I Didn't Mean To

"Boy, those are two of the best lookin' girl I've ever seen," Two-Bit said as he walked into their neighborhood with Ponyboy, Bexley, and Johnny. They made it in front of Johnny's house, where they could hear his parents arguing inside. "What does that make me, Two-Bit?" Bexley asked him with a playful smirk.

"A sister to me, shorty. I don't need Darry beating my head in," he said, which made her roll her eyes. That was his nickname for her, which she hated. She didn't hide it either. Two-Bit then stuck a piece of paper in his mouth, chewed it up, before he spat it on the ground. "What was that?" Ponyboy asked him. "Marcia's number. Might've been a phony one too. Girl like that wouldn't go out with me anyway," Two-Bit replied as they approached Johnny's house.

They could tell that he was a bit tipsy from how much he was drinking. Then, Two-Bit went after a hat that flew by them. "Whoa, lookie! Got me a new hat!" he said with a laugh, putting the hat on his head. Bexley couldn't help but laugh at what he did. "Wow, you're crazy," Ponyboy said, chuckling also.

"Man, I don't know why I handed you that busted bottle. You weren't gonna use it," Two-Bit said, walking backwards with his hands in his jacket pockets. "I might've. Where ya headed?" Ponyboy asked. "Eh, probably play some snooker. I'll see you guys later!" Two-Bit shouted as he turned around and jogged away. "See ya, Two!" Bexley called while waving him off.

Johnny walked towards his house but stopped before he could go in, he heard how loud his folks were arguing. "I hate it when my folks fight, let's go to the lot," he said. Bexley stretched both of her arms and she said, "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna head back home. Pony, remember that your curfew is at midnight," "Alright, see ya at the house," he told her as he and Johnny started towards the lot.

Bexley made it to the house less than five minutes later, seeing that Darry was sitting in his recliner with a paper in his hands. "Hey, Dar," she said when she saw her eldest brother. He glanced up at her and said, "Thank you for being home on time, Bex. Where's Pony?" he asked her.

"He's with Johnny. I reminded him of when his curfew is," she told him as she sat down on the couch with Soda, who was fast asleep on the couch. "Thank you. He better be home on time," Darry said as he went back to his paper. Bexley stretched out on the couch and ended up falling asleep on the couch.

It was now 2 in the morning by the time Ponyboy came back home. It worried Darry to death because the kid was supposed to be home two hours ago. Bexley jumped when she heard the fury in Darry's voice when he saw his little brother coming through that door.

"Ponyboy, where the hell have you been? You have any idea what time it is?! It's 2 in the morning, kiddo," Darry scolded him as he chucked his paper to the ground. He stood up harshly. Bexley rubbed her eyes and she stretched - Her neck was sore from how she slept. Soda woke up too from the sound of Darry's parental tone.

"Hey, Pone, where ya been?" he asked in a calm tone as he looked at his little brother. "I fell asleep in the lot," Ponyboy replied, walking passed Darry and towards the bathroom. "You what?" Darry asked in disbelief, following him to the bathroom. "Look, I fell asleep while talking to Johnny. I didn't mean to," said the youngest Curtis, trying to shut the bathroom door. However, Darry pushed it back open harshly.

"Yeah? And I can't call the cops because the three of you would be thrown into a home so fast, your head would start spinning," he said, sounding more stringently. "Pony, let's go to bed now," Sodapop interjected, leaning into the bathroom doorway. "I said I didn't mean to!" Ponyboy argued back, throwing a towel over the shower rack, walking out of the bathroom.

"Your problem is that you never remember what I tell you to do! It's all I ever hear from you! Every day it's like this! Can't you think!?" Darry shouted, raising his voice even more, glaring right at his youngest brother. "C'mon, Darry-" Soda began to speak, hoping to defuse the situation.

"Shut your damn mouth! I'm tired of you sticking up for him!" Darry bellowed, pointing a finger right at him. "Darry, stop! It's not his fault!" Bexley exclaimed. "It's his fault that he doesn't use his head! I don't want to hear you sticking up for him either!" he shouted at her, making her back up a bit.

Ponyboy was stunned when he saw Darry shouting at Soda and Bexley. This made him angry and he howled at him, "DON'T YOU YELL AT THEM!" This made Darry snap, and he made the worst decision of his life. He spun around and he backhanded Ponyboy across the face, making him trip over the coffee table and onto the floor with a loud thud.

After he did that, the whole house became silent - the sound that was way too uneasy for comfort. They were all shocked at what just happened. Soda's eyes became as wide as saucers and Bexley's mouth hung open in shock. Darry instantly regretted what he did, judging by the look on his face. His hand was red and it was shaking. "I… I didn't mean to, Pony…" he said shakily as he looked at his little brother with big eyes.

Without hesitation, Ponyboy sprung to his feet and he bolted out of the door, out of the fence, and was heading down the street. "Pony!" Darry cried out, running to the door. Bexley and Soda followed behind him, seeing him running away.

"What the hell, Darry?!" Bexley shouted, angry at him for hitting their brother. "I didn't mean to do that, Bexley!" yelled the eldest Curtis, regret in his voice. "And he told you that when he walked through that door! I'm going after him," Bexley said, sounding cross. Soda looked down and sighed, deeply disappointed in his older brother.

"Be careful, okay?" he said to her softly. "I will," Bexley replied before she left the house, going to where the lot was. She knew he would go there to see Johnny so that's where she would go first.