ITS ABOUT TIME ➤ Ponyboy Curtis

5

𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚊 𝙳𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚠𝚜
   

"On your mark...get set...GO!"
Steve ran with the ball past the halfway line. There wasn't a line like an actual football field so we just imagined it. The game was less than formal—no one had a set position and they didn't come up with any game plans. This was just for fun. Seconds before being tackled by Sodapop, Steve passed the ball to Darrel who took off running. Dallas, Ponyboy, and Sodapop were on his tail. They pulled a blitz and tried to sack him. All three of them were on Darrel in a minute, but that didn't stop him. He ran into the end zone, the boys sliding off his back on the way there.
The guys went into kickoff formation and started again. It was really fun to watch. At one point, Dallas lunged and grabbed Sodapop's arm and I had to call a penalty.
"Penalty, Dallas! Holding!"
Dallas threw his head back. "C'mon, man. I barely even touched him!" He announced while throwing his arms in the air. Sodapop was standing behind him, limping and pretending to cry.
I laughed at him. "He pulled your arm, Soda, not your leg."
"Oh!" Soda laughed, "My bad!"
The game continued on for around a half an hour before they took a break. Sodapop and Two-Bit were laying on their backs in the sun, laughing at nothing in particular. Ponyboy sat on my left with his back against the oak tree and Dallas sat on my right, smoking a half-squished cancer stick that he found in his jean pocket. Johnny and Darrel were practicing on throwing and catching.
Dallas tossed his cigarette butt over his shoulder once it became too short. "Hey kid, if I slide ya a dime d'ya think you might be able to get us some extra wins?" He smirked, fishing a dime out of his pocket. I wondered what else was in there.
"Are you bribing me, Dallas?" I said.
He pulled a face of fake surprisement. "Hey, man. Let's not get accusatory or nuthin'. I'm just trying to donate some money to a friend in need."
I chucked. "Sure, Dallas. I'll think about it."
"Thanks, kid." He lazily grinned. He ruffled my hair, then got up to join Johnny and Darrel on the field. That surprised me. When he lifted his hand I thought he was getting ready to slap me or something, not ruffle my hair like a brother.
I never did think that Dallas was as bad as a person that everyone in town made him out to be. Even so, I didn't think he was all that friendly. Turns out, I was kinda wrong. Dallas was a hood, that's for sure, but he wasn't just incongruously mean. If he didn't see a reason in doing something, like following the law or just being nice, he didn't do it. He saw a reason for being nice to me that he didn't see in strangers walking down the street. That's why people think he's so mean: he is mean, but only to people he didn't see a reason to be nice too. He wasn't gonna be nice to just anybody, that just wasn't who he was. He needed a reason. I respected that.
"You're letting us win for a dime?" Ponyboy questioned after Dallas was far enough to not hear.
"I don't know." I smirked while fixing my hair. "Depends on if I can think of something to buy with it."
"You can get 10 pieces of taffy at the penny candy store on Pickett." Pony said casually and watched Darrel and Johnny practice
I pretended to ponder before saying anything.   "Taffy seems like a good investment. I might have to let Dallas win this one."
"You might have too." Ponyboy agreed, probably because they were on the same team. "I like the chocolate taffy the best."
"I'll buy you some with my ten cents."

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

An hour had pasted and they boys finished their game. Dallas, Two, Ponyboy, and Soda were celebrating their victory. Dally whole heartedly believed that his dime won the game, but in reality, Darry just got tired.
The boys and I were walking back to the Curtis' house when Ponyboy slowed down beside me. "Do you wanna walk over to Picket and get some taffy? I just found a nickel." He held up a somewhat shiny silver coin.
I nodded my head. "Yeah sure."
He smiled at me. "Me and Georgia are walking down to Picket and stopping in the penny store." Ponyboy announced. "Alright, Darry?"
"Be back by 7:00." Darry said over his shoulder.
Two-Bit, wanting to seem authoritative, also gave me a curfew. "Yeah. If you're not home by  7:00, you're gonna be in some big trouble, young lady."
"Shiver me timbers." I laughed.
The walk to the candy store was short. The store had a  have a name, but everyone just called it "The Candy Store". Smells of sugar and syrup wafted towards our noses as we walked inside. Ponyboy and I both grabbed a small paper bag and chose some taffy. I got a few chocolate, bubblegum, and blueberry ones. I'm pretty sure Ponyboy used his nickel to buy only chocolate taffy's.
Before we payed I waved him over. "Pick out some other flavors, I got some of the chocolate taffy in my pocket."
Ponyboy shook his head. Leaning close to me, he whispered, "I already have seven in mine." He had a crooked grin. I liked it.
There was a bench right outside the store that we decided was a good place to eat our taffy.
I watched the cats drive by, mentally sorting them into cars I wouldn't like to own or would love to own. "I love cars, don't you?" I asked.
Ponyboy shrugged. "Yeah, they're cool. I'm not a car guy or anything."
I cocked an eyebrow. "What type of guy are you?"
Ponyboy questioned me, "What'd do you mean?"
"Well, all I know about you is that you like to read and live across the street from me."
Ponyboy started unwrapping a piece of taffy. "There's not much to tell you."
"Then tell me a little."
"Alright then." He shrugged. "I grew up in Tulsa and never lived anywhere else. I wish I lived in the county, though."
"Yeah?" I questioned. "How come?"
"Just to be out of towns and away from excitement." He said. "My dad used to take us all huntin' down there sometimes."
"Where you any good?"
Ponyboy laughed, "No. I mean, I have good aim but I never shot anything. I could never. And even if I could, Soda and I goofed around too much, scared most of our game away."
"You and Sodapop are really close, huh?"
Ponyboy smiled, "Yeah. I just wish me and Darry were close too."
"What do you mean? I though you and Darry were close."
"Not really. Darry's always hollering at me, or treating me as if I was six instead of fifteen. We just don't get along."
"Well, I'm sorry." I said. I felt the same way about my mom.
"Don't be sorry." He paused. "I don't think I've ever told that to anybody before."
"Well, it's an honor." I chuckled. I didn't say it, but I wondered why he hadn't told anyone before. I didn't think it was much of a secret.
Ponyboy grinned at me with his crooked grin. "You and Two-Bit have the same smile." He said.
"Yeah, we get told that a lot."
Ponyboy's voice was soft. "I like it better on you though." I felt my cheeks grow warm. Never in my life had anybody really complimented me and meant it. I could tell he meant it by he way he spoke. I might not have known him well but I knew him. I could look at him as a human and tell it he walked around with his heart first. I thanked him and he continued. "Two-Bit reminds me of Will Rogers, with that grin."
I kinda laughed, confused and a little offended. "Are you saying I look like Will Rogers?"
Ponyboy's eyes widened. "No, I- I didn't mean it like that." He laughed nervously. "You're pretty."
"I'll have to tell Two-Bit that you think he isn't pretty." I laughed.
"I reckon he knows that." Ponyboy said, scratching the back of his neck."
I really enjoyed talking to Ponyboy. We surprisingly shared a lot in common. Two-Bit had told me he was shy, which I believed when I first met him, but he seemed pretty chatty. I wasn't complaining, though. He was sweet and easy to talk to. It wasn't awkward, teen boys are usually pretty awkward when talking to girls. I'm glad Two-Bit grew out of that at a young age, it was hard to watch.
Ponyboy asked me about myself on the walk home. I struggled with that. "There's not much to tell you. I'm not a very interesting person." I said.
Ponyboy's hands jammed into his pockets. "You seem interesting to me."
"I guess I don't know what to say." I lied through my teeth. I knew what to say. I wanted so badly to finally tell somebody who I was. I wanted to tell anybody, anyone who would listen, my thoughts and struggles but I couldn't. Even though Ponyboy understood me, I still felt like I would be judged. Not just by him but somehow everyone. Like everyone would know I was desperate for something more.
Ponyboy was taller than me, maybe 5'6 or 5'7. He leaned down a bit to peer at my face.  "Well I don't know." He said, looking back up at the sidewalk in front of us. "Tell me about your family"
"You already know Two-Bit."
"Maybe your Two-Bit is different from my  Two-Bit." He shrugged. "And I don't know about your mom. What's she like?"
I laughed dryly, "Oh jeez." He definitely wasn't ready for this one.
"If you don't wanna tell me that fine. I'm sorry for bringing it up." Ponyboy drew his bottom lip in between his teeth. He got flustered real easily, I could tell just after a few hours.
"It's just that she doesn't like me very much." I stayed silent for a second, thinking on how to word what I was going to say. "She's not around much and when she is, she pretends I'm not there. I can't remember the last time she spoke to me."
"Oh. I didn't know that." His eyes darted around my face, seemingly trying to read my expression.
I guess we was expecting some 'I hate my mom' bullshit that every other teenager says. I loved my mom, even if she didn't love me. I was grateful that she wasn't brutal like Johnny's, or absent like my father. Though she wasn't nice, I loved her. She was my mother after all. People really take things for granted, and I had only realized that recently. I've heard kids at school swear that they have the worst parents ever, but they didn't know that my mother hadn't talked to me in months and that my father left when I was born, or that Johnny Cade's parents beat him, or that some kids didn't have parents at all. At least I had a mother who gave me a home. Some kids didn't even have that.
We rounded the corner of picket crossed the street. "Why?" Ponyboy asked.
I was confused. "Why what?" I furrowed my eyebrows, giving him a questioning look.
"Why does your mom.." He thought for a second. "treat you like that?"
I sighed. "I guess I don't know for sure, sense she doesn't talk to me, but I'm guessing it's cause my dad left when I was born. I'm pretty sure she blames it on me."
I knew she did. I was definite that she blamed it on me. I remember her telling me when I was little that I ruined everything. She used to do it pretty often, but Two-Bit told her to stop. He told her that they both knew I had nothing to do with my father leaving. I remember him telling her to never say anything like that again, and I guess she just took that as never speaking to me again. All she wanted to do was blame me, so all she could do was say nothing. My mother liked to communicate with me through Two-Bit, who she loved, or through a list of chores left on the kitchen counter. Sometimes when I would be up late at night, watching T.V or laying with Pluto, I would get to see her when she came home from work. She wouldn't say anything, nor look at me often, but I liked it that she knew I was there. I would watch her move around and wish that my father had stayed. After she'd gone to bed, I would picture what our life would be like if he had stayed.
"Georgia." Ponyboy said suddenly.
"Hm?" I hummed. His hand was on my shoulder, but he quickly removed it once I peered down at it. I guess he had said something that I didn't hear.
Ponyboy looked at me, and it was weirdly comforting. "I said that it wasn't your fault." I stayed silent, not knowing what to say. "You know it's not your fault, right?"
I didn't. I didn't know it wasn't my fault. I guess I just absent mindedly always thought it was true. I mean, my father did leave after I was born. What if I wasn't there to make him leave? Maybe Two-Bit could've had a better life, and maybe my parents could've made enough money to live on the West side of town.  I had always thought about that, and never stopped to think that maybe I wasn't the reason. Maybe it was just my father. Maybe my mother just didn't know how to deal. Maybe I didn't do anything wrong.
Ponyboy was staring at me with pain drawn on his face. "Gosh, I'm so sorry Georgia." He said. "You shouldn't believe her. It's not your fault you were born."
That started making since. "Yeah, I guess you're right." I rolled back and forth on my feet. "It's probably better that he left anyway."
"Ya think?" Ponyboy asked me.
I sighed. "Yeah, maybe."