Trade Mistakes

6

A few days later, it felt like everything had a new normal. Since Darry and Soda were working almost all the time, I was hanging with the rest of the gang more often.

None of them knew what happened, but they were all surprised in the change in how much I was with them. Not like angry surprised though, it was happy surprised.

The only two what weren't with us were Dally and Steve, since Dally had been arrested for something or another (no one was surprised) and Steve worked at the gas station with Soda.

So that meant it was me, Two-Bit, Johnny, and Pony most days.

We usually went bowling or to the arcade, and sometimes we went roller skating, even though me and Johnny were the only ones who were good at it.

"Do you guys ever think about the fact that Mothman would have had to, at one point, been Caterpillar-Boy?" I asked one day.

"Well now I have no choice, now that you put that in my head." Two-Bit replied taking a cigarette from my brother and lighting it.

I was the only one in the gang that didn't smoke. No one would have cared if I did, they all did, it's just that I didn't want to.

"Where did that thought even come from? That's... kind of concerning." Johnny said bemusedly.

I shrugged. I didn't talk much. I think too much to talk all the time like other people do. The whole talking all the time didn't appeal to me, anyway.

"Hey, Lizzie, do you know if Darry and Soda work this weekend?" Pony looked over at me and I shrugged.

"Even if they are, they get done early on weekends, don't they?" Two-Bit frowned.

"Like we know," I scoffed.

"Yeah, they're always changin' their schedules." My brother agreed.

A car zoomed past us and a Soc yelled, "Grease!" before they were gone. That put a damper on our moods.

"C'mon, guys, let's head home." Two-Bit muttered. We started walking back and turned down the main street in town, the busiest one.

While we were walking, I could have sworn I saw M&M. I stopped and squinted hard, trying to see him. Even with my glasses I couldn't tell.

"Uh... Lizzie? Whatcha doin'?" Ponyboy asked.

"I think I see my friend. Across the street." I replied.

"Oh?"

I started to step out in the road, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Nope. Busy street."

"But Pony, I gotta go see if it's him," I insisted.

"We're nowhere near a crosswalk, you can't." He argued.

"Ponyboy!" I whined.

"Lizzie!" He said in the same tone, and I scowled.

"Then I'll go by myself!"

"No, Lizzie, wait-" He called, but I was already running off towards the crosswalk. The light turned red as I got there and I ran across the street.

I could see M&M. I was getting closer, I was almost close enough to talk to him, then-

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Two-Bit had grabbed me by the arm and stopped me, looking at me angrily.

"Dammit, Keith!" I shouted at him. M&M was gone now. He'd crossed the street, lost in a sea of people. "I can't even see him now!"

"See who? What the hell is with you today?" He asked.

"M&M! My friend!" I replied.

"And so you decide to almost get run over to go and see him?"

"He ran away! He could be killed! He's by himself!" I snapped. "I don't even see him. He's already gone."

Two-Bit looked like he was a mix of angry and sorry. "Oh. Well you still shouldn't have just run off like that."

"I'm sorry," I finally realized that I'd probably made all three of them awful worried.

"It's all right," he sighed. "Come on, let's get home."