Monday May 10, 1965
After another boring day at school, I went off to find that Time Machine. Everything has been happening to fast, I haven't had a chance to go out and get it. I thought it was about time to come back home. Or at least try to figure it out. I was starting to feel homesick and I hated keeping secrets and lying to people who were beginning to care about me. I didn't want to say "goodbye" to them right away, just in case something doesn't work out. Like, if I can't find it right away or something. I'll be sure to say "goodbye" eventually, I don't want to be rude and have them wonder what happened to me.
I've talked to Darry a couple times about staying at his house. After spending some time with him, he grew to care for me. I was allowed to stay the rest of the week, and that turned to the rest of the month. I talked to him over the weekend and told him that I can leave whenever he wants me to. He said I can stay as long as I want, as long as I help out with chores and dealt with dinners from time to time. That was an even compromise, especially since he was giving me my own room and I don't even have to pay rent.
I was humbly and officially given Soda's room to live in, which I was very grateful for. Soda usually stays with Pony in Pony's room anyways, or sometimes I think Soda crashes in their parents room if Pony is already asleep or is busy doing homework. Last resort, he sleeps on the couch.
It hasn't been too long, but I have really been trying to blend into this decade. I honestly expected more Beatlemania and Austin Powers, but I felt like I was trapped in the 50s rather than the 60s. I've found teasing the crown of my hair into a small bouffant and tying some of my hair back with a dark ribbon or using a black headband, keeping the rest of my hair curled loosely were the easiest hairstyles I quickly mastered. I replicated it for school, and I didn't get any negative comments about my hair again.
I drove off to a recognizable dirt road. I eventually found my shoe prints from a week before, and I followed the trail into the grass patch where I found the large rock that I hid the Machine behind. I jumped out of my car while it was still running and approached the big rock. The Time Machine wasn't behind the rock. My heart stopped. My eyes followed a trace in the dirt that looked like something with claws pulled it away the rock. I found the Time Machine, it was dragged further into the grass. When I got to it, it was covered in obvious scratch and bite marks. Bits and pieces of the switches and gears were missing.
Shit.
It looked like an animal got to it and decided to play with it.
"No, no, no, no!" I quickly and hopelessly put the metal headband on and I sat down in the dirt and placed the T bar between my legs. I didn't know how to work it, but I did my best to remember what Lillian did. I frantically flipped some of the switches that were still there, spun some gears, and set the date to the day after I left. I knew that if you go to a time you existed, you could potentially meet yourself. Something bad could happen and I don't want to know what it is. Better to be safe than sorry.
I flipped the start lever and absolutely nothing happened. I flipped it again, still nothing.
"No, no, no!" I screamed every time it didn't work. I ripped the headband off my head and threw the entire Machine away from me. Causing it to break apart more.
Not my intention.
I buried my face into my knees and cried out in frustration. The Time Machine was broken, so I had no possible way to get back home now. When I composed myself, I calmly gathered every bit of the Time Machine I could get my hands on and threw it in the trunk of my car. My palms were wet from wiping my frustrated tears away. I couldn't look like I was crying, or I would never hear the end of it.
To stay optimistic, I was telling myself that it wasn't totally broken. If Lillian was here, she could fix it. I just have to think like Lillian. Except, I don't typically tinker with stuff like she does. I knew that I needed to remain optimistic and have hope. I'll figure it out eventually.
I drove back into town and went into a Dairy Queen bathroom to wash the dirt out of my fingernails and my clothes. I didn't want to be questioned why I was covered in dirt. Running out the door I heard a Soc shout "grease!" at a lone Greaser trying to enjoy his ice cream cone in peace. No fight broke though.
It was still early so I drove all the way to the mall to get more clothes. I like to shop when I'm frustrated. Besides, I'm going to be here a lot longer than I initially thought.
I got back to the Curtis house with all of my new stuff shoved into one bag. I try to sneak them in because I don't want the guys to mock me for it. I know I should be saving money, but at least now I have the wardrobe of a normal person here. It is one less thing I need to worry about.
I twisted the knob to the front door and used my shoulder to push it open. I could hear the nearly unintelligible raspy voice of the ill-tempered Donald Duck that came from the television, with Two-Bit sitting on the floor with an entire chocolate cake balancing on his thighs on a plate and a beer in his hand.
"Where the hell have you been?" He asked while he rubbed the back of his wrist against his chocolatey lips. He had some crumbs on his blue Mickey Mouse shirt that looked like he cut the sleeves off of.
A typical outfit for the gang are loose cotton twill trousers or dark jeans, brown or black engineer boots or converse sneakers, dark button-ups with rolled up sleeves, tight t-shirts, and sometimes suspenders. Two-Bit is the only one who wears a shirt with a Mickey Mouse graphic.
"Where have I been?" I asked as I kicked my shoes off. Why did he care?
"That's what I said." He took a swig of his beer.
"Who are you? My dad?" I joked as I headed into the room I stole from Soda. I tossed my bag in there and shut the door.
I came back out to the living room as Two asked, "what's for dinner?"
"How should I know? I just got home!" I replied back. I took a look at the clock and saw it was nearly five o'clock, Darry would be home from work soon. "Why don't you make it?"
"I can't make nothin' good," he said.
I audibly groaned but then thought for a second. I could make dinner, or at least get dinner so Darry didn't have to worry about it when he got home. A pizza sounded really good. I ran into the kitchen and looked through the pantry, the fridge, and some cabinets to try to find anything that sounded better than pizza. I found nothing, so I found the phone book to try to find a pizza parlor to order from. I miss Google.
Two called out to me, "Sodie and Stevie are workin' so we was thinkin' 'bout headin' over there. Wanna come?"
"Sure." I grinned excitedly. I loved spending time with the gang when it was all of us, or at least most of us. It felt like Darry was always left out, but he didn't have the time. Even I really only see him in the mornings and at night.
I ditched the phone book and wrote a little note for Darry to let him know that I'll pick up a pizza on my way home. I walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch to slip my shoes back on.
Two came up to his feet and he tilted his head back to let the last of his beer drip onto his tongue. He gripped the empty bottle in his palm and he bent down to carefully pick up the cake. With light feet he walked to the kitchen to put it back in the old fridge.
"Johnny! Pony!" Two shouted loudly, which boomed throughout the small house. "Y'all are about as slow as molasses!"
"We are comin', we are comin'," Pony murmured as he and Johnny walked into the living room.
"Taking longer than a month of Sunday's, I tell ya," Two tsked.
"Have patience," Ponyboy said with attitude in his tone.
Two opened the front door for everyone and swung it closed behind us. We headed down to the street, where Dally was leaning his arms over the chain link fence that surrounds the Curtis property.
"Hey, man, you got a smoke?" Dally asked just as Two and I were heading up to the gate.
"Just some Kools," Two said and tossed the pack to Dally.
"Thanks, man." Dally took out a cigarette and stuck it between his teeth.
"What happened to yours?" Two asked. He opened the gate for me and waited for Pony and Johnny before he closed it. I wasn't quite sure what the point of this gate was anyway if they didn't lock it. Even if they did, it was too short to keep anyone out. Maybe they had a dog at some point?
"Finished 'em. Didn't feel like gettin' another." He stuck Two's pack in his back pocket, which clearly made Two annoyed but he didn't say anything.
"Why are we goin' over to bug Soda and Steve anyway? They're workin'," Pony asked.
Dally took a drag of his cigarette while Two explained, "because they're workin' and we wanna bug 'em."
"Sounds like a good plan to me," I said with a little laugh. They are dumb as hell and they all have impulse control problems but I love them anyway.
We began our walk to the DX. It's not a long drive, but it felt like a long walk. Especially under the heat of the Oklahoma sun. Telephone wires above us were sizzling, hissing like rattlesnakes. Two walked beside me closest to the street, looking down to avoid stepping on any cracks in the sidewalk.
Dally walked next to Pony and Johnny just up ahead of us. Pony looked like their third-wheel, he had to walk just behind them so he wouldn't have to step off the sidewalk. At one point I heard Johnny's small voice ask Dally a question but Dally's answer was to put him in a loose headlock, jump in the air, and pretend to pound on his head while making crashing sound effects.
"Come on, Dallas," Johnny grunted in annoyance. Dally just laughed, thinking it was funny.
When the DX was finally in sight, Two started shouting like a madman while skipping around the gas pumps like an asshole.
"Oi! Sodapop! Steve-o!" Two shouted through his cupped hands. He usually got a bit more rambunctious when he drank. "Yoo-hoo! Get out here 'fore I go in there and drag y'all out!"
The door to the DX cracked open before I saw Soda's head peak out. A smile cracked through his lips and I saw him gesture to someone behind him. He walked over to us and just before the door closed Steve pushed it open and met us all between the pumps.
"Soda, here come the hobos," I heard Steve's voice call out.
"What are you punks doing here?" Soda asked us.
"Wanted to get into some trouble before the fight tonight!" Two yelled, followed by howling like a wolf.
"You oughta keep your voice down," Steve sounded annoyed.
"Or what?" Two asked with wide eyes, followed by his booming laughter.
"Or I'll... or I'll..." Steve stammered. "Oh, I don't know. Just hush up."
Dally grabbed a windshield wiper from the ground and started to bang it against the nearby garbage can like a drum. Steve tried to swipe it from him but Dally hid it behind his back.
Soda watched and he laughed at their childish bickering. His smile can light up this whole town. I giggled softly at them. You could sense the brotherhood all these boys had together. When Soda saw me, he slipped around Dally and stood beside me.
"How's it goin'?" He asked with his smooth voice.
"Just thinking of ways to annoy you while you're at work."
"You can't annoy me. These guys on the other hand—" he pointed his finger around and made sure it hit every member of the gang. "They drive me outta my mind."
"Oh, come on, you love it when we come around," Two said.
"Keeps us away from payin' customers," Steve stated firmly with a scowl and a little stomp of his foot.
"Speaking of payin', I've got an itchin' for a beer and a few bucks to blow," Two stated while scratching one of his rusty sideburns.
"Hope you got your fake, 'cause the big boss is inside," Soda told him as he nodded towards the building.
"Damn," Two grunted.
"I'll get it, man," Dally said and grabbed his wallet from his back pocket. He thumbed through his cash until he found his fake identification card that stated his age was twenty-two and not seventeen. "Get me a beer and we'll be square."
"I'll ring ya up," Steve said and the three guys headed into the DX.
"After work today I was thinkin' about hitting up The Dingo. How do you say to that?" Soda asked me. Pony and Johnny were starting to walk off, lost in their own conversation.
"What's The Dingo?" I asked.
"Just a diner here on the east side, it ain't too far. You haven't been there yet?"
I shook my head. "No, I haven't."
"You and me will go."
"Okay," I chuckled. Then I stopped to groan, "wait, I probably shouldn't."
"Why not?" His eyebrows came together.
"I don't have money," I lied. I ran my fingers through my hair and squinted my eyes at him from the sun to try to throw him off the scent that I was lying. It's not that I don't have money, but I needed to at least try to save it now. I have no job, and what I have left may just be what I live off of for the rest of my life. I have to be careful.
"Why don't you work here?" Soda asked.
My eyebrows raised slightly, it wasn't a bad idea. "Really?"
He chuckled softly. "Sure. It'll be mighty nice to see you more. And we could use someone on the till. I ain't too good at math and Steve hates it."
"Do I have to apply? Or..." I asked. I wasn't sure how they got jobs in 1965. Just show up one day and start working? I don't even have a social security card that would be valid.
"I'll talk to the Big Man. You hold tight." He put his DX hat on my head and tilted the bill down over my eyes which made me giggle. By the time I fixed it he was already inside the DX while Two, Steve, and Dally were coming back out with beers.
"Imma get so boozed up I ain't even gonna know what day it is," Two stated while reaching into his pack and pulling out a beer.
Dally grabbed one for himself and he twisted the cap off. He rose his bottle in the air and said, "here, here."
"On a Monday?" I asked. "A Monday afternoon?"
Two clicked his tongue and said matter-of-factly, "yes."
"Any night can be a Friday night if you don't got no where to go the next day," Dally stated. "Take it from me. I quit and now everyday is a Friday night."
I shrugged in agreement, I guess he's right in his own twisted sort of way. The party for him never ends. The bill of the hat blocked the sun from my eyes which felt nice. Pony and Johnny came walking back to our group. Pony looked at the case and asked if he could have one.
"Soda'll be back any second now. He'll be real mad if he sees ya drink that," Steve pointed out. He was smelling like sweat and motor oil.
"Real mad," Two contributed as he chugged his beer.
"And Darry'll pop your head off," Steve added.
"Yeah, I know," Pony mumbled.
"Play it cool, little brother. You're a grease for life. Your time will come," Two said.
Ponyboy the youngest in this gang, and I can see how he easily falls through the cracks. He knows it too. He is eager to please and he tries his best because he wants to be apart of things and doesn't want to be looked over. But he is so unfocused, it bites him in the ass. I feel bad for him.
Soda came out of the DX and trotted over to us. He had his jean jacket slung over his shoulder. He tossed something toward me that hit my chest before it fell in my hands. I looked at it and realized it was an employee shirt for the DX.
"You got me the job?" I asked with a smile, it was hard to contain my excitement. When I talk to him, it's like everyone else disappears.
"He said a reference from me was good enough. I told him you got school, so you can work nights. I usually work mornings, but you ain't never gonna be by your lonesome."
"Thank you, thank you!" I exclaimed and jumped onto Soda for a hug. I felt him wrap his muscular arms around me and his chest bounced with his infectious laughter.
"What are you gonna do tonight, Dal?" Johnny asked Dally in a low voice.
"Prowlin'," he answered stiffly. "There's a spot here in town where a guy's guaranteed to score. There's a new butcher at the grocery store down the street, and she's got the best tongue in town."
"Gross," Ponyboy mumbled.
"Come on, Dal," Steve groaned.
"She delivers both night and day, I tell ya," Dally laughed cynically.
"What kind of girls do you usually go for, Dally?" Johnny asked.
Dally shrugged. "Any of 'em. I love 'em all, and they love me."
"They love me too," Two included himself.
"Sure, Two," Dally snarked.
"What? I get girls."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah! You better bet your life," Two-Bit said, followed by his rambunctious laughter.
"Show us how it's done then, Einstein!" Dally shouted playfully.
"Look, I know I ain't no Romeo. I ain't no sweet talker, but I do fine," Two rebutted with a cheeky grin.
"How about it? First guy to get a girl tonight wins a case of beer," Dally bargained.
"You're on," Two said, eyeing Dally as he polished off his beer. He tossed the bottle into the road then tried to reach over to mess with Dally's hair.
Dally leaned out of his way and scolded him angrily. "Hands off the hair. Anyone ever teach you any manners, huh?!"
"Are you ready to go to The Dingo?" Soda asked as I pulled away, but his hands still rested on my waist while my arms stayed around his neck, slipping to my hands.
"Yeah, are you off?"
"Just about."
"You're leavin' me?" Steve asked with a pout.
"I was gonna anyways," Soda stated. I stepped to the side and Soda pulled me closer to his hip.
"Yeah, yeah." Steve waved us off while stomping back into the DX.
Soda chuckled and said to me in a low voice by my ear, "he's just jealous. He ain't gone to The Dingo in a while."
"What? Do they have good burgers or something?" I asked.
"Eh." Soda shrugged. "Cheap beer. Rowdy company. We can walk there, it ain't too far."
"Yeah, let's do it." With him, I'd walk anywhere.
Soda didn't have to clock out or anything, he just left with me walking right beside him. Unless he already did, I wasn't sure. Dally stayed behind with Pony and Johnny, just hanging around the DX gas pumps.
Soda ran his hands through his thick fluffy brown hair. He didn't put much grease in it today so I told him that I liked his hair like that.
"Makes me feel like a blow-dried poodle," he said while he ran his fingers through it. "I ran out this morning. I'm gonna have to use Pony's until pay day but I don't like the way his makes my hair feel."
Soda took a breath like he was going to say more, then he paused. His eyes looked up to the sky and he asked, "do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Hear those birds? I love hearing them sing. I love opening my window in the morning and listening to them. Flowers are gonna be blooming soon too," he said with a smile. I greatly admire how much Soda enjoys life's small pleasures. It's one of my favorite qualities he has. He pierced his lips together and started whistling, perfectly mimicking the bird noises we heard around us.
"Wow, I didn't know you could whistle," I said.
"My pop used to get annoyed 'cause he'd think a bird got into the house," he laughed at the fond memory. "By the way, how're you liking the room?"
"Your room?" I asked.
"Sure."
"It's nice, thanks for letting me stay there. It sure beats the couch."
"Yeah, no kidding. Sometimes Buck crashes on the couch and I'd sure hate for you to wake up to that guy."
"Who?" I asked.
"One of Dally's rodeo friends. He has parties at his place all the time. I've been to a few, and they're wild. We don't let Pony near him."
"Then I don't think I'd like him too much either."
"No, I don't think you would."
"Darry doesn't mind that I'm still there, does he?" I asked. I just felt so guilty for living at their house but I quite literally have no where else to go.
"Not at all."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you positive?" I asked.
Soda chuckled, "yes, I'm positive."
"I can't help but feel like I'm a burden. It's nagging at me."
"You ain't a burden. If there's one thing you gotta know about Darry is that he's real honest and direct, he'd let you know. If you were a burden, Darry woulda had you out by now.
"Okay." I took his word for it. It still didn't help the lingering feeling I had that told me that I was just another responsibility for him. "I don't want him to think he has to take care of me."
"Oh, you see that's where you're wrong. He has to worry himself sick about you now that you live under his roof. That's the trade."
"Not so sure that's a fair trade on his part," I stated.
"Just make sure you eat enough and you're home by curfew and you'll be golden."
"Speaking of eating, I promised Darry I'd pick up a pizza for dinner tonight," I told him.
"We can swing by The Pizza Parlor and grab something on the way back home," he promised.
We got to The Dingo and Soda guided me to one of the only empty booths in the dark joint. Someone stopped us to talk to Soda, I didn't recognize who he was but their conversation was brief. A waitress walked by and flirted with him a little, asking if he wanted his usual but he turned her offer down and said he wasn't too hungry.
The place was crawling with greasers, and it was not a peaceful place. Rough looking guys were playing cards in one corner and pool in the other. Greasers with leather jackets and cowboy boots were shamelessly hugging their girls with their hand on their ladies butts. It was a smoke filled restaurant and any smell of cheap perfume was masked with the smell of greasy food and cigarettes. A real honky-tonk. Rock music was playing through a jukebox where I saw someone slip a dime in and he picked the next song.
A garage rock song began to play, Gloria by Van Morrison's band Them. This song is as raunchy as it's reputation, but it's so good. It's a perfect rock anthem, and I can see why greasers love it.
You know she comes around here,
Just about midnight,
She make me feel so good, Lord,
She make me feel alright.
And her name is G-L-O-R-I,
G-L-O-R-I-A,
Gloria,
I'm gonna shout it all night,
Gloria,
I'm gonna shout it every day.
"I'll get us something to drink. Coke?"
"Yes, please." I smiled. I've always liked the taste of Diet Coke more than regular, but it won't be invented for almost another twenty years.
Soda came back with two glasses of Coke from the bar. On very rare occasions he will drink alcohol like the rest of the gang, I'm talking a sip here and there just to taste. Steve told me it doesn't take much for Soda to get drunk, since he's a lightweight, and the only times he will get drunk is on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and New Years Eve. But Soda never drinks around Ponyboy. Otherwise, he likes the dry life and he will drink soda's with me. He handed me the glass, and I stuck a red and white striped straw in it, breaking apart some of the ice.
I used the straw to spin the ice around in my glass. I asked uninterestedly, "how's Sandy?"
Even though I knew the fate of their relationship, it was still very real to him and to me. Being here, it didn't feel like Soda was as in love with her as Pony made him out to be in his book. He never talked about her to me, it was as if she didn't even exist until someone else brought her up. They were going to break up within the year, but now I don't know if time will play it's course and she will run off to Florida, or if Soda will break up with her earlier.
Unless I somehow screwed up the past and they never break up.
Oh my god. I really have to stop thinking about this.
"She's fine," he said in the same tone.
I forced my smile so he wouldn't notice that I was quite jealous of Sandy, I can't help it. She really is beautiful, she has to be if she's going around with someone like Soda. She's got blue eyes and blonde hair, the opposite of me. I haven't met her yet, but Soda has her picture up in his room. When she looks into Soda's beautiful, dancing eyes she better know how incredibly lucky she is. She literally has everything that I don't.
"Pony told me that you think she's the one," I said and took a sip of my Coke.
Soda chuckled with an embarrassed smile and said, "I don't know. Pony don't know nothin'."
"Come on, you can tell me," I pestered with a giggle. I didn't want him to think that I wanted him. I just want him to be happy, so if Sandy makes him happy then I will support him with that... for now. "You guys have been dating for how long? Like a year?"
He nodded and took a gulp of his drink. "Yeah, just about. I was so in love with her, I thought I finally had it right. Now... I don't really know."
"What made you change your mind?" I asked softly.
She comes around here,
Just about midnight,
She make me feel so good, Lord,
I wanna say she make me feel alright.
Soda continuously drank his soda to either avoid my question, or he was trying to think of an answer. His eyebrows scrunched together, indicating he finally knew what to say. When his lips left his glass he asked, "you won't tell no one, will you?"
"No," I promised.
"There's someone else."
God dammit. I didn't see that one coming. I felt my heart drop to my turning stomach, I didn't even want to think about something like that, but I shouldn't be surprised. I've seen the girls that go to the DX just to catch a glimpse of Soda working. Socs and greasers all want him. He can literally get any girl he wants. He's incredibly sweet, friendly, humble, kind, and so handsome.
Comes walkin' down my street,
Won't you come to my house?
Can knock upon my door,
And then she comes to my room,
Now she make me feel alright.
"Oh," I said softly.
"She's real nice, and mighty pretty."
"Would I like her?" I asked cynically. I didn't even care to know her name.
He grinned. "I sure hope so."
"I hope so too," I mumbled. I need to stop being delusional, he will never be mine. "Does the gang like her?"
"Oh, they really do. I didn't meet her all that long ago, but when I'm with her she makes me forget all about Sandy. That's love, ain't it?"
"Not sure that it's love, but it's something," I replied glumly and drank more of my Coke. I was trying to think of anything to derail us from this upsetting conversation. I heard resin balls clack together so I glanced over and saw some pool tables. "Is that pool?"
"Yup. Wanna play?" Soda asked.
"Yeah, but I've never played before."
His eyebrows shot up. "Never?"
I shook my head and Soda left the booth to grab a couple of cues for us. We went to an empty table and he started explaining the rules to me. He showed me how to rack the balls and aimed his pool cue at the white ball and hit it, causing all the other balls to fly around on the green felt table.
"You just gotta hit the white ball and don't let that 8-ball go into a pocket. That one's last."
"How did you do that?" I asked, bending down and trying to adjust the pool cue around my fingers.
"Like this." Soda came up behind me and put his hand over mine, fiddling with my fingers to get them into the right spot. His touch was electrifying, yet softer than a summers night. His chest was against my back as we leaned down together, and he grabbed a firm hold of my wrist. "Bring it back, and—just like that."
His arm pushed the cue forward so it hit the white ball, sending one of the solid colored balls down into a corner pocket.
"There you go, nice," he said excitedly. He went again and this time he knocked a couple of stripes in.
We were standing so close, he smiled down at me and I blushed softly. I couldn't help the way my heart was racing, this really took me by surprise. I think I'm really falling for his smile. It was a magic moment, and by the look in his eyes I knew he felt it too. It's just one of the many ways I got to know his pretty face. He's smooth, like James Dean. With his lips so close to mine, I knew that this very moment would last forever until the end of time. I had to look away to keep myself from doing something stupid.
This made me wonder if it was me he was talking about when we were at the booth. Am I the one that makes him forget about Sandy?
Suddenly, a fight broke out on the other side of the diner. We both snapped our heads toward the corner where greasers were huddling together while breaking glass bottles and yelling at each other.
"Let's get outta here." Soda had his hand on my arm and we ran out of the Dingo together, pushing through greasers who were trying to rush inside to be a part of the excitement.
Soda grabbed me and pulled me away from the door until my back was against the side of the building. My breathing was heavy but it turned into a laugh. "Does that always happen?" I asked.
"Usually."
"Remind me to stay away from this place."
"Don't worry, I ain't gonna let you get hurt. You'll always be safe with me."
Just then, I heard someone clear their throat. I looked over and noticed Dally was standing against the wall with a cigarette between his fingers and he was spinning a beer in his hand.
"What are you doing here?" Soda asked.
"Waiting for Buck. Sounds like he's got himself tied up in there," Dally stated while we continued to hear the sounds of fighting coming from inside the diner. He nodded towards me and asked, "you don't want to get in on the fun in there?"
"If I want to get my ass beat," I chuckled.
"We should teach you how to fight. You know, just in case one of us ain't around," Dally suggested.
"Them Socs ain't gonna beat up a girl," Soda stated. "They got their sights on the little guys."
"Or ladies who can't fight back," Dally pointed out.
I sneered at him. "I can fight back."
I cannot. I'm a Pisces, I'll cry first.
"Oh, yeah?" Dally laughed humorlessly. He flicked his cigarette away. "Fight me. Come on, show me what you got."
I stuck my nose up in the air and said firmly, "no."
"Because you know that you'll lose." He smirked.
"Exactly," I agreed. He was not happy that I agreed with him.
"Leave her alone, Dal," Soda said.
"Listen, them Socs can really hurt you broads and ain't nothing ever happens to them. They don't even get sentenced to a chastity belt," Dally stated gruffly. "I don't want to be coming to your place or nothing and seeing that one of our own is in the hospital. That includes you." He pointed at me.
Soda thought for a moment before he said, "you know what, he's right. If you're gonna be hanging around us we should teach you a thing or two."
"How about it?" Dally asked, exhaling slowly. "We will teach you everything you need to know and how to survive out here with us."
"Right now?" I asked.
"Put up your dukes," he said while shaking out his arms, like he was gearing up to beat my ass.
"Is he serious?" I asked, looking at Soda.
He gave me a very small nod while his eyes grew and he stared at Dally. Dally came up right beside me and he grabbed my hair. He spun his long fingers around the strands and pulled me in a bit, just enough for me to exclaim from the sudden pain.
"What was that for?" I asked, bringing up my hand to his wrist but he didn't let go of my hair.
"Some Soc comes up and grabs a hold of your hair. He ain't gonna let go easy, so what's your natural response?" He pulled me so close, I could smell the cigarette on his breath and his eyes were deep in mine.
"To pull him off?" I wasn't sure if it was a question.
"Try it."
I grabbed his wrist firmly and tried to rip his hand off my hair, but it didn't work. I even tried to pry his fingers off but they didn't budge. All that happened was I felt some strands rip and my scalp throbbed.
"Doesn't work, does it?" He asked with a sly little smirk.
I exhaled sharply. "No."
"No." He let my hair slip from his fingers and he tugged on the collar of his jacket and he said, "grab here. Pretend this is my hair."
I grabbed a hold of his jacket and clutched it tightly. I glanced over at Soda who was watching intently. His eyes met with mine, but then he rolled them back over to Dally with a suspicious squint.
"So, what you are gonna do, is take the hand on the one he's pulling your hair on and put it on his wrist like this." He hooked his bear hand over my wrist and held it securely in his grasp. "Then, you're gonna take your free hand and smack his nose. I'm not talking a slap, I'm talking hard and straight from the palm."
Dally reached his hand up to my face and was gentle when he covered it. He pushed it back slightly which made me giggle, and then he said, "once you hit his nose, his eyes are gonna close and his head is gonna fall back. Then you're gonna slug him in the chin. When his head goes that way, I guarantee that he's gonna loosen his grip on your hair. Got it?"
"Got it," I promised. I released his jacket, and the fabric didn't fall back to his shoulder. Instead it stayed clumped up. He fluffed out his shirt a bit, raising it enough that he flashed his abs.
"Now, do it to me. But don't actually hit me, just tap it."
He grabbed my hair again, and stared me down. I started to smile so I bit the inside of my cheek. Dally returned the expression. I thought for a moment about the steps he just instructed me on. I grabbed his wrist, then I brought my other hand up to his nose and pretended to punch his jaw, which he let his head fly back and his grasp loosened, letting my hair slip through his fingers.
"How was that?" I asked.
"Real fine. Just some more practice and you'll be golden. Them hair pulls are no joke. Guys will try to use it to overpower you. There's another I wanna to show you. Go against that wall there."
We walked over to the wall and he stood in front of me. He brought his hands up to my neck and he gently pushed me against the wall. I felt chills rush up my back and I let out a little gasp from the surprise of Dally choking me lightly.
"You good, doll?" He asked with a charming smile.
"Good," I responded as well as I could with his hands wrapped around my throat. He wasn't applying any pressure to my windpipe, but I could feel his long fingers along the sides of my throat.
"A lot of people will try to pull their hands off of you," Dally educated. "Try it."
I reached my hands up and got a grip of his each of his wrists. I tried to pull them out and away from my neck, but they didn't move. They stayed firm, which frustrated me. I huffed and tried to reposition my hands but I still didn't get a good enough hold to take control of this situation.
"I'm too strong for that. Even if you bring your arms up between my hands, you ain't gonna make me go anywhere."
I tried it anyway, and I couldn't get his hands off of me. He is really strong. I clenched my jaw and looked at him with annoyance, but he seemed to find it amusing.
"Instead, bring one of your arms all the way up and lead with the elbow down as hard as you can while twisting your body in the direction of your elbow. Using the weight of your whole body will break their grip then throw the elbow to his face. M'kay? Give me all you got."
I brought my arm up and brought my elbow down across Dally's forearms. They slipped a little but he managed to get a better grip again.
"Harder than that. Come on."
"This is dumb."
"You wanna be tough? You better listen to me. Come on, give it to me."
I raised my arm then swung it down like I was doing an elbow-drop move in wrestling. His hands immediately slipped and he looked at me with a gleam in his eyes. I smiled proudly.
"Now, last one. I promise." Dally grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from the wall near where Soda was standing. He got behind me and he snaked his elbow around my neck and he pulled me against him. He was warm against my back. "Soda, I want you to stand behind her just like this."
Soda came over and traded places with Dally. He wrapped his arm around my neck gingerly while Dally stepped to the side. He rubbed his wrist as he said, "Soda, you're gonna have to hold her a little tighter."
"I don't want to hurt her," Soda said softly so he wasn't yelling in my ear.
"You ain't gonna hurt her," Dally reassured with an annoyed tone.
Soda hesitated but he squeezed his muscled arm around my neck just a little more. I heard him breathing softly, and I felt his body pressed up against mine.
"Bri, you're gonna wanna lean forward a little and get a good grip on his wrist and elbow. You're shorter than Soda here but you're still gonna want to bend your knees so your center of gravity is stable and below his. Then bend forward sharply. Go on, do it."
I immediately threw my chest forward and pulled Soda's arm down. I heard him yelp as he flew over my back. He smacked hard on the ground and rolled onto his side while he groaned.
"Are you okay?" I asked in the midst of laughing. I couldn't believe how well that worked.
The wind was knocked out of him but he gave me a weak thumbs up and he rolled onto his side and wheezed, "good."
"Way to go," Dally said.
"Now I know why you didn't want to demonstrate that one," I chuckled.
"How'd you learn all that, Dally?" Soda asked as he slowly stood back up. He brushed the dirt and loose gravel off his jacket and the back of his jeans.
"When you fight, you gotta know how to defend yourself too. I had a friend in New York who got killed on the streets from a guy who choked her for a measly buck-ninety-nine."
We heard the fighting get closer and closer and eventually a bunch of guys came out like fighting cats. They were in a ball of flailing limbs and dirt like a cartoon. They bared their teeth at each other and were yowling like animals. Soda grabbed my elbows and pulled me away from the fight, and we watched as they beat and pummeled each other into the street.
"That's my cue," Dally stated and tossed the beer bottle into a nearby bush. He ran passed us to deliberately join the action.
"He's crazy," I stated the obvious.
"That's Dally for ya."
Soda and I both heard another commotion coming from behind us. We both turned around to hear people cheering and whooping eagerly while two cars were revving their engines up the road a ways. I brought my hand up over my eyes to block the sun.
"What's going on up there?" I asked.
"I'll show ya. Come on." He grabbed my hand and we ran together away from the fight and up to the cars where other greasers were starting to line up along the lightly-traveled road. He always has some new and exciting activity up his sleeve.
We squished ourselves in with the audience while one of the greaser guys was going around, taking bets. Soda gave him a few bucks and said, "I've got my money on that T-Bird there."
"Which one?" I asked, looking at the two cars.
"The red one," he said.
"So, what is this?" I asked.
"It's a drag race. Then two cars are gonna book it over to that next light down there." He pointed to a stop light down the road. "First car that makes it wins. I love to drive in them."
"Hey, Soda," I heard. Soda and I both looked over to see a greaser I didn't recognize walk up to us. He had a toothpick in his mouth, and was wiggling it between his teeth.
"Tim, what's your money on?" Soda asked him.
"That hunk of junk in the corner," he joked.
"How's Curly?"
"Still at the reformatory. He ain't getting out for a while. Probably around six months. Maybe a year." His blue eyes gazed over at me and he asked, "who's your girl?"
"This is Bri. Bri, this is Tim Shepard. He's a good friend of Dally's and runs with the Shepard gang," Soda introduced.
Tim gave me a grim, bitter smile. He looked a little older than me, but I assumed he was probably still in high school if he wasn't a drop out. He had black curly hair, and a scar that ran from his temple down to his chin. There was something about him that was painfully familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"How goes it, Bri?" Tim asked. I noticed a beer in his hand and a cigarette behind his ear.
"Good. I've never been to a drag race before so I'm excited."
"Your first?" His eyebrows raised.
"Mhm." I hummed with a soft smile.
"Soda, you gotta get your girl up to the front if it's her first!"
"You can count on it." Soda smiled at me.
"See you around, man," Tim said as he patted Soda's back and disappeared into the crowd.
"See you," Soda said back. Then he turned to me and said, "he leads the Shepard Gang, they're real strict and organized. We only really run with them during rumbles."
"Oh, okay," I said.
Soda looked over my head and waved someone over. "Hey, Two!"
Two came running over to us with an excited grin on his face. He had to push passed a few people but he finally got to us and asked with a slight slur, "when did you guys get here?"
"Just now. We were at the Dingo." Soda jabbed his thumb back toward the direction of the restaurant.
The cars were both revving their engines a lot more excessively. Everyone's attention was on the cars, and greasers were shouting excitedly and cheering for their driver. A gunshot rang out, and they took off speeding down the street. Greasers started swarming the streets, running after the cars while jumping in the air or throwing their hats up. A drag race is a test of acceleration, and the T-Bird reached the finish line by flying through the next stop-light first.
"Yeah!" Most of the greasers were screaming happily while a few ran over to the other car that lost.
Soda was jumping up and down and pumping his fist in the air. I admire how outgoing he is, and it's clear that he absolutely loves to be around people. Two grabbed one of the beers he bought at the DX and lifted it over his head and poured it straight into his mouth, letting the foam drip over his face. I laughed and grimaced at Two's disgusting action and bumped into Soda in my attempt of getting away from Two so I didn't get wet.
In his overwhelming happiness, Soda picked me up and spun me around. I held him tight and giggled until he put me down. People were still cheering loudly for the win, everyone was rowdy and having a great time. I just can't stop myself from falling for him.
Soda collected his money and threatened to kiss it, he was so happy. He planted a kiss on my cheek and joined the enthusiastic screaming.
Soda's eyes twinkle with mischief and he has kind of a mischievous-but-sweet smile. In the moment our eyes met, my heart knew that I would never be alone again. I really hope that I don't fall in love with him, then I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave.