He Was Mine, I Was His

Where Do We Go Now?

I didn't sleep that night. Instead, I curled up on the recliner under a blanket and just sat there. I was worried about the gang, especially Two-Bit and Steve. I didn’t want them getting drunk and in an accident or a fight they couldn’t get themselves out of. Part of me was angry at the way they ran out like they did but I understood that was what they needed to do to grieve.

As the sun started to rise, the phone rang. I answered it quickly to not wake up the boys. It was Elizabeth. Her work friend had left her a message telling her everything that happened and had called to check on us. I explained how everyone was holding up and asked her if she was okay with me staying at the Curtis’ for a while to help them out. She agreed and we talked a while longer before I hung up. I checked to make sure everyone was still asleep before grabbing my keys and heading out the door. To my surprise, Steve was sitting on the steps.

“Hey there,” I said quietly, sitting down next to him.

He took a drink from the bottle I hadn’t noticed in his hand before, “Hey.”

“Where’d you go last night, Steve?” I asked.

“Evie’s for a little while until her dad kicked me out. Then I went to look for Two-Bit.”

“Did you find him? Where’s he at?”

“The cooler.” I closed my eyes and sighed. He put his hand on my knee before continuing. “He got a hold of Matt. Don’t worry. He’ll be out soon, he’s just got to cool off. They all know Matt had it coming to him.”

“You’re all going to give me gray hairs.” I shook my head and started playing with my keys.

He was silent for a moment. “Where do we go now?”

My heart sank as he asked that question because I really didn’t know. “Well, to start, I’m going to my house to get a change of clothes,” I said trying to lighten the mood after that heavy question. “Why don’t you go in there and try to get a little bit of rest before everyone wakes up.”

“If you insist,” Steve said before yawning. He got up and went inside.

I went home and changed into some clean, comfortable clothes. As I was changing, Elizabeth kept talking about a guy she knew that would be able to cover the funeral so no one would have to worry about it. It was helpful information but I tuned her out. I didn’t want to think about a funeral. I didn’t want to think about my friends, standing around a casket which held another friend. She told me she would take care of everything so Darry wouldn’t have to. After all, he was the closest thing Dally ever had to a responsible guardian.

After the longest hug I had ever received from Elizabeth, I returned to the Curtis house. Everyone was still asleep, including Steve who had taken over the recliner. I was glad they were all getting the rest they needed. As for myself, I started a pot of coffee. When it was finished, I poured myself a cup and decided to have some kitchen floor therapy.

The cold wood touched my skin and instantly relaxed me. I laid my head on the wall and closed my eyes. I felt myself starting to drift to sleep but quickly came back to consciousness when I heard a noise in the other room. I stood up and soon enough, Ponyboy entered the room.

“Morning Marilyn,” he said when he saw me.

“Morning Pony,” I greeted. “How’d you sleep?”

“Like shit,” he said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of a drawer. “You?”

“Ditto,” I replied.

He started walking out of the kitchen but then walked right back in.

“Steve showed up? Did Two-Bit?” He asked quietly.