Young Blood ⏤ Ponyboy Curtis | ✓

06 | seeing red

Billie feels herself being pushed around as the classroom door opens. Billie doesn't fight back as elbows are nudged into her back and sides. She waits as the impatient students enter the classroom before entering it herself. She notices she is one of the last ones to enter the classroom as she takes a seat on the bench at the back of the class.

On the board, the lesson plan has already been written up on the board. Mrs Whitten stands patiently at the front as everybody takes out their belongings for the lesson. Billie sees that today the class will be conducting an experiment and Billie's stomach coils tightly. This means pairing up with somebody who is scared of her. Somehow that is much worse than somebody not wanting to have anything to do with her.

Mrs Whitten clears her throat and the chatter dies down, twenty pairs of eyes watching her, waiting for her instructions. "As you all know by now, today we are doing an experiment. And no, Wayde, you will not be choosing your partner," Mrs Whitten sharply adds as a black-haired boy puts his hand down and scowls.

Mrs Whitten continues speaking. "I will read out your pairs and then I will go through the experiment." She puts on her reading glasses and begins reading off a piece of paper, going through the pairs.

Billie lowers her head as Mrs Whitten goes through the names, but she raises her head once she hears Ponyboy's name. He is paired up with a Wayde Kirkpatrick - the poshest name she's ever heard and most likely a Soc. She looks to see the black-haired boy roll his eyes and whisper something to his friend while pointing at Ponyboy while Ponyboy keeps his head down at his bench near the front.

Billie hears her name being called out and she is paired with a Lauretta Harden. Billie sees a brown-haired girl wearing a preppy rose coloured dress staring at her. When Billie looks over at her, she looks away, colour rising in her cheeks at being caught. Billie assumes she is her partner.

Mrs Whitten instructs the class to sit in their pairs and Billie sits awkwardly in her seat on the bench as her partner gathers her belongings and slowly makes her way towards Billie. She sits down beside Billie, leaving a good amount of space between them. On the bench beside them, Ponyboy and his partner sit down, his partner not bothering to hide his displeasure at being paired up at Ponyboy.

Once he sees Billie's partner, he gives her an easy smile, his features softening. She gives him a sweet smile back and Billie realises that it's clear they are both sweet on each other. Ponyboy's partner flicks his eyes over to Billie.

"Can we swap? You go with Curtis and I'll go with Lauretta." As he says her name, he gives her another easy smile which causes Billie's partner to blush.

Billie nods her head and moves over to Ponyboy's partner's spot as he moves into Billie's spot. He whispers something into her ear causing her to giggle. Billie turns to face Ponyboy, who's head is lowered, his cheeks a light red. Billie assumes that he is embarrassed that his partner wanted to swap and Billie wants to tell him it isn't personal. To the Socs, he is just another Greaser in a sea of countless Greasers.

Billie turns away from Ponyboy to face the board, where Mrs Whitten is explaining the experiment. She says that they will be dissecting a frog, which earns squeals of protest from several Soc girls.

Once Mrs Whitten has finished explaining, the class begins the experiment. Ponyboy and Billie haven't uttered one word to each other as Billie went and got the frog, placing it on a pile of newspapers wordlessly.

Suddenly Ponyboy pulls his switchblade out of his jacket pocket, causing Lauretta to flinch and gasp. Her and Wayde stop what they are doing to watch Ponyboy with wide eyes. Under that playboy facade, Billie can see that he is scared.