In which Dallas Winston has a soft spot for more than one Cade, and Gloria's kid brother gets caught up in a murder rap.
𝑭𝒂𝒔𝒕-𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌 • verb
\ ˈfas(t)-tôk \
to influence or persuade
by fluent, facile, and u...
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WHEN WE FIND PONY, sure enough, a group of socs are beatin' up on him.
Half the gang takes off after the socs as they race back to their red Corvair. Steve practically jumps in the front window trying to grab a hold of the front passenger, and Dally.. Dally had grabbed a big ass branch and is trying to throw it at the car as it skids away.
Darry and I hurry over to Ponyboy. He'd been yelling and screaming for his big brothers something awful. I sure wish I'd been around to help Johnny before when he got jumped..
"Are you all right, Ponyboy?" Darry keeps shaking him, as if rattling the kid's skull some more will help bring him out of it.
"Darry, quit shaking him," I say, gently pushing his arm away from Pony's shoulders.
Pony sits up on the sidewalk, rubbing his cheek. The skin is turning red and blue where he'd been slugged, but he doesn't seem concussed or anything.
"They didn't hurt ya too bad, did they?" Darry asks.
"I'm okay."
"Looks like they cut you up a bit, Pony," I say, pulling out a handkerchief to lightly dab at the bloody wound. It's small, but the blood flows consistently, probably due to the kid being beaten up.
The rest of the gang comes back, huddling around the kid. They're all slightly out of breath from chasing off the socs.
"You got cut up a little, huh, Ponyboy?"
"I guess so," he says.
Soda leans over his kid brother and I remove the kerchief for a moment so he can see.
"Let's get you home, little buddy."
• • • • • • •
Darry, Soda, and Pony had been arguing half way back home to the Curtis's. We'd learned that Pony'd been at the movies, and Darry was on him for going alone, and Sodapop was caught between the two.
The rest of us do our best to stay outta their arguments, seeing as most of the time they make up just fine anyways.
By the time we reach their front porch, it's decided that the next time we go to the movies, we'll go in a group, and so tomorrow night Pony, Dally, Johnny, and I'll hit the Nightly Double, and Two-Bit might tag along, as well.
