After we ran out of fireworks, all the families started to head back home. Mom and Dad came and found us and tried to get me to go home with them. After some argument, they let me stay as long as Darry or Sodapop kept an eye on me. Since it was New Years and there was no work tomorrow, they didn't give us a curfew. Just told us not to stay out too late and to not get into any trouble and then they went home.
Once they were gone Soda ran off with Sandy. I wasn't sure where they went. One minute they were there and the next they were gone. Steve also disappeared with some dark haired girl he had been chatting up who was friends with Sandy. Two-Bit was already pretty drunk and was flirting with a group of girls who weren't giving him the time of day. Dally was over with him talking to Sylvia. They were always on and off. Darry was talking to some of his old buddies and that left just Johnny and me standing around not sure what exactly to do. The bonfire was still blazing keeping the area warm and I saw some kids around my age throwing stuff into the fire to see if it would explode. Curly being one of them.
He must have caught me looking at him because he ran over to Johnny and I. He looked Johnny over sizing him up. But even though Curly was at least a year younger than Johnny, he probably had an inch or two on him already. Johnny was still a bit bigger than me, but he was very small for his age. Curly turned to me "So baby Curtis. You really think you can fight Saturday? You don't look like you could even take a hit."
"I can take a hit! I know how to fight! And don't call me baby Curtis" I angerly said back to him. He just smirked "You might have two real tuff older brothers, but you baby Curtis have never been hit. I can see it in your eyes." he said back to me. Now I was getting really angry. He wasn't dropping this stupid name and what did he know? I was just as tuff as my brothers. Johnny was just looking back and forth between us nervously not sure what to do.
"Well baby Shepard. I know I can fight better than you that's for sure. You're all talk no bite" I shot back at him. I'm not sure if it was using his nickname against him, or calling him out for being all talk, but I knew in that moment I went too far and Curly was no longer playing. He was angry. Before I had a moment to say anything more he slugged me right in the stomach knocking all the wind out of me. I doubled over gasping for breath. I heard Johnny yell to I assume Dally or Darry, but I wasn't listening. I needed to prove that I wasn't actually a baby and this was my moment. I managed to straighten myself up and then I pounced on him.
I took him to the ground and got a good punch to the face before he was ready. He then flipped me over and started choking me out. I jabbed my elbow into his ribs and broke away. I was able to pin him to the ground again before he kneed me in the stomach. We were flipping around and rolling in the dirt. I was vaguely aware of a crowd forming around us. I got another good punch that was sure to leave a black eye and he scratched my cheek good. I could feel some blood dripping down.
Suddenly as I was on top of Curly and about to land another blow I was being picked up off the ground and restrained. I started kicking out behind me since I was still in fighting mode and didn't know who was now holding me. Then I heard Darry's voice in my ear yelling "Ponyboy! Knock it off!" I stopped struggling with that but Darry didn't let me go or put me down. I then looked at Curly and Tim had him in a head lock at his side. Curly wasn't trying to get away like I had though. He was just standing there with Tim slightly choking him with an amused expression on his face.
"What the hell is going on?" Tim shouted. "I'd like to know myself" Darry said while finally setting me on the ground, but not fully releasing me from his grasp. I didn't know what to say. But clearly Curly did. He spoke up "I was just seeing if baby Curtis here could fight is all. Turns out he can." Did Curly Shepard just praise me in front of everyone? I was too surprised to speak.
"Well idiot there's no fighting before a rumble. I have half a mind to not let you come tomorrow for that stunt." Tim scolded. With that Curly's face dropped. Darry turned me around to get a good look at me and after glancing me over said to Tim "Looks like no harm done. Let the kid fight tomorrow. We will need the numbers and maybe these two KIDS - He emphasized the kids part - can work together to take down some of the bigger guys." Tim nodded agreeing and said "Well babies, go on. Make up. Play nice. Your going to be a team tomorrow." and then he pushed Curly forward. Darry then turned me in Curlys direction and pushed me forward. They were now trying to embarrass us like little kids as punishment. The crowd was still standing around watching the whole thing and I knew my face was red. Curlys was as well. Getting punished by your big brothers wasn't really a tuff look.
Curly put his hand out and I shook it. "Good boys" Tim called out. I wasn't sure if Curly was still angry with me but then he gave me a wink and said "well baby Curtis, I look forward to working with you tomorrow" and then he turned around and left. The crowd dispersed after that and Darry grabbed me by the arm "time to go home Ponyboy" he growled at me. Great. Now my real punishment was going to begin. And that was only the beginning. What was Mom going to say?
As Darry starting dragging me out of there Soda ran up to us. He was flushed and his hair was all messed up. "What happened?" he asked when he caught up to us. Darry just looked him over "well while you were having fun over there little buddy, I got to break up the most pathetic looking fight I've ever seen by this one" ouch. That was a blow. I'm sure it wasn't pathetic looking.
"Curly started it! He just punched me out of nowhere!" I yelled back at him. Now Darry was getting more mad "Of course the Shepard kid started it! That's what they do! But I know you and I'm sure you pissed him off with something you said. Now how am I supposed to explain all this - he gestured to me - to Mom and Dad? Luckily I don't think you'll have a bruise on your face, but we have to come up with something about that cut on your face."
Sodapop finally looked at me and saw the cut and blood. He gasped "Pony! You alright?" he always was concerned when I seemed hurt. Usually I appreciated it, but right now I was sick of feeling like a little kid. "I'm fine Soda. And anyways I think Curly is going to have a black eye so clearly I can take care of myself" and said brushing Sodas hand away from my face.
Both my brothers stared at me and then looked at each other. Finally Darry spoke after whatever mind reading conversation they had. "You're right Ponyboy. If Tim and I had let that go on you probably would have won. I was impressed. He's a tough kid and is bigger than you and you really did well. There's still a lot you have to learn to properly fight, but you did good. The guys tomorrow are going to be a lot bigger though." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was Darry actually impressed by me? I just nodded that I understood.
Soda decided to lighten the mood. "Come on lets go home. It's cold being this far from the fire. Maybe Mom and Dad are in bed already and we can sneak Pony in and get him cleaned up. If they notice anything in the morning we can just say he tripped in the dark." That was honestly believable enough. I was known to not be paying the best attention to my surroundings and tripping over stuff. Darry agreed and we headed home.
Luckily Mom and Dad were in their room already when we got home. Darry and Soda helped clean up my cut and we all got ready for bed. As I was laying in bed I was grinning like mad that I had won my first real fight and Saturday I was going to get to prove myself again! I was just as tuff as the rest of the gang.
The next morning I tried to keep my face down as I entered the kitchen. It didn't take Mom five seconds before she noticed the cut on my face and the few bruises on my arms. "Baby what happened?" She ran over and started checking me over and gently touching my face. Soda and Darry both shot me a look that said 'follow the plan.' "I tripped last night walking home in the dark. Hit a branch on the ground" I told her. "Oh baby! I knew you should have just come home with us last night!" she said as she wrapped me in a hug.
Dad just stared at me over his paper and then as Mom walked back into the kitchen whispered "did you at least beat this branch in the fight?" My mouth dropped open. I didn't know what to say. How did he know? But Soda just burst out laughing "he sure did Dad!" Dad gave me a wink and said "That's my boy" and went back to his newspaper.
Later that afternoon the guys all came over for the acrobatics class from Darry. We went into the front yard and he taught us all how to do some flips and some other moves. Johnny and Dally weren't great at it, but the rest of us were able to at least do a flip with Darry spotting us. Two-Bit and Soda were picking it up the quickest though and were so good that they started doing handstands and were even walking around on their hands. They started doing tricks that even Darry didn't know. I don't even think they were real tricks. They were basically just throwing themselves in the air and hoping to not land on their faces, which they did do most of the time.
While they were messing around, Darry and Dally were teaching me some more fighting moves. Johnny was also listening and was practicing with me. Steve was going back and forth between messing with Two-Bit and Soda and throwing out his suggestions on how to block a punch or get out of a hold.
After a few hours the sun was going down and Mom came out onto the porch and called to me "Ponyboy! I just got off the phone with Principal Rogers." I held my breath. This was it. With everything that had happened last night and preparing for tomorrow I had completely forgotten about my test results. But just then Mom broke into a big smile "You passed Ponyboy! You're skipping a grade!" Everyone let out a cheer. Sodapop did a backflip and Two-Bit tackled me to the ground. I was laughing so hard and was so happy. I couldn't believe it! I actually passed! I did it!
We all piled into the house and Dad picked me up and threw me into the air. "Great job kiddo!" I was laughing as I came crashing back down to him. The rest of the night I couldn't keep the smile from my face. When the guys all left that night they congratulated me as they left. Johnny seemed the most excited since I would be in school with him in the fall. That night as I laid in bed I couldn't help but be proud of myself. Things were really working out. School was going to be great and I couldn't wait for my first rumble tomorrow. This year was turning out to be the best one yet.
I can't believe how wrong I was in that thinking. Little did I know my life would be changed forever in a weeks time.