me a couple of years ago. I take my hair out of its ratty ponytail and brush through it, watching as it falls to the middle of my back in soft, brown waves and walk out into the livin' room. Lucky follows me, brushin' up against my legs so I pick her up as I head into the kitchen.
"Mornin' sleepin' beauty!" Two-Bit says loudly as I walk into the kitchen. He's leanin' up against the counter with a beer in his hand already, watchin' Ponyboy scramble the eggs for breakfast and hecklin' him to no end.
"Mornin' Two-Bit, little early for a drink, dontcha think?" I ask as I set Lucky on the counter and give her a small bowl of milk.
"Nah, I've been up for a while now so it's more like the afternoon, really!" he says, grinning like an idiot and I grin back as I roll my eyes. Darry walks into the kitchen in just his jeans and slaps Ponyboy on the back in greeting before pecking my cheek.
"Mornin' rosebud," Darry says as he pets Lucky on the head and pours himself a glass of milk from the container stills sitting out on the counter.
"Mornin' Dar, you workin' today?" I ask, putting the now empty bowl of milk in the sink and rinsing it out before setting it on a towel to dry.
"Only till one and I ain't workin' tomorrow either," he says and I nod, getting a bowl for Ponyboy to put the now finished eggs in.
"Lily!" I hear my twin Sodapop yell from the living room and I roll my eyes before going to see what he wants. Sodapop is lounging on the couch, with a hand mirror, and glaring at his own reflection.
"Yes, twinnie?" I ask and he jumps at the sound of my voice.
"I have a gray hair!" he whispers after looking around to make sure no one is listening in. I start laughing and he scowls at me, slumping back into the couch cushions.
"Well, what do ya want me to do about it?" I ask and he sighs like I should already know the answer. Which I don't. I mean, I doubt he even has a gray hair he's only seventeen for gosh sakes!
"Pull it out! But do it gently," he says and I kneel on the couch next to him, bringing his head down to my level so I can see it better.
"Soda, I don't see a gray hair at all!" I say laughing after inspecting his head for a few seconds. He reaches his hand up quickly, almost whacking me in the face, and points to a spot on his head. Surprisingly, there was a discolored hair but I wasn't so sure it was gray. Nonetheless, I rip it out anyway, giggling when Soda squeals like a pig and glares at me, getting up to go put the hand mirror back in the bathroom.
"What are you two knuckleheads doin' out here?" Two-Bit asks as he walks in from the kitchen armed with a whole chocolate cake and full bottle of beer. Must be time for breakfast.
"Oh, Soda had a weird colored hair and was convinced it was gray!" I say as I get up and head back toward my room. I spend the next hour in my room readin' The Grapes of Wrath before Steve barges in sayin' we're goin' to the Dingo for lunch 'cause the rain has finally stopped. I give Lucky a kiss on the head again before throwin' on my black leather jacket and the six of us, Soda, Steve, Two-Bit, Ponyboy, Johnny, and I head out the door and down the road.
"I tell ya, those Socs cause any more trouble on our turf imma bust their heads in!" Steve says, kicking a rock with his shoe and scowlin' at the ground. For the past month or so, Socs have been gettin' brave, comin' onto our turf and jumpin' us Greasers! The whole gang warned me not to walk anywhere alone and have been keepin' a closer eye on me for a few weeks now, though they probably don't think I notice.
It's kinda sweet, but it can get pretty frustrating too when I can't even walk to the lot a few blocks away by myself. I'm currently walkin' in between Soda and Steve, hands shoved in the pockets of my jacket which is zipped halfway up while Two-Bit walks in front of us and Ponyboy and Johnny shuffle along behind us. We get about halfway to the Dingo before the trouble starts. A blue Mustang, shinin' in the afternoon sunlight rolls up beside us and the engine turns off.
I see all the guys tense up while Soda and Steve move closer to me, squishing me in between them. Eight Socs pile out, and I'm amazed that they can fit that many guys in one car. They're all wearing nice tan pants with expensive sweaters, and rings line some of their fingers, making me flinch as I think of Johnny.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a tall brown haired guy asks his buddies, laughing and straightening out his argyle sweater
"Well Eddie, looks like we got a group of Greasers who think they can just walk on down the street all happy-like!" the blonde haired guy next to Eddie says, and I sigh at the Socs name. So typical, no Soc parent has any originality at all! My name was less original than my brothers' but still not heard very often. My full name is Lilyrose Tulip Curtis, and I love it! Flowers are one of my favorite things, and Darry always buys me a bundle of roses for my birthday. As the Socs start to circle us, the gang makes their own circle around me and I start hopin' we all make it out mostly unharmed.
"Ya'll best get lost, we ain't in the mood to bust up some no good Socs!" Steve says, glaring at the pretty boys and clenching his fists. I can see Two-Bit's fingers twitching toward his back right pocket where I know he keeps his blade.
"Bust us up? We'd like to see you try, and when we're done with you we'll be taking that pretty little greaser girl off your hands for some real fun!" Eddie leers, laughing obnoxiously as the gang tenses up even more, if that's even possible, though I can see Johnny trembling from the corner of my eye. I stick my hands in the pockets of my jacket, trying to curl into myself as the Socs wink at me and laugh. Suddenly one of the Socs that hadn't spoken yet, a shorter guy with red hair, throws a punch at Ponyboy that catches him in the face, sendin' him to the ground, and the brawl begins. The Socs make the guys scatter and I know I have to help, so I jump on the back of one of the smaller Socs and start hittin' his head as hard as I can, grabbing a fistful of his black hair as leverage.
I feel myself bein' lifted off and tossed to the ground, landin' with a thud before a Soc kicks me in the stomach. I scramble to my feet, one hand on my ribs, and punch the one that kicked me in the face with my free hand, smirking when I hear a crack. I run over to help Ponyboy who has two Socs gangin' up on him when suddenly Steve pulls his blade, followed by some of the Socs, including the one I was tryin' to get away from Ponyboy.
I back up, eyes wide, as he swings the blade at me. I jump back, hearin' the blade whistle as it cuts through the air. This goes on a couple more times before the blade catches the skin right below my eye. I get a long, pretty deep cut right below my left eye and I feel the blood begin to drip. The guy punches me in the face and I land on the ground, breathin' heavily and holdin' a hand over my face as my eyes water from the pain. Suddenly there's more yellin' and I hear the roar of an engine. I crack open an eye just in time to see the Socs speed away in their Mustang before I look over at Soda who's lyin' beside me.
"You okay, Sodapop?" I ask and he sits up, glancin' over at me before quickly kneeling beside me.
"Geeze, rosebud, I should be askin' you that! Is anything broken?" he asks, helping me sit up and he feels around my body for any further injuries.
"Don't think so, but that idiot ruined my favorite shirt by makin' me get blood on it," I say with a pout and he laughs before givin' me a huge hug. Two-Bit and Johnny suddenly appear over me, both lookin' to be in pretty good condition with only a few bruises. I can tell they're worried about me with the way they run their eyes over my body for any big injuries, Two-Bit doing it more earnestly than Johnny.
"You alright, Lilyrose?" Two-Bit asks in his serious voice and I can't help but feel that it doesn't sound right comin' from him.
"I'll be fine, what about Steve and Ponyboy? Where are they?" I ask, lookin' around and the three guys help me stand. I wince as some of my joints crack and ache but I push that to the back of my mind.
"Dally and Shepard's gang are lookin' over 'em, they'll be just fine," Johnny says and I can see Dally grabbin' Steve by the hand and pullin' him up, none too gently. I walk over to them, the guys acting as my shadow and lean over Ponyboy who's groanin' on the ground.
"Now do ya see why we never let you walk anywhere alone, Pony? We almost got our heads busted in and there were six of us!" I say and he rolls his eyes at me as I straighten up and run my fingers through my now ratty hair.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" he mutters before letting two of the guys from Tim Shepard's gang, Jay and Bosco, help him up. I see Dally standin' off to the side, a cigarette already between his lips but not lit yet, with a guy that looks to be about 19 or 20 and is a few inches taller than him. He's got a scar running down the right side of his face, from just below his eye to where the underside of his chin.
I start to wonder what happened but then I remember that this is a guy Dally considers a friend so he must be pretty tuff, it's probably from a blade durin' a fight. I'd never actually met Tim Shepard, only heard of him, but people say not to make him angry or he'll beat the tar outta you. It definitely makes sense that Dally would be a good friend of his, bein' the hood he is!
"Hey, Dally, what are you doin' out here?" I ask, knowing he's not a big fan of the Dingo and Buck's is a ways away from here, walking wise at least. He takes a drag of the cigarette he just lit and blows the smoke out before answerin' me.
"Just havin' some fun with good ol' Shepard here. Lucky for you we were happenin' by or you woulda been Greaser food, Rosy," he says and I roll my eyes at his nickname for me. Dallas Winston is the only person that's ever been able to get away with callin' me Rosy, and I have no idea why.
"Funny, Dal. Thanks for savin' us," I say and he shrugs, taking another long drag from his cigarette before letting it hang out of his mouth as he roots around in his pockets for something. He comes up with an old hanky and walks over, putting it below my eye and Soda comes rushing over.
"Let me see how bad it is, Lily, hopefully you won't need stitches," he says and carefully wipes some blood away.
"It'll be fine, Soda! Don't worry about it," I say and he sighs, going back over to Ponyboy, but not before muttering at me to keep the hanky over the cut to stop the bleedin'. I turn back around to face Dally and roll my eyes at him when he smirks at me.
"So this is Lilyrose Tulip Curtis, the only Curtis sister," Tim suddenly says, and his voice shocks me. I'd expected a higher voice from him, because of his taller and more lean body but a deep baritone comes out. I don't hear any mocking in his voice, just curiosity and I turn to look at him. He's leanin' up against a fence with a cigarette in his mouth, feet crossed and one hand stuck in the pocket of his black leather coat. He's wearin' jeans and a white, form fitting t-shirt underneath his jacket. He was, in one word, hot. And dangerous. I guess I probably shouldn't leave that out, but that dangerous feel about him was what made him hotter, even sexy!
"Nice to meet you, thanks for helpin' us out," I say, smiling in his direction and he smirks at me.
"You're right, Dally, she could be a Soc," he says still staring at me and I raise an eyebrow at Dally but when he simply shrugs and smiles innocently at me, I turn around and hold my hand out to Ponyboy. He looks at me in confusion and I sigh.
"You don't getta carry a blade if you don't have the guts to bluff with it when you really have to, Pony," I say and he glares at me. By the look in his eyes I know he's going to make this more difficult than it needs to be.
"I just forgot about it, that's all! 'Sides, you didn't take out yours either!" Pony says, raising his voice and Soda jumps in, talking quietly.
"Ponyboy, she's right! Forgetting you have a blade is just as bad as remembering you have one and not havin' the guts to use it! And you know we don't let Lily carry 'round a blade, it's an open invitation to any Soc that sees it 'cause she's a girl!" Soda says, holding his hand out to Pony and I draw mine back to sit on my hip, staring at Pony and waiting for him to give Soda his blade.
"Fine! But I'm tellin' Darry!" Pony says to me, cursing under his breath and placing his silver handled switchblade in Soda's hand. Two-Bit starts laughing at Pony's attempt to get back at me, and Soda looks at him like he's lost the little sense he had to begin with.
"Ponyboy, you really think Darry will get mad at Lilyrose for takin' yer blade away? He couldn't yell at her even if she went out and got herself pregnant!" Two-Bit yells with a laugh and I roll my eyes at him, blushing lightly at the suggestive remark.
"Well, before anything else fun happens maybe ya'll should head back to the house," Dally says and I can hear the smirk in his voice when he says 'fun'. The Shepard gang says goodbye to us and I catch Tim staring at me, a look in his eye that I can't quite place. Deciding to drop it, I head home with the boys and Dally joins us. I go ahead and throw together some sandwiches since we never made it to lunch and we lounge around in the living room talking and watching Mickey Mouse. A couple hours later Darry walks in with his tool belt slung over his shoulder, all sweaty and tired from work, but stops when he sees the First Aid Kit sittin' out on the dinin' room table.
"What the hell happened?" he asks when he turns around and sees Steve's black eye.
"We were on our way to the Dingo, got 'bout halfway there when some Socs decided to jump us," Two-Bit grunts out, eyes never leaving the TV where a new episode of Mickey Mouse was playin'. Darry's eyes immediately scan the room until they find me curled up on the couch, my drawn up legs resting against Soda, and he drops his tool belt on the table with a loud 'thud' before coming to squat in front of me.
"I'm fine, Dar, just a scrape on the cheek, nothin' more," I say but let him take off the band-aid anyways, knowin' he won't be happy till he sees for himself that I wasn't gonna keel over and die anytime in the near future.
"All seven of you were walkin' together and they still jumped you?" Darry asks, looking around in surprise.
"Nah, Dally wasn't with us he just showed up with Shepard and his gang to rescue us," Sodapop says with a laugh from his spot on the couch next to me, resting his arm on the top of my knees.
"Well, just be more careful next time yer out! All of ya have blades except Lilyrose, right?" Darry asks and Ponboy slumps in his seat. Unfortunately for him, Darry notices and raises an eyebrow in question, looking more to Soda than anyone else for an explanation.
"Ponyboy forgot he even had his blade on him when we got jumped today, even after everyone else pulled theirs out," Sodapop explains and Darry sighs in understandin'.
"Ponyboy, you gotta use your head more! One of these days somethin' real bad is gonna happen and we're gonna lose you to those damn Socs!" Darry says and Ponyboy sinks into the couch even more when Darry swears. I decide to stop Darry before he keeps going so I stand up, getting' everyone's attention.
"Anyone hungry? We never did get to eat that big lunch, all we had were some small sandwiches," I say and all the guys yell their praises. I roll my eyes and shake my head as I walk into the kitchen to start cookin' an early dinner slash late lunch.
Hope you guys liked the chapter, it took me a while to write! I know it's pretty boring, but this was just getting some foundation underneath the story and introducing Lilyrose and stuff so the rest of the chapters should be more exciting and eventful. Also, I've gone through and tried to fix any grammar mistakes I see especially regarding my use of tenses but I might not have caught all of them so please excuse any you might see! Please review because that would be awesome!
LilCrafty6 :D