Owen and I slid into the same bench of a booth in the corner at Rusty's Diner. I hadn't told him anything about what Two-Bit had told me during lunch. As far as Owen knew, Two-Bit just needed some urgent help with some homework before his last class of the day. The waitress came to the table dressed in a light blue uniform. "What'll it be for you kids?"
Owen ordered for the two of us, like he always did. "We'll have two chocolate malts, two cheeseburgers and two French fries."
I looked up to the waitress. "Just one cheeseburger and fries." The lady nodded her head in understanding. My stomach was uneasy. I looked to my date. "I'm not really hungry. I just need to talk to you about a bunch of things."
"That's fine." He said, and grabbed my hand in his. "What did you want to talk about?"
I took in a deep breath trying to figure out where to start. "So much has happened in the last day that I don't even know where to start."
A voice called out from the front door and interrupted me before I could start. "Jasper!"
The two of us looked over to find a few guys from the football team walk in and wave. Owen waved to them in a way to let them know he was too busy to chat with them right now. The understood the sign and took a table far away from us.
Owen wrapped his arm around me, and looked me in the eyes. "I am all ears."
I sighed. "Well, for starters, Sodapop and Casey broke up yesterday."
"Whoa!" Owen was genuinely surprised the way the rest of us had been. "What happened?"
"Ponyboy and I walked over to the restaurant where she works yesterday and found her kissing another man. It wasn't pretty." I finished telling Owen about what we had seen, how Sodapop reacted, Casey coming to see me, and how I turned her away.
I picked at my chocolate malt with my spoon. "After I sent Casey away, Soda and I went back inside the house. That's when he told me he wasn't actually mad at Casey for not loving him. He was madder at her for leaving him when he needed her around the most. Seems he heard Sandy was coming back to town. Soda was hoping to have Casey on his arm to show Sandy he was over her."
"Sandy? She's the first girl who broke his heart. Right?"
"Yes. She cheated on Sodapop too, but she ended up pregnant by the other guy. Her family wasn't too happy, so they sent her to live with her grandmother in Florida. Evie said she gave birth to a baby boy, and she is coming back to the neighborhood with him. Sodapop didn't handle the news too well. He is still heartbroken over her."
"I suppose he would be." Owen gazed at me with empathy.
A voice broke into our conversation. "Hi there, you two!" We looked up to find Alex, Whitney, Pete, Bethany, and Charlotte coming towards our table. Owen knew he couldn't pass these friends off as easily as he could the guys from the football team. He looked at me and whispered a quick "sorry" to go with his apologetic look. His friends clambered into the booth with us.
"You all can't stay here long. Scout and I are on a private date," Owen said. His friends looked at each other and laughed taking his comment as a joke. It wasn't often that Owen and I went out without. When we did, one or more of his friends were sure to be tagging along.
"You two don't date? Do you?" Pete sarcastically teased and grabbed a French fry from
Owen's basket.
Alex added to the humor. "I think Owen's too busy working to date. How long has it been since you two have been on a real date, Scout?"
"Without all of you around?" I smiled to insinuate they were encroaching on the closet event to a date I had in awhile.
"Oooo!" Pete yelled out and laughed. "We get the picture; you two don't want us around."
Owen looked at his best friend. "That might be a good idea. We will catch up with ya'll this weekend."
His friends faked surprised reactions to insinuate they never saw Owen out on a weekend. Alex made a suggestion. "Come on gang. Let's go find ourselves a less crowded booth." Everyone in the group climbed back out of the booth and respected our privacy.
Only Charlotte stayed a second longer to bat her eyes at my boyfriend. "See you around, Owen." Then she moseyed out the booth, but she was sure to wiggle her hips as she walked away.
I saw her action and looked at Owen, who was only looking at me. "So you were saying?"
"I need to find Casey and make up with her. I am mad at her, but she's right and Sodapop is right. I can't just cast her aside because she hurt my brother. We are really the only family she has. Without us, she's got no one. And when you've got no one you end up like bitter and lonely, like Dallas Winston."
Owen softly ran his fingers up and down the side of my cheek. "I think you are right. You and I both know that there are no guarantees in life, so you should talk to her soon."
"I will." I put my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around his bicep. I didn't know how or why, but the two of us were perfect for each other. I gazed over at the steno notebook that I had brought in. Underneath the cardboard cover sat the real reason I needed to talk to Owen. I sat back up to gather the courage to begin the conversation about the academy, but a flying ball of paper soared across the restaurant and bopped Owen in the nose. The football team buddies shared a loud laugh. Without worry of getting in trouble for causing a ruckus Owen picked up the wadded wrapper and whipped it back. It landed in the Coke glass of one of the players. The antics started a playful competition between a few of the booths of kids. Paper wads and fries soared through the air. I laughed with the other girls and sought protection from projectiles behind Owen.
"Alright you kids!" One of the waitresses laughed. "Ya'll are gonna knock that off! I've got chow to deliver and your games are gonna get in my way. So ya'll just call it quits."
The boys booed and groaned, but they did as they were told. I looked at the littered restaurant and thought about the differences between Socs and Greasers. If this had happened over at the Dingo the waitresses would have kicked the lot of them out of the place, and maybe called the cops. Then Owen threw two dollars down on the table for a tip. Money. It made the difference. The waitresses at Rusty's didn't fret the mess because they would be rewarded for cleaning up after the boys. Greasers didn't leave great tips, and a handful of them rarely paid their bill. I didn't want to be a greaser. I wanted money. I needed the opportunity to go to college. Maybe I needed Ashford Academy, even though I didn't want it.
"Let's get out of here." Owen reached for my hand. I grabbed my steno notebook, grabbed his hand and followed him out of the restaurant into his Camero. "I figured we weren't gonna get anywhere in there, and I didn't want to be interrupted anymore." Owen smiled at me as his blond bangs dangled in front of his gorgeous blue eyes. He leaned across the car and kissed my lips once, twice and then we melted into one long kiss. I ran my fingers through his blond hair. He put his warm hand on my naked knee. My blood began to rush a little faster as his hand crept up my leg a few inches. Our warm kisses grew deeper into a French kiss. I ran my fingers down Owen's neck and caressed the well-defined muscles of his chest that were covered by his tight polo shirt. Owen took a risk and moved his hand a few more inches up the top of my soft, silky, naked thigh.
Knock! Knock! Knock! The sound startled us and Owen twisted around to look out his window. Just outside he found Pete and Alex laughing at us. Alex added in a female voice, "You kids stop that and go home!" The two boys got their giggles and turned away and walked across the parking lot.
Owen shook his head laughing and cranked the engine to a start. "Interrupted again. How about we go to your house and talk?"
"We can do that." I said and looked down at the notebook on my lap.
Owen put the car in reverse, backed out of the parking spot, and put the car into drive. We moved forward and I looked up to just in time to see a boy standing a few feet directly in front of the car. Out of surprise, I let out a small scream. Owen pressed hard on the brakes. The car tires chirped to a halt as the two of us lurched forward in our seats.
"What the…?" Owen asked in shock.
I focused on the boy in his black jean jacket, gray t-shirt, and black jeans. A cigarette was clenched between his teeth as an evil smile graced his lips showing two perfectly placed dimples.
James leaned forward and placed his hands on the hood of Owen's Camaro. He looked through the glass at me. His wicked smile didn't fade. The hairs on the back of my neck began to rise. Owen opened his car door alarming me further. I yelled out in fear. "Owen! What are you doing? Get back in the car!"
Owen ignored my requests. He stepped out of his car and leaned forward with one arm on the roof of the car and one on the door. "Buddy! What are you doing?"
James stood tall and let the grin on his face melt into a tuff stare. He took one last, long drag of his cigarette. Methodically, he let the smoke creep out of his mouth like the devil himself.
"Owen!" I yelled again. "Just leave him alone and get in the car!"
"You want to know what I was doing?" James asked rhetorically. "I was watching you make out with my girl."
"You were watching us?" Owen asked as his posture straightened and muscles tensed. Behind us, Bethany and Charlotte ran across the parking lot into the diner while Pete and Alex stepped closer to the situation.
"I don't take to kindly to you taking advantage of my girl the way you were." To accent his displeasure, he flicked his still smoldering cigarette at his adversary.
Owen moved out of the way and walked around his open car door. "Here is your first and last warning. Leave my neighborhood and leave Scout alone."
James laughed at the threat and strolled a few steps towards the passenger's side of the car. He was directly across from Owen. "And if I don't?"
Owen's lip began to quiver with rage. "Pain. A lot of it, for a long time."
"I don't think I'm going to be the one in any pain." James said without worry. He looked at me through the windshield and his green eyes flickered with malevolence. "Get out of the car, Scout."
My mouth dropped open with indecision. I wished Owen would just get in the car and drive away, but that wasn't the point he wanted to make.
"Stay in the car." Owen issued the next order.
"Get out of the car!" James yelled this time and reached into the front pocket of his jeans.
"Stay in the car, Scout." Owen commanded again as he stood on guard trying to determine James' next move.
"How about this, Scout!" James leaned against the car and pulled an unopened switchblade out of his pocket for only me to see. "You get out of the car or your pretty boy Soc is going to die like they all should." Knowing James better than anyone wanted to, I knew the lack of respect he had for others. I popped the car door open and stood up with the heavy metal door between him and me. He grinned and leaned on the door. "That's my girl."
"Scout, get back in the car!" Owen yelled and his eyes showed alarm. The diner door opened and five large football players marched out in their dress slacks and letterman jackets. Alex and Pete walked up to the rear of the car ready to fight.
I eyed the hand with the long switch-blade concealed half inside his hand and half inside the sleeve of his jean jacket. "Why are you doing this?"
"Why am I doing this?" James questioned with mock disbelief. "Why are you doing this? You're my girl and I find you with him!" James walked around the car door and stood close to me.
"Leave her alone, Greaser!" One of Owen's football buddies yelled. James ignored his demand. He reached up with his left hand and grabbed the back of my neck. Owen made a quick move to rescue me. James raised his weapon hand, and I heard a familiar click as he released the nine-inch blade from its secrecy. Owen froze at the sight. I don't think he had ever been in a situation as volatile as this one.
In the distance, the faint sound of sirens could be heard coming to the scene. Knowing his time was short, James leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "I always take what I want." He straightened up, took one last look at me, and stepped away. He smiled at the crowd and announced. "Gotta run!" He retracted his knife and took off like a bat out of hell down the nearest street.
I noticed a few of the boys start to take chase and I screamed. "Let him go! Just leave him alone and let him go." The boys ceased their chase for their own good.
Owen's friends rushed to the side of the car to see if I was harmed. Like an imbecile I began to cry. Owen circled around the car and wrapped me in his arms. Out of frustration, I scolded him. "I told you to stay in the car! I told you to just leave him alone and stay in the car! You don't know what a greaser like him will do! You are a Soc! You live in your pretty little protected world where everything is perfect and nothing ever goes wrong! You don't know what I know and you don't see what I've seen!"
Awe shot through Owen's body and his loving arms fell away. He took a step back from me and blended into the group of Soc's who had stood by to protect me just a few moments earlier. Regrettably, my comment had segregated me from them. In naming them socials, I claimed to be a greaser.
The squad cars pulled into the parking lot. The officers jumped out of their cars and moved in on the pack of youth. Demanding to know what the disruption to the public was the six officers separated the group. One of the waitresses came out from inside the diner rambling about what she had seen from the window.
"Officer, that dirty boy, who took off running, grabbed that little sweetheart by the neck and threatened her with the longest knife I have ever seen!"
A young officer dressed in brown turned to me. "Is this true?"
In my mind I answered. No Sir, I'm not a little sweetheart. Outside, I wiped the tears from my eyes and silently answered, yes. The officer took me by the arm and walked me to his squad car. His grip on my arm was tight, and for a moment I thought I was in trouble. He opened the rear door of his squad car. "Don't you worry sweetheart. We'll get this all taken care of. Just sit here a few minutes and calm down. I'm going to have a word with my supervisor, then we'll have you tell us all about what happened." He gave my shoulder a little push downward so I would sit. I sat down on the brown vinyl seat, hid my face in my hands and bawled some more.
I thought about my horrible words and how wrong I had been to blurt out such generalizations about Owen and his friends. The comments were rude and hurtful, especially towards Owen. His life was far from perfect. He'd seen what I'd seen. He'd had to feel what I'd felt. I thought of James. If the cops go looking for him, he is only going to grow more enraged, so enraged that he may follow through with his demented thoughts to actually kill someone. Maybe that someone would be me, or worse – Owen. I couldn't have that happen. I had to protect him.
I wiped my eyes and inhaled through my nose the best I could to steady my feelings. I had made a mess of things and it was up to me to fix it. I stood up and walked towards the officers who were questioning the waitress and the boys. "Officer?" I said once but my throat wasn't clear. I readied myself and called out again. "Officer?" The young man looked towards me. "Officer, I won't be pressing charges. If there are any charges you expect me to press I won't and I want to apologize to the boys." I looked at Owen and his friends. "I was wrong to say what I said. I didn't mean those words. I'm… I'm sorry." My lip quivered uncontrollably and I turned and walked away from the scene.
"Scout?" Owen called out, but the officers didn't allow him to follow me.
"Miss? Miss?" The officer called to me, but I ignored the question and kept walking. He ran up behind me and begged me to rethink my decision. I told him I couldn't. I explained to him that all too often the law wasn't ever there to protect people like me when it mattered most. If I ratted out James, he wouldn't forget. I wasn't ready to take that chance. All I wanted was to get far away from my poor choices. I turned towards the officer. "I just want to go home?"
"I can take you home, but I'm going to be talking to your parents about all of this. Maybe they'll talk some sense into you." The officer seemed agitated when he walked me around to the passenger's side of the car. I climbed in. The supervising officer came over to chat with the younger one. After a short discussion, the young officer climbed into his car and smiled. "Why don't we get you on home to your mom and dad?"
I smiled politely but stayed quiet about the truth.