Waking Up

Trouble

Chapter Eleven

I was getting to know Ponyboy and Johnny even more; I was also getting along with Dally. I had lived in Tulsa for almost two months and I had managed to stay out of trouble. I hung out with Delaney and her group of friends every week, same with the gang. I also hung out with Matt when I had the chance. Occasionally, he and Soda would hang out.

I still kinda liked Ponyboy. He was one of my best friends, but I felt like I liked him in another way too.

Ponyboy, Johnny, and I would go to Dairy Queen together some Friday's and have a good time. They were my best friends and I loved them.

It was a warm Tuesday afternoon and school was half a month away. "C'mon, let's do something fun," said Dally.

"Like what?" Ponyboy asked. Dally smirked.

"Buck Merrill is having a party tonight, wanna go?" he asked.

"I'm not too sure...." Ponyboy responded uncertainly.

"Ah c'mon. We'll have fun! If things get too rowdy for the three of ya's, meet back here, ok? School is almost here again, don't you wanna have fun?" Dally sure was persuasive; Ponyboy finally gave in.

Matt was aware that I was going to a party. He lectured me on how I needed to be extremely careful. "No trouble, I'm serious," he said.

"I can't stress it enough," he continued. I rolled my eyes. I understood, I wasn't an idiot.

"Alright guys the party starts in about 5 minutes," Dally informed us. The whole gang, plus me, was there. "We can all have a good time if we watch how much we drink, we don't want an trouble with the fuzz," he continues. "So with that, who's ready to party?" Everyone jumped up, fists pumping in the air, shouting.

Ponyboy, Johnny, and I walked behind the others. It was a long walk to the party, but Dally said it was ok if we were fashionably late. Steve and Two-bit were the most crazy; bouncing around and hollering.Darry had stayed home. He believed he was too old for parties, he was all about responsibility.

Johnny and Ponyboy walked on either side of me, walking as fast as I. We weren't too far behind Soda, Two-bit, Dally, and Steve. "We'll have a good time, right?" said Johnny, bumping me playfully. I bumped back.

"Well of course we are!" Ponyboy exclaimed, throwing a fist to the sky. My stomach felt like butterflies for a second. Johnny grinned at us.

"Whatcha grinnin' for, Johnnycake?" I asked. He let out a small chuckle.

"The way you looked at Pony, it was like he was a one second celebrity." Johnny, still laughing, turned back to watching his feet.

We all arrived at the party just in time. There were quite a few people in the living room. A tall man a little older than Dally approached the group. "Hey Dal," he said, shaking his hand. "C'mon in, have a good time!" Everybody started mixing in.

"You guys need to be really careful, ya understand?" Soda lectured. We all nodded in unison.

We walked around the house, trying to find a place not too busy. The bar area was rather empty so we sat down. Music was blaring overhead. "I'm gonna go ask Soda what time the party's over," said Ponyboy, standing up. He left the room.

Johnny smiled widely and mischievously. "You ok there?" I asked him. He nodded.

"I think Pony likes you," he said, reminding me of a gossiping girl. I shook my head. "Why don't you think so?" he asked.

"Well, he's just my friend and he doesn't act like he likes me," I replied. Johnny frowned.

"He should like you, I mean if he doesn't. You're a great person; you're easy to talk to, you actually care, you're fun, and you're pretty. If he doesn't like you, his loss." Johnny poured on the compliments and I felt myself blush.

"Look," he continued, "I don't have a crush on you, honestly, I'm just telling you the truth. That's what friends are for, right?" he asked.

"Right," I nodded. Just then, Ponyboy came back.

"Soda says it ends in about 3 hours, unless we want to go home sooner," he told us. Not a word was said about my conversation with Johnny.

The party still had 2 hours remaining. The three of us had had fun so far. We didn't bother with mingling with other people, but that was fine; we had each other.

Music was still playing and more people were dancing. With a thud, a drunken man fell to the floor. "Uh-oh," said Ponyboy. "People are starting to get pretty drunk." He went to grab a water and we backed out of the room full of drunken people.

"Ah you little-" Ponyboy had backed up into someone and spilled his drink all over them.

"I didn't mean to," he said, looking up at the furious drunk. The alcohol on his breath was strong. He grabbed Pony by the shirt collar. I knew Ponyboy wasn't completely weak, he was just shocked.

The drunken man started pounding on Pony and nobody stopped it. I grabbed a bottle of beer off the counter and smashed it over the guys head. Blood covered his scalp. He fell to the ground with a smack. I felt sick to my stomach. "Thanks," Ponyboy said.

People began to scatter. What was going on? Many people still remained in the house. I looked around and that's when I saw red and blue lights flashing outside the window. A lump formed in my throat.

Police rushed in the house. "Everyone stand still!" ordered an officer with a handle bar mustache. "What happened here?!" another officer demanded. They all turned to look at me, the bloody bottle still in my hands.

A third officer pulled my arms behind my back. "What was your reason for this?!" he questioned. I nervously looked about the room. Many people were standing there watch, but the widened eyes of Pony and Johnny stuck out to me. I couldn't get them in trouble. "I-I felt threatened by his presence, he was drunk," I replied in a shaky voice.

"Who were you with?" another officer fired at me.

"No one," I answered, swallowing hard. Ponyboy gave me a 'what are you doing?' look.

'Just trust me' I said with my eyes. The officer's grip tightened on me. "So why on earth were you here?" he snapped.

"I was hoping to meet new friends," I said quietly. "The guys not dead, he's just knocked out." The officer glared at me. He shoved me out the door.

"We're taking you home. Where do you live?" he asked sharply. He held the police car door open for me as I told him my street address.

"Do your parents know about this party?" the officer with the handle bar mustache demanded. I shook my head.

"I don't have parents," I answered. Out the door, Soda and the others stood watching as I was driven away.

"Well how about your guardian?" he tried again. I nodded and was silent for the rest of the night home.