Cinnamon & Rubies // The Outsiders

four

The Friday night rush was starting up and Caroline wanted nothing more than to have a break. She was working a ten hour shift and this was just hour six. Letting out a frustrated huff, she pushed back some flyaway strands of her cinnamon hair and skated towards the table that just came in.

"Welcome to the Dingo. What can I get for y'all today?" she asked, noting the Soc hair and clothes. This may be a tough crowd.

"Yeah, I'll have a Coke and a burger and uhhh...your cute self?" the leader flirted.

"Don't know if you read the whole menu but I'm not on it," she deflected, "And for you boys?"

The other two ordered and she passed along the ticket to Paul. As she leaned over the counter to change the radio station, the door chime rang and she glanced up, seeing a familiar face leading a few boys.

"Sodapop Curtis, I do believe I owe you a round of Cokes," she exclaimed, skating over to their table once they settled in. "Is that alright for you boys?"

"Aw, Caroline, you ain't have to do that. We were just being nice," the handsome teen rebutted.

"Nonsense," she admonished. "I'll be right back with those."

She grabbed the drinks for the Soc table first and wordlessly passed them out as the boys leered after her. The leader of the group grabbed her wrist as she went to move away and Caroline whirled around, a fire in her eyes.

"You should learn to keep your hands to yourself," she hissed and he laughed. "Aw, sweetheart, don't be like that."

"Let go," Caroline demanded, pulling her arm. His grip tightened and she felt panic rising in her chest. She stumbled on her skates and leaned forward on her brakes, attempting to step back.

"Is there a problem here?"

Caroline almost cried in relief at the sound of her boss' voice. The Soc instantly let her go and she rushed to the back, leaning against the wall of the kitchen. Her breathing was labored and she could feel tears prick her eyes.

"Sharon is on their table now," Mr. Armstrong reassured her and she nodded, inhaling deeply. "Do you need a break? Do you need to go home?"

"I'm fine," she replied, shaking out her shoulders and standing up straight. Her face smoothed out into a passive stone and suddenly, she placed on a smile. Skating out, she grabbed four sodas and placed them in front of the Greasers. Glancing up, she noticed the new addition to the table.

"Coffee?" she asked quietly and Darry nodded, his cobalt eyes following her every move. Flipping open her notepad, the boys quickly rattled off their orders and she offered a smile, albeit fake, and skated off. As she was pouring the coffee for Darry, she heard the Soc boys whistle at her position at the counter. Sighing, Caroline ignored them and delivered the coffee silently.

Harassment like this wasn't a normal occurrence but it happened more often than she would like to admit. It always threw her off and she reacted how she always did. She shut down.

Four more hours. She could do it. Four more hours.

A crash echoed through the diner and she whirled around, seeing the door wide open. Steve and one of his friends were dragging two of the Soc's out while Sodapop was wrestling with the lead Soc. Caroline gasped as the two boys went wrestling to the ground.

The Dingo might be on Greaser territory and Socs might like to test the limits by eating there, but everyone knew it was off limits for fighting inside. The parking lot was fine, but there better be no rumbling in the diner itself.

Caroline's prayers were answered in the form of Darry Curtis picking the Soc straight up by the back of his jacket and throwing him out the door. Her eyes must have been as wide as saucers as the two Curtis brothers followed in pursuit outside.

The roar of an engine drowned out the Beatles on the radio and from the windows, Caroline could see the Soc's car peeling out of the parking lot. She leaned against the counter, pressing a hand to her chest as if it would help her catch her breath.

"Paul, cancel that order on table seven," she called back to the cook, her eyes never leaving the Greasers walking back in the door.

"What on earth did you just do?" Caroline asked, skating up to the table.

"He wasn't being too respectful," Sodapop replied innocently, flashing her a dazzling grin.

"Yeah, we were jus' showin' him what happens when you don't treat a lady properly," Steve crowed.

"Dirty Socs showin' up here, actin' like they on their territory," the third guy scoffed. Through deductive reasoning, Caroline assumed that was Two-Bit Mathews, one of the more troublemaking members of the Curtis gang. The only other person she didn't know was the boy sitting quietly next to Sodapop and Steve. He was the quietest member of the group and wouldn't look at her at all.

"You didn't have to kick 'em out!"

"Aw, they were jus' gonna get worse," Steve argued.

"I coulda handled it."

"But, you don't gotta when we're here. We ain't no saints, but we do know how to treat a lady better than that. Dare woulda had our heads if we did that, ain't that right, Dare?" Soda prodded his older brother.

The oldest Curtis pulled his eyes away from her wrist and looked up at her. Beneath the muscles and grease, a gentleness seemed to exist in him. Noticing his prior attention, she glanced down at her wrist and winced at the sight of ugly bruises marring her skin from where the Soc had gripped her.

"Ain't no kid should be hurting a lady," Darry spoke, his voice calm but it felt like a sliver of rage was leaking into his tone. She almost shivered, having never heard him be so angry in their few conversations.

"Well, thank you then," she replied softly, her chocolate eyes fixing back on his. Some of the ice in his gaze melted and he nodded once. A small, genuine smile tugged at the edges of her lips. "I'll go get y'all some refills, free of charge."

"Aw, Care, that's fine." Soda waved her off and she shook her head firmly.

"It's the least I can do," she said with a tone of stubborn finality and skated back towards the counter, a feeling of security creeping into her soul for the first time in forever.