It's Raceday

The first time I see the guy he's in the cemetery. In fact, he's in the exact same spot where I should be. Standing by the grave of my parents, holding a cowboy hat in his hands.

Curious, I slow my stride, squinting at the tall figure in the bright sunlight. Unsure of who he is, yet not wanting to interrupt, I pause near a large oak tree. I light a smoke and breathe deep. Setting my backpack near my feet, I wait, feeling like a shit that someone else is already here and I'm not.

In fact, I haven't been.

It's been a long time since I've been to see my parents. There's no excuse for it. Life gets in the way and it's easy to put it off. But the pain hasn't gotten any easier, if anything it's harder as I get older. Each year another reminder of how much time I've lost with them. Soda and Darry sneak off and go themselves but we hardly ever go together. Two years later and still, none of us want to show each other our grief.

I suck in a puff of smoke and remember my parents. My dad, strong and loyal; Darry the spitting image. My mom, while she was kind and loving, she was also mischievous and always laughing. Soda reminds me a lot of her.

Except the eyes. Those are mine.

The man sets the cowboy hat back on his head, his mouth moving but I can hear no words. I wonder who he is, neither of my mom or dad having any living family members. Us three – me, Soda and Darry – are all there are.

He's wiry and muscular, making me think he's a rancher or something when he turns back and catches my eye. He looks surprised. I raise a hand to show it's okay. He tips his hat and begins walking away, toward the gravel parking lot.

I throw my cigarette butt in the grass.

When I look back at this moment, I wish I never waved. I wish he never saw me.

OoO

"Darry?"

"Yeah?"

"You got class?"

"Yeah, I do. It's a Tuesday, Pone. You know that."

I lean in the doorway of Darry's bedroom, the odd man I saw earlier in the day still on my mind. I chalk him up to a random passerby showing respects but still…I'm interested. My brother opens a drawer, pulls out a textbook, slips his wallet in his back pocket. He evaluates the room, checking he's got everything.

"Darry?"

He blinks, surprised that I'm still lingering. "What is it, kiddo?"

I rub the back of my head. "Mom and dad…" Darry's face goes very emotionless. Very still. He sits on the edge of his bed, waiting, holding his breath. "…well, they didn't have any other family did they? Like no long lost cousins or…anything like that?"

"No," Darry begins, slowly. "They were only-children. Not a big family." He frowns. Checks his wristwatch. "What's this all about, Pony?"

"Nothing," I say. Shrug. "Just curious is all."

With a sigh Darry rubs his palms on the front of his jeans and stands, happy to be done with the conversation. Bypassing me he exits the room. "Finish your homework tonight, kiddo, and try to be in bed at a reasonable hour. Soda'll be late tonight and you got school tomorrow."

I give his retreating figure an eye-roll. Tomorrow's the first day of spring break. I cross my arms and slump against the doorframe, watching the screen door clatter as he leaves. Darry's getting as scatterbrained as I am.

OoO

"—pass it on…"

"What?"

A blonde girl hisses, "Take one and pass it on." She juts a stack of white papers and I get the message. I grab a study sheet and hand the pile to the next student. Stifling a yawn, I sink lower into the chair as the professor drones on about economics. I can't concentrate tonight.

In fact, ever since my youngest brother brought up my mom and dad I can't stop thinking about them. Can't stop thinking about his question. He should know that, I think, rubbing a temple. So why's he asking?

The professor tells us to open our textbooks to page 59 and read an excerpt. I flip to the page, reviewing case studies. Ten minutes later I catch the blonde staring at me.

She winks at me right before the professor calls my name and I forget what the hell I've just read.

OoO

"Ain't you gonna be tired tomorrow, kiddo? What're you doing up?"

From his spot on the floor, Pony leans forward and turns down the volume on the TV. It's nearing midnight. His mouth twists down. "Did you forget I'm on spring break too?"

I kick off my shoes, one flying across the room, the other off to the right somewhere no doubt just waiting for someone to trip over it. I shoot my brother a smile as I sink into the couch. "Who else forgot?"

"Darry."

"Darry?" I take my DX cap off and shake it, clearing dust and airing it out. "Shoot, he really must be working too hard."

"Oh yeah?" Pony asks, sitting up. He grins. "So what's your excuse?"

"Just naturally forgetful, I guess." I recline on the couch, resting the cap on top of my face. "Spring break, huh? They're still doing that?"

I hear the smile in Ponyboy's voice as he says, "Why? You jealous?"

"Maybe."

"Soda?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever wish you stayed in school?"

I stifle a yawn. "Ain't it a little late for this heavy of a conversation, kiddo?" It's not that I don't mind talking about the fact that I'm a dropout. I just remember Ponyboy's face when I told him I was leaving school and I ain't itching to have that conversation again. Reminds me how much the kid could shout.

He's quiet, so I answer his question. "I got all I need at the DX and at home. Spring break sounds mighty fine but it ain't for me." My voice sounds soft and muffled with the hat on top of my face.

"I know that, Sodapop."

Through the cover of my hat I see yellow as the glow of headlights fills the living room. There's the rumble of a truck in the driveway and then silence as the engine's cut. "Darry's home," Ponyboy announces.

OoO

Sometimes I didn't think I'd make it to 16 years-old. And today's no exception.

I raise an eyebrow at the bow and arrow Curly Shepard is brandishing right in front of my face. The arrow's tip mere inches from my eye. "Really?" I ask.

"Haven't you ever wanted to shoot one of these, Curtis?" He swings the arrow away from my face, raising it to the sky.

"Not really. Especially not one that's been lifted."

He gives me a look but doesn't say anything. We both know it's stolen. It's a nice set, not one that either of us could afford. Curly's no more of an idiot than he was five years ago, but I'm smart enough to know when he's cooking up some not-so-bright ideas.

I sit on the lawn chair in his backyard and watch him take aim at the wooden fence. I rub my temple, a token Darry move, and know I really need to find better things to do with my spring break.

OoO

"Incooooooooming!"

I slam the truck door shut with the heel of my boot, juggling groceries in both arms. "Don't you dare do it, Two-Bit."

Two-Bit hesitates, but he doesn't lower his arm, which holds a water balloon filled with red liquid. "It's an experiment," Two-Bit says. "Of epic proportions."

"Oh, he'll do it, Dar," a voice warns. I look over and Ponyboy's perched on the porch, book in hand, amused smile on his face.

"He better not," I growl. I eye my friend. "You hear me, Keith? I don't care what kind of experiment it is, I'll skin you."

"Just don't say the magic word," Ponyboy warns. "It's WHAT."

"Aw, c'mon, kid!" Two-Bit shouts. "I told you that in confidence."

"Hey, I have an idea," I tell Ponyboy as I walk up the steps, nudging his leg with my knee. "How about you help me out with these groceries?" He hops up. "I have more in the truck."

"Sure thing, Dar." He jogs down the steps and for a minute I marvel at how much easier it is. How much we've managed to work it out, even when I'm grasping at straws.

I disappear in the house and when I come back out, Sodapop and Steve are pulling into the driveway. Two-Bit nods at Ponyboy. I groan and step onto the porch wanting to avoid disaster in my front yard. "Two-Bit, Pony, don't—"

"Hey, Steve," Pony says as Steve's climbing out of the driver's side. Pony holds a bag of groceries at his side, his face twitching. "Guess what?"

"What?"

OoO

I stir the simmering pot of stew on the stove. I started it before the ambush on Steve and have now been relegated back to the kitchen by Darry. "It's just food coloring," I tell my brother who's inspecting the house for damage. "Two-Bit concocted those at his house. We're clear here." I give him a smile.

"I'm sure his mother is thrilled." Darry says dryly but I see him bite back a grin. He digs a spoon out, scoops up some stew and gives it a taste. "You know, Ponyboy, spring break doesn't give you free rein to cause trouble."

"Aw, hell," Sodapop drawls, entering the kitchen. "This kid? Cause trouble? Ain't never heard of it." He wraps an arm around my neck and pokes me in the ribs. Whispers in my ear, "Steve's gonna getcha back, so watch yourself."

Pulling away, Soda plops in a chair and removes his DX cap. The shower's running, Steve busy scrubbing off the red. "But it was a pretty good trick; I'll give you that, Ponyboy."

I shrug. "It wasn't my idea. Blame Two-Bit. Wherever he is." Two-Bit had made a break for it as soon as he had launched the balloon at Steve, leaving me to clean up his mess.

Darry rolls his eyes. "Don't encourage him," he says, leaving the kitchen.

"Gee, thanks, Dar…" I scowl at my retreating brother.

"You ain't that bad, Ponyboy," Sodapop reassuringly laughs, his teeth white and straight. His handsome face happy.

OoO

I've listened to Steve bitch for the last 20 minutes about how long it's taken for the red dye to wash out of his hair. "It's dark," I finally tell him, waving a windshield wiper under his nose. "No one can tell."

"I can tell," he snaps. "That shit got on my truck too. A cop pulled me over the other day. Thought it was blood."

I stifle a laugh.

"Yeah, yuck it up." Steve glares and points at me. "No offense, man, but your brother is a menace."

"You're just mad he caught you off guard, Stevie. 'Sides, you wanna blame someone, you oughta be thinking of our side-burned friend out there."

"Oh, believe me, I am." Steve grabs a can of oil and walks over to a Dodge pick-up truck. "I sure as shit am."

I hold my hands up, picturing Darry's face. "Just not in the house, Steve. Whatever you do, not in our house."

"Roger that, Sodapop."

OoO

For March, it's already warm in Tulsa. I duck into a convenience store, pulling together enough change to buy a Pepsi and then continue my walk. Heading home from the track, I decide I'll stop by the library. Maybe even spice up the day with a movie. God, if Steve heard this he'd never let me live it down.

There's a few more days left in spring break and so far I've spent it at track practice or lounging around the house. I've seen more reruns of Bonanza than I can count.

I cross the street and that's when I notice the car idling on the curb next to the Woolworth's. It's a brown Chevy Impala, with a rusted passenger side door.

The guy from the cemetery, the guy in the cowboy hat, sits behind the wheel.

OoO

I watch as Ponyboy scrubs, rinses and then re-scrubs the exact same plate three times in a row. Soda gives me a look and at my silent nod of agreements, asks him, "You okay, kiddo? You're awful quiet tonight."

"Just…thinking," he says, going back to the dishes, his hands coated in soapy bubbles.

"You sure?" I ask, grabbing up my keys and my textbook.

"Sure, I'm sure." He gives me a crooked grin. "Ain't you gonna be late, Dar? You better go."

"I'm going, I'm going," I mutter, stifling a yawn. The night classes at the community college are what I've always wanted, and even still, attending at night is sometimes sheer hell after a long day at work. I tell my brothers goodbye and wince as Ponyboy continues to scrub the same plate.

"Remember, Dar," Soda hollers as I hustle out the front door, worry clouding my thoughts. "Work smart, not hard! At least that's what the ladies say!"

OoO

"I went and saw mom and dad last week."

Pony catches me off guard and I choke on a mouthful of toothpaste. Dipping, I spit the foam in the sink and rinse. I put my toothbrush away. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

"Who says anything's bothering me?"

"Pone."

"What?"

"C'mon, kiddo, I know you. I know when you're worried."

He scowls. "I ain't worried."

"Okay then, upset."

He hesitates. "That—that ain't it…"

Deciding not to press it, I reach out and squeeze his arm. "Why didn't you tell us?"

He crosses his arms, leaning in the doorway of the bathroom. His face clouds over. "I don't know. Feels like something we should keep to ourselves, I guess."

I think about this. "Darry and I probably don't do such a hot job talking about it do we?"

"It ain't your fault," Ponyboy whispers. "Just—everything…anything like that is hard." And I know he means Dally and Johnny too. But that's all he says. That's as close as we get.

OoO

"Oh, ho," Two-Bit exclaims as Steve approaches. "If you've come to exact your revenge, Steve, you're in the wrong place at the wrong time." Two-Bit waves a hand across the air, gesturing at the diner full of people. He points at a baby sucking her thumb in the corner of the room. "We have witnesses. They may not be able to talk yet, but they still see."

"Relax." Steve plops next to me in the booth. Reaches over and steals a fry. He points it at Two-Bit before popping it into his mouth. "I'll get you back, man. Not here, not now. But soon." He slugs my arm. "And you. You watch your ass too."

"You didn't somehow poison my drink, did you?" I ask, raising a trained brow. Steve barks out a laugh and makes himself comfortable.

I take a sip of my chocolate shake as the two of them began talking about their Saturday night plans at the drag races. Steve races every once in a while, borrowing cars from those DX customers who will lend them. Every once in a while he wins too. Even I'll admit it; Steve's a good driver.

A bell rings somewhere in the diner, alerting the staff to new customers. The sound of clomping boots echoes across the floor and someone passes by our booth. Someone in a cowboy hat. I can't see his face but the hat's the same. He sits at the diner and in an inaudible voice makes conversation with a waitress.

"Say, you want to go with us, Pony?" Two-Bit's asking and I look up from my stunned daze. His smile fades. "Pone? Yoo-hoo, earth to Ponyboy…"

My eyes narrow. I keep my voice low, slouching in the booth. "I've seen that guy before."

Two-Bit twists around in his seat. "Who?"

"The guy in the cowboy hat. I've seen him three times in the last week."

"What d'you mean?" Steve's watching me close.

"Nothing," I say, as the cowboy leaves a tip on the counter and exits the back door. I have the curious urge to run after him and ask him who the hell he is. "It's nothing." Pushing away from the table, I hand the rest of my shake over to Two-Bit who greedily slurps it down.

OoO

"Think maybe Steve'll shove me in front of a car tonight?"

"You never know, Ponyboy," Two-Bit says, kicking dust and rocks out of our way, as we head toward the long stretch of road used for the Tulsa drag races. "It does seem like the perfect set-up. In fact, he didn't put up a fight now that you're a tag-along."

I give him a shove, but smirk. "Shut up, man." Up ahead I see Sodapop lounging against the bumper of a Mustang, talking to some red headed girl.

As we approach the girl moves away, and Soda bounces towards us. "Red heads. Bad idea, Sodapop," Two-Bit says, shaking his head. "They may look like angels but they're hellions in the sack."

"Oh, Jesus, Two-Bit," Sodapop says. He glances my way and hooks an arm around my shoulder. "Don't listen to a word he says. Red heads ain't so bad."

OoO

Smoke and dust clouds the air in front of us. Coughing, I swipe a hand in front of my face, trying to clear away what I can. Off in the distance, I can make out Ponyboy puffing on a cigarette and talking to a kid I know from around town, Mark Jennings. I keep switching my attention from them to the race.

Two-Bit and I've squeezed our way up front, closest to the action. I can smell the diesel fumes and an odd electrical current in the air.

"So did your little brother tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I shout above the rev of the car engines.

"Judging by that," Two-Bit says, sounding worried, "he didn't tell you." He screeches as the cars speed off, Steve's borrowed Challenger leading the pack, followed by a Mustang. "You know…I really should lecture the kid on the fact that secrets don't make friends…"

Ever since the rumble, Two-Bit keeping a secret is like Darry controlling his temper. It sure as shit ain't gonna happen. I glance his way, feeling my jaw tighten. "Two-Bit…what are you talking ab—"

The explosion cuts off my question. Brilliance fills the air as the four speeding cars slam into one another, fireballs rising in the dark sky. Then there's more, somewhere to the left, somewhere close by and everything goes bright white and then black.

OoO

So I had an idea and I wanted to write. It's a little different scenario so I hope you all like it.

While I can't promise regular updates, I promise not to keep you waiting for weeks on end. Just an initial FYI.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, please review!

XO,
Feisty