"You got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes" -Style, Taylor Swift
Maeve never understood why some people were so against fighting. There were always those who'd tell their friends, "Fighting is so violent, I can't believe someone could do that," But still gather around whenever one breaks out. There were those who would desperately try to break up fights, and there were those who stood on the sides and watched.
Maybe it was her anger issues, but if she thought she could win, and it wasn't over something stupid, like a girl, she would do it. Not that she wasn't a good fighter, just that she was 5 '5, and could pass for a 13 or 14 year old, despite having turned 16 just three months earlier. She thought all of this while watching two boys pummel each other in the courtyard. A crowd of students had gathered around. Most of them were rooting for one side or the other, but few were trying to break it up. She couldn't really see what was going on, but fists were flying, and at one point they were tackling each other.
A few feet away from this was Jane Hawkins, tears streaming down her face. She was yelling hysterically for the two of them to stop, trying, unsuccessfully, to break through the crowd of people. Jane Hawkins, in lighter terms, had many suitors. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but apparently boys don't appreciate it. They would talk to and flirt with five girls at once, but god forbid one of them flirts with another guy. Girls just had to be devoted to them. It was honestly fucked up. Maeve could only assume that the two boys were fighting over Jane. It wouldn't be the first time.
Finally, a teacher managed to break up the fight and drag them both off to detention, their faces bloody and bruised, Jane still sobbing after them. The crowd slowly dispersed, their source of entertainment gone.
It was 6th period: study hall. The school day was almost over, and Maeve knew math would be slow that day, so she decided to skip. She stood up from the bench and collected her things. When the teachers had all turned away, Maeve slipped out the front gates of the school, and started down the street to Bernard's Books and Records. Not to buy anything, as she had already spent most of her money there, but instead to read in a quiet space.
She stepped into the small shop, the bell atop the door ringing as she went in. Mrs. Norris glanced over her thick, round glasses at her. Mrs. Norris was a short, elderly lady whose eyesight was going, yet she still managed to stock the books on the right shelves every time.
"Oh, hello Maeve, what a surprise!" Exclaimed Cindy Norris, the late Bernard Norris' wife. She closed the book she was reading."I thought you'd still be in school about now."
"...They let us out early, something about a pipe bursting," Maeve responded, smiling sheepishly.
"Ah," Mrs. Norris remarked. She obviously didn't buy her lame excuse.
"How's Phoebe doing?" Maeve asked, quickly changing the subject. She walked up to the fluffy orange cat sprawled out over the counter and began petting her.
"Oh yes, she's doing better now. It seems her allergies cleared up," Mrs. Norris responded in a chipper tone as she walked off carrying an armful of books.
Maeve made her way to the old couch in the back of the store and sat down, sinking a bit too far down since the supports had long since broken. It didn't take long for Maeve to become enthralled in her murder mystery novel.
A good three hours later, Maeve knew two things; One, her back hurt. And two, the gardener did it. She didn't want to be out walking around after dark, so she picked up her things and headed out the door.
"Have a good evening, Mrs. Norris!" She said to the woman sitting on the floor, surrounded by stacks of books.
"Take care, sweetheart," Mrs. Norris said, barely looking up from the books.
She made her way down the streets of Tulsa, passing the playground and the lot. The lot was where kids went to drink, party and hookup. It was also where her friend Johnny slept most nights. When she finally made it to the Curtis family home, she could hear yelling and music blaring before she even got off the sidewalk.
"You cheated!"
"No I didn't! You're just mad that I won!"
"Oh whatever! I'm getting sick of this 'you cheated' nonsense HOW DO YOU CHEAT A WAR!?"
She was already getting sick of Sodapop and Steve arguing, but opened the door nonetheless.
Darry was in the kitchen, cooking something over the stove while barking orders at everyone else.
"Hey, turn that radio down, I can't hear myself think! Pony, you done your homework yet?" he yelled over the music.
"I'm going to!" Ponyboy called back from somewhere deeper in the house.
"You're going to do it now, and I don't want to hear another word about it!" He yelled back, more agitated than before. Maeve stifled a chuckle as she thought he looked like an annoyed, busy mom.
"Hey Maeve," Johnny greeted her from the couch.
"Oh, hey Maevey," Two-bit said, taking a sip of his beer and barely looking away from the TV. He was totally enthralled by the Mickey Mouse cartoon
"Hey Johnnycakes, Two-bit" Maeve said, plopping down on the couch next to Johnny.
"I didn't see you in math today," remarked Johnny when she sat down.
"Yeah, I bailed after the fight over Jane during lunch. it was pretty stupid honestly, fighting over a girl," She responded.
"Yeah, they must've really cared about her or 'somethin," Johnny said, looking at the ground.
"More like they wanted to protect their egos," Maeve scoffed.
Just then, the door was flung open, followed by Dally Winston dramatically walking in. A chorus of "Hey dally" rang throughout the air.
"Dally, quit smoking in the house," Darry grumbled. Dally looked annoyed, and made a big show of putting out his cigarette on the side table ashtray.
A good couple of greaser girls would love to be the girl he's making out with in the corner of a party, or the girl he would walk around with, grabbing her ass for the week. But he never really appealed to Maeve. It wasn't that he wasn't good looking, with his ungreased dark brown hair, sharp cheekbones, and tall, looming figure. It was the fact that he was a cocky asshole that has a taste for cheap girls that would cheat on him any chance they got. Maeve had no interest in being that girl.
"What's up with your lip?" Maeve asked, noticing a cut on his lower lip. He sighed, subconsciously rubbing his thumb over it.
"Just Tim being an asshole, you know how it is," he said, avoiding eye contact as he sat down on the armrest of the couch.
"So, what are we doing tonight?" Two-bit interjected, now paying attention since the Mickey Mouse episode was over.
"Any good parties? Darry won't let me have any of his beers after I cleaned him out." He chuckled.
"I heard Dave and his boys got somethin' going tonight," Steve chimed in.
Dave and his 'boys' were a bunch of 20-somethings that liked to host parties as a way to attract girls. They weren't picky- their group probably slept with 25% of the girls in Tulsa. Maeve of course had no interest in going. It wasn't the place for a 16 year old girl to be- at least one with common sense.
"Yeah, I might swing by. What about you, Soda? Are you going?" asked Dally. Soda glanced up as he tucked the deck of cards back into its box.
"Nah, not tonight. I've got a shift in the morning," He replied.
Two-bit, Steve and Dally headed out then, leaving the rest of them to talk. Maeve played a couple games of speed with Pony, and eventually got it out of him that he liked a girl one grade above him at his school. Though since he's a grade ahead, I guess all of the girls are older.
"It doesn't matter, it's not like she'd actually go for me anyways," he said, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. Maeve could tell he was upset.
"Why do you say that?" She asked as she re-shuffled the cards.
"I'm younger than her, and she's not the type to go for greasers," Pony muttered, "There's loads of guys in that school she'd choose before me."
Maeve frowned.
"Ah, don't say that. Any decent girl wouldn't care that you're a greaser. Don't worry about it Pony, you're a good kid," Maeve said, trying to be supportive.
"Dinner's ready!" Darry yelled from the kitchen. "Yall can stay if you'd like, I made lots," He said, glancing between Maeve and Johnny.
"That's alright, I've gotta head home," said Johnny, getting up off the couch.
Maeve frowned as she watched Johnny leave. She was always worried about him. He didn't have a good homelife. His parents both drank, and if they weren't screaming at each other, they were screaming at Johnny. He often showed up to school with dark bruises on his face.
"Yeah I need to head home too, but thanks for the offer," Maeve said. She needed to get home before dark. She also didn't want to burden them. She knew that they didn't need the extra mouth to feed.
Not to say that she and her mom were socs. It was just the two of them, but her mom had a decent job. The Curtis' didn't even have their parents to help take care of them.
Maeve and Johnny headed out of the house after they said their goodbyes. They walked down the street together, making light conversation.
"Johnny, you know you can come to my house anytime and stay if you need to," she said when they stopped at the street corner.
"Yeah... I know," He said, a sad smile crossing his face before he turned and walked off.
As she watched him leave, she got the feeling that even if things did get bad, he still wouldn't stay with her. Even so, she wanted him to know that he could, if he needed to.
She walked quickly home after that, since Tulsa wasn't a great place for a young greaser girl to be alone walking the streets.
She finally got to her house, checking over her shoulder before quickly unlocking the door and walking in.
"Hey sweetie, how was your day?" her mom greeted her from the kitchen.
"It was good. I stopped by Bernards' for a bit, then hung out at the Curtis house the rest of the day," Maeve replied, hanging her bag by the door.
"Oh how's Mrs. Norris, is she still doing ok?" she asked with a little concern in her voice.
"She seems alright," Maeve said, hopping up on the counter. "I saw a fight today. It was a good one." Hopping up on the counter.
"Really? Was everyone ok?" Her mom said, draining the pasta she had been cooking.
"Yeah everyone was fine. It was two boys. I think they were fighting over Jane," Maeve responded, picking a noodle from the colander and eating it.
"Stupid reason," Maeve said.
"There's never a good reason to fight," Her mom muttered, pouring the noodles back into the pot. I guess she had to say that, given that she was a parent. It's not like she could encourage fighting.
They ate their pasta and watched whatever was on TV. Their favorite show didn't come on until Tuesday, so it was some sort of game show. Afterwards, Maeve took a shower and got in bed.
It was still a bit early, so she decided to finish the book she was reading earlier. An hour or so later she had finished it. The gardener went to prison and everyone lived happily ever after. Although it was only 9:30, she was tired from all the excitement, so she decided to go to bed.
She turned off her lamp and laid down, staring at the ceiling. She thought about how quiet life had been lately, and she hoped it would stay that way.