A Girl in New York (Pre/Sequel to The Outsiders: A Girl in the Gang)

Chapter 23- Hated Mondays

Note to Readers: Sorry this one's a little short, but I think I've only got one more chapter and maybe an epilogue before this one's done.  Hope you like it, and please comment and vote!

I spent the rest of the weekend, well, sleeping, pretty much. I never knew how much I enjoyed a bed, or how tired traveling all day for four days could be even if I did sleep a lot then, too. I didn't leave the house all weekend either, mostly cause I was still mad—in a weird way—at the gang, and especially my brother, at coming and finding me. But needless to say, I still hadn't decided to 'run away' again. Yet.

Dally had to come to the court trial on Monday, and Two-Bit and Pony, and of course Johnny, and I was happy to see that all three of the football players showed up as well. All with some nice bruises on their faces, and Mr. Hollister—I don't think I even knew what his first name was—had a very colorful broken nose. It had been a week, and all their injuries still hadn't healed. I smirked at the sight of him, and I could tell that everyone else from the gang—all of them showed up to watch even though they didn't have to—were glad I had beaten the Socs up, too.

I was right, I ended up being sentenced to four months in the reformatory, which started in a week. No wonder I hated Mondays.

The sentence was for running away from home, and resisting an officer, and it probably could have been for more if I had told them about the stolen motorbike. Which I obviously hadn't. I know, lying under oath, how horrible.

But the Socs were all let off on probation, along with a fine, which was nothing for them considering all the money they had. I hated Socs. They go and break Johnny's arm, get me sent to reform school, and all they get is probation. I'm sure their parents don't even think they need it, because of course they're the perfect little angels that would never do anything wrong.

On Tuesday I went over to the Curtis's after school instead of going to detention like I was supposed to, but I might as well enjoy my freedom while it lasted. Next week at this time I'd probably be chained in a padded room with bars on the windows or something.

Everyone was there, even Dally, though since I was supposedly grounded he should have been at home to watch me like the five-year-old I wasn't to make sure I came home from school. Not that it would have done him much good, obviously.

As always, the house was loud and chaotic, like a circus, only stepped up a few hundred notches. Darry was yelling at someone for something, Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were wrestling around on the floor, Pony was trying to help Johnny with some of his homework, and Dally was currently glaring at me as he marched over by me.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he asked coldly.

"Skipping detention," I answered, like it was obvious.

 "What?!" he demanded.

 Oops, I'd forgotten to tell him I had detention in the first place. I still had three months' worth of it to make up from other various misdemeanors on school property, aside from today and what had happened last week.

"You know, the reward Most Unfortunate Teacher of the Week gets," I said sarcastically.

"Can you go even one day without getting in trouble?! Just once, I'd like to see you behave!" Dally yelled.

"Hmm, let me think," I mused mockingly before succinctly stating, "No."

Dal literally growled in frustration and then burst out shouting, "I'll be glad when you're gone!"

The room fell dead silent after he said that, and a sick feeling exploded in my gut.

 I tamped it down and said icily, "Fine. Just get rid of me again like you always do when you can't handle it."

"Guys..." Soda said skeptically, trying to stop us.

Dally and I ignored him, and Dally's face contorted in anger and he said loudly through gritted teeth, "I'm not getting rid of you, it's for your own good," trying to play—what, loving brother?—again.

"And how did getting thrown in jail 'for your own good' a hundred times over work for you, Dally?" I shot back.

He was about to blow up at me again, but then Darry said something to him and he paused, taking a deep breath before telling me much more calmly than before, "I'm not doing this. You're going to go to reform school next week, for your own good," he enunciated, "And you will not say another word about it," Dally said, sounding like, well, a dad, which he clearly was not.

What the hell?! He never talked like that to me, ever. I think the rest of the gang had better stay out of mine and Dally's fights from now on. But I for once didn't argue, I was too mad to, and I turned swiftly on my heel and stormed out of the house, taking off down the street only to end up back at home a couple hours later.

 Looks like I was going to juvie, and I wasn't going to get out of it by running away again.