(8 AM)
Bexley was the first one up. She got out of her bed and saw that Soda and Ponyboy were still asleep.
Ponyboy only wore his jeans to bed since his shirt and shoes had been taken off.
Bexley knew that Soda had taken them off of him. He was still in his clothes on; he was too wore out to actually change them.
Soda looked much younger than 16 when he slept, Bexley did too.
She didn't want to wake them up so she decided to get ready for the day.
She dressed herself in a black tank top with a red flannal and denim jacket, jeans, and she slipped her sneakers on.
It was Pony's turn to make breakfast for the household this morning so Bexley decided to pick up a little bit around the house.
When Ponyboy woke up, he jumped in the shower. Bexley heard him grumble about his hair.
"I hate it," he said. Bexley smiled and walked to the bathroom. He was trying to grease it up like he normally had it.
He wore a green t-shirt and jeans.
"Pony, I said you don't look bad," she said to her little brother. "Easy for you to say, Bex. You got to keep your hair," Ponyboy grumbled.
"Aw, don't be like that. It'll grow back," Bexley teased, walking back into the living room.
When he was finished, he went into the kitchen to fix breakfast, making eggs. Usually, whoever woke up first would have to make breakfast.
But today would be an exception. Bexley went into the bathroom to fix her hair.
The others would have to do the dishes. That was one rule that they had around the house.
The Curtis siblings loved their eggs differently. Ponyboy liked his hard, Darry liked his in a bacon and tomato sandwich, Soda likes his with grape jelly, and Bexley loved hers with white gravy.
They even make a whole chocolate cake to with it. Their mother never allowed that but Darry had convinced her otherwise.
"Hey, anybody home?" Two-Bit called as he walked in the front door with Steve behind him.
"Yeah, in here. Don't slam the door," Ponyboy replied. The front door was usually never locked. It was in case the gang needed a place to stay if they had gotten kicked out of their house.
The door slammed loudly against the frame. Two-Bit set his leather jacket against one of the dining chairs and went into the kitchen, sneaking up behind Ponyboy.
"Ponyboy Curtis!" the rusty-haired greaser shouted, grabbing the youngest greaser by the waist.
He swung him around, making him spill the uncooked eggs in the pan.
"Hey, watch it!" Ponyboy shouted after Two-Bit set him down.
"Good to see ya, kid," Steve said, giving Pony a quicky shove on the shoulder.
"Hey, where's Shorty at?" Two-Bit asked, looking around for Bexley.
"Fixing her hair in the bathroom," Ponyboy said, picking up the spoon that was on the floor, "Make me drop my eggs and make me drop my spoon,"
Two-Bit went towards the bathroom and waited by the doorway.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Two-Bit made a loud noise to scare her.
"Oh! Jeez, Two-Bit! How many heart attacks are you gonna give me?" she said.
"Not enough times, Shorty," Two-Bit laughed, picking her up by wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Hey, hey! Put me down, will ya?" Bexley grumbled, wiggling in Two-Bit's grip.
"Nah, I like this better," Two-Bit laughed, not letting go. "Two-Bit!" she shouted again.
"Heh, alright. And here I thought you'd want to say hello," he said, putting her down.
"I would've if I didn't hear you ruin our breakfast, I would've. I'm starvin'," Bexley replied, walking passed her buddy and into the kitchen.
Steve gave Bexley a good pat on the shoulder. "Look at the blonde-headed monkeys!" Two-Bit said, getting a good look at their hair.
He then grabbed a beer from the fridge.
"I wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't seen them in the paper. Tell me, you Ponyboy, Bexley, how does it feel to be heros, huh?" Steve said.
"Excuse me what?" Bexley asked. "You know. Heroes, big shot even," Steve said, giving Ponyboy the paper, "Beer for breakfast, Two-Bit?"
Bexley and Ponyboy both looked at the paper and they saw themselves in the paper along with Johnny and Dally.
Juvenile delinquients Turned Heroes was the headline.
"They're charging Johnny of manslaughter?" Bexley said.
"What do they mean 'if he recovers'?" Ponyboy added, turning to face them.
"Also says how you and Bexley saved them kids, Ponyboy. They've had burned to death if it hadn't been for you two," Steve replied to them, walking into the livingroom.
"Dally's gonna be disappointed when he sees that they haven't put his police record in it," Two-Bit said.
Neither sibling felt too hot about this. "Since when were you gonna tell us about you and Johnny, Shorty?" Two-Bit said.
Bexley blushed red when Two-Bit said that. "Two-Bit!" she scowled.
"Aww, our little Bexley has found love! I can hear the wedding bells now,"
Two-Bit exclaimed, laughing.
"Shut up!" she shouted. Ponyboy cracked a smile. They knew they'd he'd do that.
Ponyboy looked at the paper again. "It's all about us. Darry, Soda, Bexley, and me. They're thinkin' about putting us in a youth home?" Ponyboy said, walking back into the bathroom, slamming the paper down on the table.
"No way. They ain't putting me in no youth home," he said.
"Ah, hell, Ponyboy. They don't do that to heroes. Hey, where's Soda and Super Dope, anyway?" Steve said, looking for them.
Cherry and Randy had been interview, stating that he and Bob were drunk that night and they were looking for a fight.
An hour later, Darry and Soda had woken up and both started to get ready for work.
Darry was already ready to go. Meanwhile, Soda was just getting out of the shower.
"Mornin' Mr. Universe!" Steve said, being picked up by Darry while he was eating some cake.
"Super what?" Darry said after he put Steve down. "Hmm. All brawn and no brain," Steve muttered.
Last time, Steve had recieved a punch to the jaw when he said that to Darry. But things had calmed down enough so he wouldn't do it.
Soda came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. "Hey, Darry, you seen my DX shirt anywhere?" he asked.
"Gotta wear clothes to work, Soda. There's a rule about that," Steve said, standing next to the bathroom.
"Right. Where are my jeans?" Soda asked. "They're ironed in my closet," Darry replied, "Hurry it up or you'll be late,"
"Soda, you gotta learn to keep up with your stuff!" Bexley called, teasing her twin brother.
"You're right on that one!" Steve said with a laugh.
Ponyboy walked over to Darry, who was putting on his flannal.
"Darry, you hear about that juvenile court thing?" Ponyboy asked his older brother.
"Yeah, cops told me last night," Darry answered him evenly.
They didn't know what was gonna happen after this. But all they worried today was getting through it and then have the rumble that was set for later on tonight.
"Tonight when we stomp those socs, we're gonna throw a party tonight and everyone's gonna get ripped!" Soda cheered along with Steve.
"Hey, where are you gonna get the dough, little man?" Darry asked, cracking a smile.
"I'll think of somethin', Soda said, coming back out fully dressed in his work clothes.
Soda took a seat on the couch just as Mickey Mouse came on the tv.
"Hey, Two-Bit, Mickey's on TV," Soda said. Two-Bit didn't hesitate to come to the living room to watch the show.
"Hey, Ponyboy. Ponyboy," Darry called, seeing that Ponyboy had gone outside on the porch.
Ponyboy came back inside. "I hate to leave you and Bexley alone here. Maybe I oughta take the day off," Darry offered.
"Nah, we'll be okay. We've stayed here alone plenty of times. Besides, we can't afford it," Ponyboy said.
"Yeah, Soda and I are turning seventeen here in a few weeks so I can get a job to help you guys out," Bexley added, standing up from the couch.
"Yeah, but you two just got back. I really oughta stay," Darry said again.
"Don't worry, Darry, I'll babysit them," Two-Bit offered.
Ponyboy took a swing at Two-Bit, but he had Ponyboy down on the floor in a second.
"You ever think about getting a job, Two-Bit?" Steve asked.
"Ruin my rep? Baby-sittin' these two IS my job on Saturdays!" Two-Bit said aghastly, getting Ponyboy in a headlock on the floor.
"I gotta quit smoking! Or I won't make track next year," Ponyboy said, struggling to get out of Two-Bit's iron grip.
"You guys get the dishes done before going out," Darry tells them
"Uncle! I'm gonna cut off your air!" Two-Bit said, still holding Ponyboy down.
"C'mon, Two-Bit, lay off him," Bexley said, getting up from the couch.
She tried getting Two-Bit off, but he managed to pull her down into a headlock with his other arm.
She was knocked off of her feet with a yelp. "I'll cut your air too!" Two-Bit laughed, holding her tightly.
"Hey, lay off of them, Two-Bit. They aint looking too good," Darry said to him.
"Yeah, Two-Bit, lay off," Ponyboy said as Two-Bit let both him and Bexley go.
"Lazy bum," Bexley commented, rubbing the back of her neck.
Soda started to look for his shoes, which he lost again.
"Ponyboy, you and Bexley smoke more than one pack today, or else I'll skin you both," Darry said, pointing at them.
"Yeah, we'll skin you if you move more than one bundle of roofin' at time," Ponyboy said.
Darry cracked a smile before saying, "Say hi to Johnny for us," He then walked out of the door.
She then spots Soda's shoes sitting by the couch. "Soda, here," she said, handing him his shoes.
"Thanks, Bex. See you and Pony later," Soda said, giving his twin sister a pat on the shoulder.
"See you later, Soda," Ponyboy said as Soda walked out of the door with Steve behind him.
Then, the truck drives off, leaving Ponyboy, Bexley, and Two-Bit at the house.
"C'mon, Two-Bit, can you give us a hand with this? Cause the cops could show up, besides its about time for the state to come check up on us," Ponyboy said, starting to pick up the dishes.
"Shoot, this house ain't messy. You oughta see my house," Two-Bit said, walking over to the table to get the cake.
"We have. And if you had the sense of a billy goat, you'd start picking things up at your house instead of hanging around ours. I'm gonna get me a job when I turn seventeen so wouldn't hurt you to start," Bexley said, picking up the glasses from the table after giving Two-Bit a grin.
"If I ever did that, my mom would die of shock," Two-Bit said, getting the cake and his beer. He sat down on the floor so he could finish watching Mickey Mouse.
Two-Bit's mom was a nice lady. He definitely got his sense of humor and easy-going personality from her.
She'd let him get away with murder if that's what he did. She was a hard working woman to support him and his sister, Reese.
After Bexley and Ponyboy were done with the dishes, they and Two-Bit left the house, staring for Tenth Street.
(In Town, 11 am)
Ponyboy put his light blue jacket over his green t-shirt.
They were walking backwards, Two-Bit had his thumb out as if he was hitchhiking.
"Two, is your car broken again?" Bexley asked, keeping her hands in her jacket pockets.
"Yeah, brakes went out on it again. Almost killed me and Kathy the other night. You guys oughta see her brother. Now there's a hood! Boy, he's so greasy, he glides when he walks. He goes to the barber shop for an oil change and not a haircut," Two-Bit explained.
"Man, you oughta get that car fixed. No wonder it keeps breaking down, it's getting old," Bexley commented, grinning at the rusty-haired greaser.
Ponyboy would've laughed if his head wasn't hurting.
Then, their smiles faded when they saw the same blue mustang with the same socs thar jumped Johnny, Ponyboy, and Bexley a few days ago.
They all turned around and sped up their pace, but the socs in the mustang had seen them.
The trio walked up to the Tastee Freeze, and the mustang turned behind them.
"What do they want?" Bexley asked. "I don't know, Bex. How many did you see?" Two-Bit replied. "Four or five. Let's get inside," Ponyboy said.
They start making their way inside the shop, but the socs in that blue mustang drove around the shop.
"Wait, let's see what they want," Two-Bit said, holding his hands out to stop them. "Why?" Ponyboy asked.
"Just stay here," Two-Bit said lowly, keeping his eyes on the socs. The socs get out of the mustang and walk over to the greasers.
Bexley and Ponyboy recognized Randy, Bob's best friend.
"No jazz before the rumble. You know the rules, ape face," Two-Bit warned the socs.
"We know," Randy said, "I want to talk to you two," He looked over at the siblings for a moment.
They looked over at Two-Bit. "Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on him," Two-Bit said.
Ponyboy and Bexley followed Randy to the blue mustang.
"Speaking of the rumble, pal," a soc said after they walked over to the car.
"I read about you two in the paper. How come?" Randy asked. Ponyboy shrugged and replied, "Don't know. Guess we felt like playing hero,"
"I wouldn't have," Randy started. Bexley looked up at the soc. "Wouldn't what?" she asked.
"I would've let those kids burn to death," Randy clarified, turning to face them.
"Don't say that. You would've done it too," Bexley said to him, hooking her thumbs in her jean pockets.
"I don't know. I just thought a greaser would pull something like this," Randy sighed, looking down.
"Greaser had nothing to do with it," Ponyboy exclaimed, looking over at the dark-haired soc.
Then, they couldn't talk over Two-Bit's loud laughter, so they got inside the car so it could be more quieter.
"Check out their pants!" Two-Bit said with a laugh, pointing at the socs' slacks. Two other greasers that were with them and they laughed at Two-Bit's joke.
"I hear they, uh, stamp your face into gorilla cookies," Two-Bit said with a cheeky grin.
Inside the car, it was a bit more quieter. They sat in the front seat of the mustang.
"Both of you won't see me at the rumble tonight," Randy said, not looking at the siblings.
Randy didn't look any older than seventeen, but seemed to have feelings unlike his friends.
"I couldn't say this in front of the guys. They'd think I was off my rocker or something," Randy started, but neither sibling were able to look at him.
"That kid-- the one that got burned, your friend? He might die?" Randy asked.
"Yeah," Ponyboy said with a nod.
Bexley felt a lump grow in her throat. Thinking about how hurt Johnny was made her feel sick.
"Tonight at the rumble, you two know that people get hurt, maybe even killed. *Looks over at Bexley* You shouldn't even be in it. They won't go easy on you just because your a girl," Randy said seriously.
"Yeah, I'm aware," Bexley replied with a sigh. She was always a good fighter in a rumble.
"You can't win. You both know that, don't you? Even if you whip us, you'll still be where you've been, at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones on top with the lucky breaks. Doesn't matter. Greasers will still be greasers and socs will still be socs. It doesn't matter. *Looks over at them* Thanks, Greasers," Randy said.
They started to get out of the car but Randy stopped them. "Hey, I didn't mean that. I mean, thanks, kids," Randy corrected himself.
"Been real nice talkin' to you, Randy. My name's Ponyboy. This is my big sister, Bexley," Ponyboy said, holding out a hand.
They shook hands before getting out of the car. Randy then honks the horn to let his friends know that they were leaving.
Ponyboy and Bexley walked back over to Two-Bit, whose hands were in his pockets.
"So what'd, Mr. Super-Soc had to say?" Two-Bit asked after the socs left. "Nah, he ain't a soc," Bexley assured.
"Yeah. He's just a guy that wanted to talk," Ponyboy added, taking out a cigarette before lighting it.
Bexley looked over her shoulder, seeing the hospital from where they were. She needed to go see Johnny.
"Hey, if you guys want to go see a movie or something before seeing Johnny and Dally, then go on without me," she said to Ponyboy and Two-Bit.
"What? We're all going together, Bex," Ponyboy said, protesting her to go alone. "I'll be fine, little brother. Besides, there's something I have to talk to Johnny about. I... just want it to stay between us," Bexley replied, her cheeks turning red.
Ponyboy knew what they were gonna talk about so he didn't pry. "Okay, we'll see you when we get there," Ponyboy said.
"Take it easy, you hear?" Two-Bit said, giving his sister figure a good, tight hug.
"You guys know I will. See you later," she said after hugging him back.
After breaking the hug, she turned and started making their way towards the hospital.
Turns out, Randy and the socs were also just regular people who deal with their own struggles. They are human just like the Greasers are.