Author's note: The previous edition of Landslide was "interactive" which is not allowed by so it had to be removed. I do apologize for any reader inconvenience and to I am reposting the completed chapters. For those of you who had reviewed in the past I invite you to leave a new review for the chapters if you would like. Your past reviews no longer exist.
For new readers to this story please note this is a sister story. Landslide is the fourth story entry with a character named Scout Marie Curtis, a.k.a.-Sissy
In my brother's gang they often called me by my nickname, Sissy. My oldest brother Darrel actually gave me the name when I was about seven. All of the boys in the neighborhood wrestled and played rough... Darry always told me to get into the game. One day I told him I didn't want to get hurt and he has called me Sissy ever since. For the longest time my parents thought he called me Sissy because I was the little sister. They were not to happy to hear the truth later that Darry was actually teasing me
- Story excerpt from Family Bond
Scout is the 'seven minutes younger' twin sister to Ponyboy, her intelligence and common sense levels are higher than her twin's yet she is more analytical like Darry and less creative then Pony. She is very quiet and shy and not a "greaser girl". She is tough when she needs to be, but prefers to stay clear of violence whenever possible. She gets along very well with all of her brothers, even Darry.
At the beginning of the summer she met a girl named Casey who taught Scout how to be less of a 'tomboy' and more of a woman. Casey and Scout got along as well as Johnny and Ponyboy or Steve and Sodapop. Two weeks prior to Landslide Casey convinced Scout to skip the weekly football game and go to her house to have her nails painted and read woman's magazines. Scout agreed and she became involved in a traumatic family situation in which Casey's father, Duke Dobbins, shot his daughter then turned the gun on Scout. "You never heard anything, you never saw anything." Duke said as he stood in the middle of the room and looked down at me.
I tried to answer him through my intense fear. "Never … saw …."
"Damn straight you didn't." Duke smiled causing his mustache to lift. He raised his hand up revealing the gun. I couldn't take my stare from the darkness of the barrel. Duke pulled back the hammer on the gun. I closed my eye's tight, and shook. In the distance the sound of an approaching squad car caused Duke to curse out loud and flounder in his decision. I opened my eyes to see him pace nervously then he reeled around toward me and pointed the barrel of the gun in my direction, BANG! - excerpt from Escalation
Scout physically survived the attack on her life, but mentally and emotionally her wounds were still open. Before she could fully recover Ponyboy wandered in past curfew launching the biggest fight Ponyboy and Darry had ever had. In a moment Ponyboy darted out of the house, leaving the family bond in pieces.
My heart jumped as Darry struck Ponyboy out of anger. My twin's body was propelled to the floor by the impact. For a second no one in the room drew a breath…Ponyboy leapt up from the floor and bolted out the front door.
I wanted to yell to my brother as he ran past, his eyes welling with tears, but all I could muster was a soft spoken call, "Pony?" Before I could speak again Darry and Sodapop ran to the door. I spun around on the couch, propped up on my knees and peeked through the blinds just in time to see my brother disappear into the darkness…
"Sodapop, you know I didn't mean too?" Darry began to plead for forgiveness. "I would never mean to hit Ponyboy or any of you. I just reacted." …
… I stood before Darry with angry tears flooding my eyes. "You did mean too! …I can't believe I ever stuck up for you! All those nights of telling Pony how much you cared for him were a waste! Ponyboy was right all along, you only kept us two around because Soda wouldn't forgive you if you didn't. You don't really want us here. You never did!" I hurriedly wiped the tears from my eyes wishing I hadn't given Darry the satisfaction of making me cry.
"I bet you're happy now that Pony's gone!" For the first time in a long time Darry was speechless. He stood there and his mouth moved slightly but no words could come out. I watched him carefully as he suffocated from my words… It wasn't until that moment I noticed Darry's lip quiver. I looked into his icy cold eyes and saw the whites begin to flood with red. I froze in place and became aware of the unstoppable stream of tears on Darry's face. He was crying. Not just a little, he was ready to break down and cry out loud... - excerpt from Landslide
The days pass without Ponyboy at home and the family is challenged as Sodapop's hear is shattered, Scout is an emotional wreck and the gang can't get a break as Two-Bit gets jumped and Dally arrested. Finally, Scout realizes she can no longer stay at home waiting for her brother to return. She must go and find him. In the early morning hours she sets out to find him and does so with the unexpected help of Dallas. Her happy reunion with Ponyboy soon goes up in smoke and all four of the friends battle the blazes to save the children and each other.
"Ok he's free! He's free, get out of here!" Dallas yelled at me and hoisted Johnny up underneath his armpits to drag him out.
I turned to exit the inferno and mistakenly exhaled a large amount of toxic smoke. Gagging for fresh air I stumbled through the burning wood and embers toward the exit before falling to the floor in a fit of coughs. I looked up through the smoke at Dally who leaned Johnny's limp body out the window to be caught by the teachers below. I struggled to stand as cinders singed my hair ... Dally noticed my struggle and grabbed a hold of my sweatshirt as the wooden floor began to lurch beneath us.
"Get … out, Scout!" He coughed and yelled as the wind from outside blew through the tattered building causing the fire to swell and the temperature to rise. To shelter me from the raging flames Dallas Winston wrapped me in his arms. With the brightness of the firelight I could see Dally's jacket and arm were badly burned. I turned my head to him in fear and looked into his now protective eyes…When the strong wind passed the flames were reduced and Dally hoisted me off the floor and heaved me out the window. I landed with a thud on the hard ground below and gasped for fresh air. In seconds Dallas was beside me on his hands and knees searching for the same breath as I was and cursing the burnt skin on his arm. Suddenly the sound of gunfire went off and the two of us covered our heads for safety.
The sound triggered memories for me that I would have rather forgotten. I tried to stand up in a hurry to flee, but the motion and lack of fresh oxygen made my head swirl and soon the world disappeared into a sea of darkness.
Scout returned with her friends to Tulsa and was reunited with her family. The next day she was relieved to have the gang home again, even though things looked glum for Johnny after her, Two-Bit and Ponyboy went to visit him in the hospital. Scout opted to spend the afternoon at the DX station with Sodapop and she was soon reunited with a handsome blond headed boy who had befriended her only days before when she was caught alone in a thunderstorm.
I studied Sodapop as he took care of his new customer's car... I cleared my mind and glanced up at the popular blond boy a second time only to have him catch me looking…I watched him approach. I could tell through his fancy clothes and jacket that he was muscular and athletic. "Scout, right?" He took one hand out of the pocket of his jacket and casually pointed at me…It was Owen Jasper from the cemetery. I half smiled as my stomach turned nervous. "Yeah," …
Owen plopped down on the curb next to me as if we were good friends. "You weren't in school Friday like you said you'd be."
I remembered the day he dropped me off at my house. I told him I would see him at school the next day. "Yeah… I kind of made other plans."
"I'll say! I read about you in the newspaper this morning." Owen looked across the lot at his friends then back to me…
"O!" The tall redheaded boy in the Lettermen's jacket called out. "We got plenty of girls! Let's go!"
Owen looked at me with his ocean blue eyes, "I gotta go. We've got plans for tonight." The boy stood up and looked down at me one last time. "I better see you at school on Monday!"
I stood up and looked into his eyes, "you can count on it." I told him with a smile.
He walked backwards a few steps to keep me in his sights, "you better be there or I'll be pretty disappointed," then he turned and jogged back to his friends. He hopped into the backseat of the convertible and a few girls piled in around him hoping for attention. My heart fluttered with excitement and I couldn't wait for the weekend to be over.
But the evening would only end in tragedy for everyone in the gang as Johnny dies, Dallas is shot to death in front of his friends, Ponyboy collapses and Scout loses her mind.
The sound of the shots echoed through my mind. I heard Darry berate the officers then Ponyboy mumbled. "… Johnny, now Dallas…" My brother's words caused me to turn toward him, the sound of bullets whizzing through the air, still clear in my ears. I watched him collapse to the pavement. I turned back toward the approaching officers and saw Duke Dobbins standing among them. I saw the smoking gun in his hand and the edges of his black handlebar mustache curl up as he smiled. I convinced myself Duke had killed Dally! He had shot Ponyboy! He had driven Casey from my life. "You bastard!" I screamed with every ounce of energy and hate I had in me. "You killed her! You killed her and now you killed them!"
Hot tears flowed from my eyes and each of my muscles filled with rage as I charged at the man. I grabbed a hold of him, punching, kicking and scratching as violently as I could… Quickly his friends grabbed my body and pinned me to the wet street. I struggled to get free but the men seized my arms and pulled them behind my back… Darry watched in shock as the officers wrestled me to the ground. "Let her go! She didn't mean it…!" He begged the policemen, but kept his distance just enough to not anger the officers.
"Get her in the car!" One angry officer yelled as he wiped a stream of blood from under his nose.
"You can't haul her away!" Two-Bit's voice cracked as he walked up to Darry's side.
An ally, Mr. Ottavi, appears and saves Scout from being sent away. Instead, she joins her brother in the hospital for recuperation. She recovers just in time to attend Dallas and Johnny's funeral where she would again meet a boy who would begin to change her life.
Owen Jasper stands over six feet tall. His long blond bangs hang just above his ocean blue eyes. From the outside he appears to have everything, money, popularity and, athletic promise. As the quarterback of the high school, social girls flock to him offering anything for his attention. Owen doesn't notice and doesn't care. The one girl in school who intrigues him the most is shy, quiet and a greaser. None of that mattered to Owen he was intrigued by Scout's poise, intelligence and beauty. Scout tried to deny the mutual affection, but eventually the quarterback won.
Owen sat back up, so close to me I could feel his breath on my cheek. My heart began to pound as the smile faded from the boy's face…Owen leaned in, his blond bangs swept across my forehead and his warm lips gently kissed mine. Immediately, I kissed him back, long and soft. Inside my chest I swore my heart skipped a beat and every nerve in my body tingled with joy. - Story excerpt from Aftermath.
Scout and Owen were inseparable after that moment. He was good for Scout and her brother's knew it. She and Owen had more in common then anyone knew. Plus he treated her with respect and gave her courage when she was called to testify against Duke Dobbins. Everything was finally looking for the better for Scout as she an her new boyfriend stopped by the DX to visit with Sodapop.
Pulling away from the station I noticed Sodapop pause at the door to watch the two of us drive away…Suddenly, the rumble of a large truck reverberated in my ears. I looked to my right hand side in the direction of the sound. My eyes grew wide at the sight of a large rusty truck grill bearing down on Owen's little sports car. I let out a terror filled scream just before the collision threw my body forward into the windshield.
"SCOUT!" Sodapop screamed and ran across the lot to the scene of the accident. He dropped to his knees when he reached the area where my body had laid to rest. There was no response as the blood began seep from my injuries… "Steve call for an ambulance! Call for an ambulance!" - Story excerpt from Aftermath.
It would take months for Scout to recover, but in that time Owen and her family would grow closer then before. When Owen gathered his friends for a football game, Darry was included. This meant the world to Scout and she knew it meant the world to her brother too..
As I sat alone in the stands, I couldn't help but feel that my parents were there too. I remembered how we would go as a family to Darry's games. Sodapop would vanish into the crowd in the first few minutes. Dad always made us go early so he could be in his favorite seat on the fifty yard line, twenty rows up. Mom would pack bologna sandwiches and a bottle of milk in her picnic basket. Ponyboy and I would sit together. Johnny would often tag along and sit next to Pony. I always sat next to dad and snuggled into his side to keep warm on chilly nights. I remember looking up at my father as he watched. He would chew on a toothpick and tap his foot to keep his anxiety down. He was funny how he would yell to Darry from the stands. Mother would always laugh and look up at him to say, "Darrell, you know he can't hear a word you are saying."
My dad would look at her, his blue eyes shining. "I know that Maggie."
I sighed deeply and leaned back from the metal rail and watched as Darry ran down the field for a touchdown. He jumped in celebration. I smiled and didn't care how late it got or how cold I was getting. I would sacrifice my comfort for Darry, because he had sacrificed his dreams for me. - Story excerpt from Aftermath.
The very beginning of this saga begins with the story Family Bond followed by Coming of Age, Escalation , Landslide, Aftermath and as requested from many many readers- Choices. If you enjoy sister stories or any story that is written well you may just find this series to be amazing, entertaining and able to keep your interest, others have. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: This fanfiction entry is based on the book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Many of the characters in this story are her creation and I thank her for creating them and allowing so many writers to borrow them for our writing hobby. Many of the characters in this are my original creation as well.
Chapter 1With my head tucked inside my locker, I stacked my schoolbooks into the crook of my arm. I felt someone's warm breath on my neck and I seductively questioned. "I thought you had to leave school right away to get to work?"
"Any guy who would leave you for work would be a fool."
The strange voice startled me. I quickly did an about face to find my ex-boyfriend, James, standing directly in front of me. After months in the reformatory, he was a few inches taller than the last time I saw him and his body was thicker with well-defined muscles. "James!" I yelped.
A wide smile graced his face showing his deep dimples. "I see you didn't forget me. I just got back in town."
I immediately worried that someone would get the wrong idea with James so close to me. "James… no … no, I have to go."
James grabbed my arm to keep me from fleeing. His green eyes sparkled with his wicked smile. "Now, what are you running off for?"
Before I could answer, Owen's friends Pete and Alex walked up. Pete stared eye to eye with James and spoke to me. "Scout, is everything okay here?"
James grinned. "Yeah, I was just going to walk the young lady back to her neighborhood. You don't need to worry. Scout and I go way back."
Pete turned his eyes to me. My expression told Pete I had no intention of going anywhere with James. Pete snubbed his nose at the young man. "Why don't you just be on your way?"
James lip curled slightly in disgust as he let go of my arm and pointed to Pete. "Listen here, Soc boy…"
"James!" Another voice cut through the small crowd that was gathering in the hallway. I looked over to find Two-Bit charging towards us. He looked tough in his leather jacket with his cool stare aimed glaringly at the boy. Ponyboy followed behind his friend with a half-nervous look on his face. Two-Bit walked up, put his body between James and me and eyed the intruder. "You were just leaving, weren't you?"
The two young men held their ground and a short stare off ensued. James realized he was outnumbered. He stepped back with an evil grin on his face. "See you around, Scout." James walked backwards down the hall a few feet then turned on his heels and disappeared down the stairs.
"That kid sure is creepy." I said and shut my locker door, a bit embarrassed by the whole scene. I turned around and smoothed the wrinkles in my new pink sweater set that Owen had bought me for my fifteenth birthday.
"You've got a ride home, right?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, she's got a ride." Two-Bit said with an unintended attitude.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Alex." I looked to Ponyboy. "Let's get on home, Pony."
"Yeah." He said and wrapped his arm around my shoulder to lead me through the rapidly dispersing crowd. Two-Bit, my brother, and I strolled out to Two-Bit's car, just the three of us. Lately, Steve preferred to ride alone with Evie after school and to my great dismay, Casey had dropped out of school three weeks ago when a full-time position opened up at the restaurant she worked at. I missed my friend.
Walking to Two-Bit's rusty car, I thought again about the night Casey told me she was dropping out of school. The two of us were laying in our beds in the dark. The house had been quiet for quite for a while. Casey whispered to see if I was still awake. I considered not answering, because I was wishing I was asleep, but I couldn't resist responding.
"Casey, if this is about how unfair you think Darry is, I don't want to hear it." I moaned.
Weeks earlier, Sodapop and Darry had the biggest fight I had ever heard between the two of them when he figured out Soda and Casey had been dating and living together under our roof. That day, the yelling was so bad that Ponyboy and I shut ourselves into my room to avoid being drawn into the conflict. Together, we listened to the two of them yell for hours. Darry was livid as he ranted about how careless Sodapop was being with his life. Darry questioned our brother about what he thought the State would do if they found out. How responsible would they consider Darry to be if they knew he was allowing Soda to have a live-in girlfriend while raising two younger children? Sodapop yelled about how he didn't need Darry to take care of him any longer. Soda felt that since he had a job, he could easily find a place for he and Casey, and it would be far away from Darry. They yelled and yelled while Casey sat obediently on the living room couch and watched it all. It wasn't until the two bullheaded boys came to the realization that neither one of them wanted to tear the family apart and risk the chance that Ponyboy and I would be sent away that they finally calmed down. The two of them came to an agreement that Casey would be allowed to stay as long and she and Sodapop kept their relationship quiet. That meant no kissing, cuddling or anything else in our house. The truth was Darry had a real soft spot for Casey. He felt bad for her and was interested in helping her succeed in life.
"It's not about Darry." Casey spoke louder. "It's about me."
I opened my eyes and stared up at the dark ceiling. "What about you?"
"Alright, I'm gonna tell you this, but you can't get mad. Well, you're gonna be mad. That's inevitable, so I guess you can get mad. Just don't yell at me.
"Casey? Quit babbling and tell me already!"
"I'm dropping out of school."
"What?" I sat up and turned toward my friend to scold her. "No you're not! Casey, you've got to finish school!"
"Shhhh!" Casey whispered loudly. "Be quiet or one of your brothers are gonna hear you."
I climbed out of my bed, flipped on the lamp light, and sat on the edge of Casey's bed. "Casey Dobbins, you are staying in school. I'm not going to let you do this."
Casey looked at me and smiled. "See Scout, that's what I love about you. You have the biggest heart in the world. You always know what's best for everyone. I appreciate you wanting me to stay in school, but I've already made up my mind. Plus, the manager at the restaurant offered me a full-time job and I'm gonna take it."
"What for?" I questioned and climbed under the covers with my friend. "High school is so much more important than work. You know you don't need to pay nothing to stay here. Darry has never said that you had to."
"No, he hasn't, and I appreciate everything he has done for me. It just time for me to do something for myself."
"But you're only seventeen! You need to finish high school. You need to stay here with me. Besides, you're practically family."
Casey looked away. "Well, that's the other thing. I just haven't felt happy here since the big fight between Darry and Soda. Then the other day Buck Merrill came in the restaurant and we got to talking. Seems he has that room for rent that Dally used to stay in. He says the rent will be real cheap just for me and he'll let me work the bar whenever I want to for tips and such. I can even use his car if I need to. I told him I'd take him up on his offer, I just aint told Sodapop yet." When she did, I think she broke my brother's heart just a little bit more than he every expected she would.
I shook the away the memory that was playing in my head and climbed into the front seat of Two-Bit's car. I sat in the middle, close to Two-Bit. Being next to him made me feel weird because of the moment we had shared in my dining room when the two of us nearly kissed. I hated feeling that way about him. I just didn't feel the same as it ever did before. We never spoke about that moment, but I think whenever we looked at each other we often thought about it.
Ponyboy slammed the car door shut and looked at me. "I don't know what you ever saw in that boy."
"Me neither." I assured Ponyboy he wasn't the only one with that thought. "James has brought me nothing but trouble, that's for sure."
"Yeah, well I hope he knows enough to leave you alone." Two-Bit scowled and pulled the car out of the school parking lot.
"All he needs is a good whooping from Darry and he'll learn his place." Ponyboy assured the two of us.
"Yeah," Two-Bit sighed. "Either way I think I oughta have a talk with Tim Shepard and make sure he keeps his boy on a short leash."
"Tim aint gonna care what anyone in his gang does." Pony croaked and lit up a cigarette.
Two-Bit glanced at me and then back to the road ahead of us. "He best start caring or there's going to be a turf war."
"Wait!" I interrupted, "you all already had that fight before he left for the reformatory. I though we won and he has to stay away from me for forever? I thought that's how you said it worked!"
Ponyboy and Two-Bit exchanged glances then Two-bit looked to me with concern in his eyes. "Maybe he aint with Sheppard's gang anymore. If that's the case, all deals are off."
I swallowed nervously, "Then I guess we best find out who he's hanging with these days."
"I'll head over to Shepard's place as soon as I drop you two at home, Savvy?" Two-Bit asked.
"Savvy." I replied and sat back into the seat trying not to think about having to deal with James possessive behavior again.