The Outsiders: Wanted

Chapter 20: Onset pt2

Continues from last chapter. Last sentence of last chapter: "And what makes you think you'd ever get that fuckin' far with him?" a snarling voice at the end of the alley asked. Ponyboy knew that voice anywhere; rough like gravel, sharper than broken glass and smoother and possibly hotter than molten tar.
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"Fuck off, you don't have any business here." the blonde growled out, the once idle group now focusing their attention on the dark figure at the end of the alley. The figure didn't answer, making its way down the alley, stepping closer and closer to the group. "I said fuck off!" the blonde growled, shoving the person away. The figure retaliated, cracking it's fist hard against the blonde's jaw, sending the soc reeling to the ground.

"You son of a bitch!" another soc yelled, charging towards the figure, only to be punched in the gut and kneed in the face, then tossed aside. One after another the socs tried to attack the figure, only to be beaten and tossed out of the way. By the time the figure made it over to Ponyboy he had readjusted his clothes, covering himself back up. Todd had booked it out of there as soon as he had seen what the figure had done to his friends.

"T-th- thanks, Tim." Ponyboy stammered, still in a bit of shock of what just happened to him.

"C'mon." was all the hood said before yanking the greaser out of the alley by the sleeve of his sweater, nearly dragging the auburn down the sidewalk towards his car. "Get in." Tim muttered as he yanked the door open as he gave a shove to the boy's shoulder before walking over to his side of the car. Starting up then taking off down the street in a silent ride back to his house. 'The kid is always getting his ass into trouble.' Tim growled to himself in his head. They reached his house soon enough, piling out of the car and heading inside. Tim took off into another part of the house as Ponyboy stood in the living room dumbly, feeling relatively out of place in the Shepard's house. Usually when he was over here he was with Curly, but it seems like now more than ever he's been with Tim.

"Here." Tim said as he shoved a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a dishtowel into the boy's chest, causing the auburn to falter a bit backwards as he clutched the peas. Tim sauntered over to the Pool table, picking up a stick as he set the white ball down at the end of the table, taking a shot. Nursing his swollen lip with the bag of peas, Pony watched as the balls went flying in all different directions.

"Thanks for showin' up when you did." Ponyboy said as he stood at the other end of the pool table as he iced his lip, obviously ill at ease. 'I feel so out of place here, I'm so out of my element even though I'm familiar with this type of atmosphere. I just feel so awkward here with Tim without any of the gang,' Pony thought to himself, jumping when Tim thrust the pool stick across the table, causing the balls to knock against one another as they scattered across the table, tearing Ponyboy from his thoughts.

"Yeah no prob'." Tim shrugged as he walked over to the side of the table, getting a better angle before making his next move. Ponyboy stood silently as he watched Tim play, watching as the balls would collide against one another then ricochet as they rolled away.

"Ya know how ta play?" Tim asked the auburn greaser, breaking him from his thoughts.

"I, uh, kind of, not really- no." Ponyboy stuttered, making the hood smirk slightly.

"I'll teach ya, s'not hard." Tim said as he walked over to the young greaser, handing Pony the pool stick before standing behind him. "The white one is the one ya use ta hit all the other ones. You gotta get all the colored ones into the lil' holes on the corners and sides of the table, ya got all this so far?" Tim said as he instructed the younger teen, pointing to each thing as he told the younger about it.