I don't own The Outsider or That Was Then This is Now

Glory, that Curtis kid made me mad something awful the other day. Acting like he knew how I felt toward Mark, he didn't know. He couldn't know– I barely knew. Maybe he really was as conceited as I'd first thought, or maybe he really was just smart. I don't know, really.

I hadn't seen Pony since that day after school, and I didn't much feel like looking for him. He lived in a bad part of town, and I wouldn't want to go there uninvited unless I wanted to be jumped or killed. The people around there didn't mess around; maybe that was why those people were saying something about Ponyboy's friend killing someone. It surprises me that the little Curtis would even be friends with someone who would kill someone– but not too much because after all, he was friends with Mark and he gambled and hotwired cars and sold drugs.

I never did understand Mark's and Pony's friendship. One seemed to be little goody-two-shoes and one was a punk. But, Ponyboy was known as a real greaser, and greasers often did things they weren't supposed to. I suppose being friends with punks who stole cars and sold drugs and with guys who killed other people were things teenage boys shouldn't be doing.

The next day, I saw Ponyboy. He had himself sat up on a high counter in the local DX station and I didn't notice him until I had made my way over to the little soda fridge plugged into the wall to grab myself a Coke. He was talking with some older boy, he was taller than Ponyboy and wore the regular blue uniform DX workers usually wore. His eyes were a deep brown full of laughter as he grinned at the green-grey eyed boy on the countertop. I recognized the older boy slightly, I'd seen him just about every time Mark and I'd ever come in here, along with another older boy with crazed curly hair and the same uniform.

I made my way over to the counter, holding the glass Coke bottle in a loose grip. I waved my empty hand lazily at Pony and sent him a smile. He didn't return in, of course. Just looked at me boredly. I wondered briefly if he looked at everyone like that, or if it was just me. I also wondered if he just didn't like me any. That could be it, I wasn't the most likable person; after all, I'd just gotten over hating his guts, maybe he just needed to get over hating mine.

The older boy grinned at me from behind the counter as I handed over the Coke bottle. I handed him the fifteen cents I knew that it'd cost and he smiled and nodded in acknowledgement as he took the change and dropped in the cash register. He handed me back the bottle and I took it, muttering a thank you. I could've just left after that, taken my Coke and went home like I would normally do. But, Ponyboy was here, and I hadn't seen him in a few days, so no way was that happening.

I leaned my shoulder up against the beige wall, resting all my weight against it. "Hey, Ponyboy," I greeted the younger boy, smiling at him.

He shot me a look. "Hey, Douglas," he replied, all but glaring at me.

I chuckled at his disgruntled expression. "Sure looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Kid."

"No, as a matter of fact, I woke up on the side of the bed I always wake up on," he said smartly, causing me to snort with laughter.

I had to give it to that Curtis kid, he had a quick tongue and a brain full of good comebacks. I'd learn that better in the future all right, that kid would cause and win a whole lot of arguments.

I grinned widely. "So you always wake up on the wrong side of the bed? No wonder you're so grumpy all the time."

I heard the older boy begin to laugh. "Glory, he's gotcha there, eh Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy shot him a look and the older boy just grinned, which made Pony grin too. The older boy looked at me before saying, "I'm Sodapop, by the way. Ponyboy here's my kid brother," he wrapped an arm around Pony's neck, dragging him into an awkward headlock which almost made him fall face-first and backwards off the high counter.

I smiled. "I'm Bryon Douglas."

The older boy, now named Sodapop, nodded and took my hand over the counter and gave a firm shake. "Nice to meet you," he said politely.

I smiled and replied, "You too." Looks like at least one of the Curtis boys knew how to be welcoming.

I stayed a while longer and talked with Sodapop and after a little bit Ponyboy started to join in on our conversation. He didn't say much, but I think that was only because he's more on the quiet side.

Around noon Ponyboy jumped off the countertop and said he'd better get home to work on homework. I decided I'd walk him home and while he didn't want me to, his brother was all for the idea. So, the little Curtis and I embarked on our way to the Curtis home. I knew Ponyboy had another brother, his name was Darryl or Barry or something along those lines. I'd heard Mark saying something about him once or twice. He'd said he was real big, so I was a little worried about seeing him. After all, it could be kind of panicking to see your tiny, harmless little brother coming home followed by some taller, older kid. Yeah, if my kid came home being followed by someone like me I wouldn't be too friendly either.

"Douglas, you can stop walking now, we're here." Ponyboy's voice snapped me from my idiotic thoughts and I smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah, I guess we are. Okay."

He walked over to the broken-latched gate and pushed it open. He began to walk up to the house he looked at me over his shoulder, "You coming in or goin' home?"

I didn't really want to go in only to be interrogated or beat up by some muscle-head but before I could say my goodbyes, the door was flung open and a guy wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt strolled out. He was red-faced and obviously drunk as he grinned at Ponyboy. "Hey, Pony!" He yelled with a drunken grin, grabbing the shorter boy and pulling him into the house. And just like that, the door was slammed shut and I was left outside the front gate feeling absolutely dumbstruck. I recognized the boy from school, he was a junior or senior, who went by the name of "Two-Bit".

After a couple seconds I laughed and walked away shaking my head. Yeah, Ponyboy was definitely much too interesting to ignore.