Road Trip

by

~Miriah~of~the~Wind~

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June 15th: Introduction

It all started out as a perfectly normal summer vacation and then, all of a sudden........it got ugly. One of my friends thought it would be a great idea to go on a nice long road trip. I had been fourteen for about six months and had been cursed with the name....Ponyboy. My father and mother, who had died in a car accident, were very original people. My parents death wasn't the most important thing on my mind now, the thing is: Dally.

Dally Winston is of seventeen years of age had blonde hair so blonde that it was platinum. He had high cheekbones and a towed forehead. He also possessed a hot temper and reckless driving skills. Everyone in my gang knew that and yet, somehow, Dally ended up driving. Go figure. I am squished between him and my best friend Johnny.

Johnny Cade is sixteen. He is the 'pet' of the gang. We were going on this road trip to celebrate his release from prison. Johnny and I were walking in the park five months ago when we were jumped by Socs. Johnny stabbed one Soc, who's name was Bob, in the stomach but luckily didn't kill him. It was self defense and everyone admitted it. Johnny however, was sentenced to five months imprisonment because he was wandering in the middle of the night and carrying a switchblade and few cancersticks with him. But after he was released they didn't confiscate the cigarettes or the switchblade. The rest of the gang got themselves in jail too just so they could be with Johnny. Hey, what are friends for? Only Darry, Soda, and I couldn't do that.

Darry Curtis is around 22 and is the one who had to take care of Sodapop and me so he couldn't go out and do something like that. Plus, what would he do? It's us that separate's Darry from a Soc. Darry is my oldest brother that looks almost like my father yet he sometimes acts completely different. He's trying too hard to make something out of me, that's why.

Sodapop Curtis is my second older brother and is seventeen. He's really handsome and girls are attracted to him like nails are to a magnet. He, in contrast to Darry, is happy go lucky and has a grin so crazy he could make you grin back.

Steve Randle is Soda's best friend, works part-time at the DX gas station while Soda works full time, and is seventeen too. He's got soft bitter eyes and his father is always throwing him out and then paying him to make up for it although that's nothing to Johnny's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cade didn't give a hoot about Johnny, he could do anything he wanted to do and they wouldn't care. Sometimes when his mom got upset she would yell at him for the whole state to hear and his father would hit him when he got extra drunk and it was just a whole mess. Johnny had planed on running away or committing suicide but we were always there to stop him. Steve at the present moment didn't look to happy because Two-bit was singing 'a thousand bottles of beer on the wall'.

Two-bit Matthews's real name is Keith but he can't keep his trap shut. He's always gotta say somethin'. He's nineteen now and has slick side burns that he's mighty proud of.......for now. I'm writing this because I know that the moment I get back to school there's gonna be some kind of 'what did you do on your summer vacation' writing assignment so I'm writing this now instead of later where I don't remember anything.

The last three members of our group were the Shepards. I don't know how they were involved in this but I bet Dally offered them a vacation and that was the only reason they were coming. First there was the oldest, Tim Shepard, who was turning nineteen in a month. The second was Curly Shepard who will turn sixteen in about two moths. Then there was Angela Shepard who was turning fifteen in about four months.

(A/N: To tell the truth I have no idea how old Angela is suppose to be. All I know is that she's Tim and Curly's younger sister. So sue me.) It was me Dally, me, Johnny, and Two-bit in the front and then Angela, Darry, Soda, Curly, Steve, and Tim.

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