𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚊 𝙳𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚠𝚜
♫ - "Beautiful Child " by Fleetwood Mac
"Wake up, Pone. It's your birthday." I shook Ponyboy's shoulders, rocking him back in forth as he slept peacefully. Pony continued to snore—he was a heavy sleeper— so I laid facing him for a moment to reminice the day before.
Ponyboy and I made up from our fight. It was such a relief—I felt like I had a drug withdrawal when I wasnt with him. The whole night was filled with laughter caused by Two-Bit's jokes and stupid comments by Steve and Dal. Being with the gang again was so nice. As corny as it sounds, they were my family. Near the end of the night Ponyboy and I went to his room and talked for a while.
When we sat down and spoke for the first time in a few days, it felt like the world's clearest water rushed over me and washed off any feeling of sadness. It felt like I became myself again. It's so strange how some people make you who you are.
We fell asleep while talking to each other. I woke up with Ponys head in the crook of my neck. I had to pry his arms off me so I could shake him awake.
I stood on my knees and pulled the covers off his body. "C'mon, wakey wakey! You're sixteen today, wake up!"
Ponyboy's eyes fluttered opened. A goofy smile appeared on his face when he saw me. He pulled me towards him and into his strong grasp. "Quit bugging me, will ya?" He muttered in a raspy morning tone.
I settled into his arms. "It's your birthday, Pone." I reached behind me to ruffle his hair.
Ponyboy reached down to pull the covers back on to us. "Just stay with me and sleep in." His body engulfed mine and he pulled me closer. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't blushing like crazy.
The feeling of his body pressed against mine and his breath glide across my skin was heaven. With Pony's strong arms wrapped around my hips, his fingers brushing my skin, and his head burrowed into my neck, I couldn't have been more happy. Ponyboy did things to me and my body. I had never felt like that before. It wasn't hard for me to fall right back to sleep when Ponyboy was that close to me.
But before I knew it, I was being shaken awake by Sodapop. "Good morning you two! We have a birthday to celebrate!" He cheered and lifted Ponyboy off the bed like a child.
"Put me down Soda!" Pony yelled, but Soda didn't listen. He swung him around until Pony broke from his grasp.
Ponyboy was hiding a smile as he shoved Soda in the shoulder. "Can't a guy sleep around here?"
I jumped out of bed. "Not when it's your birthday!" I was about to jump onto Ponyboy's back but he quickly turned around and tackled me onto the bed. I burst into a fit of laugher as he began tickling my stomach. I struggled to move from the amount I was laughing, but I managed to reach up to Pony's neck and tickle him under the chin. "Georgie!" Ponyboy cackled. "Stop that!"
"No, you stop!" I said in between laughs.
Ponyboy picked me up off the bed and flung me over his shoulder.
"Happy Birthday little buddy." Darry gave Pony a pat on the back and ruffled my hair once we walked into the kitchen. "I'm making pancakes."
Ponyboy plopped me into my chair and Darry placed a stack of pancakes in front of me. Pony sat down next to me and Darry gave him the same amount.
"Darry, I think you're forgetting I'm not a hungry, growing, teenage boy." I stared at the mile high mound of pancakes in front me. "I won't be able to finish this."
Ponyboy had already started eating. "I will!" He said with his mouth full and grabbed half of my stack. I watched as he soaked them with maple syrup and built a tower of whipped cream on top. I would never get used to how much these boys ate.
The front screen door slapped against the wall and Two-Bit came tumbling in with Steve behind him. They came running into the kitchen. "Oh lord, you must've grown ten feet in your sleep!" Two-Bit cheered and sauntered up to Ponyboy. He picked Pony up by his upper arms and swung him around. He tossed him to Steve, who gave Pony a playful slap on the back and shoved him across the room.
Pony grumbled under his breath as he returned to his seat, "What's with it with you guys always picking me up?"
Two-Bit grabbed one of my pancakes and sat down beside me. "Must been a year since I saw you last, huh Ponyboy? What are you now 23? 25?"
"Actually 32." Ponyboy scoffed and bit off a huge chunk of the pancake he was eating (with his hands, might I add).
"Should've gotten you a bottle of liquor for your birthday then, huh?" Steve scoffed.
"You guys shouldn't have gotten me anything, I didn't you guys to spend anything on me."
Two-Bit grabbed another Pancake off my plate. Annoyed, I shoved my plate to Two-Bit—I wasn't hungry anyway.
"Believe me, Ponyboy, I didn't get you anything." Steve helped himself to my, now Two-Bit's, pancakes.
Ponyboy glared at him and continued to scarf down his pancakes.
Sodapop sat down next to Ponyboy and ruffled his hair. "We're taking you to Dairy Queen as our gift."
Ponyboy smiled. "When's Johnny and Dal getting here? Are we still playing a game of football at the lot?"
Darry took a sip of his straight black coffee. "Whatever you want, Ponyboy. It's your birthday." He sat down beside Sodapop.
"Johnnycakes said that him and Dally are gonna meet us down at the lot." Two-Bit's mouth was stuffed with food, I could barely understand him.
"I'll go get dressed while you guys finished eating." I stood from my seat and started towards the door. I went back to my house because I didn't bring any clothes to change into.
By the time I had brushed my teeth, did my hair, and got dressed, the boys were already waiting outside the front door. We started our walk to the lot and me and Pony kept behind.
"I got you a present for your birthday."
Pony looked at me with disapproval. "Georgie, I told you I didn't want anything."
I laughed at the face he was making—Pony's eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was agape. "I know, I know. I just saw it at the store and had to get it for you."
"Well how much was it?" Ponyboy sternly asked. He hooked his thumbs through his belt loops to seek more authoritative.
I waved him off. "Relax, Pony. It was only a dollar fifty."
Ponyboy huffed. He was acting mad but I could tell he was trying to guess at what I got him. I laughed under my breath. He was cute.
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
"One..two..three..hut!"
I watched from my spot under the maple tree as Ponyboy, who was the center, snapped the ball to Darry who was the quarterback. Pony, Johnny, Sodapop, and Darry were on one team and the rest of the guys were on the other. Playing football on a hot July day was not my idea of fun. I opted to sit and be the referee as the boys worked up a sweat.
"Penalty, Steve! Leaping!"
Steve put on a shocked face as if he didn't know it was coming. "But I made it! I made it over the scrimmage line!"
"It don't matter if you made it!" Sodapop laughed with his hands on his hips. Steve tackled him to the ground, starting a wrestling match.
"You two are benched! Come sit over here until the next play." I yelled at Steve and Soda while laughing. I don't know for sure why I was laughing. They wrestled all the time so it wasn't shocking. I think I was laughing out of joy. I was happy, more so greatful, that I got to be apart of such a great group of boys.
Steve and Soda reluctantly wobbled over to the maple tree and flopped down to the grass. They lied on their backs, panting and sweating, until I let them back in the game. That didn't last long though, for Sodapop crossed over the scrimmage line to slap Steve before the ball was snapped.
Sodapop lopped over to me with a smile on his face. "I didn't think you'd see that." He chuckled and sat down beside me.
"You're not upset that I called you out?"
"Nah," Soda said, "I knew it was coming."
I liked how easygoing Sodapop was. The other guys would've at least rolled their eyes, but not Sodapop. Sodapop just went with it and kept on smiling. Sometimes I would look at him and wonder how someone could be so happy and sober at the same time.
Sodapop ruffled my hair after catching his breath. "How's your day goin', Georgia-Bug?"
"You should know, Sodapop, you've been with me the entire day. Quite literally beacuse you rudely woke me up." I glared at him while saying the last part.
Sodapop thew his head back to laugh, hitting his head on the tree trunk with caused him to laugh even more. "The same thing is coming for you when it's your birthday." He said.
"If I let you back in the game early with you let me sleep in?"
Sodapop pretended to ponder on his decision. "Hmm," He stroked his chin, "I'll have to think about that."
I laughed and sent him back in for the last few minutes of the game. Him, Pony, Johnny, and Darry's team ended up winning. They were real happy about that, especially the birthday boy.
I saw his big smile from across the lot. He greeted me with a heavy hug and used me as support while he caught his breath.
"Ew, Pone! You're all sweaty!" I laughed as Pony tightened his arms around me.
Ponyboy shifted his weight back and forth between his two feet. "That's why I'm hugging you!" He panted.
Steve walked over and patted Ponyboy's back. "Nice game." He said and walked back to Soda.
I looked at Pony with my eyebrows raised. He stared back with his lips parted. "What was that about?"
"I have no clue." I ruffled Pony's greasy hair. "Maybe cause its your birthday."
"Maybe." Ponyboy shrugged. "Can we bring Pluto to get ice cream?"
I smiled. "Hey, Two-Bit!" I yelled.
"What, Georgie!"
"Can Pluto come with us to Dairy Queen?"
"Yeah, alright!"
I looked to Pony. "He said Pluto could come."
"So I heard." Ponyboy snickered. His eyes were so soothing and his lopsided grin was making my knees week. I was so in love.
—
"Pluto, down!" I yelled at Pluto. His big paws the size of a man's hands were resting on the picnic table at Dairy Queen. He was trying to take a bite out of Dally's ice cream.
Dally gave Pluto a pat on the head and swiped some of the vanilla ice cream on his big nose. The gang laughed as Pluto frantically tried licking the ice cream off.
"Aw, c'mon Dally." Darry said disapprovingly. "Come here, puppy." He grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped the ice cream off Plutos nose.
"C'mon Dar, let Pluto have some ice cream!" Soda said from beside him. He had finished his ice cream and thew his empty cone to Pluto, who caught it in his mouth.
I laughed. "Now look at what you did, Soda." Drool was dripping off of Pluto's long jowls and landing on Soda's shoes.
Sodapop grabbed Plutos wrinkly face and shook it back and forth. I laughed at how his slobbery tongue and drooping jowls swung around. "I don't mind," Soda said in a deep, puppy voice, "These shoes are beat up anyway, huh Pluto, huh?"
Pluto was big enough to reach Sodas face from the ground. He ran his gross dog tongue over Sodas face, making him laugh and pull away.
Two-Bit was getting jealous. "That's my dog, he should be kissing me!"
"That's what you got Kathy for." Steve snickered.
The gang started joking and laughing so J took this as an opportunity to give Ponyboy his gift. I got up from the table and motioned him to follow me. I walked over to Darry's truck and reached into the window of the passengers side, where I was sitting on the ride there. I pulled out a shiny new copy of Pony's favorite book, Gone with the Wind.
"Georgia!" Pony said, a little angry and a lot bit exited. "I told you guys not to get me anything!"
Pony took the book from my hands and observed it carefully. I put my hands behind my back and shifted on my feet. "I know, but I saw your copy was falling apart and thought I'd get you a knew one."
Pony beamed a smile. "You really shouldn't have Georgie, I mean-" his fingered through the book, looking at the pages that weren't water stained and ripped like his old one. "I love it." He leaned in and gave me a bond crushing hug with his strong, toned arms.
"Look at the last page." I said and pulled away. Pony gave me a questioning look but flipped to the back of the book anyway. On and empty page there was a long letter I had written. Ponyboy's eyes started scanning the words. It read...
To: Pony Curtis
From: Georgia Mathews
Happy Birthday! I'm officially the youngest in the gang. You must be happy about that-I know you didn't like being the youngest. I also know that you've been waiting to turn sixteen, party because you want to start shaving and partly because you don't want Steve to call you a kid anymore. Though, I don't think you'll ever escape Steve and his name-calling. I don't want to give you too much off an ego boost, but I will since it's your birthday. You, Ponyboy Curtis, are one of the worlds most incredible people in my opinion. I think your close to perfect. I hope you know I think of you as my best friend. You know me better than anyone else (including myself) and I want to thank you for that. No one's ever gotten to know me the way you and the gang did. You guys make me the happiest I'll ever be, especially you. You make me happy by just being there. You make me smile as long as aim around you, and when we're talking I know I can speak my mind and you'll understand every word. You're very thoughtful that way, you always make me feel like I can talk to you because I know you listen. Not the fake listening either, the real listening. You listen because you're kind. You remember the little things and notice the small details. I love hearing your insights because they're always true. Maybe almost always true. You see the world differently than most, which is refreshing after a long day of listening to Two-Bit talk about whatever pops into his big head. I love you guys a lot and honestly don't know where I'd be without y'all. Happy 16'th Pony ♡ !!!
Pony's eyes were watering when he looked up at me. "Georgie-" his voice cracked. I was glad he didn't finish because I knew that if he did I'd start crying too. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up off the ground. It was heavenly.