For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 22
What's a Smurf?
The next few days came and went as we used what little free time that we had to clear the kids' room out. We'd made good progress, moving a few things into Darry's room while others were pushed into one corner or the other in order to get to the walls. Thea beds had even been pushed together for more space, leaving the three sleeping together on the bed. I knew that I'd never have to worry about anything with those boys, even though Eden was a growing girl, she was probably safer with them than anyone else. Plus, apparently Soda was his own heater, so she wasn't complaining at the extra warmth in the coolness of the room.
I still remember the look on Ponyboy's face though when Darry brought me home, a can of paint in each of our hands. We'd even managed to borrow a hand full of brushes from Joe, meaning that everyone, and I mean everyone got to pitch in. That meant Steve and Soda too. Soda didn't mind as much though, especially since it was his room too. I guess that was good enough for Steve though, so he agreed to help, although a bit reluctant.
The only problem with putting a bunch of guys together though is that something always happens whether you like it or not.
T
"I'll be right back," I said, before heading upstairs and leaving Darry sitting in his chair with his newspaper.
I had heard a bit of ruckus, so I figured that I'd check it out. After all, I couldn't leave those kids alone for too long. What I didn't expect upon entering the room though was to be bombarded by paint. Although, when this happened, everything stopped momentarily.
"Oh man," Two-Bit chuckled, quickly placing a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laugh.
It didn't do him much good though and soon all of them were laughing.
"Hey, Two-Bit, come here," I said smoothly, gesturing him over.
Of course he'd never refuse and I knew that for a fact. Then, when he was close enough, I took the paint that was on my face and smeared it all over his.
"Now, that's funny," I grinned.
Then as if doing that was the first strike of war, all hell broke loose and paint was sent flying again, only this time it was completely set in my direction.
"Darry!" I cried, ducking, before quickly being tackled by Two-Bit.
I practically screamed bloody murder as everyone started dousing me with blue paint, getting it all over my skin and hair.
"Get off of me!" I cried struggling to get out of Steve and Two-Bit's grip.
"Sorry, no can do darlin', you're in on this fun now too so ya gotta pay the price," Two-Bit grinned, before getting hit with paint his own self.
"Darrel!" I squealed, hearing footsteps on the stairs.
"Suck it up and take it like a man," Steve laughed, smothering paint into my hair.
"Oh, you really don't want me to do that," I grumbled, knowing exactly what I would do if I didn't like these guys as much as I did.
"Oh really now?" he inquired, a grin plastered on his face. "Why don't you try?"
"Because I don't like hitting children," I growled, my face slightly red at the uncomfortable position that I was currently in.
"What's going on in here?" came Darry's voice as he stood at the door, his face covered in confusion.
"Help me!" I cried, before getting a painted hand pressed into my face.
"Hey there super-dope, just playing rough with your girlfriend," Steve said offhandedly as he sat on top of my stomach, smearing clumsy designs across my face.
"Would you get off her?" Darry grumbled, picking him up and tossing him on one of the beds in one swift motion.
"Come on, I'm sure you two have been in worse positions," Steve said with a grin.
I could feel my face heat up at what he was insinuating.
"That's none of your damn business Randle," Darry told him, pulling me up beside him.
It was obvious his face was a bit red like mine, so full of embarrassment at the boy's words.
"Damn, I'm right then!" he howled, his laughter soon joined by Two-Bit's.
I felt my face go even redder. That joke of his had now pasted its limit, the thought of it sending shivers down my spine.
Yes, I liked Darry, I liked him a lot, but something like that wasn't happening any time soon. That kid had no right asking about or assuming something like that had taken place.
"Would you shut up!" I yelled, quickly picking up a wet paint stir and throwing it at him before leaving the room.
They had another thing coming to them if they thought I was just going to stand there and put up with something like that. I had my morals and I had my scars, nothing was going to change that.
T
"I swear, if you weren't Soda's best friend, I'd kick your head in," Darry said firmly, before walking out of the room to go after Abigail.
"I don't think you should have done that," Johnny said quietly as he stood there wringing his hands.
It was true, he shouldn't have, but how was he supposed to know that they'd get so pissed? They were just having a bit of fun that's all, he didn't mean any real harm by it. Then again, after thinking things over, he nearly ended up smacking himself in the face.
"Damn…"
T
"Abigail?" Darry called, walking into the kitchen.
She was nowhere to be seen. On closer inspection though, he found the backdoor slightly ajar, indicating that she'd left through the back.
"Abigail?" he called once more, pushing the backdoor open and stepping outside.
There was still nothing, no sound or response. That was, until he heard a stick hitting the fence a little ways down the street.
Sure enough, when he walked into the back street, he found her standing a few houses down.
"Abigail!"
T
"Abigail!"
"Hm?" I turned my head to find Darry jogging toward me, a worried look on his face.
"Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm fine," I said quickly, turning my head to look down the street, my arms folded over my chest.
It was starting to get dark out, but I really didn't care at the moment. It was better than being back there right now with a red face.
"Abigail, you've gotta remember, those kids don't always think things through before sayin' something," he told me.
"I know that Darry, but…" I paused for a moment, looking down at my feet.
"Hey now," he started, gently gripping my chin and pulling me toward him. "There's no need to be upset. They'd never do anything to hurt you intentionally," he reminded me, pulling me into his arms.
I just sighed before looking up at him, watching a grin slowly creep onto his face.
"What?"
He didn't respond though. Instead, he leaned down a bit, his hand slowly cupping my cheek.
"Darry?" I squeaked, not sure of what he was doing.
"You've got paint all over you," he chuckled, rubbing his thumb against my paint ridden skin.
I felt my cheeks heat up in response, my lips pulling a bit in embarrassment.
If Dally could see me now, he'd never let me live it down.
"Yeah…well so do you," I said, catching him off guard.
Within moments, my hand was tentatively smearing paint across his face.
I swear, the look on his face was downright priceless with his mouth slightly agape, and eyes slightly wide. He couldn't believe that'd I'd just smeared paint across his face and to be honest, neither could I.
"Why you," he started, before grabbing hold of me the rest of the way.
I had no chance of escaping as he held onto me, holding me close to his chest, my arms secured at my sides. I could feel his breath on my neck.
"You're a sneaky one," he whispered into my ear, his voice deliberate and firm, causing me to shiver.
"D-Darry!" I stammered, my face going red.
He then stood up straight, lifting me up a few inches off of the ground in the process.
"Darry!" my face was really red now.
After that, he swung me around a bit until he was holding me in his arms bridal style, my arms wrapped securely around his neck on instinct. I had to bury my face against his shirt because I was so embarrassed.
"Come now, being in my arms can't be that bad," he chuckled.
I merely smacked his chest halfheartedly, before daring to look up at him.
He just smiled down at me, one of those goofy grins on his face that all his brothers seemed to share at times. It was one of those Curtis things that showed they were brothers.
"So, you ready to head back inside now before we have to fend off some Socs?" he asked, a grin on his face.
I just gave him a flat look in response, before shaking my head.
"Take me in before I change my mind," I mumbled, earning a chuckle from Darry.
"That's my girl," he said, throwing me up in his arms a bit, a small squeak escaping my lips.
"Darry!" I cried, smacking at his chest a couple times.
He was doing this on purpose and I knew it. He was doing it just to embarrass me. Then again, it was also his way of taking my mind off of things which always seemed to work for some reason. Well, normally anyway.
"Hey, if you don't like it, I could always just throw you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes?" he joked.
I looked up at him, staring at him as he tried to hide the smirk that was pulling at his lips.
"You wouldn't dare," my voice came out firm as though I knew for a fact that he wouldn't, but there was also a warning in it as well.
"Oh, really now?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't we just find out?"
"Darry," I warned, gripping the front of his shirt, but that warning was easily cast aside as I was thrown onto his shoulder.
I could feel the rumbling in his chest as I beat on his back. Oh, my face was so red. He paid me no mind though as he walked back toward the house, trying his best to stifle the chuckles that poured from his mouth.
"Darrel Curtis, put me down this instant!" I cried, but it did me little good.
He just continued to laugh, keeping his strong arm around me so that I wouldn't fall.
"Darry, put me down!" I cried.
"Sorry, no can do," he said smoothly.
I swear, I could just tell he had a grin plastered on his face just by the tone in his voice. The last thing that I needed was the kids seeing Darry hauling me into the house like a sack of potatoes. It was down right embarrassing. Although, then again, if I really wanted down then I'd find a way down. It wasn't as if Darry was doing me any real harm. If it were one of those Socs, then I'd be kicking, screaming, and making sure that my foot went where it shouldn't. I'd never do that to Darry though, not in a million years.
"Put me down!" I said once more as he stepped into the house, easily walking into the kitchen.
"Well, look what the big ol' tomcat dragged in," Two-Bit laughed, making my face go beat red.
At this point, everyone was downstairs, leaving all eyes on me.
"Darry, put me down!" I cried.
A moment later, I was dropped onto the couch beside Two-Bit, a perfectly placed grin on Darry's face. I swear, if I had something to throw then I would in a heartbeat.
"So, you two have fun out there," Two-Bit chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulders like he normally did.
"Leave me alone," I said, turning my head away as I folded my arms over my chest.
I couldn't remember the last time that I'd been so embarrassed. The last time was probably when my mom had made me wear one of those frilly pink dresses. Now that was something that I'd never forget. To think, people wonder why I stick to pants.
"Don't worry, she's not mad," Darry assured him, before walking back into the kitchen.
I just stuck my tongue out at him like a child.
"Boy oh boy do you look funny," Two-Bit chuckled. "You look just like one of those little smurf guys."
"What in the world is a smurf?" I asked, finding myself utter confused.
"A kid I know from school got one of these new comic books that they started a few years ago over seas," he started, a grin on his face. "They got these little blue guys in 'em," he chuckled.
"So, you're saying that I look like one of these so called 'smurfs'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes ma'ma," he chuckled.
"Great, I thought that I just looked like a blue bimbo," I said dryly, earning a laugh from everyone in the room.
"Don' worry darlin', I think ya look good in blue," he grinned.
"Why you," I groaned, pushing him off the couch and earning more laughs as a result. "It's gonna take me forever to get all this out," I voiced as I pulled my hair a bit, each strand caked in blue paint. "And all because I decided to check up on a bunch of boys."
Okay everyone, I hope that you liked this chapter because I know that I liked writing. Also, I did a bit of research before posting this and YES Smurfs were around back then. It originally started out as a Belgian comic in 1958. So, I think it would likely be translated and over in the US by the time that the Outsiders takes place. If not, then for stories sake, let say that it has been. ANYWAY, please remember to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thought, opinions, and ideas on this chapter/story. I'd LOVE to hear what everyone thought of this one. Thanks for reading everyone and keep an eye out, the next one might be up shortly later today! :)