march 21st, 1960.
the sun beat down on the dusty streets of tulsa as the gang, all between the ages of 8 and 12, gathered for a game of hide-and-seek. ellie, a quiet but observant girl of 9, watched the others with her curious eyes. she had always preferred to stay in the background, but today, she was ready to join in on the games.
sodapop, a lively 10-year-old with a head of greased hair and a heart full of mischief, volunteered to be the seeker. "alright, y'all, i'm gonna count to fifty, and then i'm gonna find every last one of ya!" he declared, grinning from ear to ear.
the gang scattered in all directions, looking for the perfect hiding spots. ellie, unnoticed by the others, slipped behind a stack of crates near the curtis house. she knew she needed a good spot if she was going to avoid being found.
as sodapop began counting, ellie's heart raced. she peeked out from her hiding place and watched her friends disappear into the nooks and crannies of the neighborhood. her small frame squeezed into a tight space between the crates, and she held her breath, waiting for the game to begin.
sodapop's voice rang out, "ready or not, here i come!" with that, he started his search, charging down the street, checking behind bushes and under porches. the gang members laughed as they evaded him, but ellie remained silent.
she stared at the sky, the way the white clouds floated past the sun; the latter slowly moving across the blue sky. she could stay here all day, as time waited impatiently,
time passed, and soda's enthusiasm began to wane. he searched high and low, but ellie's spot was just too good. it seemed like he might never find her.
as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the neighborhood, sodapop started to worry. ellie had always been quiet, but she was never this good at hide-and-seek. He called out for her, "lizzie! c'mon, we've been playing for hours! where are ya?"
sodapop's concern grew, and he decided to enlist the help of the gang. they fanned out, combing every inch of their hiding spots to find ellie.
by this point, ellie was in her own world, forgetting her surroundings and that she was even involved in a game in the first place.
sodapop noticed he hadn't checked anywhere near his house and looked behind the crates. upon seeing ellie, he let out a sigh of relief.
"there you are, honey, i was gettin' worried. why didn't you come out from your hidin' spot when we started callin' your name?"
ellie merely shrugged, and sodapop grabbed her hand to help her up. "you okay, lizzie?"
"yeah, i think i might've dozed off or somethin'. with the weather bein' so nice and all..."
soda laughed and put an arm around her. "i can't say i'm surprised. but hey, at least you won. i've never had a round of hide and seek last that long."
"that's a shocker," ellie said. "sorry for worryin' you guys," she added after a moment of silence.
sodapop cracked a grin. "well, no more worries, so don't stress about it. you should stop worrying that you worry others, even though you did earlier—but that's different. i'm just glad i found ya."
"i'm glad you found me, too. if it were any of the others, i'm sure they would've ruined my mood. except johnny."
"why's that?"
"they woulda been real obnoxious about it, hollerin' about how they were such a good seeker and stuff. i think their egos are too big for their own good. but... just starin' at the sky was real calming," ellie explained.
"i get that. but we was all worried for you, ya know? we care about you just as much as any of the others. can't believe i gotta tell you that, lizzie. now let's get back before everyone thinks i disappeared, too."
ellie smiled warmly. and although soda couldn't see it, the smile was tinged with a newfound sense of love and adoration that she hadn't felt before.
and the funny thing was, ellie didn't know it either.
₊⋆☁︎₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆₊☁︎⋆₊
january 8th, 1964.
"welcome back, everyone, i hope you all had an amazing break. we're not really doin' anything in here today. it has been brought to my attention that we have a new student, mr... ferris williams?" the fourth period teacher said over the students' chatter, not bothering to quiet them down.
ellie, being ever the notice, looked around and saw a new face, sat in the back of the classroom as he smiled in acknowledgement to the teacher.
he had a boyish look, but also presented himself with a little sophistication at the same time. he didn't really wear much grease in his hair, but it was tuff as a greaser's. he wasn't dressed very uppity either. he had a sweater on, but he wasn't wearing the usual khakis that socs paired with it.
and although he was sitting in the back of the room, he was like a divider between grease and soc.
but he was isolated, too, in a way.
ferris looked out of place, observing his surroundings quietly and not talking to anybody. he reminded ellie or herself.
"ellie? ellie. ellie," melissa's voice said repeatedly, trying to get her friend's attention. "elle. elizabeth. lizzie. echo. betty."
ellie looked away from ferris and turned her gaze to melissa. "don't call me that, melly."
"well, sorry, but i had to get your attention somehow. what were you starin' at, anyway?" she asked, peering behind ellie.
"nothing, i just spaced out. you know me," ellie said hastily.
melissa raised her eyebrows and ripped a sheet of paper from her notebook. she stood up, walking to the front of the room to throw it away. on her way back to her seat, she looked in the direction ellie had been previously.
melissa sat back down and gave her best friend a smirk. "so... ferris williams, huh?"
"what are you talking about, mel?" ellie asked, playing innocent.
"you ain't slick, ellie. i saw you starin' at him. you were practically droolin'," melissa laughed.
ponyboy looked up from his book. "wait, what? echo?"
ellie shook her head. "ignore her, pony. that's what you usually do anyway, right?"
ponyboy turned back to his reading. "yeah, i guess so."
melissa looked back at ellie. "i was only jokin', by the way. i know you can be a bit... absentminded at times."
"yeah..." ellie agree, putting her head down. "i think i'm gonna take a nap," she yawned. "my body ain't used to wakin' up this early."
ponyboy and melissa merely shrugged at each other. while ellie dozed, the two went about the business, which really wasn't anything important considering it was the first day back from winter break.
time was moving smoothly, until melissa coleman got the bright idea to talk to the new guy.
she pulled up a chair and sat down next to ferris, who was staring down at his schedule.
"hey," melissa greeted, sticking out a hand. "i'm melissa. where are ya from?"
ferris faced her, a little surprised at the sudden friendliness. he tentatively shook her hand. "i'm ferris williams—well, you already know this, cause the teacher said—i'm not new around here or anything. i just... switched schools."
she nodded understandingly. "oh, you're not new? how come i haven't seen you around? maybe i have, but not that i remember..." she trailed off, trying to recall if she'd known his face from anywhere.
he shrugged. "dunno. i havent seen you around, either. or many of the people in here, for that matter. i don't spend a lot of time doin' things most people our age do. my folks decided they wanted me to be the gifted child, i guess."
melissa's brows furrowed. she felt he looked familiar, but she knew for a fact that she had never seen him. "okay... maybe it's cause—wait, no, that can't be right." she studied him, his style and poise. she couldn't quite place her finger on it, the label didn't jump out at her.
ferris on the other hand, looked uncomfortable. "do i got somethin' on my face?" he asked, scooting his chair away from her.
"no, no," she deflected, "i just, uh... what are you?"
"what the—"
"sorry, that sounded rude, are you a grease or a soc?"
ferris ran his hand through his hair. "i'm neither. i guess you could call me a greaser, but i dunno. my parents moved us away from the poorer side of town. worked hard so we'd be better off. but i'm a greaser at heart," he explained, twirling a pen between his fingers.
ellie does that, melissa noticed.
"i see. so, um, who's we, if ya don't mind me askin'?"
"me and my brother," ferris replied simply.
melissa nodded again. "oh, that's cool," she said, for lack of a better word. "you know, you kinda remind me of my friend over there." she nodded her head in ellie's direction (who was slumped over her desk, oblivious to the conversation unfolding only a few feet away from her.
ferris tilted his head and smiled after seeing the exhausted girl. "she sleep much?"
melissa cracked a grin. "nah, she's a real thinker. she says her brain keeps her up at night or somethin', i dunno. i honestly don't get it, but no one knows her better than herself, so who would i be to tell her she's wrong?"
"yeah, that makes sense, on both parts." he put his pen down. "mind is kept so busy, there's no time for rest. not that i can relate, but i'm assumin' that's what it is."
"maybe," melissa shrugged.
at that point, ellie started to stir. as ellie woke up from her slumber, she sat up and brushed the loose strands of hair from her face, looking around confusedly. "how long was i out, pone?"
ponyboy looked up at the clock. "not long, but long enough for your little friend there to strike up a conversation with the new kid," he said, keeping his eyes glued to the paper.
suddenly, ellie was wide awake. "what??" she was immediately jolted back into reality by a terrifying sight: one of her closest friends was deep in conversation with ferris williams. the boy was already looking straight at ellie, who felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. to make matters worse, ferris raised a hand in greeting, simultaneously twirling a pen in the other.
with lightning-fast reflexes, ellie masked her crippling fear, quickly transforming it into a friendly smile and wave. melissa motioned for her to join them, she went over the pair with the grace of an unbalanced tightrope walker. the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and ellie could feel it crackling in the air like the buzz of electricity.
she pulled a chair across the room, her movements jerky and awkward, not sure what to say or if she even should speak at all. as she took her seat on the other side of melissa, not wanting to sit too close to ferris, she fidgeted anxiously with her hands, her eyes darting around the room at everything and nothing all at once.
for a moment, the only sounds in the room were the soft humming of fluorescent lights and the occasional rustle of books. then melissa cleared her throat, breaking the deafening silence. "so, um, ellie, have you met ferris yet?" she asked, shooting a quick glance at him before looking away.
ellie's stomach churned in response, her heart racing as she tried to summon the courage to speak. meeting new people was never her strong suit. she forced herself to say a simple, "no, i uh, i haven't," trying her best to sound confident. "...obviously," she added.
melissa raised an eyebrow. "whatcha mean, 'obviously'? just cause he's new don't mean nothin'. he's lived in tulsa this whole time."
ellie turned to ferris, her interest suddenly piqued. "wait, really? you must've been lurkin' in the shadows my whole life or somethin', cause there's no way."
ferris flashed a grin and nodded, running one of his hands through his hair again. "really. i guess we just don't hang in the same spots. you're a soc too, right?"
"i'm not," ellie mumbled.
ferris's smile dropped. "oh, i'm so sorry, it's just the way you dress, it's kind of proper-lookin'," he said apologetically.
"oh. i just uh, i just realized that i haven't completely introduced myself. unless melissa decided to take it upon herself to speak for me," ellie said, eyeing her friend.
"rude," melissa muttered, rolling her eyes playfully.
ferris smiled warmly at the two friends' playful banter. "nah, she ain't really say much about you."
"okay, then." ellie picked at her nail polish anxiously, watching the pen whirl around in circles in between his fingers. "i just realized i haven't properly introduced myself. i'm elizabeth mathews. most people call me ellie or elle, though."
"nice to meet you, elizabeth," he said, shaking her hand firmly.
her hand trembled a little, an effect of the anxiety that comes with meeting a new person, but she happily accepted his handshake, nonetheless. ferris noticed this particular detail about ellie, but spoke nothing of it.
melissa looked up at the clock on the wall. "the bell will be ringin' soon," she said as she dragged her chair back to her desk. "it was nice meetin' you, ferris."
ellie stood up as well, ready to follow suit. "i hope we have more classes together. i'll see you later."
he smiled up at her in response, no longer feeling as out of place as he did when they first got there. which made sense; the last thing he expected was somebody initiating a conversation with him.
ellie began packing up her things, stopping when she noticed ponyboy's silence. he was looking at her with an expression that wasn't particularly pleasant.
melissa picked up on this and placed a hand on his shoulder. "what's your deal, son? be a good sport and lighten up, would ya?" she asked in a firm voice.
pony only scowled and shrugged her hand off of him. "there wasn't any deal till you came over here and started botherin' me. you may as well leave now, so you have extra time to get to your first period."
ellie glanced back in ferris' direction. she was intrigued by the new boy. it wasn't very often that she interacted with the middle-classed people, especially not her peers.
melissa looked at ponyboy quizzically. "what for?"
"cause you walk slower than a senior citizen. how is it that you're 14 and your joints are already poppin' and crackin' every time you move?"
"jesus christ, can you guys not argue every time you're in each others' presence?" ellie interrupted.
"no," they both said at the same time.
₊⋆☁︎₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆₊☁︎⋆₊
"how was y'all's first day back?" sodapop asked. the gang was walking back home from school. soda, steve, and ellie were walking slightly ahead of the others.
"it was shit," steve said. "would've been better if sandy wasn't so stubborn."
ellie looked at steve. "wait, sandy? what'd she do?" she started adjusting the straps of her backpack nervously, not knowing what to do with her hands. she'd completely picked off her nail polish and needed a new coat.
soda looked between the two awkwardly. "everything was okay and all... but then she told steve to apologize to you and he ain't want to. said that—"
"well it ain't my fault that she don't understand how me and betty are with each other," steve interrupted crossly. "it's all in good fun, i don't understand what her deal is."
"don't call me that, steve," ellie mumbled.
"i mean, to any outsider it might've seemed off," soda tried to explain, "but at the same time, lizzie did say her feelings wasn't hurt."
"exactly!" steve exclaimed, disregarding the first part of what his best friend said.
"but steve—i see both sides. you ain't have to make that comment afterwards either. that was just uncalled for. maybe you should apologize."
ellie looked down at her feet, focusing on each step she took rather than the conversation happening beside her.
"guys, i really don't care about an apology. i just want you all to stop arguin'," ellie murmured.
the two boys looked at ellie.
"what was that, elle?" steve asked softly, noticing she wasn't as upbeat as usual, or walking with her head held high as she usually forced herself to.
"nothin', steve. how was your day, soda?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
"it was fine. as far as school goes, i guess. i dunno, we ain't really do much, but i just... i dunno. how about you, lizzie?"
"there's a new kid in a few of my classes. says he transferred here from another school. he's nice, its cool that i've been able to make new friends lately."
steve cocked an eyebrow. "'he,' huh? there someone we gotta worry about, betty?"
ellie merely shook her head. "that's like sayin' there was something goin' on between you and evie," she raised her eyebrows and smirked.
"whatever," steve grumbled.
dally joined the three and butted into their conversation. "elle's got herself a boyfriend?" he pulled the cigarette from his lips and exhaled, the smoke dispersing through the air around them, a warm contrast from the crisp winter air. "he a hood or a rich kid?"
"neither, cause i don't have a boyfriend, dal," ellie said with irritation in her voice.
sodapop threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "yeah, alright, but if there ever ends up bein' anyone, you best tell us," he warned. steve nodded his head in agreement.
part of what sodapop said was a joke; it's not like ellie was obligated to tell anybody anything in the first place. she liked to keep to herself and he respected that.
on the other hand, he, along with the rest of the gang (with the exception of ponyboy), felt instinctively protective of her. after all, she was the only girl, and two-bit mathews' kid sister was the gang's kid sister. she was their mutual responsibility, they all tried to shelter her from any danger if it could be avoided.
if.
no one but rose and ellie knew about what went down a few weeks prior at the train tracks, and to be honest, it shook ellie to the core. ever since then she steered clear from that general area the best she could, paranoid and afraid.
she wasn't afraid of dying. it was inevitable, so why should she be apprehensive of it?
what she really feared was the other life that was almost lost.
had she taken a few seconds more to get rose out of the way, things would have ended appallingly, and not just for rose either.
it was either save her life, or die trying.
that was how the greasers felt towards ellie, if it were to ever come to it.
steve was blabbing about how he'd break any guy's nose if they tried to put a move on her, with soda lightheartedly agreeing. but ellie really didn't care, nobody paid much attention to her in the first place.
but she liked it that way.
she preferred to step back and let others have the spotlight. in most cases, it was her lingering in two-bit's shadow—most, if not everybody knew him, both socs and greasers alike.
he was infamous for his many talents that would seem useless to anyone who wasn't him. but in reality, he didn't even need them. he did it all for kicks.
ellie couldn't ever imagine stealing so much or smarting off to cops. she couldn't even ? without getting cold feet. not to mention two-bit or dally or darry would put her six feet under if she tried anything of the sort.
a bit hypocritical on the two formers' part.
ellie turned around and began to walk backwards, facing her brother. he cocked an eyebrow at this action, and she reciprocated his expression.
"what're you lookin' at, kid?" two-bit asked with a smile.
"oh, you know, just the best brother in the world," she said sweetly.
two-bit sighed dramatically. "what do you what this time?"
"nothing? jeez, can't i be nice without you thinkin' i need a favor?" ellie said, turning back around.
two-bit shrugged, although she couldn't see it. "i dunno, it's not like you ever do. there's always a follow up question about me doin' something for you."
she turned back around, walking backwards again. "not this time." squinting her eyes, she saw an approaching car in the distance, accompanied by a low rumble.
the others heard it too, as they all turned around and looked in the direction ellie was—even though they already knew it was some souped up mustang.
the mustang's engine growled lowly as it pulled up alongside the group. the car's sleek lines and polished chrome gleamed in the fading light. the driver and passengers, all dressed in their clean-cut soc attire, exuded an air of arrogance, making the gang on edge.
ellie, though initially startled, stood her ground. two-bit had moved her behind him, and the others braced themselves for a potential confrontation. as the car approached, the gang members heard the revving engine and saw the familiar faces of their affluent rivals.
two-bit clutched his switchblade tighter, while steve and soda hooked their thumbs in their pockets. johnny and ponyboy exchanged nervous glances, johnny's nervousness was palpable as he gripped the collar of his jean jacket, and pony's cigarette burned with unsteady hands. dally, always quick to anger and ready for a fight, let the cigarette loosely dangle from his mouth, his eyes narrowing with cold intensity.
the mustang came to a stop, and the socs inside sneered at the greasers. one of them, a brash and confident soc, leaned out the window, looking down on the gang with a haughty gaze.
"what do we have here?" he taunted. "a bunch of lowlifes and the kid sister. you greasers on your way to pick pockets?"
ellie's heart raced, and she felt a mixture of fear and defiance. the gang members, familiar with these kinds of encounters, remained tense, ready to defend themselves if needed. the tension in the air was thick.
two-bit couldn't resist a quip, "nah, we were hopin' you'd share some of that fancy cologne y'all wear." he grinned, his words laced with sarcasm, not about to let the socs have the upper hand.
the soc who had spoken, unfazed by two-bit's retort, raised an eyebrow and let out a condescending laugh. "greasers and their humor, huh? just remember, you're on the wrong side of the tracks, and we don't have time for your kind." the soc smirked and addressed ellie directly, "so, little lady, what's a sweet thing like you doing with these troublemakers?"
ellie's fear turned into a steely resolve. she stepped forward, her voice steady, "i can handle myself just fine, thank you. we're all friends here, just having a chat." her words were an attempt to diffuse the tension, though she knew it was a delicate balance.
sodapop and the others watched the interaction closely, their muscles tense, ready to act if the situation escalated. despite their desire to avoid conflict, their past experiences with socs had taught them to be cautious.
the soc leaned back into the car, a smug grin on his face. "you greasers should be thankful we're in a good mood today. let's go, guys. we've wasted enough time on this bunch." with that, the mustang's engine roared to life, and the socs sped away, leaving the greasers behind, still on edge but relieved that the encounter didn't escalate into violence.
the roar of the mustang faded into the distance, leaving the greasers and ellie standing in the dimming light of the evening. the gang members exchanged glances, knowing that the divide between the socs and the greasers would always be a source of tension and conflict in their lives; however, the tension that had gripped them slowly ebbed away as they exhaled a collective sigh of relief.
two-bit couldn't resist making one final remark, a smirk playing on his lips, "well, ain't that a hoot. those socs sure know how to put on a show."
soda, steve, johnny, and ponyboy relaxed their postures, some of the tension leaving their faces. dally, ever the enigma, turned away and lit another cigarette, not one to show his emotions easily.
"why'd you do that, elle? i was ready to beat those rich kids' heads in, man," dally said bitterly.
"i'm sure you were. but you can do that on your own time, dal. i don't feel like fightin' today,"
"when do you ever?" soda asked. "you ain't never got a cut or bruise that you didn't cause yourself."
"you should try it sometime, kid," dally suggested. "builds character."
"yeah, i can tell, dallas. but it don't exactly seem like my idea of fun. to each their own, though." ellie, her heart still racing, approached her brother, her voice soft, "thanks, two-bit."
he ruffled her hair affectionately, a rare display of warmth from the usually irreverent greaser. "anytime, kid. we take care of our own."
ellie, turned back to the gang. "we should keep moving," she said, her voice full of concern. "let's not give them any more reason to hassle us."
with that, the gang, with ellie in tow, continued their journey through the dimly lit streets of tulsa. they knew the way things went, the struggle for survival. but for now, they'd just focus on getting back home before they froze to death.