ITS ABOUT TIME ➤ Ponyboy Curtis

12

𝙿𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚕 𝙲𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜
♫ - "Sparks Fly" by Taylor Swift

Darry's truck pulled into the DX parking lot with Johnny and I sitting in the trunk bed. Darry, Two-Bit, and Dally were up front. Darry went inside to get Soda, Steve, and Georgia and to tell them the news. He got a premonition at work, meaning he'd have less hours and would get paid more. Darry was really happy when we found out and decided to take the whole gang out to dinner at Dairy Queen. We all loved Dairy Queen. Our mom and Dad used to take Sodapop, Darry, and I there every weekend in the summer, but we couldn't keep doing that after they died since it was too expensive. But now that Darry was getting more money, we planned on going more often.
"Hey guys!" Georgia greeted us as her and Darry exited the DX. Steve and Soda were driving in Steve's truck because we couldn't all fit into Darry's.
Dal reached out the window to mess up Georgias hair as she walked passed the side of the car. As soon as Georgia joined me and Johnny in the trunk she vigorously started fixing her hair. "You're an ass, Dallas." She complained through the small window of the back windshield. "My hair was perfect before you messed it up." Georgia was holding in her laughter.
"That's cause ya spend so much damn time fixing it." Dallas snickered.
Georgia scoffed. "You should try it sometime. It looks like you got a stray dog on your head." If it had been anyone else would have said, Dally would have flattened them without a moment's hesitation. But Dally just chuckled at the insult along with the rest of us. Georgia could say anything to Dallas and he wouldn't bat an eye. Her and Johnny could do no wrong in his eyes.
Georgia slumped down in the bed, smiling. "What are you guys getting at Dairy queen?"
Darry's truck pulled out of the DX parking lot. "Barbecue sandwich." I said and Johnny nodded in agreement. "What're you getting?"
"Well I just had lunch so I'm just gonna get an ice cream."
Two-Bit said a "Me too" but his voice was muffled by the wind blowing past the car as we drove down the street. Georgia's fiery hair was even more messed up from the wind than it was when Dallas's ruffled it up. The sun was causing her hair to glow and she looked like heaven on earth. She gave up on fixing it and instead looked at the passing buildings, looking at beautiful as ever.
When we stopped at a red light, Georgia and I noticed a girl winking at Johnny. He blushed and waved but didn't do anything else like what Dallas, Two-Bit, or really anyone else in the gang would do.
"C'mon Johnnycakes." Georgia playfully hit Johnny's shoulder. "Why didn't you ask for her name?"
Johnny blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd don't know. I didn't think of it."
Johnny didn't talk to girls much. Once, while Dallas was in reform school, Dally's ex-girlfriend Sylvia had started hanging on to Johnny and sweet talking him and Steve got hold of her and told her if she tried any of her tricks with Johnny he'd personally beat the tar out of her. Then he gave Johnny a lecture on girls and how a sneaking little broad like Sylvia would get him into a lot of trouble. As a result, Johnny never spoke to girls much, but whether that was because he was scared of Steve or because he was shy, I couldn't tell. I was just glad he finally found someone.
"It's my mission to find you a girl, Johnny."
"Georgie, you don't have too."
Her eyebrows lifted and Georgia loosened her shoulders. "I'm more than happy too. You're a good guy who deserves a nice girl."
Johnny chuckled. "Well alright." He smiled to himself and played with his fingers.
"Y'know Pone," Georgia started and I averted my gaze from Johnny to her, "You ought to meet a girl too."
If only she knew, I thought. Georgia had no idea how much I liked her. I told Soda that she wasn't my girl but I sure wished she was. I mean, after spending so much time with Georgia I was certain I was in love. I planned on telling her the next day at the lot because I just couldn't get her out of my head and there was no use in hiding it anymore. Just like her favorite song, Georgia was always on my mind. I wanted to spend all my time with her and I wanted her to be with her every day. I just wanted her. I was in love with her, she just didn't know it yet. But instead of saying angy thing like that, I just shrugged my shoulders.
The gang noisily got out of the truck once we had reached Dairy Queen. Only one of the picnic tables was occupied. It was a family of three—A mother, father, and a young boy. They brought their dog too, and I wished we had brought Pluto.
"Alright. What do ya'll want?" Darry rested his hands on his hips.
"Vanilla cone!" Georgia said excitedly.
"Me too." I said. "And a barbecue sandwich. One for Johnny, too."
Two-Bit and Steve wanted strawberry ice-cream in cups and Sodapop wanted a chocolate cone. Dallas said he didn't want any, but we all knew that he'd end up stealing someone else's.
"C'mon lil red." Darry beckoned after taking the gang's orders. "Ima need some help carrying everything out."
The two of them went inside and quickly came out with the ice cream. It wasn't really busy. They passed out everyone's order at the two picnic tables we pushed together. Georgia handed me my sandwich and sat down to my right. Johnny was to my left and Darry next to him. Soda sat across from Darry with Two-Bit and Steve in the middle, Dallas at the end across from Georgia.
Georgia picked a piece of Pluto's fur off my shoulder. Her touch made my whole body shiver. "How was Pluto today?"
"He was good. I like him." I said. I'd never really been a fan of dogs.
"I dropped him off at our house right before we came here. Him and Johnny were napping in the couch like babies all day long." Two-Bit added after taking a bite out of his burger. No matter how many times we told him, Two-Bit never stopped talking with his mouth full and never grew some manners.
"I'm thinking 'bout borrowing him and sneaking into Steve's place." Dallas chuckled and leaned across the table to steal some of Georgia's ice cream. "He'd drop dead with fear."
Georgia glared at him and Dal merely grinned roguishly. Steve was looking at Dally's hand. His ring, which he had rolled a drunk senior to get, was missing from his finger. "Did you loose your ring or something?"
"Mm." Dal licked the vanilla from his lips. "I forgotta tell ya guys. Me and Sylvia are giving it another go."
We all groaned in response. "Didn't you just go out with Angelia Shepard yesterday? Georgia said tiredly.
"Yeah, so what?" Dal took another spoonful of her ice cream.
"So," Georgia stole the cup back. "I'm gonna need you to stop eating my ice cream because you probably have mono or something."
Dallas poked the side of his cheek with his tongue. "Are you calling me a slut, Georgie?" It was a known fact that Dallas definitely got around, but I think Georgia was the first to tell him to his face. Although he already knew.
"I'm not calling anyone a slut." Georgia sassed as she threw her hands up. "I'm just saying that it's a slut-ish activity to get with two girls in under a week."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever man." Dallas shoved her in the shoulder. "I'm keeping this ice cream. Wouldn't want cha to catch my mono or something."
Georgia made no attempts in taking back her ice cream, knowing that Dallas always got what he wanted. Instead she smiled and rolled her eyes. Even when it was sarcastic her smile was still so soft and beautiful.
I thought about my plan again and how I was to tell Georgia how I felt. I first came up with the idea after Georgia and I watched the sunset and Darry hollering at me for being on the roof. She was to meet me at the lot like I asked her and I would tell her then, in excruciating detail, every single feeling that I feel when I'm around her. Everything she makes me feel.
Georgia makes me feel like I belong—like i'm not the only person in the world who likes watching films and reading books and watching sunsets and talking about life. Georgia made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt. Like the other day when we were laughing really hard at something she said, we were almost crying. Georgia makes me feel heard and noticed. She makes me feel like I'm not pathetic and dorky. I feel like myself when I'm around her and I needed to tell her that.
I was sweating something fierce when I asked her earlier that day. Something about her saying no and rejecting my offer scared me, but I think rejection scares everyone. "Rejection" might not be the right word to use given that I was only asking her to hang out as a friend, but I can't find another word to use. To her it's just two friends talking at an open lot, but what I wanted was more. I needed for it to be a special moment, like ones in the books we read.