*Ponyboy's POV*
"Wake up, Pony!" shouted a familiar voice near me. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head.
"Go away."
Darry wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"Pony, it's a school day and you're gonna be late. Get up." He pulled the blanket off me and grabbed my pillow from under my head. The sudden cold made me sit up.
"Okay, okay," I grumbled. "I'm up."
"Hurry up." Darry grinned and left the room. Still yawning, I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and hair and checked in the mirror for any hint of beard and sighed. Still nothing.
"PONYBOY CURTIS!" Darry shouted from the living room.
"I'm coming," I muttered, rushing out.
The rest of the gang was in the house. Darry was reading the paper in his favorite armchair. Soda and Steve were wrestling on the floor. Two-bit and Dally were watching Mickey Mouse on TV. I smiled softly as I saw Dally.
*FLASHBACK*
We reached the vacant lot just as Dally came in, running as hard as he could, from the opposite direction. The wail of a siren grew louder and then a police car pulled up across the street form the lot. Doors slammed as the policemen leaped out. Dally had reached the circle of light under the street lamp, and skidding to a halt, he turned and jerked out a gun from his waistband. He raised the gun, and I thought: You blasted fool. They don't know you're bluffing. And even as the policemen's guns spit fire into the night I knew that was what Dally wanted. He was jerked half around by the impact of the bullets, and then slowly crumpled with a look of grim triumph on his face. (A/N this paragraph is from the book but the rest is in my own words ()
We all stood there, frozen to the spot as the policemen ran towards his body. Suddenly Steve sobbed and sprinted over to him. the rest of the gang followed, but I stood where I was, frozen to the spot. "Not Dally too," I pleaded silently. "Not him and Johnny both." My stomach suddenly turned into a hunk of ice and the world spun around in slow, dizzying circles. The ground rushed up to meet me, and just as the darkness closed in, I heard Two-bit's voice, as if from a distance away. "Glory, look at the kid!"
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking a few times as they got used to the light. I was slightly dizzy and hungry but I wasn't sure if I could hold anything down right now. I looked around and discovered that I was in the bedroom Soda and I shared. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Usually you can never get a peaceful moment at our house. I finally noticed Soda, sitting on the edge of my bed, watching me.
"Soda?" my voice sounded hoarse and weak, as if I hadn't used it for a while. "Yeah honey?"
"How long have I been asleep?"
"About three days."
"What happened?"
He was silent for a second. He knew what I was talking about. Finally, he spoke. "I don't know if Dally's going to be okay, but he's not dead. The fuzz didn't shoot any important organs or anything, and the doctors at the hospital managed to take them all out, but he lost a lot of blood. He's still at the hospital."
"Is Johnny okay too?" I asked, dreading the answer. Soda put a hand on my shoulder.
"Pony-" he began. I stopped him. I didn't want to know.
"Actually, don't answer that."
"Hey, go back to sleep okay?" said Soda, still looking worried. I closed my eyes without argument. I was awfully tired.
I had to stay in bed a whole week after that. After Darry finally let me out of bed, Dally had come out of the hospital. I knew he was going to be okay. Dallas Winston was always okay. I showed him Johnny's note a few days later, and he was quiet for a long time after reading it. Then he put a hand on my shoulder, sighing softly.
"Hey kid, know where you can see sunsets best around here?"
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Darry looked over his newspaper at me. I blushed as I realized that the rest of the gang had turned around to stare at me too. I guess I had been standing staring into space for a little too long again.
"Um. is there any cake left?" I said, trying to get their attention off me.
"Yeah- it's in the fridge," Soda answered.
"And hurry up," added Darry. "You have five minutes."
I went to the fridge and to my relief, everyone went back to doing what they had been doing.
"Hey kid," said Two-bit, "I'm skipping school today but I'll drive you over if you want."
"That's okay. I'll walk."
Darry turned around. "No you won't. Not after what happened-"
"Darry, come on! I walk to school all the time!"
Darry opened his mouth to speak again, but Soda interrupted him.
"Aw Darry, just let him walk. Pony can look after himself okay."
Darry shook his head.
"Besides," continued Soda. "Those Socs haven't bothered us since the rumble- we kicked their asses all the way to Oklahoma!"
"Well." Darry paused indecisively.
"Pleeeaaase?" I begged.
"Fine, but be careful. And bring a jacket. I think it's gonna rain."
"I'm not a baby! I'll be okay."
There was no time to argue. Darry just shook his head again and went outside, starting up the car. Soda followed him out.
"Bye!" shouted Two-bit as I left.
"Wake up, Pony!" shouted a familiar voice near me. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head.
"Go away."
Darry wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"Pony, it's a school day and you're gonna be late. Get up." He pulled the blanket off me and grabbed my pillow from under my head. The sudden cold made me sit up.
"Okay, okay," I grumbled. "I'm up."
"Hurry up." Darry grinned and left the room. Still yawning, I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and hair and checked in the mirror for any hint of beard and sighed. Still nothing.
"PONYBOY CURTIS!" Darry shouted from the living room.
"I'm coming," I muttered, rushing out.
The rest of the gang was in the house. Darry was reading the paper in his favorite armchair. Soda and Steve were wrestling on the floor. Two-bit and Dally were watching Mickey Mouse on TV. I smiled softly as I saw Dally.
*FLASHBACK*
We reached the vacant lot just as Dally came in, running as hard as he could, from the opposite direction. The wail of a siren grew louder and then a police car pulled up across the street form the lot. Doors slammed as the policemen leaped out. Dally had reached the circle of light under the street lamp, and skidding to a halt, he turned and jerked out a gun from his waistband. He raised the gun, and I thought: You blasted fool. They don't know you're bluffing. And even as the policemen's guns spit fire into the night I knew that was what Dally wanted. He was jerked half around by the impact of the bullets, and then slowly crumpled with a look of grim triumph on his face. (A/N this paragraph is from the book but the rest is in my own words ()
We all stood there, frozen to the spot as the policemen ran towards his body. Suddenly Steve sobbed and sprinted over to him. the rest of the gang followed, but I stood where I was, frozen to the spot. "Not Dally too," I pleaded silently. "Not him and Johnny both." My stomach suddenly turned into a hunk of ice and the world spun around in slow, dizzying circles. The ground rushed up to meet me, and just as the darkness closed in, I heard Two-bit's voice, as if from a distance away. "Glory, look at the kid!"
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking a few times as they got used to the light. I was slightly dizzy and hungry but I wasn't sure if I could hold anything down right now. I looked around and discovered that I was in the bedroom Soda and I shared. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Usually you can never get a peaceful moment at our house. I finally noticed Soda, sitting on the edge of my bed, watching me.
"Soda?" my voice sounded hoarse and weak, as if I hadn't used it for a while. "Yeah honey?"
"How long have I been asleep?"
"About three days."
"What happened?"
He was silent for a second. He knew what I was talking about. Finally, he spoke. "I don't know if Dally's going to be okay, but he's not dead. The fuzz didn't shoot any important organs or anything, and the doctors at the hospital managed to take them all out, but he lost a lot of blood. He's still at the hospital."
"Is Johnny okay too?" I asked, dreading the answer. Soda put a hand on my shoulder.
"Pony-" he began. I stopped him. I didn't want to know.
"Actually, don't answer that."
"Hey, go back to sleep okay?" said Soda, still looking worried. I closed my eyes without argument. I was awfully tired.
I had to stay in bed a whole week after that. After Darry finally let me out of bed, Dally had come out of the hospital. I knew he was going to be okay. Dallas Winston was always okay. I showed him Johnny's note a few days later, and he was quiet for a long time after reading it. Then he put a hand on my shoulder, sighing softly.
"Hey kid, know where you can see sunsets best around here?"
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Darry looked over his newspaper at me. I blushed as I realized that the rest of the gang had turned around to stare at me too. I guess I had been standing staring into space for a little too long again.
"Um. is there any cake left?" I said, trying to get their attention off me.
"Yeah- it's in the fridge," Soda answered.
"And hurry up," added Darry. "You have five minutes."
I went to the fridge and to my relief, everyone went back to doing what they had been doing.
"Hey kid," said Two-bit, "I'm skipping school today but I'll drive you over if you want."
"That's okay. I'll walk."
Darry turned around. "No you won't. Not after what happened-"
"Darry, come on! I walk to school all the time!"
Darry opened his mouth to speak again, but Soda interrupted him.
"Aw Darry, just let him walk. Pony can look after himself okay."
Darry shook his head.
"Besides," continued Soda. "Those Socs haven't bothered us since the rumble- we kicked their asses all the way to Oklahoma!"
"Well." Darry paused indecisively.
"Pleeeaaase?" I begged.
"Fine, but be careful. And bring a jacket. I think it's gonna rain."
"I'm not a baby! I'll be okay."
There was no time to argue. Darry just shook his head again and went outside, starting up the car. Soda followed him out.
"Bye!" shouted Two-bit as I left.