Darry rang his boss early this morning, calling to take personal leave. I told him it was pointless that I don't need a babysitter, but he stood his ground, saying; "Ponyboy, it is my decision as a guardian to decide if I need to stay home and care for you or not, and right now my decision stands and you need to be in bed resting."
But it didn't end there.
Darry had been in the kitchen cleaning from breakfast, when he'd called me in.
"But Darry I'm not tired, and my stitches are fine." I had whined back.
"It's not the fact that your tired, or not Ponyboy. It's the fact that you had infected stitches yesterday, and need to be resting for them to heal properly."
"But I've been resting all night, I wanna go out."
"Well I can tell you now kiddo, your not going out, now get to bed." He'd taken a step away from our kitchen table towards me - facing me, at arms length - folding his muscular arms across his broad chest.
"Can I go to the DX and see Soda, then?" I'd asked hopeful.
"No, bed." He'd given me a pointed look, as he stood firm; his black t-shirt taut across his muscular chest as his bulging biceps protruded from his shirt sleeves. He didn't look like someone you'd want to mess with as he'd stood there - but being his younger brother it's my job to push buttons - but on top of that, I also wasn't the least bit tired, or wanting to go to bed...
"But, I'm not tired." I had whined again.
"You don't need to sleep, you need to rest. Now go."
"I don't wanna rest either, I'm bored..." I'd tried again, but failing to see that my side of the battle was losing...
"Ponyboy, I don't wanna hear it. Either you go now, or I'll make you go."
"But, Darry..."
He then had turned me in the direction to my room, and gave my backside a sharp smack to get me moving. I'd stomped my way to my room, closing the door.
...unfortunately I had lost the battle - for now.
That was over an hour ago.
I was now laying waist deep under my bed, hunting for an old switch Dally had given to me.
When I'd first come in here I had flopped down onto my bed, looking up at all the cracks in the ceiling; some even had parts of paint that'd peeled, and ruff around edges hanging from the cracked and peeling paint... and endless marks covered the once 'pure' white paint. Years of horse play, and tossing objects towards/at the ceiling had done that - as either Soda or I laid numbly on the bed, mindlessly pitching whatever we got our hands on first, towards the ceiling before catching it again, and again... sure other marks or cracks occurred else how, but that's the gist of it. Then my eyes landed on the fist-sized hole, that was in our wall over by the wooden window frame. Dally had been in a bad mood that day. I can't remember what is was exactly, but I remember it had something to do with our rival gang. No one else was home, and I was in here on my bed reading a book, when he came in here cussing up a storm, and put his fist through the plaster. "You ain't gotta let no one hurt you kid, you stay tough kid, and no one'll touch you." He had said. I'd kept my mouth shut. When Dally was in a mood like that, an' his eyes blazin, you'd known better than to talk to him. Then without another word - he'd pulled his black handled switch from his back pocket, tossed it to me, than he'd left.
I have already looked through all my drawers - clothes now hung out over the open drawers and piled on the ground. Next I'd pulled everything out from the floor of our wardrobe, and now I'm looking under the bed - there is a whole lot a years worth of clutter under here; I'd bet you could lose a tanker under here if you tried hard enough.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen that blade. It was a real fancy one... you know, the real nice ones, with the black wooden carved handles. I was now carrying the one Two-Bit had swiped for me, from a down town corner store.
I found an old tennis ball we use to use in our backyard as kids, and threw it out from under the bed, having it bounce loudly off the wall behind me.
As I was pulling things out, I never even heard the bedroom door open.
"What the hell are you doin'?" Darry's loud voice boomed from above me.
I jumped at the sound of his voice, hitting the back of my head on the spring base of mine and Soda's bed. "Ouch," I yelped, rubbing my head. "I'm looking for somethin'."
"Get out from under there, now."
"But, I haven't found it yet." I said, still throwing things out from under the bed.
"I don't care. I said now, Ponyboy." Darry said, firmly.
I sighed, and slid out from under the bed. Darry grabbed me under the arm, and pulled me to my feet, looking rather angry.
"What do you think your doin'? I said for you to be resting on the bed, not climbing under it, and look at this room... this mess had better be cleaned up before I come back in here."
My eyes wandered around the room - it looked as though a bomb had gone off, and we were now standing in the rubble after the explosion. But I couldn't clean yet, not till I found what I was hunting for.
"I can't... I'm still lookin' for somethin'."
"Well, your never gonna find anything in this mess. I'm surprised you can find anything in here at all."
"I can find stuff just fine. I just can't find what I'm lookin' for right now." I argued back, shooting him a scowl.
"Watch the attitude," he warned, "and maybe if you straightened up once in a while, you won't be losing things." He said, then asked. "What is it your trying to find anyway?"
"Just a blade Dally gave me, but I can't find it."
"What do you needa be findin' that for? You don't needa be carrying no blade on you."
What he didn't know was that I already carried one, but he doesn't need to know that. He'd only take it off me, if he ever caught me with it. He says it'd only give them Soc's more a reason to slice me up, if I pulled outta blade.
"I just wanted to find it."
"What you needa be doing is getting this room straightened up, cause I ain't gonna have you break your neck gettin' through here with all this mess."
"But most of it was already here, I only did some of it." I complained.
"Well, now your gonna do all of it."
"But, that's not fair... half of it's Soda's too." I argued back, my voice on the edge of a whine.
"Ponyboy, I don't wanna hear any more excuses, just do it." Darry said firmly, then walked out the bedroom door.
I huffed as I watched him leave; it's not fair that I have to clean everything. So much for finding that blade, I thought.
I shoved a couple things back under the bed using my foot, then spotted that damn tennis ball - giving it a swift kick across the room; it bounced off my desk, hit the chair, before resting in a pile of unsorted clothes - I gave it a scowl, before heading over to the wardrobe, and picking up a handful of what I dumped outta there back onto the wardrobe floor, then picked up another handful. This blows... I don't wanna be stuck in here cleaning all day, it's gonna take hours.
I left my room, almost on tip-toe heading through the lounge room for the front door. Just as I turned the flyscreen door handle, I heard Darry's voice. Damn.
"And just where do you think your goin'?" came his stern voice, as he entered the lounge room, from the kitchen.
"Out." I replied not holding back on the attitude, as I swung the flyscreen open, and put one foot over the wooden door frame, intent on doing the same with my left.
"No, your not." He walked quickly across the room, and grabbed a firm hold onto my right upper arm. I hadn't even made it fully through the door, when he was dragging me back into the house.
"Get off of me, Darry." I yelled, as I struggled in his hold, trying to free myself from the tight grasp he had on my arm.
"Ponyboy, stop it." Darry growled, giving my arm a hard tug. But I wouldn't let up. Darry obviously was getting fed up, he roughly turned me to the side, and smacked his hand down hard on my backside. That stopped me struggling quick smart.
"Ow!" I involuntarily called out at the sharp sting, and threw my free hand behind me to cover my backside from further assault.
"Now, you listen to me." Darry used his parental tone, turning me back to face him. "I am not having this attitude, Ponyboy. I want you in that room resting, and the next time you disobey me I'll be taking my belt off, understood? I did not take the day off from work for you to go wandering the streets." He paused, then added. "And I'll bet you haven't even touched that mess in your room."
"But Darry... I just wanted to see Soda." I whined, with a hint of my kicked puppy look showing.
"You'll see him when he gets home." Darry said, as he let go of my arm, than said, "I'm gonna make us some lunch, then I want you in bed." He headed out into the kitchen with me trailing behind him. I sat down carefully - my backside still tender from the spanking yesterday - at the kitchen table putting my elbows on the table top, and resting my chin on the tops of my joint fists, watching as Darry made up a tray full of cheese toasties, then put them under the grill.
"What times Soda finish?" I asked, as he kept an eye on the grill, so lunch didn't burn.
"At two." He replied with his back towards me. I leaned back in my chair - balancing on the two behind legs - then let it drop forward with a 'bang', before pushing back in it again, and balancing - but before I could drop it back down Darry turned to face me.
"Don't do that." He warned, before turning back towards the grill, switching it off.
As I dropped the chair forward, I jolted forwards at the same time - resulting in the chair to come down harder, causing a louder 'bang' - just as Darry pulled the tray from the oven, almost dropping it. I snickered quietly to myself, then quickly tried looking as innocent as I could when Darry turned around again.
"What?" I asked, with as much innocence as I could muster.
"I said, don't do that." He scolded me.
"Well, I had to set the chair down, it's not my fault that it banged." I whined.
"Your the only one sitting on it. So who's fault is it, if it's not yours?"
Sometimes I should really learn when to bite my tongue, but sometimes the challenge is too great to ignore, and sometimes it's just too good to be a kid and have the thrill of being able to annoy your oldest brother.
"Yours," my reply, rather cheeky; as Darry raised his eyebrows at me. "Well, maybe, you outta get chairs that ain't so noisy."
"Yeah, and where we gonna find the dough to do that, huh?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest, "Maybe, I outta teach you how to sit on a chair without banging it." He gave me a firm look, then turned back putting the food on a plate. I scowled at his back, and placed an elbow on the table leaning my chin in my palm, turning my eyes down toward the table - why is it, that he always gets the last say, I angrily thought.
Darry bought the lunch over, placing it down in the centre of the table, along with two sandwich plates, setting one in front of me. Then he took a seat.
I leaned forwards, grabbing a cheese toasty from the plate - biting into it, the thick layer of creamy, smooth, but stringy goodness oozed from the sides - Darry sure had put a lot of cheese in there. After downing my first, I started in on my second - polishing it off just as quickly as the first, then stood up, placing my plate in the sink.
"Alright, now I want you to go rest for a bit." Darry stated, as I passed by him.
I stopped in my tracks, "Do I have to?" I whined, as I turned to him.
"Yeah, you do," He said, then took note of my pout, he added. "and there's no need for that face. Go."
I turned, and stormed off to my room.
Sighing angrily, I sat down on the edge of my bed with a heavy thud, then turned to look at the bedside clock, it read ten past one - Soda knocks off at two, hopefully him and Steve didn't have plans, and he'll just come straight home.
I nudged the carpet with my socked foot in frustration, and annoyance at Darry for keeping me cooped up here. Two-Bit hadn't even shown up yet either, I thought he might of at least come round, but nope just me an' Darry - and all I been hearing from him all day is, bed Ponyboy, and no leaving the house...
I stayed there for a good ten minutes, before I decided to venture back out. Darry was cleaning down the countertops as I walked into the kitchen.
"Darry, can I come out yet?"
Darry whirled around, to see me standing not far behind him.
"Whatta you doin' back out here? Get in your room, now." Darry growled, between gritted teeth.
"But, I'm bored. I wanna come out."
"Ponyboy, I'm not asking again."
"But Darry..."
"You either go now, or you won't like the consequences." He said firmly, pointing his finger in the direction of my bedroom.
I gave an exasperated sigh, and left the kitchen. I wanted a smoke... no, I needed a smoke, Darry was gettin' under my skin, and I needed to get out. I headed into my room, and found the jeans I had been wearing the day before. Reaching into the back pocket I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and lighter, then quietly headed for the back door, and took a seat on the steps that lead out into the backyard.
I held the cigarette tightly between my lips, and placed the small flickering flame from the lighter, to the tip of it - then took in a deep drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs. As I was smoking my cigarette, I looked out at the old tree that I loved so much to laze around in; boy... how much I'd rather be out there right now, then being stuck in that house... but I knew Darry won't go for it. I'd sure get my butt busted if he knew I'd come out here, instead of going to my room like he'd wanted.
I finished off my smoke, then stubbed out the butt on the step beside me and flicked it into the over grown grass, then stood up opening the back door. As I walked in, I could hear the vacuum cleaner running from somewhere in the front room. I snuck quietly through the house, and peeked around the door frame into the lounge - Darry had his back to me, as he ran the vacuum along the old rug under the coffee table.
As I was watching him a devious, but no doubt somewhat stupid idea crossed my mind, not many people would dare do. I stifled a silent giggle at the thought, for which I knew my backside would probably pay dearly later on... but it sure as hell would be funny.
I tip-toed from behind the door, almost holding my breath, and crept my way over towards Darry and stood silently behind him, a smirk playing on my lips. I leaned in closer to him and yelled at the top of my voice, "Darry!" then immediately took a step back, as Darry jumped about a foot high in the air.
I couldn't hold back the laughter. I was almost doubled over, but straightened up fast when Darry turned to face me. I took off running before he even had the chance to speak, and took a flying jump up onto the couch.
Darry was still standing on the other side of the coffee table, the vacuum was now shut off. But the expression on Darry's face was far from happy - he almost reminded me of an ol' bull when it was about ready to charge at you, and you either had to run or you'd get a great big horn rammed up your ass.
I was about ready to run again, but still had one more thing to say.
"Can I come outta my room yet?" I asked with such cheek, as I bounce up and down, giving the old couches springs a good work out, and bursting into another fit of laughter.
Darry didn't say anything, he didn't need to. Just one glance at his face, you could easily tell he was fuming. His heavy foot steps came around the coffee table towards the couch, and I was quick to react. I bounced off the other end of the couch, and put my track practise into action, bolting to the safety of my bedroom. I slammed the door closed, jumped into my bed under the covers, pulling them up over my head, and held them down.
...
Bella Lilac