What Goes on Behind the Facade? Chapter 9, an outsiders fanfic

Author's Note:

Hi everyone,

Here is a happier chapter to break up the dark stuff earlier in the story. I hope you guys like it. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Sincerely, keylime2001

Disclaimer: The Outsiders is owned by S. E. Hinton.

Chapter 9

(Christmas Break)

Harley's POV:

Sunday…

Pony and I pulled into the driveway at home. It was just five days until Christmas and a week and a half until our wedding. Pony gave me a big grin and squeezed my hand. "You ready?" Pony asked me. I squeezed his hand back. "More than I ever will be," I said with a smirk. Pony and I grabbed our bags and filtered our way into the house. The gang got out and gave us hugs. "How you feelin'?" Two-Bit asked with a toothy grin. "Have the wedding jitters hit yet?" Pony groaned. I gave Two-Bit a smirk. "No they haven't," I said slugging Tw-Bit in the shoulder. "It can't get here soon enough." Steve rolled his eyes. "Enjoy it when it comes around," Steve advised. "It goes by in a blur." I chuckled. "Speaking of newlyweds," I said. "Still in the honeymoon faze Steve?" Steve blushed, but he smirked. "You bet I am," Steve snapped. Darry and Soda were just wrapping up grabbing Pony's bags and reuniting with him. "I can't wait," Soda exclaimed. "This is going to be a wedding for the books." I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Darry and I made eye contact and he jerked his head towards my house across the street that I shared with Steve, Evie, and Two-Bit, and I nodded. "Hey guys, I'm going to drop my bags at the house," I said. Darry followed me out the door as I walked out.

As I put the bags on my bed, Darry pulled me in a hug and let out a shaky breath. I squeezed him back but I was confused about what was going on. "You ok Dar?" I asked hesitantly. Darry pulled back, let out a sigh, and sat down on my bed. I sat down slowly next to him giving him a concerned look. "I'm just glad that you and Pony are ok," Darry started. "Also, I'm just grateful that you asked me to be a big part of your and Pony's big day." I looked at him in confusion and blinked rapidly. "I couldn't think of anyone better to walk me down the aisle and to step in for the father-daughter dance, Dar," I said reaching out to squeeze his hand reassuringly. "You've been there for me through it all. You've been like a big brother to me. Heck, the whole gang has been like family. But, you've really taken me under your wing and been a protector that I didn't know I needed and never had." Darry had tears streaming down his face. I tried to brush them away. "You deserve the world, Motorbike," Darry said. "Especially after the crappy hand, you've been dealt with by your family and the aftermath of all your stories." I let out a chuckle, but Darry continued to talk. "You don't understand how much you mean to the gang. It seems like we've known you forever. You're like the little sister of the group and just know we'll look after you always and you can come over to me for anything. Soda and I are just grateful for you helping Pony come more out of his shell." Darry pulled me into another hug. I gave him a big hug back. "Thanks for everything Dar," I said into his chest. "Any time, Motorbike," Darry said softly.

After our little conversation, Darry and I walked back across the street and caught up with the rest of the gang until very late into the night.

Christmas…

I got up early like always. I knew that the rest of the gang would be sleeping in late, except for Darry per usual. I made my way across the street with my breakfast ingredients and my morning soda for the caffeine kick. Sure enough, as I walked into the house, Darry was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. "Hey, Dar," I chirped as I entered the kitchen. "Hey, kiddo," Darry said giving me a small smile over his newspaper. I placed the ingredients on the counter and popped open my soda. "Still, haven't adopted coffee I see," Darry chortled. I snorted. "Nope," I said with a smirk. "Don't plan on it." Darry shook his head suppressing a laugh and continued to read his newspaper. I popped the cinnamon rolls. "Hey Dar," I said. "Why don't we practice our dancing skills." Darry raised his eyebrows at me. "You think it's a good idea with the guys asleep?" Darry asked. I shrugged. "We can't put the stereo on low and if we get caught we can always say that we were celebrating Christmas," Darry smirked. "Ok, sounds like a plan," Darry said. As the cinnamon rolls were cooking, Darry and I tried waltzing around to the music on low. Then the timer went off, so we had to stop so I could cook the eggs and bacon.

Soon as I was starting to wrap up cooking, the guys stumbled into the kitchen and we all scrambled to eat the food. The rest of the day was spent opening presents and going to my grandmother's house for Christmas dinner.

New Year's Eve (Wedding Day)…

This morning, I woke up frantic. I had the pre-wedding jitters, even though I was excited about it. I just hoped that my grandmother didn't go overboard with the directions and override Pony's and mine's ideas. Pony insisted that we didn't see each other before the wedding. Before I went to the venue, I made my way to the cemetery. I first stopped at Mr. and Mrs. Curtis's headstones. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Curtis," I said sheepishly. "I'm Harley Cooper. I'm sorry I haven't really visited before. You probably know who I am by now. I am the girl that fell in love with your baby. I promise I'll do whatever I can to protect him and love him unconditionally. I promise." I left a couple of bouquets at their graves. Then I went to Dally's and Johnny's graves. "Hey guys," I said staring at my feet. "I've heard a lot about you guys. It feels like I've known you for years, even though I have never met you guys. I wished I did. We could've gotten into a lot of trouble together. I wish you could be here with us today in person. But, I'll know you'll be with us in spirit." I left Dally a switchblade and I left Johnny a denim jacket. From there I went with Two-Bit, Steve, Evie, and I to ride over to the venue together, while Soda, Darry, and Pony rode together. Lila, Lorelai, Marcia, and my grandmother would be meeting us there. For the bridesmaids, they were wearing silver dresses that would match the vines on my dress. The groomsmen would be wearing silver suits. When we pulled up to the venue, my grandmother was already there and was organizing everything. When she saw me walk up with Two-Bit, Steve, and Evie behind me she ran over and embraced me in a hug. She started to drag me to the changing room. As I looked behind me, I mouthed help-me to Two-Bit and Steve. Steve and Two-Bit just chuckled at me. I was getting antsy. I changed into my dress, put on the kitten-heel silver shoes, and silver headband, and had my makeup done. I hated getting all dressed up but, I could put that aside because I was going to be marrying my best friend today. The day seemed to fly by. Lorelai, Marcia, and Lila filtered in to get their dresses on, hair done, and makeup put on. There was also a photographer who was milling about documenting the day. I barely noticed they were there which was the point. Suddenly it was time for the wedding to start. Our wedding ceremony was timed to coincide with the sunset, which was one of Pony's favorite times of the day. I was grateful that my grandmother didn't override Pony and mine's decorations. We had vine-themed decorations all over in olive and silver colors.

The bridesmaids and the groomsmen started to filter out as the music started. I stood nervously by the door going into the barn where we were having the ceremony since it was brisk outside, and then the reception was in the farmhouse. Darry appeared next to me and frightened me. "You ready Motorbike?" Darry asked me with a grin. I nodded. "I've been ready for a year," I replied with a smirk. I looked Darry up and down. "You look good in your suit, Dar," I said. "You look beautiful today," Darry replied. "Pony is going to have his breath taken away when he sees you." I blushed. "I bet he looks good too," I murmured. Darry smiled and tears started to well in his eyes. "He looks good and so happy," Darry said. "I just wish our parents, Johnny, and Dally were here to see it." I squeezed Darry's hand. "They're here," I said. Darry gave me a sad smile. Then it was my turn to walk down the aisle with Darry. "Here goes nothing," I said nervously. "You've got this Motorbike," Darry whispered in my ear. Then we stepped into the entryway. When I saw Pony, my heart fluttered. He looked so handsome. He was in a midnight black tux, with silver vines embroidered into the coat going up. I gave him a wry smile. Pony flashed me a grin back and I saw he was tapping his foot nervously and he had tears welling up in his eyes. This caused my eyes to well with tears as well. Darry walked me up to Pony and then stepped into place between Soda and Steve.

"You look handsome," I whispered to Pony. Pony blushed. "You look stunning," Pony whispered back. The whole ceremony went by in a blur. I just couldn't help but look into Pony's eyes and he looked into mine. Then it came to the I do's and the rings. "Do you Ponyboy Michael Curtis take Harley Bailey Cooper to be your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish always?" the officiant said. "I do," Pony said. Then the officiant turned to me. "Do you Harley Bailey Cooper take Ponyboy Michael Curtis to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish always?" the officiant asked me. "I do," I said with a smile. Then we exchanged wedding bands. We both had silver wedding bands with vine detailing on them. It was to match the engagement ring that I had. "You may kiss the bride," the officiant said. As Pony and I kissed, the whole wedding erupted in cheers. Soon after, the wedding party shifted to the Farm House for the wedding reception.

Then it was time for the Father-Daughter dance which we were putting first. No one else knew what was going to happen. Then the DJ stood up and made an announcement. "We have the father-daughter dance now," the DJ boomed. The crowd started to mutter and Pony gave me a confused look. "Will Harley Curtis and Darry Curtis take the floor now?" Pony's and Soda's jaws hit the floor, while Steve and Two-Bit started to laugh. Darry and I made our way to the dancefloor and started to dance. We had decided to make it fun and not a typical wedding song. We danced to "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry. Everyone got a laugh out of it. Then it was time for my and Pony's first dance. We danced to "Jump in Line" by Henry Belafonte. The rest of the night went by in a whirlwind. Pony and I drove off first, and we decided to go to the cemetery to visit his parents and Johnny and Dally, then we went back home. Pony slept over in my room that night.

Friday…

Today, Pony and I were heading back to LA. I was heading to the mailbox to get the mail when I saw two thick envelopes in the mail with my name on them. One was from USC and the other was from UCLA. The return address for the law schools. My heart started to beat faster. I moved into the Curtis kitchen, where the gang was drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Soda raised an eyebrow at me. "You ok there Motorbike?" Soda asked me. I nodded but held out the letters with shaking hands. "These came today," I said with a shaky breath. Soda's eyes widened. "Well, don't stand there, open them!" Steve said with an eye roll. I turned my eyes to Pony. "Can you open them?" I squeaked. Pony gulped and hesitantly grabbed the letters. Pony opened both letters and he scanned them. Then a smile spread across his face. "You got full rides to both USC and UCLA law school," Pony said with a smile. The guys whooped. "Let me see," I mumbled in shock. I scanned the letters. Sure enough, it was true. "What school are you going to pick Motorbike?" Two-Bit asked me slinging his arm over my shoulder. I chuckled. "I'm going to stick at USC," I said. "It's not even a competition." Darry cracked a smile. "I'm just glad you're sticking at the same school as Pony," Darry said. "Me too," Pony said leaning in to kiss me. The rest of the morning, I celebrated with the gang before Pony and I headed off back to school.

Pony's POV:

Sunday…

Harley and I pulled into the driveway at home. It was just five days until Christmas and a week and a half until our wedding. I gave Harley a big grin and squeezed her hand. I was super excited for this holiday break. I was grateful to get away from the Greek Row story, but I was also looking forward to the wedding. It couldn't get here quickly enough. A pit in my stomach formed though. I wished my parents, Johnny, and Dally were here to celebrate with us. But, it was wishful thinking. "You ready?" I asked Harley. Harley squeezed my hand back. "More than I ever will be," Harley said with a smirk. Harley and I grabbed our bags and filtered our way into the house. The gang got out and gave us hugs. "How you feelin'?" Two-Bit asked with a toothy grin. "Have the wedding jitters hit yet?" I groaned. Harley gave Two-Bit a smirk. "No they haven't," Harley said slugging Two-Bit in the shoulder. Darry, Soda, and I made our way to the bedroom I shared with Soda, to dump my bags. My brothers wrapped me up in their arms. "Ready for the wedding in a couple of weeks honey?" Soda asked me with a calm smile. I nodded. "I can't wait," I said. "Good," Darry said. "We can't have you getting cold feet." I shot Darry a glare and he gave me a mocking face. We went back out to the kitchen. "I can't wait," Soda exclaimed. "This is going to be a wedding for the books." Harley rolled her eyes and chuckled. Darry and Harley made eye contact and he jerked his head towards my house across the street that Harley shared with Steve, Evie, and Two-Bit, and I nodded. "Hey guys, I'm going to drop my bags at the house," Harley said. Darry followed Harley out the door as they walked out.

I watched them go in confusion. "What was that all about?" I asked in concern. "Beats me," Soda said. "They'll be back." Steve raised an eyebrow. "Maybe Darry is going into protective brother mode," Steve said mockingly. I slugged him in the shoulder and glared at him. "Not funny," I mumbled. "I was just joking," Steve growled. "Heh," Two-Bit exclaimed. "I'm the only funny one here. No one can make jokes except for me." We all groaned. Darry and Harley were sure taking a long time to come back from the house. It made me worried. Then Harley and Darry came back across the street and I could let out a sigh of relief.

New Year's Eve (Wedding Day)...

Today was the big day and I was super excited and nervous for the day ahead. I was being superstitious about the whole thing and I didn't want to Harley before the wedding ceremony. She thought I was being ridiculous, but I didn't want to take any chances. "Can we go visit Mom, Dad, Johnny, and Dally before we go to the venue?" I asked Darry hesitantly. Darry nodded. "We can, Little Colt," Darry said ruffling my hair. "Let's just wait a moment before we leave." I shot Darry a confused look. "Two-Bit and Steve called," Soda explained. "Harley went to go see them and we know how serious you're taking not seeing Harley before the wedding." Soda shot me a look. "Why is Harley at the cemetery?" I asked in confusion and concern. "I think she wants to be a little bit connected to them since they're so important to all of us," Soda said squeezing my hand. "I think it's a nice gesture," Darry murmured. I just hoped that Harley was doing ok and wasn't getting too nervous about the wedding. "Let's go get into our suits," Darry said. Darry, Soda, and I went to change and then headed out. When we got to the cemetery, I went to Mom and Dad's graves first. When I got there, I found a couple of bouquets of sunflowers there. I smirked. "Those are Harley's favorites," I mumbled. Soda chuckled. Darry had a small smile. "That's nice of her," Darry murmured. "That's Harley for you," I said. "She always puts others first." I knelt next to my parent's graves and brushed away a few tears. "Hey Mom," I said with a broken sob. "Hey, Dad. I'm getting married today. You probably knew that after Harley came and visited today. I miss you guys and I wish you guys were here to celebrate with me. You would've loved Harley and her grandmother. Harley is a spitfire and her grandmother is something else. I miss you guys every day and I wish you guys had a chance to meet Harley. You would've loved her. I promise I'll do my best by her and that I will stay ever present with the gang and my brothers. I won't let you down." I stood back up and saw tears streaming down Darry's and Soda's faces. Then they each took their turns with our parents. We left a couple of bouquets of lilies. Then we went by Johnny and Dally's graves. They were right next to each other. There was a shiny new switchblade next to Dally's and a new denim jacket next to Johnny's. "Motorbike strikes again," Soda chuckled. "You know it," I said with a smirk. We did the same thing that we did at our parent's graves. "Hey guys," I said softly. "Today is a big day. I know you would be teasing me up a storm Dal and acting all tuff, but I knew you would be tearing up in the background whenever you thought no one was looking. Johnny, you would've had enough nerves for the both of us. I wish you guys were here." After the cemetery visit, we head to the venue to get the final arrangements ready.

Finally, it was time for the ceremony. I walked up to my place at the altar and stood there nervously, fidgeting with my bowtie. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and my hands started to sweat. My hands started to shake when the music started. The bridesmaids and the groomsmen walked up as couples one by one. To my surprise, Soda was walking both Lila and Lorelai up. "Where is Darry?" I asked in concern. Soda shrugged and got a concerned look on his face. "Beats me," Soda said knitting his eyebrows together. Steve and Soda started to mutter something. Then it was time for Harley to walk down the aisle. Everyone turned to see Harley step into the doorway and to my surprise, Darry was walking her down the aisle. My stomach fell out of my stomach. Harley was beautiful and Darry was smiling down at her as she stepped forward. Harley flashed me a smile, which I returned. She looked beautiful. Now I understood why Mrs. Adams got me a suit with the vines on it. It was to match Harley's. "Thank you," I mouthed to Mrs. Adams. Mrs. Adams just nodded at me with tears in her eyes. Finally, Harley was standing in front of me and the ceremony began. It was a blur until we got to the I do's.

"Do you Ponyboy Michael Curtis take Harley Bailey Cooper to be your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish always?" the officiant said. "I do," I said with tears welling in my eyes. Then the officiant turned to Harley. "Do you Harley Bailey Cooper take Ponyboy Michael Curtis to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish always?" the officiant asked her. "I do," Harley said with a smile. Then we exchanged wedding bands. We both had silver wedding bands with vine detailing on them. It was to match the engagement ring that Harley had. I let out a soft chuckle. Harley had picked them out and they were perfect. I looked down at the ring on my finger and I knew I would never take it off. "You may kiss the bride," the officiant said. As Harley and I kissed, the whole wedding erupted in cheers. Soon after, the wedding party shifted to the Farm House for the wedding reception.

Everyone was able to get their food and started to dig in. Then it was time for the speeches. To my surprise, Two-Bit stood up first. "My mother handed me this letter to read aloud," Two-Bit said with a smirk. "Apparently the Curtis parents have written a letter for each son that they wanted to be read at each of their weddings. This is Pony's letter." My breath hitched in shock and my hands started the tremble. I looked at Soda and Darry in surprise. "Did you guys know about this?" I mouthed to them. They shook their heads. They both looked as shocked as I did. Harley grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it. Harley had tears forming in her eyes too and was giving me a reassuring smile. "To our littlest boy," Two-Bit started to read. "We are so proud of you and who you have become. Even as you continue to grow into your new adult life, we hope that you still keep that child-like wonder that you have and your most wonderful imagination. If our hunches are correct, your new significant other is just as stubborn and creative as you are but tries to bring you out of your shell. We wish you all the best on your new journey. Love, Mom and Dad." There wasn't a dry eye in the house. I felt tears streaming down my face. Mom and Dad were here after all, it might not be in person but they were here in spirit. "While I'm up here, I guess I'll start my speech," Two-Bit quipped. Everyone groaned. "We're all happy for both of you. You guys have been through thick and thin together and a few rocky years of being chased around by crazy madmen and Socs. Hopefully, it mellows out for you and you continue to have fun." Everyone cheered for this. Next, it was Steve who stood up, then Soda, and then Darry, and then my grandmother went last. "Well, kiddo," Steve said. "You did it." Everyone chuckled at this. "You found the one," Steve continued. "You couldn't have picked a better one for you. She is one of us and will always be. She matches your quirkiness to a T. Cheers to both of you." Then Soda stood up with tears in his eyes. "I can't believe my baby brother got married." Soda choked out. "To be honest, I thought I would be the first one to get married, then Darry, and then Pony would be last." Everyone chuckled, but Soda continued. "You found the most perfect girl for you and you both bring out the best in each other. I know you guys will achieve the best and bring out the best in each other. I'm so happy for both of you." I nodded at Soda as he sat down and Darry stood up. "I'm so proud of you Pone," Darry said with a tremor in his voice. "I'm so proud of you Harley as well. You both got out of Tulsa and together are working on achieving your dreams. I know Mom and Dad would be happy about that. Just don't forget about us when you guys achieve greatness." I knew everyone was in my corner and the speeches showed it.

After all the speeches all of a sudden, the DJ stood up and made an announcement. "We have the father-daughter dance now," the DJ boomed. The crowd started to mutter and I gave Harley a confused look. "What's going on?" I asked Harley. She clucked her tongue at me. "You'll see," Harley whispered in my ear. "Will Harley Curtis and Darry Curtis take the floor now?" the DJ continued. My jaw hit the floor. I was in total shock. I had never seen Darry dance before, this was going to be funny. Darry and Harley made their way to the dancefloor and started to dance. They picked the most cheesy song they could find and it was perfect. The whole wedding party was laughing and singing along to it. They danced to "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry. Then it was time for my and Harley's first dance. We danced to "Jump in Line" by Henry Belafonte. It was our song after all. The rest of the night went by in a whirlwind. Harley and I drove off first, and we decided to go to the cemetery to visit my parents and Johnny and Dally, and then we went back home. I slept over in Harley's room that night.

Friday…

Today, Harley and I were heading back to LA. Harley was going out to get the mail before she left. I knew she was expecting her letters in the mail sometime soon and I knew she was nervous. Soda and I were talking about horses when Harley came in looking like she had seen a ghost. My heart started to race. "You ok there Motorbike?" Soda asked Harley. She nodded but held out a couple of letters with shaking hands. "These came today," Harley said with a shaky breath. Soda's eyes widened. My stomach sank. Those were her letters that had either rejections or acceptances in them. "Well, don't stand there, open them!" Steve said with an eye roll. Harley turned to me. "Can you open them?" Harley squeaked. I gulped and hesitantly grabbed the letters. I opened both letters and I scanned them. Then a smile spread across my face. "You got full rides to both USC and UCLA Law School," I said with a smile. The guys whooped. "Let me see," Harley mumbled in disbelief. Harley scanned the letters. "What school are you going to pick Motorbike?" Two-Bit asked Harley slinging his arm over my shoulder. I chuckled. "I'm going to stick at USC," Harley said. "It's not even a competition." Darry cracked a smile. "I'm just glad you're sticking at the same school as Pony," Darry said. "Me too," I said leaning in to kiss Harley. The rest of the morning, I celebrated with the gang before Harley and I headed off back to school.