On Pony's birthday, I came over a little before dinnertime.
"Hi, darlin' ", Pony greeted me when I knocked at the door, giving me a kiss.
"Hey, birthday boy", I smiled.
"How was work?"
"Good. Mrs. Brown let me off early since the place was already dead. The perfect day for it too."
"You got that right", Pony smirked.
"Are you the only one home?"
"Nope. Soda's in our room doin' something or other."
"How was your day off?"
"Good", he said as a giddy crept onto his face. "Look what I got!"
Pony grabbed his wallet and took out a card: his driver's license.
"You got it?" I exclaimed.
"Yup. I am now a certified driver." A look of pride spread across his features.
I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "That's great, love!"
"Pony! Who's he-", Soda called as he walked into the kitchen, stopping in his tracks when he saw me. "Hey, doll. When'd you get here?"
"A few minutes ago."
"Well, that's one more for dinner", he chirped and walked to the oven.
"Should I be scared of dinner?" I whispered to Pony.
He chuckled. "Don't worry, I watched him make it. There's nothing unusual about it."
"Good", I sighed.
Soon, the gang came and Darry got back from work.
"Hey, Darry?" Pony said about half-way through the meal.
"Yeah, Pone?"
"I was thinkin' about tryin' out for football when school starts up again…"
Darry instantly perked up. "You are? Really?"
"I'm thinkin' about it. I've always liked football and it would be fun to play more often. It seems like it'd be fun, anyway. 'Specially since you talk about it all the time."
"That's great! The day you find out when try-outs are, you tell me."
"Will do", Pony agreed.
"What'll you do about track then?" I asked Pony.
"Well, if I get in and the days don't go right, I can just not do track in the fall. Football season only lasts from the start of school until October."
"Who are you kidding?" Two-Bit exclaimed. "Of course you'll get in. Sports run in the Curtis boys' genes, just like looks. Besides, since Darry was real good at it, you'll still be riding on his wave."
"Well, a good lot of the Socs still don't like me after what happened two years ago…", Pony trailed off.
"They haven't been talkin' about that again, have they? I'll beat their rich asses if they are."
"No, they aren't talking about it. It's more like…like…", he looked at me, asking for the right words.
"It's hidden, but it's there. No one talks about it, but everyone knows about it. Even if nobody says it, we'll always be known by them as the ones who killed Bob. That's never gonna change", I told them.
Pony nodded in agreement, "Exactly."
"It can only get better, though", Soda encouraged. "You won't be known like that forever. Y'all are still known for savin' all those kids and that's a pretty damn good thing to be known for, if I do say so myself."
"I suppose", Pony said.
"Anyway", Soda announced, "it's time for cake!"
Our dinner plates were cleared away and new ones were brought out. Darry took the chocolate cake out of the refrigerator and Soda stuck in the candles.
"Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, dear Ponyboy.
Happy birthday to you."
He bent over to blow out his candles and when he stood back up, I leaned up and gave him a kiss, bringing on some wolf-whistles from the gang, even though it wasn't a terribly scandalous kiss.
"What did you wish for?" I asked when we pulled away.
"If I say, then it won't come true", he smirked.
I playfully rolled my eyes at him and sat down.
The cake was cut up and distributed and we all ate. It was obvious that Darry made the cake since you didn't get an immediate sugar high.
Afterwards, we gave Pony his presents. Darry got him a new football (we all found that a little amusing, considering Pony's confession during dinner), Soda got him a new pack of colored pencils, and Two-Bit got him a new book. Then there came Steve's present. He simply smirked maliciously and tossed a few copies of "Playboy" onto the coffee table. I quickly covered Pony's eyes as Darry and Soda scrambled to pick up the magazines. Two-Bit and Steve were laughing their asses off.
"Nuh-Uh", I said. "No way. He is not looking at those parts of any other girls!" By the time I realized what I had said, it was too late. Two-Bit and Steve started to laugh even harder and were rolling on the floor.
My face was absolutely scarlet and felt like I had a fever. I hid my face in my hands.
"Is there something we should know?" Soda asked.
"No!" Pony and I both yelled.
"I said that wrong", I insisted. "That wasn't what I meant!"
When I looked up, I saw Darry looking at us skeptically and Soda with a ghost of a grin on his face. I looked back down again and shielded my face with my hands. Ponyboy wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled my face into his chest.
It took a while for Steve and Two-Bit to calm down, but eventually they did. I took my present out of my bag and handed it to Pony. He looked at it, then me.
"You have to unfurl it, idiot", I laughed. "That's how a rolled-up poster works."
"I know, I know", he smiled as he did as I said. When he saw the poster, his eyes widened. It was a movie poster for Hombre.
"How did you get this?" he asked, shocked.
"Rachel works at the movie theater, so I asked her to get the poster for me when the movie went out since I know you like Paul Newman so much. I know it's not much, but-"
"No", Pony cut me off. "No, it's great. Thank you, darlin'." He put the poster down and kissed me on the cheek.
I smiled shyly. "You're welcome, honey."
He checked the time on his watch. "I should probably be getting you home. Dar, can I borrow the truck?"
Darry smiled fondly at his youngest brother before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the keys, tossing them to Pony. "Sure, bud. Be careful and come back right after you drop her off."
"Got it, Darry. Thanks."
I grabbed my bag and followed Pony out to the truck, where he opened the passenger-side door to let me in before getting in himself. We both buckled in and he started the engine and pulled out of the driveway carefully.
"And we're off!" he joked when he was out of the driveway and on the street.
"You can be my chauffeur until I can drive", I laughed.
"I can be your chauffeur even after you drive", he pointed out.
"True."
After a few minutes, Pony pulled up in front of my house. I leaned over and gave him a kiss.
"I love you, birthday boy", I grinned.
"I love you too, Princess", he smiled. "And I always will."
I got out of the truck and went up to my house, giving him a wave before walking in.
"Was that Ponyboy driving?" my mom asked from the couch.
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"I assumed that you wouldn't kiss any other people than your boyfriend", she laughed.
"He just got his license today."
"Is it his birthday today?" she asked as if to herself.
"Yep."
"Tell him happy birthday from me the next time you see him."
"Okay", I smiled tiredly. "I'm going to bed. Is Dad in your room?"
"Well, if he's not in the bathroom or the kitchen, he's bound to be there."
"Night, Mom. I love you."
"Love you too, Peanut."
When I walked into my parents' room, my dad was already asleep. I grinned a little and kissed his cheek. "Night, Dad. I love you."
He didn't wake up, just shifting a little.
Boys, I thought with a laugh. You couldn't wake them up if a hurricane was outside their door.
XxXxXxXxXx
Ponyboy and Ashlynn were at my house on the first day of school, per usual, so we could all walk together.
She didn't get Mrs. Pope, which we were all thankful for. Pony and I had probably scared her with the tales of the teacher, anyway.
"You excited to try out for football?" I asked him, swinging our intertwined hands.
"Yeah, but I think Darry's even more excited", he laughed.
"What position do you want to play?" Ashlynn questioned.
"I don't really care what I play. Just getting on the team would be great", he responded with a shrug.
When we got to school, Pony and I rushed to our lockers, then to first period math.
"Good morning, class", said a middle-aged woman. The few grey strands in her brown hair stood out, but she had a warm smile and a soft voice that reminded me of my mom. "I'm Mrs. Garcia, your calculus teacher for this year. I will now call attendance."
She couldn't have been more different than Mrs. Pope was the year before. After she called a name, she smiled sweetly at the person and greeted them, regardless of whether they were obviously a greaser or Soc.
"Lily Smith?"
"Here", I raised my hand to show her where I was.
"It's nice to meet you", Mrs. Garcia beamed.
"Ponyboy Curtis?" she said a while later.
Pony raised his hand.
"That's a wonderful name. It's nice to meet you, Ponyboy."
He blushed. "Thank you, ma'am."
I took his hand under the table and mouthed, "She's nice".
He nodded in agreement, his cheeks still tinted pink.
When attendance was done, Mrs. Garcia gave us an overview of calculus, including writing an equation on the board. Almost everyone's eyes widened and jaws dropped upon seeing so much in one equation.
"I know", she started, "it looks scary. Really, it's not once you learn it. But, if any of you ever have a problem or are confused, please ask me. It's what I'm here for and if you get confused and then we move onto something even more complex, it will confuse you even more and set you back. Does that sound alright with y'all?"
We all nodded.
"Wonderful", she grinned.
At lunch, Pony, Steve, Ashlynn, Evie, and I all met up and ate together. Pony and I were still kind of in shock at how nice Mrs. Garcia had been.
"Yeah", Evie agreed. "She's real nice. I had her last year. You didn't, did you, Steve?"
He shook his head. "Nope, but everyone who did loved her."
"I got try-out's tomorrow, so do you think you'll be okay walking home with just Ashlynn, darlin'?"
"Don't worry, honey. We'll be fine", I assured him. "When do you find out if you got in or not?"
"The next day", he told me, then bit his lip. "Is it bad that I'm nervous?"
"Not at all. It's good to be nervous. It would be more concerning if you weren't, honestly."
"Okay", he chuckled nervously. "Just making sure."
"It's gonna be fine. We all believe in you. Isn't that right, Steve?"
I turned to him to see him with a cocked eyebrow as if to say "Really?" I knew he was just kidding, though.
"Well, I believe in you, at least", I told Pony with a laugh.
"You know I'm just kiddin', kid", Steve ruffled Pony's hair, causing it to stick out in different directions. "Maybe you'll even get Darry's old number."
"It matters on the position. He was the quarterback and I doubt I will be. There are lots of guys who're probably way better than me."
"Well, we'll find out in a couple days, won't we?" I smiled.
XxXxXxXxXx
Two days later, I was talking to Ashlynn out on the school lawn. School was out and we were waiting for Ponyboy. He was going to see if he got on the football team. Then I was suddenly tackled in a hug. I squeaked in surprise before realizing that it was my boyfriend.
"I'm in!" he shouted. "I'm in!"
"What?"
"I made the team! I made the team, darlin'!"
"That's great!" I exclaimed.
He spun me around, making me giggle, before falling to the ground and pulling me with him.
"So…", Ashlynn trailed off as she looked down at us with a smirk on her face, "I guess you're playin' football this fall?"
"Yep", Pony smiled from his supine position.
"What position did you end up getting?"
"Running back." He stood up and helped me do the same. I brushed myself off and then him with a laugh.
"The fact that that's your position doesn't surprise me at all", I told him. "You're probably the fastest person on the team. Hell, you're probably the fastest person in the school."
"I don't know about that…", he chuckled a bit.
We all picked up our bags and started walking to the Curtis'.
"Darry's gonna go crazy", I told him.
"I don't know about that, Princess. The most he'll probably do is smile and congratulate me. Maybe give me a hug. He's not really that expressive."
"I know he's not, but I think that he might show his true colors. Did you see how excited he got when you told him you were thinking of joining? Imagine how excited he'll be when you tell him you got in. I'll bet you on it, even."
"You'll bet me on it?" Pony repeated.
"That's what I said, love."
"How much?"
"A nickel."
Pony stared at me for a moment before nodding his head and awkwardly shaking our already intertwined hands without changing their position. "Deal."
Later that night, I got a phone call.
"Lily, the phone's for you!" my dad called.
I ran down the stairs and took it from him. "Hello?"
"I owe you a nickel", I heard over the line.
"So", I laughed, "what'd he do?"
"He went berserk. I swear to God, I can't remember the last time I saw him like this. He picked me up and hugged me and I thought I would suffocate."
"I'd say that's pretty excited. Especially for Darry."
"Exactly my point", Pony chuckled. "Soda grabbed me and gave me a piggyback ride around the yard."
"Yeah, you definitely owe me a nickel", I told him.
"I know", he sighed, though I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
XxXxXxXxXx
The next week was my first week back at dance, which also meant it would be my first few days of teaching the little kids.
When I got home from school that Friday, I did some homework, then changed into my leotard, tights, and dance sweater and tied my hair up into a neat dance bun before grabbing my dance bag and leaving the house.
I had to be at the studio 15 to 20 minutes before the kids arrived, so when I got there, I walked into the classroom and put my bag down.
"Hello, Madame", I greeted as I switched the jeans that I had put on for a dance skirt and changed my Converse for my dance slippers (I had a feeling I wouldn't be going up on pointe that day and they wouldn't be learning tap until the next day).
"Hello, Miss Smith. How are you today?"
"Good. And you?"
"Lovely. I'm very excited to meet the little ones, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I love little kids."
"I have to say, they're adorable and say some of the funniest things."
"You wouldn't believe the amount of strange things I heard my little brother and sister say when they were little", I laughed.
We started to spread little mats on the floor for the kids and us to sit on.
That was when the senior who was co-teaching with us came in. Her name was Melissa Jones and she was a beautiful dancer. She had the perfect dancer's body too: long limbs and neck, flat chest, skinny, and tall. Almost the opposite of me. She was also a Soc, though she seemed to be one of the nicer ones
"Hello, Miss Jones", Madame Evelyn said.
"Hello, ma'am. Do you need any help with that?" Melissa asked, gesturing to the mats.
"I think we're just about finished", she observed our work before turning to me. "What do you think?"
I nodded. "I think we're good."
"Thank you for the offer, though, dear."
"Madame Evelyn?" I asked.
"Yes?"
"Will the kids be calling us what you call us or will they be calling us by our first names?"
"I think 'Miss' with your first name will work. Thank you for reminding me. I meant to address that."
A few minutes later, the kids came in. There were 7 of them and they were all girls.
"Hello!" Madame Evelyn said cheerily. "I'm Madame Evelyn and I'm your teacher. This is Miss Melissa and Miss Lily. They're going to be teaching with me. How does that sound?"
A chorus of small, shy voices responded with, "Good".
"Wonderful. Now, we're going to sit down on those mats on the floor and you can all introduce yourselves."
We all walked over to the mats and sat down, Melissa and I on either side of Madame Evelyn.
"Introduce yourselves", she whispered to Melissa and I.
"Hello, I'm Melissa. I'm seventeen and I'm in twelfth grade. Umm… I have an older sister and I like to dance."
I nervously introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Lily and I'm almost sixteen and I'm in eleventh grade. I have a younger brother and sister."
"Do you have any questions for Miss Lily and Miss Melissa?" Madame Evelyn asked the kids.
Almost all of them raised their hands. This should be interesting, I thought to myself.
"Okay, well in that case, introduce yourself and say something about yourself and then ask your question if you have you. We'll go around the circle starting with you", she pointed to the little girl next to Melissa. She had brown hair and hazel eyes.
"I'm Maria and I have a puppy. What's your favorite color?"
Melissa and I looked at each other and I gestured for her to go first.
"I like purple", she said.
"My favorite is light blue."
"Like Cinderella's dress?" Maria questioned.
"Exactly like Cinderella's dress", I smiled.
"I'm Tessa and she's my sister", a girl with red hair and brown eyes said, pointing to the identical girl next to her.
"I'm Rebecca and Tessa's my sister", the girl said.
"You two are twins?" I asked.
They both nodded.
"My brother and sister are twins too", I stage-whispered to them.
They gasped. "Really?"
I nodded. "Really."
Tessa and Rebecca giggled and I couldn't help but laugh myself. They were adorable.
"How old did you start being a ballerina?" Tessa asked in her grammatically-incorrect, childish way. Rebecca nodded vigorously, showing that she approved of the question. Luckily, Melissa and I both knew what was meant.
"I started when I was two", I told them, "so this is my…", I paused to count on my fingers, "fifteenth year."
"I started when I was three. This is my fifteenth year too", Melissa said.
"Wow", Rebecca said. "You're old."
Melissa, Madame Evelyn, and I laughed, though the girls didn't seem to know what at.
The next girl spoke quietly. "I-I'm Lacy and…and I like to draw."
"What do you like to draw?" Melissa asked.
"Flowers", Lacy answered.
"What are your favorite kind?"
"Daisies." The little thing almost looked like a daisy with her blonde pigtails and blue eyes.
"I like them too", I agreed. Lacy grinned a little.
"I'm Amy", the next girl introduced excitedly, almost as if she had had way too much sugar, "and I'm three!" She held up three fingers for emphasis.
"Do you like being three?" Melissa asked.
Amy nodded rapidly, her light brown ponytail bobbing along with it. Her green eyes were bright.
"Do you go on your tippy-toes?" she asked.
Melissa and I must have both known she meant pointe because we both nodded.
"It's called pointe", I told her. "Because you're on the point of your toes."
"My name's Shirley", the next girl said, "and I got a lot of stuffed animals." Her name wasn't surprising, considering she looked very similar to Shirley Temple with her springy golden curls and blue eyes.
"How many do you think you have?" I asked.
She thought for a few seconds before answering. "One billion-kazillion!"
I widened my eyes and hung open my mouth. "Wow! That's a lot!"
"Yeah!" she agreed proudly.
The girl to me started to speak. "I'm Jaqueline, but I like being called Jackie."
She had dark brown eyes, black curly hair, and a chocolate-colored complexion.
"Do you want to ask us anything?" Melissa questioned.
Jackie scrunched her face up in thought for a moment. "Do you have boyfriends?"
Melissa and I both laughed.
"I do", I said.
"I do too", Melissa said.
"Can we see them?" Amy asked.
"I don't think we brought them with us", I tapped my cheek pretending to ponder over this. "Do you know what we can do, Melissa?"
She caught on to my act. "Oh, I wish I did. What are we gonna do?"
The girls were laughing.
"Show us a picture!" Tessa and Rebecca exclaimed.
"Why didn't we think of that?" I asked Melissa.
We both looked at Madame Evelyn, silently asking if we could go to our bags for the pictures. She nodded, a grin on her face.
Melissa and I both got up, walked across the room, and dug through our bags, pulling out our wallets and walking back.
"This is my boyfriend", I said, pulling out a picture and showing it to the girls. They all crowded around it, trying to get a better look.
The picture was taken after the dance recital a few months before. I was still in full makeup and wearing a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweater with my Converse. Pony was in a nice T-shirt and jeans with his Converse on too. We were smiling at each other instead of the camera, my arms around his middle, his wrapped around my shoulders as I looked up at him.
"He's handsome", Lacy said quietly.
"Yes, he is", I agreed. "He's very handsome."
"And this is my boyfriend", Melissa said and the girls instantly shifted their attention to her.
Her picture showed her in a cheerleader's uniform and her boyfriend in football gear (except for his helmet). She was standing on tip-toe to kiss his cheek and he was laughing.
"Your boyfriend's on the football team?" I asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
"My boyfriend just got onto the team. He's the running back."
"Mine's tight end."
"What's his name?"
"George Hansen."
"I'll have to ask Pony if he knows him."
"Yes, you will", she smiled.
The class consisted of exercises, so the girls would be able to follow along somewhat. Pointing and flexing our feet, touching our nose to our knee; that kind of stuff.
All nervousness from earlier that day was gone and I knew it would be an interesting year.
XxXxXxXxXx
The next few weeks were filled with those 7 little girls, work, school, dance, Pony's football practices (though I didn't go to any of them), and him getting increasingly excited for the football season. I would probably be able to go to his games since they started after I got out from co-teaching.
One day, we were sitting at our desk in English, waiting for the teacher to come in.
"Hey, darlin'?" he asked to get my attention.
"Yeah, honey?"
"The guys on the football team have this tradition…", he started.
I nodded and took his hand, urging him to go on.
Pony took a deep breath before starting to speak again. "Their girlfriends wear their extra jersey to school on the day of every game. I just was wondering if…if maybe you'd want to wear mine." His voice rose at the end, as though he was asking a question.
"Of course I will", I smiled. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, I know you don't like people seeing the scars on your arm and the jersey's not long-sleeved."
"I'll wear your jersey", I assured him, "and I'll figure something out about the scars."
"Have we figured out who's picking you up?"
"Well, the class ends at five-thirty, so my dad could probably pick me up."
"Me, Soda, and Steve get off then, so we could come and pick you up if you want. We could go to my house, get changed there real quick, and all leave together. Then, after the game, we could go back to the house and eat. I could drive you home or you could stay over."
"Are you sure that wouldn't be too much trouble, love?"
" 'Course I'm sure. It's no trouble at all. Besides, it's on the way home."
Him and I both knew that that wasn't true. The DX was on the East-side of town, while my dance studio was near the border between East and West. They wouldn't pass it on their way home. I was about to remind him of that when the teacher strode into the classroom.
XxXxXxXxXx
So, that Friday I wore a pair of jeans, Converse, and Ponyboy's football jersey with a camisole under it and put up my hair into a Dutch braid before slipping on my ring and necklace. The jersey was pretty big on me, going down to the top half of my thigh. Pony had given it to me the day before (after washing it, obviously). I used layers of makeup to cover up the scars on my arm and had extra in my bag in case I needed to retouch it throughout the day.
When I left my house, I saw Pony talking to Ashlynn, his back turned to me and his bag sitting on the ground. I walked up behind him, putting a finger to my lips when Ashlynn saw me, and jumped on his back.
He was startled for a moment before laughing and holding my legs. "Hey, Princess."
"Hey, love", I smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Y'all are matching", Ashlynn laughed. "I'm figurin' you planned it that way?"
"What makes you say that?" I teased, knowing full well why she knew.
"Because I know about that thing where girls wear their boyfriends' jerseys. Then there's the fact that in my entire life, I've never seen you wear a football jersey. Especially not one from our school."
"Touché", I said and slid off of Ponyboy's back.
"I can't see your scars", he told me surprisedly as we walked to school.
"I put makeup on them", I explained. "It's the same thing I did for the recital."
He nodded. "Got it."
"I wish I could go", Ashlynn sighed, "but I can't take tonight off."
"Don't worry about it, Ash. There's always next week", I reminded her.
"I know", she said, as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "The struggles of being a working teenager."
"Don't I know that struggle", I laughed wryly.
"We're lucky we get off when we do", Pony said. "If I didn't get off at five or five-thirty, I would have to change my shifts around or not do football."
"It sucks", I agreed, "but the money helps. And the little girls that I teach are the sweetest things." I turned to Pony. "I've talked about you."
"Why?"
"When we were introducing ourselves on the first day, one of the girls asked the other co-teacher and I if we had boyfriends. We said yes and showed them pictures. Oh, and Lacy said you're handsome."
Pony laughed. "Well, tell her thank you for me."
"Speaking of that, do you know George Hansen?"
"I guess", he shrugged. "I don't really talk to him, but I know that he's tight end on the team. Why do you ask?"
"My co-teacher, Melissa, is his girlfriend. She's on the cheerleading team too."
"Damn. She's really gonna have to rush tonight."
"Why?"
"She gets off teaching with you at five-thirty, right? And the game's at six-thirty. The cheerleaders practice before the game, so she's gonna have to be fast getting to school and in her uniform quick enough to practice with the team."
"For her sake, I hope she's speedy", Ashlynn said.
"Me too", I nodded.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Melissa?" I asked to get her attention.
"Yeah?" she answered while pulling off her boyfriend's jersey. He was number 81.
We were both pulling our regular clothes off from over our dance things.
"Are you still a cheerleader?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Do you really have to be at the school as fast as I heard you do?"
She nodded, her long blonde ponytail bouncing. "Unfortunately."
"That's gotta be tough."
"Yeah", she sighed in agreement, "but I love it."
"Break a leg, Melissa."
She gave me a smile as she twisted her ponytail into a bun and tied it before securing it with some bobby pins.
An hour and a half later, when class ended, Melissa grabbed her stuff and ran out like a bat out of hell. I changed my shoes and grabbed my stuff as well before walking out of the building and standing on the sidewalk (we had arranged that the boys would be picking me up). It only took a few minutes for Steve's car to drive up at the curb. I got in the back next to Pony and we were off.
"You excited, honey?" I asked.
He looked at me with an anxious smile. It was obvious that he was a little apprehensive.
"Love", I started, taking his hand in mine, "you'll be fine. You'll do great. Okay?"
He nodded and exhaled deeply. "Okay."
"Alright, everyone out", Steve ordered. "Go get ready."
Pony and I nodded and clambered out, my dance bag over my shoulder. Pony was already taking off his DX shirt as he opened the door for me, letting me walk in before him.
He rushed to his room and I went into the bathroom. I quickly stripped off my dance sweater, leotard, and tights and was putting my pants right-side-in when the door opened.
"Soda, I need my-sorry!" Ponyboy started and squeaked out an apology when he realized I was in there before slamming the door shut. I had shrieked and turned away from the door and when he closed it, I heard Sodapop and Steve howling with laughter in the living room.
"Shut up, you two!" I yelled through the door. I hurriedly pulled on my pants, camisole, and Pony's jersey and sprayed some perfume, pulling on my socks as I exited the bathroom, my bag over my shoulder once again. Soda and Steve were still laughing.
"You suck", I muttered to them as I plopped onto the couch in a huff, starting to pull on my Converse and lace them up.
"You love us", Soda said between laughs.
"Maybe that's just what I want you to believe", I smirked a little.
Darry walked in then. "How're we doin' on time?" His eyes wandered to the boys sitting next to me on the couch. "And what's up with Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber over there?"
"To answer your first question, Pony's the only one still getting ready and he'll probably be done soon. To answer your second, Pony accidentally walked in on me while I was changing in the bathroom since he thought Soda was in there. That sent these two into hysterics."
Darry just rolled his eyes and sighed before telling us he was going to take a quick shower. He jogged into the bathroom and not a minute later, we heard the water running.
About 5 minutes later, when Darry got out of the shower and hurried into his room, Pony came out of his and Soda's room in full football gear, cleats and all. His face was a stupendous shade of red.
"Sorry, darlin'. I didn't know it was you in there…"
"It's okay", I smiled at him. "It was an accident. No harm done."
He grinned a little at me and pulled his jersey over his head, tucking it into his pants. The jersey was blue with "Curtis" written across the back in gold lettering and the number 23 below it.
I stood up and went over to him, looking up at his face. "You're too tall."
"Too tall?" he questioned, a smile in his voice.
"Yes."
"Princess, I'm only six feet."
"No, you're not", Soda called from the couch.
"Yes, I am, Pepsi-Cola. Everyone on the team had to be measured and I can assure you, I'm six feet."
"That's not possible. I'm six feet."
Pony rolled his eyes heavily. "Christ, just stand up and I'll prove it."
Steve shoved his friend to his feet and Soda waltzed confidently over to Ponyboy, sure that he was in the right. I made Steve stand up too and jumped on his back so I could get an accurate visual.
"Sorry to break it to you, but you and Pony are the same height", I told Soda as I hopped off Steve's back.
"Seriously? When the hell did this happen? You were only like five feet yesterday!" Soda exclaimed.
"You think you're bummed?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm only five-four, Soda. Five-four. And Pony's still growing. I was supposed to be five-eight."
"I happen to like your height", Ponyboy told me as he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, setting his chin on my shoulder.
"That doesn't mean I do", I argued.
"That's true", he whispered in my ear, "but you're not your boyfriend, are you? As your boyfriend, it's my opinion that you are just the right height and you can't take my opinion away from me."
I rolled my eyes, but smiled, especially when he tilted his head and gave me a soft kiss on the jaw.
"We all ready?" Darry asked, coming out of his room dressed in a new t-shirt and jeans with a pair of Converse that he had gotten for his most recent birthday. He was clasping Mr. Curtis's watch around his wrist.
"Just a minute, Dar", Pony told his brother, disappearing into the bathroom for a moment and then his room, which he came out of a minute later with a duffel back that I assumed was for his equipment slung over his shoulder. "Okay. Now I'm ready."
We all rushed out, Pony, Darry, and I to Darry's truck and Soda and Steve to Steve's car. I jumped into the backseat of the truck and Pony into the passenger seat as Darry turned the key and pulled out of the driveway, heading on our way to the school.
"So what was all that yellin' I heard when I was getting dressed?" Darry asked.
"Your brothers were bickering over Pony's height. He said he was six-feet, while Soda said he wasn't, so they stood back-to-back and I looked and long story short, Ponyboy is six-feet-tall and Sodapop is now in denial."
Darry chuckled. "Damn, you're gettin' big. I remember when you were still in diapers."
I laughed and Pony's face flushed pink.
"Though, you still are pretty skinny. You sure you've been doing the exercises they told you to do? The sit-ups and push-ups and lifting and whatnot?"
"Yes, I'm sure, Darry. I just don't build as much muscle up as the other guys do. Besides, I'm running back. It's better if I'm a little leaner than all the other guys."
"I suppose", Darry said.
"As long as you don't get hurt", I told Pony.
"I'll be fine."
"I know."
There were already a lot of cars in the school parking lot and as soon as we parked, Pony turned around in his seat, pecked me on the lips, grabbed his bag, and told us that he would see us after the game before jumping out of the truck and running in the direction of all the other football players.
"What just happened?" I asked.
"I don't know", Darry responded. "But whatever it was, it was pretty damn fast."
We got out of the truck and met up with Soda and Steve before walking into the small stadium and finding some seats. Two-Bit showed up a few minutes later.
"So what'd I miss?"
I relayed him Soda's existential crisis about his height in the fastest way possible and in retaliation, Soda told him about Pony walking in on me in the bathroom.
"It's always somethin' at the Curtis house, ain't it", he laughed.
"It wouldn't be the Curtis house if that wasn't that case", I said.
After 30-45 minutes of us watching the cheerleaders and football players practice, the stadium was full of people from our school and the opposing one. The players all came onto the field with cheers from the crowd and the National Anthem was sung by a girl in our school who was known for being a preeminent actress and singer in the drama club.
I spotted Pony on the field and repeatedly hit Soda's arm in excitement. "There he is!"
"I know", he laughed. "I can see him."
"Set!" the quarterback yelled. I didn't hear anything else he said until "Hut, hut!" and the game began.
Since I wasn't terribly sure what was happening, I just yelled when everyone else on our side was yelling and booed when they booed.
The game went on like this about two hours, give or take, and we won. The gang and I ran down to the field along with the rest of our side. I jumped on Ponyboy, making him stagger back with a laugh. My arms were wrapped around his neck and my legs were around his middle. One of his arms was under my butt, holding me up and the other was wrapped around my back.
"You did it!" I exclaimed.
He removed his helmet and took out his mouth piece before finally talking. "I did, didn't I?"
"Nice goin', Little Colt", Darry congratulated, patting his youngest brother on the back with a grin.
"Damn, Pony, you did real great!" Soda wrapped an arm around Pony's shoulders and noogied him.
Pony moved his hand from my back and batted his brother away with a chuckle. "C'mon, Pepsi-Cola! Not the hair!"
"Well, Baby Curtis, looks like you got more than the family looks", Two-Bit teased.
Pony attempted to cock and eyebrow at him, making me laugh. He still couldn't do it after 2 years.
Steve stood next to us, propping his elbow on Pony's shoulder. "How'd it feel it be on a real field, twenty-three?"
Pony shrugged, a smile spreading across his face. "It felt pretty good. I'd say it went well, anyway."
"Ponyboy?" we heard from behind us. We all turned around, me still in Pony's arms.
Cherry Valance stood in front of us in a cheer uniform. I blushed and got off of Pony.
"I didn't know you were on the football team", Cherry said.
"Well, I am", he chuckled nervously, putting an arm around my shoulder. "I forgot that you were on the cheerleading team."
"Well, I am", she laughed a little. "How're y'all doin'?"
"Alright", I told her. "And you?"
"Alright. I'm guessing you two are still together?"
Pony and I looked at each other, grins on our faces. "Yeah, we're still together."
Darry said they would be in the parking lot and left the three of us to our devices.
Cherry smiled sadly as she pushed a few stray wisps of her fiery red hair out of her face. "How long's it been now since we last spoke? Two years?"
"About", Pony answered.
"I wish I talked to y'all more. You've grown up so much."
"Well, he's grown up a lot", I laughed slightly. "I haven't."
"He may be taller, but you both look older. I can tell you that much."
"How's everything been going?" Ponyboy asked her. "Since everything happened y'know…"
"It's been better", Cherry shrugged. "I have my good days and my bad days, but I'm better than I was. How's everything been for y'all?"
"It's still hard", he said honestly, "but we're gettin' there day-by-day."
"What are you two now? Juniors?"
We nodded.
"I can tell you now, junior year's hard, but once you get to senior year it gets easier."
"Yeah", Pony chuckled, "that's what the gang keeps tellin' us."
Cherry smiled before checking her watch. "I think I gotta be gettin' home. Bye, Lily. Bye, Ponyboy. I'll see you next week?"
Pony nodded in agreement. "Bye, Cherry."
And with that, she walked out to the parking lot along with the rest of the people who were streaming out.
I turned to my boyfriend, tiredly smiling up at him. "You really did good, you know."
He grinned back and kissed my forehead
"Thanks, darlin'."
Hello, my good people! I would've updated sooner, but I've been busy with summer work for school. The idea of Ponyboy doing football came to me a while ago and I thought it was an okay idea, so I went with it. How do you guys think it went? I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13